Design & Specification Flashcards
How would you determine a client’s brief?
- Establish client priorities regarding time, cost, quality.
- Establish functional and design requirements.
- Establish client requirements for a project.
- Establish timescales.
- Establish budget.
What is a feasibility report?
Establishes whether a project is viable or doable within the early stages of a project.
May include information regarding:
- existing site considerations.
- statutory obligations e.g. requirements for planning permission.
- budget cost estimates.
- procurement options.
- limitations of a site and how this could affect a building’s intended use.
How can you ensure you control the quality of work in your design and specification?
- Outline relevant specifications (performance or prescriptive), Building Regulations and British Standards to be adhered to.
- Produce detailed designs.
- Request third party testing and certification.
- Nominate certain materials or products.
How can ensure you control the quality of work when being carried out on site?
- Plan the frequency and extent of inspections based on the nature and complexity of the works.
- Employ someone to closely monitor the work on site, such as a Clerk of Works.
What types of testing may be carried out during a construction project?
- Acoustic testing.
- Flow rate testing of extract ventilation using an anemometer.
- Electrical testing (NICEIC).
- Gas appliances testing (Gas Safe).
- Solid fuel appliance testing (HETAS).
- Air tightness testing.
- Checks undertaken by building control.
How should a schedule of work be set out?
- Location references.
- Order of sequencing.
- Cross referencing to relevant documents.
Do you know what the RIBA plan of work stages are?
- It is produced by the Royal Institute of British Architects and describes the stages necessary to complete the briefing, design, construction and operation of a building.
- The plan of work outlines the stages, core tasks and information required at each stage.
- 0 – Strategic Definition.
- 1 – Preparation and Brief.
- 2 - Concept Design.
- 3 - Spatial Coordination.
- 4 – Technical Design.
- 5 – Manufacturing and Construction.
- 6 – Handover.
- 7 – use.
What are the differences between a performance specification and prescriptive specification?
- Prescriptive Specifications provide suppliers with a full design resulting in improved client certainty but create less opportunity for contractor innovation.
- Performance specifications outline the desired outcome and performance of something (design to be completed by others).
Can you name some types of modern methods of construction?
- Volumetric / Modular construction.
- Panellised construction.
- ICF (insulated concrete formwork).
- 3D printed concrete walls etc.
- Timber frame construction.
- Cross laminated timber.
What are some of the benefits of modern methods of construction?
- Increased speed (works can commence on site whilst works are being undertaken off site).
- Produced in a controlled factory setting (better quality and safer.
- Less waste
What is the purpose of the CDM Regulations and how do these impact upon the design, construction and refurbishment of buildings?
- Intended to improve health and safety and to ensure that any health and safety matters are fully considered prior to construction, during construction and throughout the use and maintenance of buildings.
- They ensure that health and safety hazards have been designed out of schemes as much as possible.
- They ensure documentation is in place following a project, including operations and maintenance manuals.
- They ensure that the right people (dutyholders) have been appointed and assign duties for each dutyholder.
You mention that asbestos had been identified within Herriot Hospice and this was included within your strip-out specification. What were the different types of asbestos?
Chrysotile – pipe gaskets to existing boiler system, thermoplastic floor tiles and asbestos cement undercloaking.
Were the asbestos removal works notifiable / licensed?
No – the works were short duration, the materials to be removed were in good condition and able to be carefully removed without breaking.
When does Regulation 9 (notification of work with asbestos) and Regulation 22 (health records and medial surveillance) not apply?
- The works are sporadic and of low intensity.
- The exposure to asbestos will not exceed the control limit of 0.1 asbestos fibres per cm3 of air, averaged over a continuous four-hour period.
- The work involved short, non-continuous maintenance (only to non-friable materials)
- Removal without deterioration of non-degraded materials
- Encapsulation or sealing of ACMs in good condition.
- Air monitoring works and collection of samples.
When would work with asbestos require a licensed contractor?
- Most higher-risk works must only be undertaken by a licensed contractor.
CAR 2012 define licensable work as:
- Where the exposure of workers to asbestos is not sporadic and of low intensity.
- The risk assessment cannot clearly demonstrate that the control limit will not be exceeded (0.6 f/cm3 over a 10-minute period for non-licensed work or 0.1 f/cm3 over a 4 hour period for licensed work).
- work on asbestos coating.
- work on asbestos insulating board or asbestos insulation for which the risk assessment demonstrates it is not short duration work, for example:
- it will take no more than 2 hours in any 7-day period, and no person works for more than 1 hour in that 2-hour period.
What are some examples of licensable work with asbestos?
- Removing sprayed coatings (limpet asbestos).
- Removal or other work which may disturb pipe lagging.
- Any work involving loose fill insulation.
- Work on asbestos millboard.
- Cleaning up significant quantities of loose/fine debris containing ACM dust (where the work is not sporadic and of low intensity, the control limit will be exceeded or it is not Short duration work).
- Work on AIB, where the risk assessment indicates that it will not be of short duration.
