2 - Construction Technology and Environmental Services Flashcards
What are the two types of piling?
- Friction - forces through the surface of pile
- End bearing - forces through the toe of the pile
What Environmental legislation are you aware of that relate to your area of practice?
- Building Act 1984 and building regulations
- Part L - Conservation of Fuel and Power
- Part F - Ventilation
- Environment Act
- Climate Change Act 2008
What did the Environment Act do in the UK?
- Established the Environment Agency
- Placed duty on Secretary of State to create environmental policies
What are the key elements of a structure?
- Substructure foundations
- Superstructure (main and secondary steel)
- Envelope
- Internal partitions
- MEP Services
- FF&E
What are the advantages and disadvantages of using concrete?
- Quick fabrication time
- Can make nearly any shape
- Fireproof
- Less maintenance
- Heavy
- High carbon footprint
- Slow and harder to erect
- Not easy to modify
- Quality problems in UK
What are the advantages and disadvantages of using steel?
- Quick erection
- Recyclable
- Common in the UK - long standing industry
- Not fireproof
- High carbon footprint
- Longer lead time
What are the main components of a concrete floor?
- Subgrade
- Granular grade
- Rebar mesh
- Concrete
- Various membranes as required
What are the main components of a mezzanine deck?
- Structure
- Deck type - metsec, boarded, composite steel
- Crinkly tin
- Mesh and concrete
What is power floating?
Using a machine to ensure a smooth, dense and uniform finish on a concrete surface
What do you know about the Building Act 1984?
- Set out the building regulations
- Established the rights for local authorities to enforce these
How does building regulations approval work?
- Via LPA or Approved Inspector
- Full Plans submission via the LPA
- Ultimately must obtain a Completion Certificate
What is a curtain wall?
Outer most part of a building which is not structural and so lighter materials can be used.
What are the different types of foundation?
- Deep (piled)
- Shallow
- Pad
- Raft
- Ground beam
What are the different types of ground improvement methods?
- Compaction
- Stone columns
- Vitrification
- Lime stabilisation
- Soil nailing
What different types of piling are you aware of?
- Precast driven
- Steel tube driven
- Screw piling
- Vibro sheet piling
- CFA piling
- Contiguous and secant piling
What different types of ground works are you aware of?
- Site clearance
- Topsoil strip
- Cut and fill or excavation to level
- Compaction and consolidation
- Battering
- Foundation excavations
- Stockpiling and balancing
- Arisings disposal
What type of ventilation system are there?
- Natural - Window, openings
- Mixed Mode - Bit of both
- Extract only - Kitchen
- Supply and extract - German fire systems
- HVAC - Treating an internal space
What are the elements of an HVAC system?
- Heating element such as a furnace to heat air
- Fans to circulate air
- Ductwork, textile socks, diffusers etc. to distribute air
- Cooling refrigerant to cool air
- Extract and supply
What is an AHU and what does it do?
Air handling unit. It effectively regulates air going in and out of a space and can manage heating, cooling, filtration etc.
Who holds ground risk in a contract?
- Whoever owns the risk in the contract
- JCT is silent, so Contractor
- NEC is usually Contractor, unless it is deemed that there was such a small chance of something happening that an experienced contractor would not have priced for it. Then it’s a CE.
How does a sprinkler system work?
- Sprinkler tanks
- Ring main
- Manifold
- Main sprinkler runs
- Secondary sprinkler runs
- Sprinkler heads - bulb that breaks
- Jockey pump to keep pressure
- Full pumps kick in
What’s the standard make up of a road?
- Compacted sub base
- Base course
- Binder course
- Wearing course
- Line painting
May have sand layer or waterproofing if over a bridge deck
How long does concrete cure?
28-day is strong
Cube tests shows strength at different days
What is concrete made of?
- Cement, aggregate and water
- Rebar
What types of ceiling are there?
- Open
- Semi-open
- Suspended
What is a heat pump and how does it work?
- Move heat from a cold place to a warm place
- Air is made hotter by compression
- Then sent to coils indoors to release heat
- Condenses and returns to initial coil
- Can be both Air and Ground
What’s the difference between a warm and cold roof?
Warm - the roof space itself is insulated keeping it warm.
Cold - an uninsulated space
Cold - Insulation placed above the ceiling, not between the roof rafters. So roof is cold.
What is the threshold for a waste management plan?
£300k
What is carbon offsetting?
Compensating for carbon emissions by participating in schemes designed to make equivalent reductions.
What is Net Zero
Where we emit equal carbon to what we remove
What is buildability?
The extent to which the design of a building facilitates the ease of construction.
What are temporary works?
These are works which enable the permanent construction like scaffolding or propping.
What are hoists?
Vertical transportation of materials or people
What is shoring?
Form of temporary support to existing buildings and excavations.
What is the substructure of a building.
Anything that is below the damp proof membrane.
What is ground heave?
Upward movement of soil associated with clays expanding when wet.
What are the different forms of excavation?
Site clearance
Stripping topsoil
Reduced level dig
Cut and fill
Excavation for foundation
What factors should the contractor consider when excavating?
