Constructing Journal 3

Tutorial Site Visit/ Case Studies

Case Study 1 Eastern Precinct Student Centre

Case Study 2 MSLE Building

Potential construction constraints: Can’t use heavy machinery because of the ground level below it the floor will cave in. The site itself is in the middle of everything and is therefore hard to access.

Links to other buildings: It is connected to Frank Tate ‘underground’ or otherwise known as the ground floor through a pas-sageway which is underneath the stairs.

Construction type: No construction is being done to it. Built the bottom first. It is a library/resource centre

Structural systems: The roof has I-beams in it to keep it from falling down or sagging. Each beam is uniquely fabricated because they are all different dimensions. The stu-dent centre has a steel frame.

Materials - Steel- Concrete- Plaster

Other Relevant Comments- Man Made cracks in the concrete floor so when concrete expands in heat it doesn’t crack everywhere. – Accommo-dates for expanding. Concrete shrinks over time

Potential construction constraints: Differ-ent floor heights – if the buildings either side move in differently to one another, cracks will form in the junctions

Links to other buildings: Two existing struc-tures either side

Structural systems: The roof is held up with a beam running across it.

Materials - External roof material used as the outside wall - Glass - Steel- Plaster- Concrete

Other relevant comments: There is a box gutter which is connected to a rainwa-ter head then to a down pipe.Vent for air either in or out – angled downwards to stop things such as leaves going into the vent.

Case Study 3 Queens College Extension Case Study 4 Ormond Theology Centre Reception

Potential construction constraints: The existing building means that there is limited space to build and they have to be care-ful not to damage it.

Links to other Buildings: The extension is linked to the existing building behind it

Construction type: Residential? Extension on the existing college

Structural Systems- Timbre frame supporting/ behind the concrete panel- Steel framing

Materials- Concrete - SteelOther Relevant comments- Water on roof collected in an Eves gutter and the roof tray is ribbed.

Construction type: Centre

Links to other buildings: Connected to the Dalton McCaughey Library

Structural systems: Steel and concrete col-umns holding up the building. On one side the roof is cantilevered, and the rest of the roof is held up by large concrete and steel columns. The Soffit or the external underside of the roof needs some form of a drip – drip line.

Materials- Glass- Steel- Concrete

Other Relevant comments: The concrete has different textures to give different aesthetic effects. There is a box gutter which drains to a pipe, as well as an extra outlet for when the water overflows – as safety.

Oval Pavilion

The yellow cups on the steel sticking out of the ground is a matter of safety. They will be removed once the concrete is poured over that particular section. There is block work on the concrete retain-ing wall. Steel and concrete are used rather than timbre, as timbre will rot, especially when it is getting wet, hence why the old timbre stumps have been replaced with concrete stumps.

The gravel on the site was of varying grades known as aggregates, the finer the aggregate the higher quality the concrete.

There is a waterproofing membrane on the outside of the bottom of the structure, this is because it will be surrounded by dirt and this plastic stops the absorption of water into the concrete, as well as gasses such as radon.

Inside the hollow of the concrete blocks is reinforc-ing steel to be better hold the blocks in place. There are metal ribs on the floor of the ground level sec-tion of the building, these are reinforcement for a slab and counteract the beams forces.

This weeks readings and lecture were very useful when it came to doing my second site visit for A02. Before going on site I did my readings, and when I got there I found I could understand what I was seeing on site much better. Things such as footings and foundations were really consolidated by going on site because I could physically see them.

At the site I saw many ‘props’, a prop is a beam or pole which is used to keep some-thing in position, it can be either temporary or long term. The props I saw at the site were temporary, as they are going to be removed from the basement wall once the concrete slab of the first floor of placed on top of the walls.

A02 Fullsize Site Visit 2

This weeks site visit showed many changes from last weeks. As can be seen in some of the photos, steel beams have been put up above the basement in preparation for the first floors con-crete to be poured. These beams provide structural support as they transfer the weight of the building into the foundations.

The bond deck which is also steel is about to be placed with the steel beams so that the concrete doesn’t fall down when it is poured and is held in place.

In the basement there are two pipes for sewerage and these will be covered later when the concrete down in the basement is poured. This week instead of the basement being muddy and pooling with water, crushed rock was placed on the ground in preparation for the concrete slab which will be the floor. Howev-er the rock must be compressed before the concrete is poured.

Formwork is the boundary for the concrete, so it shapes the concrete in the desired way and stops it from overflowing when poured. There are also props behind the framework which stop the formwork from moving from the pressure of the concrete. Inside the raft footings from last week, there is now ‘trench mesh’ which is a steel reinforcement for when the concrete footing is poured.