Understanding The Built Environment - Group Report

UNDERSTANDING THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT

Report 2017

Andre Liegent (813813) Geraldo Lewa (884322) Sat Naing Aung (860309) Hesham Malik (699084) ABPL10005 Tutor: Monique

CONTENT INTRODUCTION

3

SMALL SCALE CONSTRUCTION

7

A01. DIARY 1

8

A02. DIARY 2

13

A03. DIARY 3

18

A04. DIARY 4

22

HIGH RISE BUILDING

27

B01. DIARY 1

28

B02. DIARY 2

32

B03. DIARY 3

36

B04. DIARY 4

41

C. CONCLUSION

45

D. REFERENCE

49

2

INTRODUCTION: SMALL SCALE CONSTRUCTION A01 TITLE Subject

ABPL10005

Tutor

Monique

Tutorial Time

Thu, 2:15 – 3:15

Team Number

8

Team Members

Andre Liegent (813813) figure 1. Construction of the house in Brunswick Geraldo Lewa (884322) Sat Naing Aung (860309) Hesham Malik (699084) 45 Laura Street, Brunswick, VIC, 3056

Site Address

Brief

Comparing and analysing the construction stages between a high- rise structure and a low-rise residential during a certain timeframe

Description

It is a two storeys small-scale residential construction. There are two separate units in the site (see plan). Timber is its main material. The timber wall frame has been installed. Brick wall has already been placed in the garage area.

The second unit the the back is smaller and does not have a garage. This site is accessible by taking Tram 8 or 19, as it is located exactly in between Sydney Road and Lygon Street. There are two separate units in the site (refer to site plan). It is planned to finished by the November 2017, according to the site manager.

Visit Dates

Both the High-Rise and the Low-Rise structures will be visited on the same day as they are located within close proximity to each other.

Monday 27th March 2017 10:00 - 13:00 Monday 10th April 2017 2:00 - 3:30 Monday 28th April 2017 10:30 - 2:40 Monday 8th May 2017 11:00 – 2:00

figure 2. The location of the residential project on map Google Map 3

INTRODUCTION: HIGH RISE BUILDING TITLE Subject

ABPL10005

Tutor

Monique

Tutorial Time

Thu, 2:15 – 3:15

Team Number

8

Team Members

Andre Liegent (813813) figure 3. Conctruction of the apartment in Brunswick Geraldo Lewa (884322) Sat Naing Aung (860309) Hesham Malik (699084) 288 Albert Street, Brunswick, VIC, 3056

Site Address

Brief

Comparing and analysing the construction stages between a high- rise structure and a low-rise residential during a certain timeframe.

Description

It is a ten storeys multiunit residential building named “Brunswick Heart”. The construction process is expected to be finished by the end of 2017. We noticed that the main materials are concrete and steel with a bit of timber. As of right now, it is still in the early stages with columns, floors and some pre-cast concrete walls put up to level four using scaffoldings. The structure mainly consists of concrete, and is being built with the method of assembling pre-cast concrete in site, using cranes to lift them up and scaffoldings as supports.

It is easilly accessible by tram 19. The stop is just about 50m away.

Visit Dates

Both the High-Rise and the Low-Rise structures will be visited on the same day as they are located within close proximity to each other.

Monday 27th March 2017 10:00 - 13:00 Monday 10th April 2017 2:00 - 3:30 Monday 28th April 2017 10:30 - 2:40 Monday 8th May 2017 11:00 – 2:00

figure 4. The location of the high rise project Google Map 4

ABPL_ 10005-GROUP8 ( MONI QUE’ S14.

