Cemesto
Encyclopedia
Cemesto is a sturdy, light-weight, waterproof and fire-resistant composite building material
made from a core of sugar cane fiber insulating
board surfaced on both sides with asbestos
and cement
. Its name is a portmanteau word combining "cem" from "cement" and "esto" from "asbestos."
Cemesto was introduced by the Celotex Company in 1937. It was manufactured in the form of boards and panels that were 4 feet (1.2 m) wide, about 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) thick, and 4 feet (1.2 m) to 12 feet (3.7 m) long. Each 4 feet (1.2 m) by 12 feet (3.7 m) panel weighs just 265 pounds (120.2 kg). Cemesto was used primarily for interior and exterior walls.
The John B. Pierce Foundation and Celotex collaborated to develop a prefabrication
system for building low-cost housing using cemesto panels, in which single cemesto panels were slid horizontally into light wood
en frames to create walls. A prototype cemesto house was displayed at the 1939 World's Fair in New York City
. The Pierce system was first used in 1941 for building employee housing at the Glenn L. Martin Aircraft Company
near Baltimore, Maryland. For this development, named Aero Acres, the architecture firm of Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill designed gable-roof
ed Cape Cod houses with dimensions of 24 feet (7.3 m) by 28 feet (8.5 m), featuring large commercial-style windows in their principal rooms. In 1941 a total of 600 homes were built at Aero Acres using this design.
During World War II
, when other building materials were in short supply, cemesto was used extensively in the United States. Cemesto was used to build temporary office buildings in Washington, D.C.
Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill adapted the Pierce system and used cemesto panels for the designs of some 2,500 pre-fabricated homes, known by the nickname
"cemestos," erected in Oak Ridge, Tennessee
, to house Manhattan Project
workers and their families. In 1942 the U.S. Farm Security Administration built 400 cemesto homes in Maryland
at a site alongside Aero Acres.
During the 1940s, the manufacturer of cemesto touted it as a material that would in the future make it possible to mass-produce housing at a low cost. One use of the material during the post-war era was in the late 1940s in Circle Pines, Minnesota
, where cemesto panels were used in building the first homes in what was envisioned to be a cooperative housing community for people of color. The use of cemesto in Circle Pines came to be regarded as substandard construction, as the builders failed to adequately seal the joints between cemesto panels.
Several prominent architect
s embraced cemesto as a modern material and used it in their designs. For the Bousquet-Wightman House in Houston, Texas
, built in 1941, architect Donald Barthelme
used cemesto panels for exterior sheathing. In 1949 Edward Durell Stone
called for cemesto panels in the design of a home to be built in Armonk, New York
. Frank Lloyd Wright
designed the Raymond Carlson House in Phoenix, Arizona
, built in 1950, to use a structural system of wood
posts and cemesto boards. In the Arthur Pieper House in Paradise Valley, Arizona
, built in 1952 from concrete block, Wright used cemesto for the ceiling
s.
In addition to houses and office buildings, cemesto was used to build gasoline stations and factories.
Building material
Building material is any material which is used for a construction purpose. Many naturally occurring substances, such as clay, sand, wood and rocks, even twigs and leaves have been used to construct buildings. Apart from naturally occurring materials, many man-made products are in use, some more...
made from a core of sugar cane fiber insulating
Building insulation
building insulation refers broadly to any object in a building used as insulation for any purpose. While the majority of insulation in buildings is for thermal purposes, the term also applies to acoustic insulation, fire insulation, and impact insulation...
board surfaced on both sides with asbestos
Asbestos
Asbestos is a set of six naturally occurring silicate minerals used commercially for their desirable physical properties. They all have in common their eponymous, asbestiform habit: long, thin fibrous crystals...
and cement
Cement
In the most general sense of the word, a cement is a binder, a substance that sets and hardens independently, and can bind other materials together. The word "cement" traces to the Romans, who used the term opus caementicium to describe masonry resembling modern concrete that was made from crushed...
. Its name is a portmanteau word combining "cem" from "cement" and "esto" from "asbestos."
Cemesto was introduced by the Celotex Company in 1937. It was manufactured in the form of boards and panels that were 4 feet (1.2 m) wide, about 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) thick, and 4 feet (1.2 m) to 12 feet (3.7 m) long. Each 4 feet (1.2 m) by 12 feet (3.7 m) panel weighs just 265 pounds (120.2 kg). Cemesto was used primarily for interior and exterior walls.
