final notebook assignment

8/8/2019 Final Notebook Assignment

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CONSTRUCTION - 48340

ASSIGNMENT 1

Multi – ResidentialConstruction

SHERIF AZIZ - 10105967

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ASSIGNMENT 1

Introduction

According to the Building Code of Australia, a class 2 building is a building containing

two or more sole occupancy units with each being a separate dwelling, whereas a Class 1 building is defined as a single dwelling being –

(i) A detached house; or

(ii) One of a group of two or more attached dwellings, each being a building, separated

by a fire resisting wall, including a row house, terrace house, town house or villa unit.

In my research, I found four buildings that were under construction (or were recently

constructed). I found two sites in Liverpool, one on Lachlan Street, and the other on

Castlereagh Street. The third site I found was in Hurstville on Woniora Road, and the last

and most spectacular site was on Kent Street in the city, built by Multiplex. I obtained

permission to enter all the sites except the one located on Castlereagh Street, but the site

manager allowed me to take photos from outside the site boundaries. The maps below

indicate a more precise location of these sites on the streets.


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This site was nine storeys

high and contained 32sole occupancy units.




ASSIGNMENT 1


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This image shows the steereinforcement in place before

the concrete has been poured.

This site was in very early stages

in its construction, andunfortunately I was not allowed

on the site and did not get the

chance to speak to the sitemanager for more than two

minutes, but I was able to see

part of the excavation processconcreting and the construction

of the basement wall.




ASSIGNMENT 1

Excavation

Excavation is the process of removing earth in order to build a basement or foundation.

Generally a backhoe, excavator or front loader is used to excavate for a basement. A frontloader or bulldozer can be used to excavate for a stem wall (crawl space) or a slab on

ground foundation. Before excavation, foundation lines and underground utility lines

should be marked. The underground utilities such as gas, water and electricity must be

marked by a utilities locating service. A utility locator service marks the utilities with

paint.

The process of excavation includes both surface and deep excavation and consists of

three basic steps – excavation, transportation and placing. These three steps can be

carried out by various pieces of equipment, depending on a number of factors: type of

material, quantity, distance to be traveled, lift, the condition in which it is to be left,

nature of excavation (size, accessibility), condition and gradient of the site, cost of

available equipment etc.

The image below shows the excavator at the site on Castlereagh Street.


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ASSIGNMENT 1

Foundations

The foundation is an integral part of a building that transfers the structural load to the

ground. Selection of foundation type and design depends on two distinct variables: thetotal building load and the nature and quality of the subsoil. It is essential to achieve a

satisfactory balance between these two conditions, otherwise overstressing of the subsoil

will lead to excessive building settlement and possible serious structural defects. A

foundation must therefore safely sustain the dead, imposed and wind loads to transmit

these to the ground without impairing a building’s stability. The total load that a building

transfers to the subsoil is composed of dead load, imposed load, and wind load. Dead

load is the force attributed to the structural mass of the construction. This refers to the

combined weight of bricks, concrete, timber, tiles etc. Imposed loads result from the

combined force of non- permanent fixtures and fittings such as furniture and persons

using the building. Wind loading is difficult to define, as there are numerous variables

involved.


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ASSIGNMENT 1

Footings

Footings are concrete members that transfer the load of the building evenly onto the

foundation material. Steel reinforcement is placed in the concrete to increase the footingstensile strength. Footings used in industrial buildings are basically the same as those used

in residential construction. However they are used to a much higher degree of strength

and durability. Footings are classified into three main categories:

1. Continuous

2. Isolated

3. Combined or integrated

Continuous footings are either a strip or beam, usually on which a masonry wall is

constructed, although a strip footing can be used to support a row of columns instead of

using individual pads. Continuous footings are often integrated with piers or piles to

achieve the required bearing capacity of the footing. The piers are supported on bedrock

or some form of hard foundation material and in turn support the beam on top. Various

methods of footings were used in the construction of these buildings.

Typical strip footings were used all around the perimeter of the building. Unfortunately I

missed the formation of the footings. The columns were designed to fit two cars between

each space in order not to waste too much space.


