Article analysis #6

Source: Buildings.com June 2005.
Link: http://www.buildings.com/Articles/detailBuildings.asp?ArticleID=2511
" Concrete vs Steel"

Weighing up the pros and cons of concrete and steel is a tricky one. This article discusses the benefits and bad points of both steel and concrete.
Concrete has a greater mass and weight than steel, allowing it to perform well in high wind situations. Steel, on the other hand, has a higher tensile strength than concrete, and is has a higher bending capacity.
Currently, concrete is in shorter supply than steel due to the higher shipping costs. For this reason, it may be beneficial to use steel in construction when given the choice.
Concrete has the potential to be a lengthy process in construction. Concrete, needing time to cure appropriatly, can take time if poured in-situ. Steel, on the other hand, is prefabribated off site and therefore leads to less time underconstruction.
In regards to design, steel structures offer a longer span than concrete, whereas concrete offers a smaller floor to floor ratio.
Depending on the purpose of the the structure and the needs of the client, both offer a range of advantages and disadvantages. It is difficult to determine which is best without considering the brief and purpose of the structure.

Article analysis #5

Source:Aftenpolten news, 30/5/07.
Link: http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article1594310.ece
"Climate change contributed to building collapse."

Outlining the dangers of climate change on buildings, this article tells of a woman who was killed by falling bricks in a street in Oslo. The bricks fell from a high rise building which was of significant age. Experts warn that this was not a freak accident, that all older buildings need to be re-assessed for their structural integrity. The changes in climate, such as; wind, dramatic temperature differences and moisture, are believed to be the catalyst in these building disasters, causing the facade to crack and warp, eventually leading to collapse.

Major Project Final Presentation.

These are some images of my model. At a scale of 1:5, it represents a section 5m by 5m in the corner of the office building. The outer skin is glass, with decorative universal beams, while the structure is universal beams and columns encased in concrete. The roof structure consists of corrugated colourbond roofing, on 0.6mm insulation, on safety mesh, on z section purlins, which in turn are fixed to the concrete beams and columns.

Major Project Final presentation.

Here are some photographs of my final presentations. Unfortunatly the photographs have not turned out very well, so if you would like further detail, might i suggest you look at the real thing.. These images, however, do give you the general overview of my project.

Article analysis #4

Source: Building construction Jan 2007.
Link: http:/www.bdnetwork.com/
" 10% of condos found not safe enough"

Referring to condos in Japan from 2001-2005, this article outlines the fact that many condos do not meet earthquake specifications. It suggests the problem lies with the architect; wanting to cut costs, they have submitted incomplete and incorrect data to the Japan Building Disaster Prevention Association. The article goes on to explain the miniscule savings for such a huge lack in earth quake resistance. For example, reducing a beam by 1% thickness reduces the cost by o.1%, however, will also reduce the strength by 10%. These condos have sparked worldwide urgent testing for earthquake resistance in buildings.

Site visit #6 Building under construction.

Site: Ryrie St, Geelong. "Harrison Place".
Construction type: Bondek concrete flooring system.
Analysis: The Bondek formwork can be seen here. Bondek is a permanent formwork in which the concrete is poured onto it and left as is. The Bondek is fixed to both the the steel universal beams and precast concrete wall (shown) with metal cleats.

Site visit #5 Building under construction

Site: RE- VISIT. Corner of Latrobe st and Hope st, Geelong West.
Construction type: Tilt up concrete panels.
Analysis: The concrete panels have now been "tilted up". Temporary supports hold the panels in place while the other walls are put into place and adequatly fixed.

Article #3 An interresting article!.....

http://www.theage.com.au/news/TECHNOLOGY/20story-building-for-sale-on-eBay/2007/05/23/1179601448096.html
Check this out!... what a psycho!.. Who sells a 20 story building on ebay!.. This ebay thing has gone WAY too far!!......
It's a 76 year old heritage building in Michigan, going for $2000100! It has office and retail space as well as an underground car park. The sellers suggests, "that with some remodeling, it could house condominiums."... really though... what kind of a person buys an old, rundown, 20 story building for $2000100.. i know its cheap.. but ebay??!!!.....

