Case Study Flashcards
What is the difference between the waterproofing grades in BS8102?
1 - basic utility 2- better utility 3- habitable
A - Barrier protection B- Structural integral C- drained cavity
How would you determine the grade you use?
What the building will be used for, how dry does the room need to be? Will there be surface finishes ie paint? Water table?
What is de watering?
The removal of water - pumped to safe place usually
What is a water bar/stop?
Flexible elements of a concrete structure that prevent passage of water through concrete
Was a firefighting shaft required on the project, if so what were the key elements you looked for?
Yes. 120 minute fire resistance to accomodation side, 60 minutes within shaft. Every part of building accessible within 45m of dry riser outlet
- Fire main connection every floor
- AOV
What was the evacuation strategy?
Stay put policy
What advice did you give in relation to fire safety of the building?
The building had a podium at level 4 roof, for those evacuating the stair there was no clear directional signage when coming down the stairs. I advised this be installed
What was the height of the building
8 Stories in total
Did it have a fire fighting shaft?
Yes - FF stair and dry riser
Why didn’t it have a lobby?
Residential buildings don’t need FF lobbies
When do you require FF shaft & lobby?
Building over 18m, in a non-residential building
If building was over 30m what additional requirements would you have needed?
At the time under old regulations then sprinklers, 120minute shaft
If site investigation didn’t show water levels what would you assume?
Worst case scenario
What are common defects with external tanking?
Inadequate seals between joints, carried out in adverse weather conditions leading to poor sealing, puncturing of membrane
What are common defects with internal tanking?
Seals not adequate/lapped enough, puncturing of membrane, poor workmanship
In terms of a relevant building, what additional measures does it bring?
Regulation 38 - passing of fire safety information to responsible person, dry riser requirements, non-combustible materials to external walls
What does non-combustible material mean?
A1 classified, does not cause flame
What is the difference in terms of water ingress between the 3 waterproofing grades?
1 - Some seepage allowed
2- Some damp allowed but no seepage
3- completely dry
What did you learn from reading understanding crowd behaviours?
- thorough planning is key
- understanding type of crowd ie drunk
- clear leadership and management in emergency situation
- trained staff