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ASSIGNMENT 1

Fire Safety

Four separate fire safety system elements incorporated in the building that identifies it as

a Class 2 Building:1. Fire Stairs

2. Fire Extinguishers, Hydrants and Sprinkler Systems

3. Fire Rated Elements (walls and ceilings)

4. Exit Signs, Smoke Alarms and Lighting

Introduction to Fire Safety Systems

The basic fire safety objectives are to protect life and property. Methods and materials

used for fire protection, dimensions and location of building members and of materials

used for fire protection all affect the fire performance of the members in a building. The

fire resistance of a building component or assembly is its ability to withstand exposure to

fire without loss of load bearing function, or to act as a barrier against the spread of fire,

or both. The fire resistance requirements in the building codes are usually a function of

such factors as fire load, building occupancy, height, and area.

Fire resistance levels are specified in the Building Code of Australia (BCA). This system

supersedes the old fire ratings and provides an accurate method of predicting the ability

of a wall to maintain strength in a fire and to resist its spread. The fire resistance level

(FRL) specifies the fire resistance periods (FRP) for structural adequacy, integrity, and

insulation.

Structural Adequacy: The ability of a wall to continue to perform is structural function.

Integrity: The ability of a wall to maintain its continuity and prevent the passage of

flames and hot gases through cracks in the wall.

Insulation: The ability of a wall to provide sufficient insulation such that the side of the

wall away from the fire door does not exceed a predefined rise in temperature.


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ASSIGNMENT 1

Fire Resistance Level (FRL)

The fire resistance level is expressed in minutes for each of these periods and always in

the same order. For example an FRL of 90/90/90 means a fire resistance period of 90minutes each for structural adequacy, integrity and insulation.

Factors Influencing Fire Resistance Level:

The fire resistance level of a wall depends not only on the thickness of the wall but also

on its height, length and boundary conditions (i.e. how it is connected to the other

building elements). For this reason it is impossible to give an FRL for a particular brick

as the fire resistance period for the structural adequacy is specific to the wall type and its

boundary support conditions.

There are three types of construction as listed in the BCA in regards to fire resistance:

- type A which is the most fire resistant

- type B which is the next most stringent, and

- type C which is the least fire resistant

All three are covered in the BCA.

In our site investigations, we were taken by Wassim Elmasri (from the Multiplex site)

around the site and he showed us the main control room – fire control centre, for all the

fire safety elements. Due to the large dimensions of the building, a fire system such as

this is required in case a fire breaks out, as it makes it easier for a fire fighting unit or the

managers of the building to locate a fire if it breaks out.


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ASSIGNMENT 1


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The two images shown here ar

examples of the switchboardlocated inside the main switc

room for the fire safety of th

building. These switchboardhere can locate by the use o

chips and sensors within th

building and determine th

where exactly a fire has brokeout. It is quite a comple

system but also very effective

and this was only seen on thmultiplex site.




ASSIGNMENT 1

Emergency Stairs for Fire Safety

According to section D1 of the Building Code of Australia – PROVISION FOR

ESCAPE, in regards to Class 2 buildings, basements and storeys of a building, not lessthan 2 exits must be provided unless the floor area of the storey is less than 50 square

metres, or the distance of travel from any point on the floor to a single exit is not more

than 20 metres.

One of the most important things to note about stairs being used as an escape route is the

separation of rising and descending stair flights. According to section D2.4 of the BCA:

If a stairway serving as an exit is required to be fire isolated –

a) There must be no direct connection between –

i) A flight rising from a storey below the lowest level of access to a road or open

space; and

ii) A flight descending from a storey that is above that level; and

b) Any construction that separates or is common to the rising and descending flights

must be –

i) Non-combustible; and

ii) Smoke proof


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ASSIGNMENT 1

The photo shown above was taken from inside the basement car park at the site on

Lachlan Street, and is showing the emergency stairwell. This stairwell was built with a

fire rated frame, fire rated door, and also complies with all the BCA requirements

regarding dimensions. Each stairwell has an EXIT sign placed in front of it, indicating the

location of the stairwell, and a fire hydrant has been placed in each stairwell for fire

fighting purposes.


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ASSIGNMENT 1

This image here was taken from the stairwell in the multiplex site. Having spoken to the

services engineer Wassim Elmasri, he explained what the purpose and function of these

door connections were. The connection shown is the most suitable for an emergency

situation with the adjustments set to suit any conditions. The door itself acts as a barrier

in case of fire.


