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APC Project Management Revision Pack > Construction Technology > Flashcards

Construction Technology Flashcards

1
Q

What is the RIBA Plan of Works?

A

A plan organising the process of briefing, designing, constructing, maintaining, operating and using building projects into a number of key stages.

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2
Q

Can you list the RIBA stages?

A 
0 - Strategic definition
1 - Preparation and briefing
2 - Concept design
3 - Spatial coordination
4 - Technical design
5 - Manufacturing and construction
6 - Handover 
7 – Use
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3
Q

How many stages are there?

A

8 Stages

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4
Q

What are the benefits of using timber frame construction?

A
  • Quick erection times.
  • Low embodied carbon.
  • Recyclable.
  • Sustainable.
  • Low volume of waste.
  • Manufactured off site = factory control quality assurance.
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5
Q

What are the disadvantages of using timber frame construction?

A
  • Additional Design and engineering time required.
  • If exposed to elements can cause damage.
  • Very Combustible material, requires proper treatment to achieve required fire rating.
  • Can decay if exposed to moisture.
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6
Q

What are the benefits of using concrete frame construction?

A
  • Cost effective.
  • Easily changed on site.
  • Short Lead-in times.
  • Quick.
  • Inherent fire resistance.
  • Good thermal mass.
  • Good acoustic performance.
  • Low maintenance.
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7
Q

What are the disadvantages of concrete frame construction?

A
  • Needs to be cured on site, which can affect the strength.
  • Cracks can appear due to shrinkages and live loads.
  • Labour intensive on site to set up and strike formwork etc.
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8
Q

What are the benefits of steel frame construction?

A
  • Easy installation, accurately engineered to fit together onsite.
  • Cost effective, minimal waste as manufactured off site.
  • Does not degrade like timber.
  • Improves construction quality due to off site manufacture = quality assurance.
  • Very durable.
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9
Q

What are disadvantages of steel frame construction?

A
  • High maintenance costs, through painting etc.
  • Requires fireproofing.
  • Can buckle under too much weight.
  • High up-front costs.
  • Long lead-in-times.
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10
Q

What is value engineering?

A

Maximising value, through eliminating unwanted costs whilst improving functionality.

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11
Q

What is Value Management?

A

Achieving value for Money, through identifying what is most important and ensuring that function is achieved.

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12
Q

What are British Standards?

A

Standards for the quality of goods and services within Britain.

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13
Q

What is oversailing?

A

Where say a crane has to pass over another person’s land, this will require a license.

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14
Q

What types of flat roof are there?

A
  • Warm.

* Cold.

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15
Q

What are the different types of coverings for a flat roof?

A
  • Single Ply membrane.
  • Mastic Asphalt.
  • Built-up felt.
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16
Q

What is cold bridging?

A

An area where condensation can form due to it being significantly colder than the rest of a building.

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17
Q

Why does cold bridging matter?

A

Designing out areas where cold bridging can occur, i.e. junctions between walls, roofs and floors will help the sustainable performance of a building.

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18
Q

What does O&M Manual Stand For?

A

Operation and Maintenance Manual.

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19
Q

What is the O&M Manual?

A
  • It is a manual prepared by the Contractor, containing information on the Operation, Maintenance, Decommissioning and demolition of a building.
  • It should be updated by the owner whenever changes to the buildings fabric are made.
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20
Q

What might be included within the Operation and Maintenance manual?

A
  • A description of the Main design principles.
  • Details of building construction.
  • As-built drawings and specification.
  • Instructions for the operation and maintenance of the building.
  • Commissioning and testing results.
  • Guarantees, Warrantees and Certificates.
  • Particular requirements for Demolitions, Decommissioning and Disposal.
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21
Q

What is the Health and Safety file?

A

A file prepared as part of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations, by the Principal Design.
• It should identify the risks that could not be eliminated through design, whilst also including information provided by the Principal Contractor.
• The file should be regularly updated when changes to the building are made.

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22
Q

What should be included within the Health and Safety file?

A
  • Description of the works carried out.
  • Any hazards that have not be eliminated through design and how they have been addressed.
  • Key Structural Principles.
  • Location of hazardous materials
  • Information about the removal of installed plant and equipment.
  • H&S information about cleaning and maintaining the structure.
  • As built information for services etc.
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23
Q

What are the Health and Safety Issues with Piling?

A
  • Dust.
  • Noise.
  • Vibrations.
  • Plant Instability due to Ground Conditions.
  • Contaminating existing ground.
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24
Q

What types of piles do you know of?