The John B. Pierce Foundation and Celotex collaborated to develop a prefabrication
Prefabrication
Prefabrication is the practice of assembling components of a structure in a factory or other manufacturing site, and transporting complete assemblies or sub-assemblies to the construction site where the structure is to be located...
system for building low-cost housing using cemesto panels, in which single cemesto panels were slid horizontally into light wood
Wood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
en frames to create walls. A prototype cemesto house was displayed at the 1939 World's Fair in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. The Pierce system was first used in 1941 for building employee housing at the Glenn L. Martin Aircraft Company
Glenn L. Martin Company
The Glenn L. Martin Company was an American aircraft and aerospace manufacturing company that was founded by the aviation pioneer Glenn L. Martin. The Martin Company produced many important aircraft for the defense of the United States and its allies, especially during World War II and the Cold War...
near Baltimore, Maryland. For this development, named Aero Acres, the architecture firm of Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill designed gable-roof
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
ed Cape Cod houses with dimensions of 24 feet (7.3 m) by 28 feet (8.5 m), featuring large commercial-style windows in their principal rooms. In 1941 a total of 600 homes were built at Aero Acres using this design.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, when other building materials were in short supply, cemesto was used extensively in the United States. Cemesto was used to build temporary office buildings in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill adapted the Pierce system and used cemesto panels for the designs of some 2,500 pre-fabricated homes, known by the nickname
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
"cemestos," erected in Oak Ridge, Tennessee
Oak Ridge, Tennessee
Oak Ridge is a city in Anderson and Roane counties in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Tennessee, about west of Knoxville. Oak Ridge's population was 27,387 at the 2000 census...
, to house Manhattan Project
Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project was a research and development program, led by the United States with participation from the United Kingdom and Canada, that produced the first atomic bomb during World War II. From 1942 to 1946, the project was under the direction of Major General Leslie Groves of the US Army...
workers and their families. In 1942 the U.S. Farm Security Administration built 400 cemesto homes in Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
at a site alongside Aero Acres.
During the 1940s, the manufacturer of cemesto touted it as a material that would in the future make it possible to mass-produce housing at a low cost. One use of the material during the post-war era was in the late 1940s in Circle Pines, Minnesota
Circle Pines, Minnesota
Circle Pines is a city in Anoka County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 4,918 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water. Lake Drive / County 23 serves as a main route in the...
, where cemesto panels were used in building the first homes in what was envisioned to be a cooperative housing community for people of color. The use of cemesto in Circle Pines came to be regarded as substandard construction, as the builders failed to adequately seal the joints between cemesto panels.
Several prominent architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
s embraced cemesto as a modern material and used it in their designs. For the Bousquet-Wightman House in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, built in 1941, architect Donald Barthelme
Donald Barthelme (architect)
Donald Barthelme, Sr. was a prominent architect in Houston, Texas, a teacher of architecture as a professor at the University of Houston and Rice University, and the father of novelist Donald Barthelme, Jr.....
used cemesto panels for exterior sheathing. In 1949 Edward Durell Stone
Edward Durell Stone
Edward Durell Stone was a twentieth century American architect who worked primarily in the Modernist style.-Early life:...
called for cemesto panels in the design of a home to be built in Armonk, New York
Armonk, New York
Armonk is a hamlet and census-designated place located in the town of North Castle in Westchester County, New York. As of the 2010 census, the CDP population was 4,330....
. Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
designed the Raymond Carlson House in Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
, built in 1950, to use a structural system of wood
Wood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
posts and cemesto boards. In the Arthur Pieper House in Paradise Valley, Arizona
Paradise Valley, Arizona
Paradise Valley is a small, affluent town in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. According to the 2005 Census Bureau, the population of the town was 14,558. Despite the town's relatively small area and population compared to other municipalities in the Phoenix metropolitan area, Paradise...
, built in 1952 from concrete block, Wright used cemesto for the ceiling
Ceiling
A ceiling is an overhead interior surface that covers the upper limit of a room. It is generally not a structural element, but a finished surface concealing the underside of the floor or roof structure above....
s.
In addition to houses and office buildings, cemesto was used to build gasoline stations and factories.