- 1 -

Constructing Environments ENVS10003

LOGBOOK

BY BOYOUWU683635

- 2 -

Week 1.1 Knowledge maps of e-learning and readings

Map 1:

Loads:

(Ching 2008: 2.08)

Live loads Dead Loads

Impact Loads

Static Loads Dynamic Loads

Structural System of a building

Settlement Loads

Ground Pressure

Water Pressure

Thermal Stresses

Wind Pressures Flutter Base Shear

Wind Loads Earthquake Loads

- 3 -

Map 2:

Materials:Strong Eg. SteelWeak Eg. Timber

Stiff Eg. Concrete

Flexible Eg. Rubbers

Stretchy

Floppy

Impact on environments

Efficiency

Price

Availability

Isotropic Anisotropic

LinerPlanerVolumetric Eg. Concrete

Strength

StiffnessSustainability

Economy

Materials

Shape

MaterialBehaviors

Transportation Cost

- 4 -

Week 1.2 Knowledge Maps of Theatre sessions

Introduction of Constructing Environments:

Experimentation

Observation

Critical Thinking

Equipmentsneeded

Constructing

Environments

Language of construction

Structural Principles

How loads transferredto the ground

Material Chosen

Site Processes

Constructing Drawing

- 5 -

Week 1.3 Studio activity reports

Material: MDF (Medium DensityFibreboard) bricks.The base of the tower is a circle. Stretcherbond structure is shown in the tower.The wall of the first several layers is twiceas thick as the upper layers of the tower.This provides a more stable base for thetower. As is shown in the load path diagramabove, the loads of the upper part of thetower is transferred down to the groundthrough four load paths, which decreasesthe pressure exerted on the ground.

+

4

One side of the tower is left open asrequired.At first, rubber bands were used to makelong thick beams. Those beams weredesigned to make a open door for thetower. However this was not practical asthe beam with rubber bands did not havea smooth plane, which makes itimpossible to keep the structure stable.Therefore, rubber bands were abandonedand stretcher bond structure was usedagain.

- 6 -

After the first two parts of thetower were finished, the height ofthe tower was approximately 80centimetres. To increase the heightof the tower, the MDF bricks wereused in a different way as shownin the above photo.This led to a smaller contact facewhich made the tower less stable.However because of the lightnessof the MDF bricks, this change didnot cause an immediate fall of thetower.The tower was finished at a heightof about 1.3 metres.

The deconstruction processes werefirst on the lower and middle part ofthe tower and the tower survived forthe reason that the first and secondpart of the tower were relativelystable. However, the tower fell downwhen one brick was taken out fromthe upper part of the tower.When seen from the side of the tower,the problem became obvious. Asshown in above diagram, the towerwent outwards slightly as the heightincreased. Therefore, some slightlymovements of the upper parts coulddestroy the tower.

- 7 -

Week 1.4 Subject Glossary

Load path: the path where loads go through when transferred down to the groundBeam:a piece of wood, metal or other materials used to support the building system in horizontal directionReaction force: a force which has the same magnitude as the applied loads but has an opposite directionCompression force: an external force which pushes on a structural element(Newton & Cameron 2014)Masonry: buildings that are made of stones (Oxford Advanced Learner’s English-Chinese Dictionary 2009:1239)Point load: loads are applied on a relatively small surface

- 8 -

Week 2.1 Knowledge Maps of e-learning, readings and Theatre sessions

Map1

SolidEg. Egypt, China(early building)

SurfaceEg. The OperaHouse

Structural Systems Skeletal/ Frame

Membrane(less commonlyused)

Hybrid (most) Eg. ETFEBirds NestSwimming Cube

SailEg. Sports stadium

StructuralJoints

Pin Joints(common)

Roller Joints(less common)

Fixed Joints(most complexto calculate)

Map 2

- 9 -

Map 3: Building Systems

(Ching 2008: 2.03)

Building Systems

ColumnsBeamsLoadbearing walls

Substructure

Superstructure Roof, exterior walls, windows,and doors

Enclosure SystemStructural Systems

Electrical system Mechanical SystemsWatter supply system

Vertical transportation systems Fire-fighting SystemsSewage disposal system

Waste disposal andrecycling systems

Heating, ventilating, andair-conditioning systems

- 10 -

Map 4&5

(Ching 2008: 2.04)

ESD Strategies

Material efficiencyWater harvesting

Thermal massInsulation

Smart sun design

Cross ventilation

Night air purging

Solar energy

Wind energy Wind energy

Factors(when selecting,assembling andintegratingbuilding systems

EconomicConsiderations

RegulatoryConstraints

AestheticQualities

EnvironmentalImpact

ConstructionPractices

PerformanceRequirements

- 11 -

Week 2.2 Studio activity reports

Material: balsa wood (light, weak, easy to bebroken)The base of the tower was a triangle. Allsurfaces were triangles in the first layer of thetower to ensure a strong base. However,because the material was not strong enough tosupport the tower, some other elements wereadded to the structure. This is shown in the twosketches in this page. This two extra elementsreduced the deformation of the frame to a greatextent.

To increase the height of the tower thepieces of wood was placed right upwards.As a result, the side surfaces of the secondlayer of the tower were squares rather thantriangles. Squares are not as stable astriangles, therefore an extra piece of balsawood was used to form a triangle insidethe square in each side of this layer.The final layer was not as high as thesecond layer and triangles were not used tosupport the frame.

- 12 -

The final tower was about 1.45metres high.After it finished, loads were addedonto the tower. The tower couldafford the weight of 3 pieces of A4paper and when the forth piece ofA4 paper were put onto the top ofthe tower, it collapsed.The tower did not collapsethoroughly. Only two pieces ofwood were broken, while the otherparts remained in a good condition.

According to a clear observation, thefinal layer of the tower was not asstraight as the lower part. It formedan angle with the horizontalline(seen in the right diagram).Therefore, when loads were appliedon it, it wanted to rotate. This causedthe deformation of the frame, whichfinally led to the collapse of thetower.

- 13 -

Week 2.3 Subject Glossary

Structural Joint: the place where the structural elements are joined togetherStability: the ability of a building system to keep its structure being undisturbedTension: an external force which stretches a structural element(Newton & Cameron 2014)Frame: the skeleton of a buildingBracing:a structural member that support or hold other members firmly(Oxford Advanced Learner’s English-Chinese Dictionary 2009:227)Column:a structural element used to support the building system in vertical direction

- 14 -

Referencing List:

Ching, F. 2008. Building Construction Illustrated. Hoboken: John Wiley&Sons, lnc..

Newton, C. & Cameron, R. 2014. ‘Basic Structural Forces (I)’. Retrieved March 20, 2014, from https://app.lms.unimelb

.edu.au/bbcswebdav/courses/ENVS10003_2014_SM1/WEEK%2001/Basic%20Structural%20Forces%201.pdf.

Oxford Advanced Learner’s English-Chinese Dictionary. 2009. Oxford: Oxford University Press & The Commercial Press.