A
  • End Bearing Piles.
  • Friction Piles.
  • Hybrid End and Friction Piles.
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25
Q

Can you give more information of end bearing piles?

A

• Usually used where there is a solid bedrock low down, which the pile is extended down to.

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26
Q

Can you give more information on friction piles?

A
  • Main bearing capacity is created through friction with the material surrounding the pile.
  • Usually very long to create the appropriate friction.
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27
Q

Can you give more information on hybrid piles?

A

Mixture of both end bearing and friction piles.

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28
Q

What types of Piling methods do you know of?

A
  • Driven Piles, also known as displacement piles.
  • Bored Piles, also known as replacement piles.
  • Secant Piles, used to create retaining walls.
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29
Q

Can you give more information on Secant Piles?

A
  • A form on contiguous piling, which can be used to create retaining walls.
  • Initial piles are bored with gaps, and cast with no reinforcement and a weaker concrete mix.
  • The stronger, insitu piles are bored in the gaps and partially through the existing piles, which care poured in a stronger concrete mix with reinforcement cages.
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30
Q

What type of piling materials do you know of?

A
  • Concrete piles. They can come in pre-cast for driven piles, or be poured in-situ.
  • Steel piles. They are pre-made, and can be used when driving piles.
  • Timber piles. They are pre-made, also used when driving piles.
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31
Q

What types of foundations do you know of?

A
  • Strip Foundations.
  • Pad Foundations.
  • Raft Foundations.
  • Ground Beams.
  • Pile Caps.
  • Piled.
  • Basements.
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32
Q

Can you give me the basic construction build-up of a non-reinforced strip foundation?

A
  1. Excavate the trench.
  2. Level and compact the bottom.
  3. Put down heave protection if required, e.g. ground with lots of clay.
  4. Pour concrete into the trench, mass fill.
  5. Tamp and vibrate to remove air bubbles and give a flat finish.
  6. Get signed off by the building inspector.
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33
Q

Can you give me the basic construction build-up of a raft foundation?

A
  1. Excavate to reduce level.
  2. Level and compact bottom of excavation.
  3. Spread and compact crushed concrete sub-base.
  4. Pour blinding.
  5. Form shuttering.
  6. Place reinforcement mesh and bar.
  7. Pour concrete.
  8. Vibrate and power float to achieve smooth finish.
  9. Get signed off by the building inspector.
34
Q

Can you give me the basic construction build-up of a reinforcement pile cap.

A
  1. Excavate around the pile.
  2. Form earthworks supporting and working space.
  3. Breakout and ‘munch’ the pile down to the desired level.
  4. Level and compact bottom of excavation.
  5. Pour blinding.
  6. Tie pile reinforcement into pile cap reinforcement.
  7. Place formwork.
  8. If sacrificial formwork, backfill.
  9. Pour concrete.
  10. Tamp and vibrate to remove air bubbles.
35
Q

What is Formwork?

A

• The process of placing temporary or permanent moulds into which concrete is poured.

36
Q

What types of Earthwork Support do you know of?

A
  • Battered Earthwork Support.
  • Sheet Piled.
  • Secant Piled.
  • Contiguous Piled.
  • Earth Retaining Walls.
  • Trench Boxes – i.e. used for deep drainage installations.
37
Q

Can you descirbe to me the following materials and their pros and cons? PICK TWO

timber
steel
concrete
stone
glass
gproc
A

Think:

Uses?
Installation time?
Cost of materials
Quality?
Properties
Acoustic/thermal insulator?
Weather and decay resistant?
Fire reistance?
Strength?
Flexibility and versatility before and once onsite
Common defects
deleterious?
Sustainable and recyclable?
Timber

PROS

Variety: Engineered glulam, cross laminated, softwood hardwood, fibreboard
Sustainable and biodegradable
Versatile- machined into all shapes, structural or decorative
Cost - can be low
Quality variable - natural product
CONS

High moisture content – at 12% it is still dry
Can decay
Beetle attack common furniture beetle, death watch beetle
Fungal attack - dry/wet rot
Needs fireproofing
Glass

TYPES
Toughened, laminated plastic, double glazed with air or argon gaps
PROS
Decorative can be blown, stained
Weather proof
Transparent/ reflective.
Cladding, facades
Can be fire resistant pyroglass
Good insulator when used with a gas filled interlayer
CONS

Fragile, easily damaged- if layered strong
Expensive and intensive to make heat to high temperatures
Poor insulation value alone
Can be subject to inclusions causing spontenaous breakage heat soak test.
Not resistant to thermal or mechanical stress
Concrete

