Design and Specification Flashcards
Explain how the RIBA Plan of Works has changed during your career. L1.
- Significant update in 2020.
- New ‘Sustainability’ focus, challenges design teams to focus on sustainability outcomes from the outset.
What is the difference between Preambles and Preliminaries?
- Preamble - an explanation of the contract that helps with its interpretation. Can include - description of the parties, objective of project, tendering procedures.
- Preliminaries - provide description of the works and general requirements for their execution and completion, which the contractor uses to cost.
At Ruislip, when you appraised performance of contractor’s alternative roofing systems, what did you look out for?
- Warranty terms?
- Guarantee - could this be assigned? Insurance backed?
- British Standards.
- Fire Ratings.
- Slip Resistance?
- British Board of Agrement Approval?
At Newport, who specified the scaffold and what design elements were you looking for to include?
- Installed in accordance with National Access and Scaffold Confederation (NASC) Guidance.
- Guard rails and toe-boards
- Bespoke design by a competent person, unless to a standard recognised configuration.
- Scaffold Operatives and Firms can be checked on CISRS website - Construction Industry Scaffolders Record Scheme.
At New George St, Plymouth, what did you specify and how did you repair? How did you control costs?
- I specified a ‘Protec’ Liquid Waterproofing System to encapsulate the dwarf parapet walls.
- Contractors asked to price 2 options - overlay ‘repair’ and ‘renovation’ and upgrade to insulation in accordance with Part L.
- Contractor’s also asked to cost for alternative systems.
- Costs controlled as this was to be a ‘repair’ with no additional insulation required.
- Value engineered for client after lease renewed. All internal items removed.
At Goldsmith Avenue, Southsea, why did you specify GRP panels? What was considered in this?
- Very constrained site - railway and busy rd. Store needed to remain trading.
- Ideal solution is to remove asbestos, however this was not practical in the circumstances.
- GRP panels lightweight and installed without disturbance to occupiers.
- Extra loadings minimal -asbestos panels can absorb 25% of their dry weight in water which would be lost through drying out.
- Asbestos removal can cause damage and involves costs for disposal.
- Dangers of fixing through panels are managed as the spacers allow existing fixings to remain in-situ.
- Insulation can be added glass-fibre quily compressed into cavity - improves U-value.
- No increase in roof height - no need for planning.
At New George St, how did the Conservation Area status impact your decision-making and client advise RE window repairs.
- Replacement would have been more cost-effective due to age and condition of existing single-glazed Crittal windows.
- However, Conservation Area didnt allow ‘altering or replacing existing metal windows unlikely to be appropriate as they are integral part of building and street scene.’
- Due to this, recommended in-situ repair.
- Mindful of client repairing obligations and EPC requirements.
At Goldsmith Ave, What advice did you give your client RE: retention of asbestos roof?
- Checked R&D survey.
- Not ideal to leave in situ, however, because of need to remain in occupation and site constraints it was the only option.
- Removal of asbestos sheets presents its own issues in terms of fibre-release.
- Risk of fixing through panels is managed - no need to remove existing fixings, and fixed in way that fibres are encapsulated - dependent on CAR regs.
At Goldsmith Av, how did you determine planning was not required?
- Planning portal
- Minimal change in height of roof
What did you do in terms of specification to ensure safe installation of GRP sheets at Goldsmith Av?
- Fixings
- Fibre-release
*Occupation? - Man-safe?
- Fragile roof?
How do you specify an item to ensure that a contractor prices it correctly?
- A product specification e.g. a specific roofing system from company X.
- A measured rate e.g. 1 sqm of re-pointing.
- A fixed cost item e.g. anything that is described in its entirety.
How do you incorporate a 3rd party design into a Specification e.g. a Structural Engineer’s design for a replacement floor slab?
- You break the design down into stages - schedule it out.
- Provide enough information to enable to contractor to cost it accurately.
At New George Street, What other requirements of the Building Regs were affected by the refurbishment works?
- Part K - collision, impact and falling.
- Part H - drainage.
What is BIM?
Building Information Modelling (BIM) is a very broad term that describes the process of creating and managing digital information about a built asset such as a building, bridge, highway or tunnel. There are levels of BIM from level 0 to level 3. Fundamentally, BIM is used to ensure that appropriate information is created and suitable at the right time to make better decisions throughout the design, construction and operation of the building.
Can you describe some different loads on a building?
Dead loads - structure itself.
Live loads - added by furniture, people etc.
Environmental - wind weather, snow etc.
