Construction Technology - Level 3 (Facades) Flashcards
On South Kensington, you prepared a Facade Presentation. What was the advice you gave to the Client in that presentation?
I advised the Client on typical cost ranges of residential facades. I included a bar chart to compare the £/m2 (Blended Facade Rate) against similar projects. This also advised the client on the relationship between £/m2 of facade against targeted sales values
By doing this exercise I was able to demonstrate to the Client that South Kensignton was on the higher end of the ranges and advised that VE could be implemented to improve the £/m2 against sales values
What was the materiality of the South Kensington Facades?
Affordable:
- Reconstituted Stone
- Brick facing precast concrete with expressed columns
- Full height double glazing
- Aluminum Louvres
- Aluminum Cladding to top floor
Private:
Similar materiality but also had ‘hit & miss’ brickwork & Zinc Panels and expressed columns
What was the most expensive material on the facade at South Kensinton?
Full height glazing - £1,200/m2
Brick facing precast concrete panels - £1,250/m2
What was cost ranges for the different between affordable and private residential buildings?
Affordable - £600 to £1,400/m2
Private - £950 to £1,850/m2
What is a Stick system facade?
Stick systems area cladding systems which are constructed on site.
Different elements or materials are delivered to site and the facade is installed piece by piece
What is a Unitised facade?
Unitised systems are prefabricated off site and delivered and installed straight away as panels.
How are Unitised facades installed?
They are typically lifted to location via a crane and installed from the inside of the floor plate
What are advantages of a Unitised Facade?
Installation time is shorter than stick
Lower labour costs (as a result of faster installation)
High quality are fabricated and glazed in a climate controlled environment
What are the disadvantages of a Unitised Facade?
On site installation is faster but fabrication & design time has to be factored in to overall programme
Not suitable for smaller projects due to lengthy fabrication time and cost
May require materials off site payments
What are the advantages of a Stick Facade?
Can be more economical, particular for smaller projects
Lead in time is much shorter
Materials readily available allow for earlier installation
What are the Disadvantages of a Stick Facade?
Installation on site is longer
Materials require space on site to be stored
Installed on site in unpredictable conditions (Weather)
Can you summarize the advantages / disadvantages of untised and stick facade systems?
Unitised:
Time - quicker installation, longer lead in times
Quality - higher quality product (made in factory)
Cost - More economical for larger projects (economies of scale)
Stick:
Time - Quicker lead in time, longer installation on site
Quality - parts fabricated on site in unpredictable conditions, not as good as unitsed
Cost - More economical for smaller projects
Why did you advise on a Unitised system for South Kensington?
Due to the scale of the project it could be more economical using unitised façade, there was lots of repetition on the buildings and would speed up the construction programme.
By using a unitised system a high quality product be guaranteed due to being made in factory conditions and not on site.