Made of Portland cement aggregate

PROS

Strong in compression but not in tension so requires reinforcement or prestressing (pre-srtensioned and post tensioining) Compressive strength measured in C20 etc
High performance admixtures available GRC, waterproof, accelterators
Versatile – can be precast in moulds or cast insitu, liquid, sprayed
Good fire resistance
Good acoustic proerpties e.g. for resi flats
CONS

Takes time to cure and strength check with cube samples, temperature affects this but can put additives in the mixture
o Can be susceptible to chemical attack – alkali, sulphate, Cl
Deleteriours material HAC Additives can cause degradation, also mundic.
o Not weatherproof but can have waterproof additive
Steel

PRO

Strong in tension
Flexible without cracking
Long spans are possible
CON

Poor fire resistance alone needs fire protection
Can corrode and expands on corroding (Regent’s Street Disease)
Not flexible on site as prefabricated to size, if wrong size not much can do bolt on new section, use packers etc.
Intensive production process (blast furnace, make iron first from iron ore, casting, forging etc)
Stone

PROS

Natural product
Can be highly decorative or purely functional
Good fire resistance as non combustible
CONS

 Naturally porous can stain and also allow corrosion of steel regents street disease if suitable gap not left!
Metamorphic, sedimentary, volcanic
o   May not be resistant to acid etc
o   Affected by weather
o   Slate roofing
Brick

Clay poured into moulds and fired in a kiln

PROS

Lower moisture content
Decorative
CONS

o Subject to chemical attack
Not strong alone
weather resistance is variable - engineering bricks versus softer decorative which can erode.

Gyproc

Plaster, can be used wet as a mix or made into preformed sheets with insulation backers for partition walls.

PROS

Good for finishes
Can be fire resistant
CONS

Not moisture resistant

38
Q

Can you describe the floor build up in an industrial building

A

Compacted hardcore, Poured concrete reinforcement, DPM, floateds screed.

39
Q

can you describe floor build ups in a commercial high building?

A

Hollow pot
Filler joist
Waffle slab
Steel composite deck - holorib?

40
Q

What sort of floors might you see in an office block?

A
  • Coffered floors or waffle slab is common in a 1960s office block - precast units with steel reinformcement and precast columns. Longer spans and services run under floors
  • Filler joist (vacuum injection resin repair)
  • Hollow pot
  • Steel composite deck - like holorib.
  • Precast concrete units (like beam and block!) Pre stressed units e.g. pre or post tensioned floors The use of post-tensioned reinforcement to construct floor slabs can result in thinner concrete sections and/or longer spans between supports - tendons pulled tight once onsite.
41
Q

What other types of concrete slab do you know of?

A

hollow core - precast units longitduinal voids and reinforcment - preformed service ducts, longer spans.
solid raft foundation - reinforced solid often foudnations poured in situ.
Composite slab - profile steel deck
Waffle slab - longer spans, less crossectional area.

42
Q

What is substructure?

A

All structure below the superstructure i.e. all structure below ground level including the ground floor bed

43
Q

What is Superstructure?

A

All internal and external structure above the substructure
Made up of primary (ext walls, stairs, roof, structural walls) and secondary (suspended ceilings / raised floors, balustrades, doors) elements and finishes (tiles, paint, stair nosings)

44
Q

What is the External Envelope?

A

The materials and components that form the external shell or enclosure of a building
May be load or non-load bearing

45
Q

What are international standards?

A

Prepared by the International Organisation for Standardisation – prefixed ISO
Compatible with and complement BS’s
Example - ISO9000 is quality

46
Q

What are the typical components of site investigations

A
  • Objective is to systematically collect and record data to help in design / construction
  • Should include anything on adjacent sites that may impact and:
  • Boundary hedges / fencing
  • Existing trees
  • Size, depth and location of services – gas, telephone, electricity, water, drains
  • Existing buildings
  • Ground water conditions
  • Soil investigations – trial pits etc
47
Q

What are the main site considerations?

A
  • Access considerations – approach roads etc
  • Storage considerations
  • Accommodation
  • Temporary services
  • Plant
  • Fencing / hoarding
  • Safety and health
48
Q

What are temporary works?

A
  • Temporary works do not normally appear on construction drawings but demonstrate methods that might be appropriate and resources necessary to ensure safe construction i.e. propping.
49
Q

What is a scaffold?

A

Temporary working platform erected around the perimeter of a building or structure to provide a safe working place at a convenient height
Usually required for work above 1.5m above ground

50
Q

What are hoists?

A
  • Design for the vertical transportation of materials or people
51
Q

What is a foundation?

A
  • Function is to safely sustain and transmit to the ground on which it rests the combined dead, imposed and wind loads of the structure
52
Q

What are the main components of concrete?

