Construction Technology & Environmental Services Flashcards
What year were building regulations introduced?
Building Regulation 1965, introduced 1966.
What does BREEAM stand for.
Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology
what are the BREEAM standards?
It comprises six technical standards which apply to the different stages of a building or project’s life cycle. BREEAM supports solutions to reduce net zero carbon, improve whole life performance, manage health and social impacts, boost circularity, resilience and biodiversity, and support disclosures and reporting
What are the 6 BREEAM standards
BREEAM In use
BREEAM Refurbishment & Fit-out
BREEAM Communities
BREEAM New Construction
Home Quality Mark
BREEAM Infrastructure
What are the different type of foundations available?
Strip Foundation
Trench Foundations
Pad Foundations
Raft Foundations
Pile Foundations
What is CBR
California Bearing Ratio
How are earthworks supported and why?
Timber boards and timber walings and struts. Or steel walings and struts
Prevent collapse
When is a raft preferred
Places with bad soil, clay or soft soil
What are the different type of piling and when would they be used?
End Bearing - Sits on rock below
Friction Pile - uses friction to hold
Bored piles - Create hole then fill with concrete
Continuous flight Auger - Same as bored but happens simultaneously. Smaller and more cost effective but less load
Sheet piles -
Reinforced concrete piles
Describe the components of a piled substructure and what their function is?
Pile
Pile Cap
Reinforcement
What is the difference between hollow and a solid ground floor construction?
On sat on earth, other suspended requiring ventilation.
How does a diaphragm wall work?
A diaphragm wall (slurry wall) is a reinforced cast-in-place continuous concrete wall. The construction includes the excavation of a trench under the protection of a support suspension (i.e. a thixotropic slurry such as bentonite mud for example) designed to temporarily stabilize the trench wall. After excavation with a mechanical or hydraulic grab, the support slurry is replaced by concrete and steel reinforcement is placed.
Where would you expect to find the main reinforcement in the following structural concrete components and why: beam, column, staircase, suspended slab, cantilevered slab, pad foundation, raft foundation.
This is about movement - i.e. the structural steel reinforcement will be on the side which is under greatest stress.
i.e. suspended slab = bottom
What does C40 mean in relation to concrete
Number of KN/m2
What is GRC
Glass Reinforced Concrete
How is composite metal cladding fixed to a steel frame?
Most fasteners are typically self tapping and self dripping.
What is the difference between a common, facing and engineering brick?
Common = typically rendered over lower cost not facing
Facing = typical seen on houses - finished product
Engineering = low porosity and high strength
Explain the purpose of using a plasticiser in a mortar mix
A plasticiser is a substance or material added to concrete to make it softer, improve workability and strength, and reduce water requirements
What is pointing
Filling between bricks with mortar
Different bonds
Stretcher
English
Flemish
Stretcher = stretcher side of bricks
English = One coarse Header one coarse stretcher
Flemish = Header/Stretcher/Header
What is Corbeling
Corbel = structural stone/brick juting out to take weight. Often coming ‘out’ from the building.
Main components of hipped end pitched timber roof.
Ridge Board
Rafter
Jack Rafter
Hip Rafter
Purlins
Strut
Wall plate
What is Rainscreen cladding and how does it work?
Rainscreen cladding is an external panel façade system that protects a building’s backing wall from the full force of the weather. In a nutshell: Rainscreen cladding protects a building’s backing wall from the elements. Cladding systems can also improve thermal performance and enhance a building’s appearance.
What is curtain walling?
Non-Structural cladding for external of a property.
Only support their own weight.
What is a mullion?
Separating bars of a window
Name four different types of glass used in glazing systems.
- Annealed Glass
- Heat strengthened
- Tempered or toughened
- Laminated Glass
What is the purpose of screed?
Levelling
Better surface for adhesives
What is Granolithic paving
Cement and granite/hard wearing aggregates to produce flooring or paving
What different types of plaster and render are there?
Cement
Gypsum
Lime
Acrylic
Silicone
Difference between tarmac and macadam
Asphalt is a mix of aggregates and bitumen, whereas tarmac, or tarmacadam, is a mix of aggregates and tar
What different types of retaining walls or structures are common in the industry?
Gravity retaining
Cantilever Retaining
Embedded retaining
Reinforced soil
Describe the different ways of dealing with ground water in excavations?
Sump pump
Wellpoint systems
Siphon drainage
Deep well systems
Ejector systems
Upper floor construction methods
Timber joists
Beam and block
Reinforced concrete
Precast concrete
Single ply - light weight, cheap, fast to install, not suitable to be walked on, shorter life span,
3 layer - stronger, less maintenance, more affected by UV/
From a technical view explain the factors that you would consider when comparing a steel and concrete frame solution for a building?
Cost
Structural loading capacity
Span
Use of property
Lead in time
Fire rating
Location i.e. weather & building movement
Viewed technically, explain the factors that you would consider when comparing a pre-cast and an insitu concrete frame solution for a building
Moulded off-site
Controlled pour conditions
Made to measure off site
Requires transport (impractical?)
In situ
Easily transported
More expensive potentially for small jobs
How can slip-forming help a project and when might it be used?
Pro:
Reduced crane time
High production rates
Slipform is inependent - can delay critical path
Reduces congestion due to less scaffold
Cons:
Minimal changes available post slipform
May requires additional steel support
Wall thickness may be required thicker
What is the difference between a drain and sewer
Drain takes waste from property to sewer
It serves only one building.
What is a backdrop inspection chamber
A backdrop manhole is a drop shaft installed either externally or internally in a manhole in a sewer network. Backdrop manholes connect pipes of differing invert levels and allow for the pipe at a higher level to connect to the lower level pipe with minimum fall.
What is a saddle in drainage
Way to connect pipes
What is a siphonic drainage system?
Siphonic drainage systems prevent air from entering the downpipes. This allows higher volumes of water to drain more quickly from flat roofs, which means fewer, smaller diameter downpipes are required.
What is cat II lighting?
Class 2 double insulated lights are designed to operate without the need for an earth wire. They usually have two layers of insulation which cover the live parts, for example the cables inside the fitting.
How is water provided to a sprinkler system?
Some systems are fed directly from the water mains; others via a storage cistern and pump or pressure vessel arrangement
what materials are typically used for internal drainage systems?
PVC
Clay
Which fire safety provisions would you expect to find in a typical office block?
Fire extinguisher
Fire Alarm
Sprinkler system?
Signage
Fire Doors
What recent changes have there been to the Building Regulations?
Updated Building Regulations came into force in June 2022 and these included signifcant changes to Approved Documents. In addition to the changes to Part B, Part F, and Part L, two new approved documents were included, O (Overheating) and S (Infrastructure relating to charging electric vehicles).
List of banned materials?
Red List?
Do building’s require a fire certificate?
No, it’s no longer a legal requirement to have a Fire Safety Certificate. In the past, the Fire Authority would issue a Fire Safety Certificate to businesses that met the required fire safety standards in the UK. However, this certificate no longer exists.
Instead, all businesses must now undergo a Fire Risk Assessment — which puts the responsibility on you as the business owner.
What is PPG
Planning Policy Guidance
Section 106
Requirement for developer to do x e.g. sculpture or upgrade park
Section 278
Requirement to upgrade highway as part of planning
On your projects, how has Building Regulation compliance of the finished building been demonstrated
After the final inspection of building work, property owners are issued with a completion certificate which demonstrates that the surveyor is satisfied that the work inspected conforms with the building regulations.