Nature of soul
Method of excavation
Are ground support systems required
Depth
Underground services and drainage
What are the techniques to waterproof a basement
Tanking - Materials are applied to provide a continuous membrane to the walls
Drained cavity - Water seepage is collected in the cavity and drained away
What is the purpose of foundations?
Support the structure transferring their load to the ground
What are the considerations when selecting the size/type of foundation
Total building load
Load bearing ground capacity
Type of structure
Cost
What is a raft foundation?
A continuous slab over the entire floor print
What are pad foundations?
Support individual or multiple columns spreading the load
What are strip foundations?
Strips of linear structure that serves to spread the weight across the entire ground area
Explain how end bearing and friction piles transfer the load
End bearing - Rests on a layer of string soil / rock
Friction - Friction of soil around the pile keeps it in place
What’s the difference between bored and driven piles?
Driven pile is made off site
Bored pile is made on site
Adv and Disadv of driven piles
Precast to the right spec
Any size / length
Fast
Requires heavy equipment
Increased noise / vibration
Can be costly
Adv and Disadv of bored piles
Any size / length
No risk of damage in transit
Reduced vibration / noise
Significant spoils are generated
Coordination of multiple trades
What is a secant piled wall?
Interlocking piles creating a solid barrier free of gaps
What is the superstructure of a building?
Structural components of a building constructed above ground level.
What is the envelope of the building?
The boundary between the interior and exterior of the building.
Walls, floor, roof, windows, doors
What do you have to consider when designing external walls?
Weather protection
Fire resistance
Acoustic / thermal performance
Structural performance
What is a retained facade?
The façade of the building preserves whilst the rest of the structure is remodelled.
What are weep holes?
Small openings in the brickwork allowing ventilation and moisture to drain away
What are two types of brick bond?
English - Alternating header / stretcher
Stretcher - Stretcher only
What is a curtain walling system?
Lightweight aluminium frame onto which glazed infill panels can be fixed
What is a movement joint?
Absorbs the expansion and contraction of materials
What are the main components of concrete?
Water
Aggregate
Cement
Difference between dead and live loads?
Dead - Static forces that are relatively constant
Live - Transfer dynamic loads like people and furniture
What are retaining walls?
A wall that holds back the soil behind it resisting the lateral pressure of the soil.
What is pre-tensioned concrete?
Concrete which has the steel tensioned before it it subject to loading.
What is post-tensioned concrete?
Steel is cast around the concrete and streteched through ducts when the concrete is set.
What is reinforced concrete?
Concrete is strong in compression but brittle, but having steel meshing in the concrete to use its tensile strength.
Adv and Disadv of timber frame
Speed
Lightweight
Sustainability
Fire protection required
Skilled workmanship
What is a portal frame?
A beam supported by columns at either end connecting to rafters with eaves/haunch connections
Adv and Disadv of concrete frame?
Fire protection inherent
Sound / heat insulation
Requires formwork
Slower to construct
Long curing time
What is a CAT A fitout?
Provides a basic level of finish
What is a CAT B fitout?
Provides a space that is ready to move in and operate
What is rainscreen cladding?
Serves as a screen and protection against the rain breaking the force of the rain
What are Gable, Hipped or Mansard Roofs
Gable - Sloping in two parts
Hipped - Sloping from all sides
Mansard - Sloping all sides with a shallow / flat roof
What are the building regulations?
Ensures buildings are safe, healthy and high performing
What are British Standards?
Recommend minimum standards for materials, components, design and construction.
What are O&M Manuals?
Upon completion O&M manuals are issued to the client with information on how the building was built, maintained, cleaned and decommissioned.
What are the recent changes to Approved Document B?
- Extended the ban on combustible materials used in / on external walls from buildings over 11m
- Resi buildings over 18m must have a fire alert system
- Banning Metal Composite Material of the type used on Grenfell
- Secure information boxes on buildings over 11m
Explain the Tech Sub / Drawing review process
- Contractor will issue a tech sub
- This will be reviewed by a competent individual in terms of performance
- It will be approved or given a A, B or C rating
Describe the construction of Warehouse 5
- Bored piled foundations with ground beams
- Steel portal frame structure
- 4 mezzanine floors with office and warehouse space
- Super flat concrete floor
- 5,818 pallet spaces on storage racking reaching 17.5m
- Air Handling Unit
What is a superflat concrete floor? How do you build it?
A specific flatness spec for lift trucks and material handlers.
Construction of a normal slab and then use of laser guided grinding to achieve the tolerance.
Pro’s and Con’s of off site construction
- Quality control
- Fast construction
- Difficult to change design
- Customisation difficult
- Transportation / lifting
It says you checked drawings, are you able to do this?
I checked the drawings to make sure they complied with the ER’s. I did not sign off the drawing as acceptable by giving it a A rating.
What is CAT A Plus?
Between CAT A and B, where the landlord wants more practical design features that will make the space ready for occupation immediately.
Wet riser vs dry riser
Wet - Used to supply water for firefighting
Dry - Empty pipe that firefighters connect to
Party Wall
A wall that stands on the land of 2 or more owners
Party Wall Act 1996
Framework to prevent and control party wall issues