15TUTORI AL) “SI TEPLANOFLOWRI SE” 45LAURAST ,BRUNSWI CK VI C3056

NAME/ STUDENTNUMBER ANDRELI EGENT( 813813) GERALDO LEWA( 884322) HESHAM MALI K( 699084) SATNAI NG AUNG ( 860309)

( 2)

VERSI ONS/ REVI SI ONS

#2:6APRI L2017 #1:30MARCH2017 N

35

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39

( 1) 41

LEGENDS -VEGET ATI ON

43

47

-SI TEGROUND

49

-SI TEBOUNDARY -MAI NBUI LDI NG -PEDESTRI ANAREA -STREET/ ROAD

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LAURASTREET -

-ELECTRI CI TY SOURCE

ACCESSFROM L YGONSTREET SCALE

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DRAWI NG # 1

ABPL_ 10005-GROUP8 ( MONI QUE’ S14.

15TUTORI AL)

ALBERTSTREET -

273

“SI TEPLANOFHI GHRI SE”

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ACCESSFROM SYDNEYROAD

288ALBERTSTBRUNSWI CK VI C3056

VERSI ONS/ REVI SI ONS

282

#1:30MARCH2017 N

PARKI NG AREA LEGENDS -VEGET ATI ON -SI TEGROUND -SI TEBOUNDARY -MAI NBUI LDI NGS/ SI TEOFFI CE -PEDESTRI ANAREA -STREET/ ROAD -EXI STI NG BUI LDI NGS -ENTRANCEGATE

SCALE

A3@ 1: 400

WOOLSWORTHBRUNSWI CK

DRAWI NG # 1

SMALL SCALE CONSTRUCTION

A01

TITLE SCALE CONSTRUCTION: SITE DIARY 1 SMALL

Date of Visit :27th March 2017 Weather : Sunny and Windy Current Stage : Wall framing Main Activity : Installation of steel beam

Member in Attendance: Andre, Hesh, Geraldo, Sat

Diary by

: Andre Liegent - 813813

Site Information One of the important things in construction site is the building information. Prior to commencing the construction, This board of information must be put. Not only instruction for safety is included in the board, information such as who is the architect, the builder, surveyor , address, permit number and so on. This let people aware of safety instruction as well as knowing who to contact in case anything happen External Factor: Weather Our initial visit was for the 20th March, but it was raining on that day, so the manager called off our visit. Construction process really rely on the external condition such as weather. For example, heavy rain or wind can disturb the work of the tradesman on site. The rain can also cause slippery surface which make the process become unsafe.

Safety For safety reason, anyone entering the site must follow rules such as wearing hard hats and steel cap boots.

Fences around site boundary to protect construction site from unpermitted outsiders figure A1.1. Information board

Brick wall has been installed for the garage of the Front unit. Unlike the other wall, timber frame is not included in the garade.

figure A1.2. Stage as per first visit

Current Stage: Timber framing This stage is done for both front and back unit. The timber framing is done after the flooring has been done. In this case, the floor is the concrete slab. Next, they are getting ready to install the frame for second floor.

Our first official visit was counted on the 27th March, where the weather is better and there are some tradesman working on site.

These man were seen lifting a steel channel.

Sawing take place in this carpenter desk figure A1.3. Current stage (timber wall frame)

8

The Main Activity happening is the installation of steel beam after the wall frame installation.

Spesifically, PFC (parallel flange channel) are used for the openings to have more strength when loads are transferred. The beam is also used as platform for the joist of the second floor.

Prior to this day, the manager has ordered some steel beams with certain spesification that fits the construction drawing. Some specification might change when there is some tolerance in the wall frame installation Sub-contractors According to the manager, there is no specific builder for this project. The way they do it is by having different sub-contractors coming for different stages. Steel suppliers come for steel installation, the carpenter comes for timber work and so on.

There are two ways connecting steel with steel. In this part, the steel column fig. A1.4a (SHS) and the steel beam Welding (PFC) are connected by welding.

The steel is lifted by a machine called duct lift figure A1.4. Welding steel beam and steel column

figure A1.5. Conversationn with the steel suppliers

Equipment Protective mask Used to protect eyes from UV and infrared radiation from welding process (Braun 2007).