Major project. design development.

These are some design development drawings and research into the engineering details of the structure. Purlin sizing, universal beam and column sizing as well as elements like bondek, insulation and reigforcement sizing were hard to come across, but useful information can be found at these links:
link:http://www.onesteel.com/productspecs.asp?specID=68
http://www.bluescopesteel.com.au/go/product/lysaght-bondek
http://www.stratco.com.au/products/fascia.asp

Site visit # 4 Building under construction.

Site: Malop st, Geelong.
Construction type: Reinforced concrete.
Analysis: In the photographs provided, steel reinforcing can be seen poking out of the top of the concrete columns. These will be trimmed and capped at a later date. References can be drawn here for my major project, where my building will include concrete columns and beams.

MAJOR PROJECT. Research into Farnsworth house details.

Farnsworth house
Floor to window photograph.










Farnsworth house
Structural floor detail.













Farnsworth house
Roof detail.

MAJOR PROJECT. Initial sketches.

These are some initial sketches i have made. Mies tends to use glass and steel as building facades. Here i have taken inspiration from his Crown hall, where steel columns are placed on the outside of the facade. The first floor wil be suspended concrete.

MAJOR PROJECT. Research into the Mies van der Rohe "style".

For the Major project, i will be looking into construction techniques and materials primarily used in designs by the architect Mies van der Rohe. Here is some of the research notes i have taken from various sources, outlining some of Mies' buildings, and the similarities within all of them.

Article analysis #2

Source: Architectural record Jan 2007.
"Toyo Ito builds a concrete cloud."

This article refers to the wave surface of the crematorium in Kakamigahara, Japan. This roof is constructed of concrete. Hard concrete mix was used on sloping formwork, smoothed with grinding machines, filled, then smoothed again. A waterproof spray was then applied. The article also includes an interresting wall section indicating how the curved structure adheres to a rectilinear interior. Photographs of the construction process are also shown in this magazine article. Well worth a look!

Site visit #3 Building under construction

Site: Corner of Latrobe st and Hope st, Geelong West.
Construction type: tilt up concrete panels.
Analysis: The concrete panels have been poured on site. Some of the formwork has been removed, while some still remains. Shown in the photos, bolts and fixing points have been cast into the panels.

Site visit #2 Constructed building.

Site: Kardinia Park, Geelong.
Grandstand pavillion.
Construction type: portal frame on concrete construction.





Analysis: The grandstand is initially concrete construction in order to obtain a stepped seeting area. The roofing system, however, is a portal frame. Shown in the photographs, a triangular x bracing is used to hold the structure together as a stabilising element.

Article analysis #1

Source: Building design and construction, Jan 2007.
Link: http:/www.bdmetwork.com/
"Sand as an optional item."

This article addresses the issues and consequences of building without sand and granite, following the termination of the supply from Indonesia. The author outlines the mny benefits and positive outcomes from such a drastic measure. Builders have began to use "dry walls" instead of brick, which yields a cheaper price, and faster construction. The article warns that builders will not be likely to return to brick construction even when supply is reestablished.

Concrete panel construction. Gutter detail.

Portal Frame construction. wall section

Portal Frame construction. section

Site visit #1. Constructed building

The example of long span construction seen here is the Mitre 10 building in Geelong. The roof is supported by the exterior walls only, and has no internal columns.



This photograph shows the internal structure of the roof. There are two single steel beams joined in the middle.




The join connecting the two steel beams is shown here. The connection is made with steel bolts.




Shown here is the connection between the steel column in the wall and the concrete slab. Again, bolts are used to anchor the building, as well as steel plates.







This photograph shows the interresting join between the steel wall columns, the wall cladding, and the long span roof beams and the roof covering. Bolts are the main fixing used, with welding between the roof beam and wall column. An extra triangular steel piece is added to help transfer some of the roof load to the wall, and thus the ground.