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ASSIGNMENT 1

Another complex fire feature in relation to the stairwell in a fire emergency, also on the

multiplex site, is the door locking system. The image above shows the electric strip

placed within each door frame, and these are controlled by the main fire control room inthe building. These electric strips are placed so that in a case of fire, people don’t have to

use the handle to open the door, but rather they can just open the door with a simple push.


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ASSIGNMENT 1

Lift Shafts

Lifts are required to assist those who can’t use the stairs, and to assist in emergency

situations, those who have to fight the fire and to aid in the evacuation of occupants. Liftsare installed in any building that has a rise in storeys above ground level, anywhere there

are stairs going up or down in a structure, any building with stairs that provides access for

the disabled people, above or below ground level, and wherever required by the Building

Code of Australia.

There are many positive and negative factors in regards to the installation of lifts in a

Class 2 Building. There are also many requirements and considerations that must be met

in order to comply with the BCA. It is for these reasons that the fire safety stairs are put

into place.


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ASSIGNMENT 1

Exit Signs, Alarms and Lighting

Early warning of a fire is important to ensure that occupants have time to respond and

exit safely. Emergency lighting and exit signs (sometimes the maps showing where anoccupant is, and giving basic advice to the occupants of emergency and fire procedures

applicable to that building) are provided where necessary so that occupants of the

building can identify the location of exits in an emergency, even in the event of a power

failure. A safe, illuminated, well-identified way out of the building is required in order

that the buildings occupants can escape a fire (or other) emergency. Often more than one

escape route is required so that occupants have an alternative exit if one cannot be

reached because of smoke or fire. These exits must be kept clear at all time.

It is important that these facilities are maintained in good working order at all times.

Regular checking of these systems is essential. All checks should be recorded and

immediate steps taken to rectify any faults found.

The simplest fire detection and alarm system is the residential smoke alarm now installed

in most Australian residencies. The smoke alarm alerts the building occupants that a

possible fire has been detected. A fire detection system may, in addition to alerting

occupants, automatically notify the fire brigade of the fire. If fire detection and alarm

systems operate very early in the fire growth stage, building occupants may be able to

extinguish a small fire.

Emergency exits are required in buildings so that occupants can quickly escape from the

building at the time of a fire or any other emergency. Emergency exits must be available

at all times the building is normally occupied. This is a requirement of building and

occupational health and safety, and welfare legislation. The legislation generally requires

that the escaping building occupants can safely exit the building without the need of a

key to open the emergency exits. Locking devices are not fitted on a door forming part of

any required exit unless they comply with the Building Code of Australia (BCA).


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ASSIGNMENT 1

Emergency evacuation lighting systems are designed and installed as an essential safety

measure to reduce panic during an emergency evacuation by clearly identifying escape

routes and providing visibility during power failure. If exit lights or emergency

evacuation luminaries fail to operate when called upon, occupants can become

disoriented, placing lives at risk.

This image shows a standard exit sign, located at any point of egress. For example, this

sign is placed in front of the emergency fire stairs.


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ASSIGNMENT 1

The image above is one of the buildings emergency features. It is one of many speakers

located in the basement car park, to comply with the BCA; it is one of the mandatory

warning systems.


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ASSIGNMENT 1

Fire Rating Elements

Fire separation between sole-occupancy units, corridors, etc. must be continuous and

maintain the FRL’s mentioned in the BCA. Continuous fire separation is achieved by:• Using certified FRL rated wall and floor/ceiling elements between units and

hallways.

• Using fire-resisting junctions at intersections of fire-rated elements with other

rated or non-rated elements.

• Fire stopping penetrations through fire rated elements.

Fire rated floor or wall/ceiling systems will meet each other or intersect with non-rated

elements at junctions. These junctions are required to maintain the fire resistance with

respect to structural adequacy, integrity and insulation. Openings in fire-rated walls must

be protected by appropriate “closures” such as doors, windows, or shutters with the

prescribed FRL. Fire resistance must be maintained by sealing gaps and imperfections of

fit, where plumbing and electrical services penetrate fire-rated elements.

Where fire rated linings are continuous through the intersection or where the intersecting

elements have equal rating, there are no further requirements other than to ensure that the

fire-grade linings are fixed in accordance to the manufacturer’s recommendations and

that they are adequately sealed at the joints.