Ductlift This equipment is used to lift steel. Mostly used in residential project where tall crane is not really necessary. This one here, according to the manager, is able to lift up to 250 kg Welding Machine Used to connect steel sections.

For example, steel beam and column.

figure A1.6. Protective mask

figure A1.4b Duct Lift

Common Issue The steel suppliers mentioned about the importance of communication among the sub-contractors. There are some confusion among them with the drawings from engineers because although it looks good, the construction might be impractical and difficult. That is because imagination (drawing) might be different with what is practial on site. In cases like this, the builders have to discuss with the engineer or manager. They could still make the construction happen as in the drawing but it costs a lot of time and effort. In some cases, there are some alterations from the drawing to solve the problem Equipment Spirit level an instrument to measure slope.

This is to ensure having a straight level

figure A1.7. Spirit level

Clamp Clamp is used to fasten or hold to things together temporarily before being fixed permanently using nails or bolts figure A1.8. Ductlift

figure A1.9. Clamp

Ladder

figure A1.10. Welding machine figure A1.11. Ladder

Power supply Prior to installation of electricity within the house, builders take electricity from the switchboard behind the front fence

figure A1.12. Switchboard 9

Steel bracing Placed diagonally to provide stability

Construction The project has started since last year.

Nov - Demolition Dec - Site clearance,

plumbing & other

services, footings Holiday in the beginning of year Feb - Wall frame For timber work, refer to AS1684 (Australia Standard for timber framing)

Nogging Horizontal member between studs to provide lateral stability Studs Vertical members of the wall frame

figure A1.13. Current stage (timber wall frame)

Top wall plate In most two level houses, the top wall plate is doubled because it carries more load from the second floor

Props Unlike steel bracing, props are just used to support the frame temporarily. Once the frame has reach the desired stability, props are removed.

Bottom plate It is generally just a single plate unlike the top plate which might be a double plate depending on the need. This is because the load that is carried by bottom plate is directly transferred to the concrete slab

figure A1.14. Wall frame

Lintel A horizontal structural member over an opening that carries the weight above it. The larger the opening, the higher grade of timber is needed. Sometimes for larger opening, steel lintel is also possible

Slab recess To allow space for brick cladding

Towards the opening, the number of studs tend to increase. Here we can see 4 studs for a large opening in because this area will carry more loads.

figure A1.15. Opening

We asked about how does the ordered steel products matches the opening of the frame.

Does the wall follow a standard sizing of steel or the other way?

The site manager have measured the opening and accordingly ordered the specific steel from the company. Sometimes the representative from the steel company came on site to measure the opening. Sometimes.Then, they manufactured the steel product based on the measurement

figure A1.16. Steel installation 10

Materials on Site The most common materials of construction industy is concrete, timber and steel. Like most other residential project in Melbourne, this house uses mostly timber for structural frame with some steel elements. Concrete is only used for the flooring in this project

Timber

Based on its purpose, timber products is divided into appearance product and structural product. Appearance is the one used for cladding, finishes etc. Structural product has more strength and is used for structural frame (fwpa, p. 18). In this stage, we only see the structural product

MGP10 It is a seasoned timber product generally comes from softwood radiata pine (WPV, p. 4). Most of the members of the wall frame are MGP10 (studs, nogging, top and bottom plate, props etc.)

For similar purpose but better strength, builders would go for higher grade such as F17. figure A1.17. MGP10 as props

Plywood bracing Plywood is produced by gluing together thin layers of wood veneer with the grain of adjacent veneers running perpendicular to each other.

(Wood Product Victoria)

Plywood bracing Once nailed to the studs, it acts as a structural bracing. In some cases it can also be used as appearance purpose

figure A1.18. Wall frame with plywood bracing

Steel SHS The square hollow section is also a hotrolled product. In this house it act as column for opening or studs that is connected to the PFC.

PFC Parallel Flange Channel is a hot-rolled product which act as a primary structure. In this house, it acts as beam and lintel for large opening.