A
  • Cement, aggregate (natural rock, crushed stone, gravel) and water
53
Q

What are piles?

A
  • A series of columns constructed or inserted into the ground to transmit the load of a structure to a lower level of subsoil
  • Used where no suitable foundations conditions near ground level or high water table
54
Q

What are the different types of piles?

A
  • Sheet piles – a deep trench is excavated and concrete is poured in situ. The piles can be used to form basement walls or act as retaining walls.
  • Secant piles – interlocking piles (male and female, often different diameters and hardness) are bored to provide a combination of foundations and basement walls. They go someway in providing a waterproof structure. Secant piles are often seen when a top down construction method is used.
  • Bored Piles – an auger is used to excavate the soil and then concrete is poured in once complete. A variation to this is CFA (Continuous Flight Augered) where the piles are bored, Bentonite slurry is pumped in to stop the core collapsing and then concrete (which is denser than Bentonite) is poured in. Bentonite is environmentally harmful and is therefore not often used in the 21st century.
  • Pre-cast piles – pre-cast piles are brought to site and hammered into the ground. Not often favoured due to the high noise levels associated with installation and the lack of flexibility in terms of depth required.
55
Q

What is the difference between bored & pre-cast piles?

A

Bored piles - when the process for removing the spoil to form the hole for the pile is carried out by a boring technique. They are used primarily in cohesive subsoils for the formation of friction piles and when forming pile foundations close to existing buildings where the allowable amount of noise and/or vibration is limited.

Pre-cast Concrete piles - used where soft soil deposits overlie firmer strata. These piles are usually driven using a drop or single action hammer.

56
Q

Under what conditions would you expect a raft foundation to be used for a substructure?

A

A raft can be used for lightly loaded buildings on sites with poor soils
Heavy loads to the raft have the potential to cause the raft to move sideways as a result of raft foundations not being very deep

57
Q

What is a strip foundation?

A
  • Suitable for most subsoils and a light structural design, usually reinforced
58
Q

What are pad foundations?

A
  • Provide a base for reinforced concrete or steel columns

- Usually constructed from reinforced concrete

59
Q

What are retaining walls?

A
  • They act as an earth retaining structure for the whole or part of their heights
  • Need to consider water pressure and pressure of the retained earth in their design
60
Q

What is a basement?

A
  • A storey below the ground storey
61
Q

What are the 3 different types of basement construction?

A

a) Retaining wall and raft (monolithic) – consists of a slab raft foundation (basement floor) that distributes the building loads, the basement walls are the retaining walls
b) Box and Cellular raft – similar to above but internal structural walls are used to transmit and spread loads over the raft – divides the basement into cells
c) Piled – main superstructure loads are carried to the basement floor by columns and transmitted to the ground via pile caps and bearing piles (i.e. your basement has a whole load of columns going through it)

62
Q

What are the 3 main methods of waterproofing a basement?

A

a) Dense monolithic – this is where the basement is designed and built to form a watertight space using high quality reinforced concrete, needs good workmanship and strict control. Success will depend on water / cement ratio and degree of compaction. Joints need to be carefully designed.
b) Tanking – e.g. asphalt, polythene sheeting, bitumen, epoxy resins. These can be applied internally or externally to provide a continuous membrane to the base slabs and walls. Externally is better as it protects the structure as well.
c) Drained Cavity – can be used for new or refurbishment work. It accepts a small amount of water seepage will occur, and collects and drains this away. Builds an inner non-load bearing wall to form a cavity. The floor is laid to falls, moisture drains to a sump and is discharged direct or pumped
d) N.B. Basements are rated as to their final use e.g. habitable, plant, storage and the waterproofing solution is often influenced by this.

63
Q

What are the technical advantages of steel frames?

A

Quick to assemble,
100% recyclable - inorganic - will not warp, split, crack or creep –
Highest strength to weight ratio of any building material –
Not vulnerable to termites or any type of fungi or organism
Dimensionally stable - does not expand or contract with moisture or temperature changes.
Consistent material quality - produced in strict accordance with national standards, no regional variations
Light steel components are always straight
Steel is non-combustible so it will not contribute to the spread of a fire.
Lighter therefore poor soil conditions will need steel over concrete

64
Q

What are the technical disadvantages of steel frames?

A

Needs fire protection
Parts may need replacing
Price of steel is variable
Need experienced builders – additional cost
Even though steel components will not burn they will actually fail (collapse) before a wood component in a fire.

65
Q

What are the technical advantages of concrete frames?