Fire stops are materials used to close a gap or imperfection of fit between a service pipe,

conduit or cable and fire-resisting system. Fire stopping materials must maintain the FRL

of the element that has been penetrated.

There are two ways of satisfying the requirements of the BCA with respect to fire

stopping:

• Using the BCA’s deemed-to-satisfy method

• Using manufacturer’s certified systems and materials


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ASSIGNMENT 1

Brickwork readily meets most fire rating requirements. However, in some situations an

exposed steel lintel may need the same fire rating as the brickwork, but it is usually easier

to support the brickwork in other ways rather than trying to fire rate the steel.

Another form of fire protection, which I had found in the Multiplex site, was that of using

a vermiculite board to fill up gaps and provide protection to essential services such as

piping. Vermiculite is recognised as a material particularly suited for fire protection.

This is an example of the vermiculite being used on the site. It is a thick layer, but very

effective and efficient in protecting services in the case of a fire.


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ASSIGNMENT 1

Fire Extinguishers, Hydrants and Sprinkler

Systems

Fire extinguishers are objects that are simple to use and are located in each residency.

Fire extinguishers are sturdy metal cylinders filled with water or a foaming material,

depending on the type of extinguisher. When you depress the lever at the top of the

cylinder, the material is expelled by high pressure. Scientifically a fire is composed of

three essential elements and a fire extinguisher aims to remove one so that the fire will

die out. Fires contain extreme heat, oxygen (or similar gas), and fuel, and by taking out

one of these elements, the fire will die out. Fire extinguishers containing chemical

contents are best used for electrical fires and inflammable liquid fires whereas if water was used it may cause electrocution and make the fire worse.

Most fire extinguishers contain a fairly small amount of fire-suppressant material – it

could all be used up in a matter of seconds. For this reason, extinguishers are only

effective on relatively small, contained fires. To put out larger fires, you need much

bigger equipment such as a fire hose.

Sprinkler systems are automatic fire suppression systems which are simple in design and

have the priority of saving life. Once activated, the sprinkler system is designed to control

the fire in its initial stages thereby allowing for the safe evacuation of occupants and

additionally, to minimise fire damage. Residential and domestic sprinkler systems operate

during the initial stages of a fire and are designed to provide time for egress and prevent

flashover. The sprinkler is activated when the heat from the fire raises the temperature of

the head to a point where the element will activate and allow water to pass. The sprinkler

system should be installed in conjunction with smoke alarms which will activate to

provide early warning to the occupants.


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ASSIGNMENT 1


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Although not showing very clea

this is an image of a sprinkler

up in the basement car park ofmultiplex building site. Sprink

are very effective in fires.




ASSIGNMENT 1

Basement Wall


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ASSIGNMENT 1

The Basement Wall

The main site I was able to focus on and observe the construction of the basement wall

was on the site located on Castlereagh Street. This basement wall is currently under

construction. The basement wall type for this multi-residential construction is a load-

bearing wall, made from concrete blocks. These load bearing walls, as load bearing walls

usually do, were intended to support the weight of the building. A direct definition from

the Building Code of Australia states that load bearing means “ the wall is intended to

resist vertical forces additional to those due to its own weight ”. Load bearing walls have

become common practice for apartment and multi-residential buildings. The structural

requirements of these is much more sever than those buildings of lower rise. This is due

to the additional load of the building, as well as increased effect of wind loads for the

higher levels. In these cases, such as the site I attended to, the strength of the bricks and

the mortar are increased. In this case, the basement wall requires concrete blocks which

provide a 230mm thickness. These walls sit on the footings.

Inside the block work of the basement walls, reinforced steel bars are placed. Every

400mm horizontally in the block work, a steel bar of 16mm diameter is placed inside, and

every 400mm vertically (that is to say two courses of block work ), reinforced steel bars

are also placed inside. These steel bars extend for the perimeter of the basement walls.

Once placed, concrete is poured in order to stabilize and strengthen the steel bars and

form the load bearing walls. For the corners and the top slab, “L” bars are used as a more

appropriate and suitable method. This entire procedure is a stronger and more effective

way of making the wall but unfortunately, I was unable to access any sites during this

process or capture any images of this method while in progress.