The upper level floor joist is going to sits on it.

figure A1.19. PFC

figure A1.20. SHS

11

Connection

Studs have to be securedly fixed with blocking and nails

figure A1.22. Timber joint Source: rmit.edu.au

figure A1.21. Wall frame corner

Connection of stud and bottom plate using tie-down connector Welding figure A1.23. Stud and bottom plate connected by tie-down connector figure A1.24. Welding connection between PFC and SHS

Slab and Steel column is connected by bolt.

figure A1.25. Steel to slab connection

figure A1.26. Slab to Steel column connection detail (Timber Frame Headquarters 2016)

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A02

SMALL SCALE CONSTRUCTION: SITE DIARY 2

Date of Visit :Monday, 10th of April 2017 at 3:30PM Weather (Google 2017): Mostly cloudy Temperature – 16°C

Precipitation Rate – 0%

Wind Speed – 34 km/h Current Stage : Wall framing Main Activity : Floor joist installation Members in attendance: Andre Liegent, Geraldo Lewa, Sat Naing Aung, and Hesham Malik Diary by: Geraldo Lewa – 884322 Effect of Weather Due to heavy rain and freezing cold breeze hours before our visit, there were no workers on-site. Daniel, the main design and construct contractor, was not there either. Thus, there were no apparent key activities happening on-site. In addition, we were not allowed to enter the site; the photographs on this site diary were all taken from outside.

All work processes performed in Australia, especially construction processes, must comply towards Victorian Occupational Health and Safety Act of 2004. One of the objectives of this Act is to “eliminate, at the source, risks to the health, safety or welfare of employees and other persons at work” (Victorian Government 2004, pp. 2). Working in awfully cold weather increases the chance for one’s body to contract arthritis, rheumatism, bronchitis, tissue damages in the form of ‘frostbite’, and worse: hypothermia – impair in either muscular or cerebral function or both due to drastic decrease in one’s core temperature, often leading to immediate faint and painful death. Daniel’s responsibility is to ensure that his employees are not exposed to these deathly health risks by cancelling work on that day. This is an unavoidable cost that Daniel’s firm must take full responsibility of.

Besides, working on days where the weather is not optimal incurs additional costs as well . Workers can negotiate for paid breaks – get paid on non-work hours – depending on the severity of the weather. They may as well negotiate for heating tools, which typically incurs loads of cost because it consumes tons of electrical power. The body’s involuntary response towards sharp drop in temperature is to shiver.

Shivering decreases the worker’s dexterity, making it easy for employees to yield errors in their work ; errors in construction processes are not acceptable under any circumstances.

Site Progress Minimum, almost no, progress since our previous visit on 27th of March 2017.

Timber wall frames (Refer to A01 diary entry) Brickwall garage (Refer to A04 diary entry)

Existing, neighbouring building Site barrier Walking area for pedestrians Safety Equipment Metal wire fences Define the site boundary and prevent unauthorised people from entering the site.

Road barriers Prevent pedestrians and bicyclists from passing directly in front of the site gate. The grey sticker on the shaft of the barrier pole reflects light, which makes it inherently useful at night when car headlights are on. The reflected light allows for drivers to pin-point the presence of a road barrier when the surroundings are pitch black.

figure A2.1. Site progress as of the second visit.

Orange construction safety nets and cream-coloured fabric.

Prevent pebbles or tiny objects from projecting off the site area.

Almost all site safety equipment has a sharp orange colour. The colour contrasts greatly with its surroundings, which alerts and expresses a sense of caution to nearby pedestrians and drivers of the site .

figure A2.2.a Cream-coloured fabric

figure A2.2. Site barriers and safety

Equipment Garbage bin Used to dispose wastes generated from activities done on site. It has two wheels attached on each end, allowing it to be efficiently relocated if needed.

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Fence rail Fence post Fence picket Head trimmer Jamb stud Sill trimmer Exposed underground pipe For plumbing, storm water, and electric wiring.