A

Examining the impact of the steel price rises has found that the whole project costs for concrete framed buildings are marginally less than for steel framed buildings.
Fire protection as part of structure
Slower form of construction at this early stage will reduce the cash flow early on
Maintenance of an insitu concrete frame is low
Cladding can be fixed to it and replaced easily.
It also provides good sound and heat insulation.
Insitu allows for alteration at late stage of construction
Can deal with complex geometry better than steelwork

66
Q

What are the technical disadvantages of concrete frames?

A
  • More time consuming. Slower to construct
  • Edges may not be as square and surfaces not as flat as steel
  • The need for steel reinforcement leads to some of the cost issues associated with steel
  • Heavier so requires larger foundations
67
Q

What are the different parts of a steel beam?

A

A simple I Beam is made up:
 Flange (Top and Bottom of the vertical steel)
 Web, which is the vertical steel part of the I
 Root, which is where the Flange and the Web join.

68
Q

What is powder coating?

A

 A durable factory applied organic coating on metals, such as aluminium or galvanized steel, available in many colours.
 E.g. polyester, polyurethane, acrylic, and epoxy which are sprayed on, followed by heat curing to give a film thickness of 50 to 100micorns.
 Any holes should be made and any cutting done before the coating is applied.

69
Q

What is intumescent paint? How do you apply intumescent paint?

A

 Fire Resistant paint, sprayed on in the factory. Touched up by hand on site.

70
Q

What is an upstand?

A

 A vertical strip or skirting, such as the weatherproofing where roofing meets an abutment wall.
 It can be the roofing itself, particularly for mastic asphalt, the top part of a one-piece apron flashing, a mortar skirting or an upstand flashing, and either stepped, raking or level.

71
Q

What is power floated and why?

A

 Concrete is power floated in order to maintain a flatter surface of lightweight concrete that has been applied at a faster rate i.e. in commercial offices.

72
Q

What is post tensioned concrete?

A

 Post-tensioning, concrete is cast around ducts or sheathing in which the tendons are to be housed.
 Stressing is carried out after the concrete has cured by means of hydraulic jacks.
 Used when stressing is to be carried out on site after casting an insitu component or where a series of pre-cast concrete units are to be joined together to form the required member.

73
Q

What is an air brick?

A

 A perforated brick to allow for ventilation into a room or an underfloor space. NOT a weep hole.

74
Q

What are the factors that might affect the choice materials for internal partitions?

A 
 Fire rating requirements,
 Restriction for noise (Db rating),
 Visually – Opaque/Transparent
 Fixed or movable
 Strength - If anything is to be fixed to the wall
75
Q

What are the different types of screed?

A

 Bonded Screeds - Laid on to a ready prepared rough, cleaned concrete base
 Unbonded Screeds - Laid on to a sound, clean Bitumen damp proof membrane to BS4483
 Floating Screed - Laid with steel or fibre reinforcements on to the insulating board, which in turn can be laid on to a suitable damp proof membrane. Sound, clean prepared base.
 Resin Bonded Screed - Laid on to a clean, rough pre-prepared concrete base. The resin acts as a ready installed damp proof membrane to the top screed.

76
Q

What is the purpose of a threshold strip?

A

 A lightly rounded metal strip over the joint between the floor finishes or coverings that meet under the door leaf.
 Prevents fraying, looks better and interrupts combustible flooring under fire doors

77
Q

What is a metal grid ceiling – what are the benefits?

A

 Suspended ceiling system formed by a square grid.
Advantages -
 Quicker to construct.
 Allows for service runs through the void above thus allowing greater floor to ceiling height.
 Easy access for service/repairs
 Damaged tiles can be replaced rather than whole ceiling.

78
Q

What is the difference between rolled and tiled carpet tiles and why do we use each type?

A

 Rolled carpets generally better quality and more expensive. Used in dwellings.
 Carpet tiles – harder wearing, lower quality cheaper and individual tiles can be replaced therefore easier to maintain. Used in offices, hospitals etc. Also where raised flooring systems are used carpet tiles allow for easier access to services that run in the void below.

79
Q

What is top down construction?

A

Allows building above basement to be constructed at same time as basement - ground floor slab is constructed and below ground is excavated

80
Q

What is bottom up construction?

A

Bottom up - forms the basement and then works upwards in a traditional manner. Simpler but a longer programme.

81
Q

Difference between green roof and blue roof?

A

Green roof – absorbs rain water, insulation, habitats wildlife, aesthetics, helps lower urban air
Blue roof – collects water and releases it slowly when rain has stopped – e.g attenuation tank

82
Q

Types of Ventilation?

A

Mechanical and Natural

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