In regards to the wall and safety systems, the Building Code of Australia defines concrete

load bearing fire walls and internal walls as “ fire resisting construction”. There are many


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ASSIGNMENT 1

other essential systems and procedures required when it comes to the design and

construction of a basement wall and basement slab.

This image above (from Lachlan Street) is an example of an external basement wall. This

wall has a width of 230mm and the vertical steel bars, which are the steel reinforcing, can

be seen in place. This wall was taken from the side of the driveway, early on in the

construction process.


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ASSIGNMENT 1

The image above (from Castlereagh Street) is also an external basement wall, but

showing the steel bars protruding through the block work horizontally. Fortunately for

me, I was able to capture another image of this wall from outside the site also, showing

the bars vertically placed in the block work.


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ASSIGNMENT 1

At some time of the year most foundations, even shallow ones, will be subjected to a

hydrostatic head of water if provision has not been made to intercept groundwater and

remove it. The standard procedure is to install drainage tile or perforated plastic pipe and

crushed stone around the basement so that water will not reach the under side of the

basement floor slab. Connections are made through the footings to the crushed stone

under the floor slab. The tile or pipe is normally covered to a depth of at least 6 inches

with crushed stone or other coarse granular material which acts not only as a filter to

exclude fine grained soil particles but also, with the pipe, as a drain. The water collected

by the drain is led to a storm sewer, dry well, or to a sump from which it is pumped.


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ASSIGNMENT 1

The footing drain should take care of water percolating down through the soil from the

ground surface as well as groundwater. If, however, fine-grained soil is used as backfill,

the downward movement of the water can be restricted to such an extent that a perched

water table is formed at some level above the footing drain.

Granular material placed as a thin layer against the wall would provide good drainage,

but it is a time-consuming and therefore an expensive procedure to place the filter

material correctly.

The requirements of moisture control can be summarized as follows:

• Place drainage tile or perforated pipe and crushed stone below floor level at

the base of the footing and dispose of the water to a storm sewer or drywell.

• Cover the footings with a moisture barrier.

• Apply a damp-proof coating to the exterior surface of the basement wall.

• Install a drainage layer from near grade level down to the footing drain.

• Provide and maintain a positive grade away from the building.

• Control run-off from roof surfaces and paved areas adjacent to the building.


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ASSIGNMENT 1

This image was taken from the site on Lachlan Street. It shows the AG pipe installed in

the basement. Although not seen in this picture, there is a slight slope anticipating the

flow of water. A more evident example of this slope is the image below.


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ASSIGNMENT 1

The image above clearly shows the pit in the basement where the water flows through

and can be collected also in an attempt to prevent any flooding.

The image below captures the main detention tank where water is collected and pumped

out. The tank is located close to an external wall and hence the water is pumped out from

here. The pit is covered by a light duty galvanized steel grate.


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ASSIGNMENT 1

In my site investigation, I was able to compare and contrast the drainage systems in the

various sites. I was also able to get hold of some plans for the multiplex site, which show

detail of the drainage system. This system was much larger and complex than the site on

Lachlan Street due to the much larger size and stage of the building.


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ASSIGNMENT 1

The image above shows one of the large drains placed in the basement car park of the

multiplex site. This drain is quite large in size due the size of the building and the

expected flow of water.

Again the image above captures another Ag pipe; however this one is in the early stages

of installation and formation.

Below is the main switch board for the basement drainage system at the multiplex site.

This board is much more complex than the previous site that I mentioned, again due to

the much larger drainage system required to meet the buildings specifications and needs.


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ASSIGNMENT 1

The image below, although showing the sewerage rather than drainage, is an example of

the pipes used and the connection and placements through the external wall of the

basement. As part of the sites planning and managing, the gap in the wall was left open

rather than the difficult task of having to make an opening through the wall.

Conclusion

Having spoken to Tony, site manager on Lachlan Street, he explained to me that theexternal wall on his site required some sort of termite treatment. A licensed trader was

required to go and inspect the site. Termite treatment is done from the bottom of the

building under the slab. Treatment is also done in the cavities in the units in order to

protect the whole building. Following this termite treatment, the water proofing system

for the basement is put in place. Unfortunately, I did not get to see any of this, but Tony

explained to me that behind load bearing walls there is a form of black tar used which

covers the holes in the block work. This is an attempt to stop the water from the external

soil coming through the holes and therefore keeps the wall dry. Crushed concrete is also

used around the basement wall as it does not suck the water into the wall as soil and other

materials may.