Material Particleboard Large particles of timber are glued together using discrete grades of phenol formaldehyde glue (Flooring Technology 2014) (depending on the use of the board) (and pressed at high temperatures to form what is known as a particleboard, also commonly referred to as chipboard.

It is later coated with a thin layer of resin, liquid used to make plastic polymers, which functions to add an indestructible layer (TerraCast 2014) to the conjoined timber particles and it makes the subfloors waterproof. All particleboards used in Australia must fundamentally comply towards the Australian/ New Zealand Particleboard Flooring Standard of AS/NZS 1860.1 (Plycon Pty Ltd 2013). Chemical additives, such termiticides, fungicides, fireresistance, can be added to the resin coats of these particleboards which extensively help reduce possibilities of damages unto the particleboard during its service life.

Several manufactures even went further to seal the edges to prevent the board from moistening (Flooring Technology 2014). Particleboards are only able to tolerate extreme weather conditions only for three months (Flooring Technology 2014), which is more than enough time for time-efficient builders to place platform floors, roof trusses, and/ or roof coverings. In areas that are frequently damp, like bathrooms or laundry rooms, floors are further coated using water-resistant compressed fibre cement (Flooring Technology 2014), again, to prevent the particleboard from moistening.

Plywood bracing

figure A2.3. Stacks of wooden fences

Stud Nogging

figure A2.4. Welding steel beam and steel column

X-form diagonal steel bracing Particleboard These will rest horizontally on top of the trusses once the truss arrangement is complete.

The subfloors act as a base to the floor finishes, which mostly come in the form of ceramic tile, laminated parquet flooring, or carpet.

figure A2.5. Stacks of particleboard - tongue view

figure A2.6. Stacks of particleboard - groove view

figure A2.7. Groove of the particleboard

Groove Concave structure on the particleboard, functions as a space to slide the plastic tongue unto.

Plastic tongue The protruding plastic part where the colour of the tongue indicates thickness of the structural sheet.

figure A2.8. Plastic tongue of the particleboard

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Trussfab’s Longreach trusses Longreach trusses are fully made out of timber, while span trusses have diagonal webs made out of metal and chords made out of timber (Pryda 2016).

Chase opening Empty area between panel lengths.

Panel length

Truss web Floor trusses must always be lifted vertically (Pryda 2016, pp.

6) to prevent alteration of the truss structure. However, they can be stored horizontally as long as there are adequate levels of support to avoid twisting or bending of structure.

Top chord Bottom chord

figure A2.9. Stacks of Trussfab’s Longreach trusses

Panel point Meeting point between one webbing to another

Large triangular gaps or ducts inbetween webs Provides space to easily insert intricate mechanical systemrelated runs, such as lighting cables, ventilation tubes, plumbing tubes, etc. (Riverside Truss 2017) Having an open web truss design eliminates the need to drill or notch the trusses , which allows for a more efficient lead time management.

Code or text symbol labelled on the trusses.

They go according to the detailed construction plan of the project During placement of trusses, workers must ensure that construction materials are not left on top of the truss series for more than a week , as it may disfigure the structure of the truss or possibly cause the truss to collapse. If materials need to be left on top, they must be located on top of the load bearing timber structure, or else the webs will bend and eventually, it will break. figure A2.10. Labels on the trusses

figure A2.10.c. Open web design (Pryda 2016, p. 11) figure A2.10.a. Stacking material perpendicular to the trusses (Pryda 2016, p. 9)

figure A2.10.d. An example of the benefit of open web design (NZWOOD 2009)

figure A2.10.b. Stacking material parallel to the trusses (Pryda 2016, p. 9)

Truss connector or nail plate A galvanised steel (Multinail Australia 2017) connector used to join one timber structure to another.

Branding and job number.

figure A2.11. Truss connector or nail plate

Trusses can either be used for flooring, walling, or roofing. The trusses shown on the picture were later used for flooring (Refer to A04 diary entry).

