1.4 technologies and materials

Question 1

name the main components of a low rise building

Answer 1

• superstructure
• substructure
• ground floor
• upper floors
• walls (and wall cladding
• roof (supports and finishes)

Question 2

what is a primary structure

Answer 2

• emelents which are integral to keep the building standing

Question 3

what is a secondary structure

Answer 3

• elements which are not crucial to the structural integrity of the building

Question 4

what is the substructure and superstructure

Answer 4

• substructure is what is beneath the ground level (foundations)
• the superstructure includes everyhting over ground level

Question 5

what is a trench fill foundation

Answer 5

filled trench with concrete
shallow

Question 6

what are strip footings

Answer 6

provide a continuous, level, strip of support to a wall or columns
shallow

Question 7

what is a pad foundation

Answer 7

rectangular, square, or concrete pads
shallow

Question 8

what is a raft foundation

Answer 8

reinforced concrete slab under whole of building
shallow

Question 9

what are piles

Answer 9

driven or bored into ground to transfer load to stronger, deeper, ground
deep

Question 10

what is sheet piling

Answer 10

provides temporary walls which keep soil away from the construction site
deep

Question 11

what are diaphram walls

Answer 11

soil retention systems, groundwater barriers and permanament foundation walls which can be made ot carry very high loads
deep

Question 12

what does the structural frame do

Answer 12

transmits the total loads of the building to the foundations

Question 13

what can the structural frame be made of

Answer 13

steel beams and columns
timber studs and rails

Question 14

what are the 3 main insulating materials

Answer 14

-mineral fibre rolls (made from rock, slag & raw meterials melted and spun into wool)
-spray polyurethane foam
-foam slabs (polyurethane core with aluminium on each side)

Question 15

what is external cladding

Answer 15

can be described as the skin of the building
seals the building from the external elements and provides an aesthetic finish

Question 16

what can the external cladding be made of

Answer 16

non loadbearing brick (rendered blockwork)
steel sheeting
aluminium faced insulated panels
curtain walls

Question 17

what is a lintel

Answer 17

beam placed over openniings such as doors or windows

Question 18

what is a stud partition

Answer 18

an internal wall secured to the floor, ceiling, and external walls
can be made of timber or steel

Question 19

descibe slate roof finishes

Answer 19

requires a pitch of 30 degrees
must be overlapping significantly to enture watertightness
natural meterial

Question 20

describe concrete roof tiles

Answer 20

made to interlock so improved waterproofing
can have a shallower pitch of 20 degrees
made of cement so can be customised colour-wise

Question 21

name and describe flat roof finishes

Answer 21

• rubber based sheeting is heat and weather resistant and very durable
• fibreglass is a resin with glass fibre and is painted into the decking material

Question 22

what is a laminate flooring

Answer 22

• laminate floorings are manmade floorboards wich are laid on foam underlay

Question 23

what is screed

Answer 23

a mixture of cememnt and sharp sand which can provide a level surface on which other finished can be laid

Question 24

what is plasterboard and what is it used for

Answer 24

a panel made of gypsum pressed between 2 sheets of paper
it is used to build stud partitions, wall linings, and ceilings

Question 25

what is plastering

Answer 25

• the process of applying a smooth and even layer of plaster to ceilings and walls
• it is made of gypsum, cement or lime mixed with sand and water

Question 26

how do solar photovoltaic cells work

Answer 26

• convert light energy into electrical energy
• an inverter converts the dc current to ac current for use

Question 27

benefits of solar cells

Answer 27

• higly efficient in summer
• excess energy can be sold back to nat. grid
• able to power demanding appliances

Question 28

drawbacks of solar cells

Answer 28

• expensive
• less efficient during winter

Question 29

what is solar thermal cells

Answer 29

generates energy by harnessing energy from sun to heat fluid which boils and turns into steam which powers generators.

Question 30

advantages of solar thermal cells

Answer 30

• much more efficient than solar PV
• provides heated water
• set up is cheaper than PV cells
• excess energy can be sold

Question 31

disadvantages of solar thermal cells

Answer 31

• shorter lifespan than PV panels
• less efficient in winter
• can freeze
• high set up cost

Question 32

how do wind turbines work

Answer 32

harnesses wind to turn a turbine which powers a generator

Question 33

advantages of wind turbines

Answer 33

• generate power at day and night
• environmentally friendly
• reduce CO2 emissions
• surplus can be sold back

Question 34

disavantages of wind turbines

Answer 34

• expensive
• can ruin landscape
• less consistent and unpredicatble
• habitat destruction

Question 35

what are the types of heat pumps

Answer 35

ground source heat pump
water source heat pump
air source heat pump

Question 36

advantages of heat pumps

Answer 36

• lower costs than traditional heating
• less maintenance required
• safe
• can cool as well as heat
• long lifespan

Question 37

disadvantages of heat pumps

Answer 37

• expensive installation
• challanging to intall
• may need to be supported by other heating methods
• depend on electrical supply

Question 38

how does a ground source heat pump work

Answer 38

• water and antifreeze in pipes underground
• goes through heat exchanger where it is compressed and heat is raised
• send to underfloor heating or stored in cylinder
• stored water can be used for domestic uses

Question 39

how does an air source heat pump work

Answer 39

• absorbs heat in air to liquid refrigerant
• compressed to increace temp
• heat sent to radiators/heating or stored
• excess can be used for domestic uses

Question 40

how does a water source heat pump work

Answer 40

• natural water pumped to an intermediate plate heat exchanger
• energy is absorbed by a refrigerant which heats up into a gas
• once a gas, it is compressed to increace temp
• heat released back into the water to increace temp
• process repeats

Question 41

uses of collected rainwater and greywater

Answer 41

• flushing toilets
• washing machines
• irrigation