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ASSIGNMENT 1

Industrial Buildings(Tilt – Up Construction)


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ASSIGNMENT 1

Introduction

According to the Building Code of Australia, “the classification of a building is

determined by the purpose for which it is designed, constructed, or adapted to be used ”.Therefore an industrial building can be classified as a Class 7-b or Class 8 building.

Class 7-b: A building which is for storage, or display of goods, or produce for sale by

wholesale.

Class 8: A laboratory, or a building in which a handicraft or process for the

production, assembling, altering, repairing, packing, finishing, or cleaning of goods or

produce is carried on for trade, sale or gain.

Since the completion of an industrial building can take a number of weeks and perhaps

months, I chose a number of building sites to investigate for my last section of this

notebook assignment. One of the sites I looked at was a new warehouse located at 2

Owen Street, Glendenning. I visited this site many times regularly, as this building was in

the main stages of the process, having placed the main slab on ground, and were pouring

concrete for the walls. Victor Micallef , an industrial builder, is managing this job along

with a company called Tilt-Up Construction. I was unfortunately only able to meet Victor

once, which was the very first time I went to the site, and due to his health problems, he

was restricted to the amount of time he spent on the site, and I was only lucky enough to

get a hold of one plan from this project.

The second site I looked at was just around the corner, located on the corner of

Woodstock Road and Glendenning Road, also in Glendenning. This site was in the early

stages of the project, having just completed excavation and placing footings for the

columns. This site also was a Tilt-Up Construction site, and under the supervision of the

foreman, Robert Barrett . Robert was of great help to me, as he was able to provide me

with a few plans and allowing me onto his site even at the busiest of times, and also kept

in contact with me regarding his site progression.


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ASSIGNMENT 1

The third site I went to was just across the road from Robert’s site, located at 127

Glendenning Road, Glendenning. This site was also a Tilt-Up Construction site, but

much smaller than the previous two I had visited. I never seemed to find the foreman or

site supervisor, so I spoke briefly with one of the builders on the site. He allowed me onto

the site, as I was wearing my safety boots, and he was quite helpful in explaining the fire

safety system and elements of this site. Because I never seemed to “pop-up” at the times

which the foreman for this site was there, I was unable to get a hold of any plans for this

site.


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ASSIGNMENT 1

The three sites I found were all located in Glendenning, and are all shown on the maps

above.

Victor Micallef – his phone number and his site details.


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ASSIGNMENT 1

Theory of Industrial Buildings

There are two main structural frames that an industrial building can take. These are portal

frame construction and tilt-up or precast concrete panel construction. This section of theassignment is focusing on tilt-up construction. Tilt-up construction is a technique for

casting concrete elements in horizontal positions at the job site and tilting them to their

final position in the structure. Tilt-up concrete construction is a form of precast concrete.

Several features make the tilt-up construction method unique. Tilt-up panels are generally

handled only once. They are lifted or tilted from the casting bed and erected in their final

position in one, continuous operation. Tilt-up panels are generally of such large size and

weight that they can only be constructed on site and in close proximity to their final

location in the structure. Once all the panels are erected, walls are finished with

sandblasting or painting. They also caulk joints and patch any imperfections in the walls.

From this point, the installation of the roof system can take place, using steel beam

sections as rafters and lightweight sheeting for cover, and the trades begin their work

inside the building.

Industrial buildings can be broken down into a few main aspects or processes during their

construction. These are:

• Excavation and Footings

• Concrete Slab

• Walls and Joints

• Roofing

• Special design features, such as fire safety systems, slab thickening etc.


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ASSIGNMENT 1

Excavation

These two images here are examples of some of the machinery used on the site involved

in the excavation process. This site is the one located on 127 Glendenning Road,

Glendenning. The top image is called a Compactor or Roller; the bottom image is a

Bobcat.


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This image captures the excavation process towards its end, showing

the digger just trying to level theground surface into an even shape

using the excavator.

Here I captured the image of the

demolishing instrument (the

bucket) that is usually attached to amachine that is driven by a trained

machinery driver. Its purpose is to

break up larger sized rocks that aredifficult to be removed by the

digger.

The excavated material after the

stage of excavation was complete.