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Bowens’ timber blocks that have been applied as the building’s timber frame

Bowens’ timber framing blocks

Plastic cover sheet To protect the timber frames from dust, dirt, pebbles, or heavy rain.

figure A2.12. Stacks of Bowen’s timber blocks

These timber blocks will be used for the second level wall-framing. If needed, the length of the timber blocks can be shortened at the outdoor carpenter desk using a saw.

“P10F040045” is the product code of these timber blocks.

6-metres long timber blocks.

Product label, which writes: P10F040045; 90 x 45; 120 x 6m “90 x 45” is the respectively the length, which is 90mm, and the width, which is 45mm, of the rectangular base of the timber blocks. The length of the rectangular base was customised from its original length of 140 mm (Bowens 2017) to meet the precise requirement of this project.

“120 x 6m” means there are 120 6-metres long timber blocks.

Radiata Pine Timber figure A2.13. Product label

Plastic sheet with Bowens branding

figure A2.14. Radiata Pine

Bowen timber blocks are extracted from pine trees (Bowens 2017), presumably Radiata Pine. Radiata Pine is abundant and widely available in most Australian states. In addition, it is structurally strong and versatile. This pale yelloworange-brown, unevenly fine timber is mainly used as the base element to plywood, fibreboard, particleboard, and timber panels (Timber – The Australian Timber Database 2017) in major Australian construction projects.

Unfortunately, according to the table on Australia Standard™’s Timber Rating Report (Sai Global 2005, pp. 9) , Radiata Pines, like most timbers, are not termite resistant. This can easily be solved by adding the timber with preservatives (Forest & Wood Products Research and Development Corporation 2004, pp. 2), specifically termite-resistant chemicals.

16

Galvanised steel brick wall tie, Functions to connect the brick arrangement to another adjacent vertical support layer.

Brickwall (Refer to A04 diary entry) figure A2.15. Garage brickwall

Fence rail

Orange traffic cone Controls the traffic of vehicle surrounding the site; similar to the traffic poles on the front, its body is also coated with reflective grey sticker.

Particleboards

figure A2.16. Traffic cone and its surroundings

Exposed underground pipe for plumbing purposes

Green cuboid basket Used as a mini stool by workers to reach higher levels when needed.

Aluminium frame double hopper reclining windows Frame head The horizontal top of the window Jamb The vertical sides of the window

Heaps of structural bricks (Refer to A04 diary entry)

figure A2.17. Items and materials on the garage floor

Glazing In the form of glass Aluminium frame flush door Flush doors are the opposite of panel doors: the intricacies of the panels are removed in the design of flush door. Daniel planned on glazing it with glass.

Frame sill The horizontal base of the window

figure A2.18.a. Sill suspended over bricks Window is suspended on top of two bricks located at each end, which help adjust and establish uniformity in height across all windows in the project.

figure A2.18. Garage interior window and door

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A03 A01

TITLE SCALE CONSTRUCTION: SITE DIARY 3 SMALL

Date of Visit :28th April 2017 Weather :Windy and sunny Current Stage : Upper Floor (no significant progress from last visit) Main Activity : No work on site Member in Attendance: Andre, Hesh, Geraldo, Sat

Diary by

: Andre Liegent - 813813

Unfortunately, there was no people on site. The fence were closed and there was no significant progress since last visit. We expect more progress such as upper floor wall framing. When we called the manager for confirmation, he advised to come again in two weeks since there will be no much progress until then. The reason, he briefly mentioned is because the carpenter is sick which cause delay on the job As there was no progress, this diary will discuss the past stage of the house. The house was already at wall framing stage when we first visit the site. Hence, this diary will talk about what has been done previously which is the concrete slab.

Daniel (Site Manager) mentioned about the timeline of the project since November (refer to A01). From December to February, rough-in services were installed and concrete slab has been poured.