The materials are all piled up in one

of the corners least accessed on site,

until later stages where it’s notneeded anymore, then it’s removed

off the site.




ASSIGNMENT 1

Footings

I saw two types of footings in this section of the assignment. Continuous and Isolated.

The two sites I visited that were in the footing process are the two shown on the map

above on Glendenning Road. I managed to get footing plans for Robert’s site and also gotto see the concrete being poured.


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ASSIGNMENT 1


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This image shows the

steel reinforcement in place before the concrete

has been poured.

This image is showingthe joint between the

continuous footings,

again before the

pouring of the concrete.

This image shows the pit that has been dug for

the isolated footing.

This image shows that same pit after the

reinforcement steel has been placed.

This image shows the concrete being poured

into that pit, onto the reinforcement steel. All

pads on this site are to bear on material with a

minimum bearing capacity of 500kPa depth.




ASSIGNMENT 1


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This image shows one of the

worker’s on the site leveling

out the concrete for the

isolated footing.

This image shows the bolts

placed in the concrete, with the pink and green strings used to

set out the grid lines on the site.




ASSIGNMENT 1

Surveyors Note – the tilt-up building is to be set out strictly in accordance with the

structural engineers panel setout plan, which takes preference over architectural plans.

The surveyor is to be called out to confirm the setout of the building and the position of

all the wall panels on the footings prior to the day of panel lifting.


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Although I did not get to meet thesurveyor or see any of the surveying o

the site, I found some of the surveying

equipment being used on the site, suchas the level (above) and the staff

(below). This staff was different to an

ordinary surveyors staff as this was placed in the concrete and functioned

electronically.




ASSIGNMENT 1


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This is the same isolated

footing after concrete has been

poured.

This image shows a muchsmaller isolated footing than

the one above with starter

bars installed.




ASSIGNMENT 1

Concrete Slab

Before any panel layout and casting takes place on the site, the contractor should

determine if there is sufficient slab area to cast the panels and maneuver equipment

during construction. The image below shows a section of the concrete slab on the site,

located at 127 Glendenning Road. This slab is 200mm thick.

The image above is the only clear image I could get of a section of a concrete slab. The

holes in the slab shown in the image are created for a dowel connection, as in to say that

another slab will be joined to this one by steel bars. Half of the steel bars will be placed in

this slab, the other half in the next slab to join to this one. The steel bars (dowel bars)

keep the slabs fixed to prevent movement.


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ASSIGNMENT 1

Walls and Joints

The types of frames or walls that are used on an industrial building depend on the

structural form of the building, that is, if the building is portal frame or tilt-up

construction. Portal frame construction uses steel columns and rafters to form a “portal

frame” that spans the width of the building. These portal frames run down the length of

the building. This section of the assignment is focusing on tilt-up construction. Tilt-up

construction varies quite a lot from portal frame construction. Firstly, there is no frame

that supports the building. The structure is load bearing, that is, the concrete panels that

act as the walls also act as a load bearing structure of the building. Therefore, there is no

frame to which external cladding is fixed to insulate the building, the concrete panels act

as both the load bearing structure and external cladding of the building.


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Although this is a cartoon, this image shows how the concrete panels are tilted up into

position using a crane. This is a critical moment because the panels are under the greatest

stress when they are being lifted into position. Unfortunately I was not on site during this

stage of the construction.




ASSIGNMENT 1

When making in-situ concrete panels the process is literally impossible to do unless you

use bond breakers to separate the panels from each other. Bond breakers are a chemical

agent that prevents permanent connection between the floor slab and the concrete panels.

Bond breakers not only prevent the connection, but also help with loads of the panels

when lifting them.

Tilt-up construction is a three-step process. Firstly there is preparing the casting beds to

form the panels, then pouring the concrete to form the panels, then tilting the panels into

position.


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This image here shows one of the casting beds on the site, used for making the wall panels.

As seen, they are quite large, and therefore they are made on the site, rather than having them

precast and delivered.




ASSIGNMENT 1

The image above shows one of the smaller casting beds on the site. The image below

shows the same casting bed but after the concrete has been poured. I had to visit the site

many times as some days there was expected rain and they did not want to pour concrete

on those days. These images are taken from Victor Micallef’s site.


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ASSIGNMENT 1


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One part of the construction

process that was not mentioned

earlier regarding the concrete

panels was the reinforced steel placed in the casting bed. As

seen in this image here, the

reinforced steel is cut to theappropriate dimensions, and

ready to be placed in the

casting bed before the pouringof the concrete.

This is a fanning device I saw at

127 Glendenning Road. This

device was used after theconcrete had been poured in an

attempt to help the concrete to

dry quicker. The panel shown in

this image is 150mm.




ASSIGNMENT 1

A major feature of the wall structure in tilt-up construction is the joints and methods used

of joining the walls to the ground and also the roof. The main type of connection used in

a tilt-up structure is holding down bolts. Some details are shown below.


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This image here shows a

section of the buildingwhere the bracings have

been joined to the walls

and the ground.

This image shows the bolt

placed in the wall before

the bracing is joined.




ASSIGNMENT 1


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These images show the

fixing of the bracing

between the wall and theground.

The bracing is fixed to

the ground using holding

down bolts.




ASSIGNMENT 1

Roofing

The type of roof used depends on the type of industrial building. Both forms of

construction, tilt-up and portal frame, use lightweight metal sheeting, but the structure of

the roof frames varies in the connection to the column or wall. Since the portal frame is

manufactured from quite thick “I” beam sections, another element is added to the roof

frame – the purlin. Purlin’s serve basically the same function as girts for the wall frame.

They provide a fixing point for the roof sheeting and also act as secondary bracing for the

portal frames.

A tilt-up roof frame is similar to a portal frame in that they both use steel “I” beams as

the main supporting element in the roof frame. Steel trusses can also be used in the roof

frame or tilt-up buildings. Purlin’s, which again run perpendicular to the rafter beams, are

used to fix the roof sheeting to the structure and also add some bracing to the building.

However, tilt-up roof frames are joined to the concrete panels instead of a column. This

area is critical to the strength of the roof.


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ASSIGNMENT 1

There are two types of purlins and girts: they are the Z-section and the C-section used

structurally and for cladding purposes.


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C type – the flanges are

equal and most suitable for asimple supported span. They

can be used continuously by

butting the ends. C – sections can not be lapped.

Z type – these sections have

one narrow and one broadflange, these are made so

that two Z-sections can fit

tightly together so the can belapped appropriately.

Lapping of the system gives

the purlins’ more strengthand improves the load

capacity and rigidity of the

system.




ASSIGNMENT 1

Fire Safety Systems

The processes and activities performed in an industrial building are usually large scale

and quite stressful on the structure. Heavy loads are applied to the building especially the

floor slab. Some activities performed in these buildings can also be dangerous, for

example, welding, or using fast moving or powerful machinery. Dangerous goods are

also often stored in industrial buildings. It is for these reasons that special design features

must be implemented into industrial buildings.

The risk of fire occurring in an industrial building is quite significant. It is for this reason

that special fire safety systems need to be implemented. Flammable goods are quite often

stored in industrial buildings, and activities such as welding, drilling, grinding, and metal

fabrication can all cause sparks, which may lead to fire. In the instance of a fire

occurring, industrial buildings are designed so that the people inside the building can

escape easily and safely before the building collapses. According to the BCA, there are

two means of fire protection, passive and active. Passive protection are things located

within the structure of the building, such as walls, floors, ceilings, doors and windows

which will offer a degree of fire resistance in the event of a fire. Active protections are

systems that activate when fire occurs, for example, sprinkler systems, and smoke

detectors. Fire hoses and extinguishers are also active protection measures.


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This image was taken at the site

located at 127 Glendenning Road.This image shows door frames

with 240/240/240 FRL. I spoke to

the site manager and he told methat for simplicity and safety

precautions he used 240/240/240ratings for the whole building.




ASSIGNMENT 1

Having found three new construction sites within the same couple of streets, all being tilt-

up structures, and also a better understanding of this method as well as these benefits, it's

easy to see why many building contractors and construction managers are opting for tilt-

up over steel buildings or traditional construction.


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ASSIGNMENT 1

References

• Building Code of Australia. 2005 Edition. Volume 1

• Shooter, N “Industrial Buildings” Bachelor of Construction – Construction 2

(16204). Lecture Notes.

• Tilt-Up Concrete Construction Guide.

final notebook assignment

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