According to the manager, this house uses Stiffened raft slab. The stiffened raft slab is the most common and the simplest slab con­struction. It can be used on all classes of sites (except problem sites - Class P) (disweb. rmit.edu.au). It mainly comprises of concrete slab, edge beams, internal beams and steel reinforcment. figure A3.1. Stiffened raft slab found on the project near 45 Laura St

Process: 1. Services rough-in and excavation Prior to pouring the slab, excavation is necessary to control the shape of the slab.

Excavation is done by an equipment called excavator.

Services rough-in For water, sewage, gas and other services figure A3.2. Excavation prior to pouring concrete Photos taken from another project nearby.

figure A3.3. Excavator

2. Concrete testing Concrete consists of cement, aggregates, water and additives. The ratio depends on the desired strength, workability or other qualities.

Concrete is mixed on site right before pouring it. Before pouring there are two test that are necessary: 1. Compressive test ----> To ensure the concrete has the desired strength 2. Slump test ---------> To measure the workability of the concrete (Ashford 2016)

figure A3.4. Compressive test (FPrimeC Solutions 2016)

figure A3.5. Slump test (FPrimeC Solutions 2016)

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2. Preparing Formwork After the concrete mixture has been approved through the 2 tests, it is ready to be poured. Prior to pouring concrete, builders have to make a formwork (usually timber) and to arrange steel mesh and waterproof membrane Timber formwork Formwork is a temporary element that is put in order to control the shape of the concrete. Once the concrete is strong enough, it will be removed. (Harris 2005, p.

434)

Pipes for Services rough-in

Mesh spacer

Steel mesh Concrete is strong in compression but weak in tension. Therefore it needs steel reinforcement since steel is good in tension.

Damp proof membrane This non-permeable paper is placed above in between ground and steel mesh in order to prevent moisture coming up to the concrete as it will affect the strength

Diagonal reinforment may be necessary at re-entrant corners to prevent cracks

figure A3.6. Preparation before pouring concrete (Cornell Engineers 2016)

3. Pouring concrete

Concrete truck In other occasion, concrete may be mixed in the concrete truck

Concrete is mixed by the builder on site on this wheelbarrow. It is mixed and poured using shovel figure A3.7. Mixing Concrete

figure A3.8. Concrete truck

The mixture will be poured out from this tube

4. Compaction and curing Compaction or vibration is the process which expels the entrapped air from the freshly poured concrete. It increases the density of concrete, hence increases its strength and durability and minimises shrinkage.

Curing is the process of controlling moisture loss of concrete

figure A3.9. Vibration process (iamcivilengineer 2016)

figure A3.10. Curing process (Engineering Training Institute Austalia 2016)

Concrete will gain its maximum strength generally 28 days after being poured. However, the site manager said that builders often starts the next stage which is the wall frame 7 days after pouring the concrete. That is because the strength gained in 7 days closely resembles the strength gained in 28 days. In a week, people can already stand on the slab. Consequently, the construction process becomes quicker.

19

By comparing our research about concrete slab and the actual photos of the site, it is evident that this house adopt the popular stiffened raft slab footing system (figure A3.11 - A3.12).

Nails The nail indicates that there is a formwork before. When concrete slab is solid enough, the formwork is removed.

Sometimes, the nails from the timber formwork are left.

Leftover waterproof membrane

figure A3.11. Concrete slab on site

figure A3.12. Concrete slab on site

Irregular slab edges following the shape waterproof membrane

Elements in concrete: 1. Cement 2. Water 3. Aggregate 4. Additives Cement Cement is generally obtained from limestone and clay. It has to go through blending, kiln heated and mixing it with few amount of gysum (Ashford 2016). There are different types of cement depending on its purpose. Residential projects usually use the most ordinary form of cement which is GP (General purpose) cement. The other types of cement like Low Heat and Marine are used for special function such as to limit heat radiation and to prevent salt water attack on the steel reinforcement (Ashford 2016) figure A3.13. GP cement

Water

Water ratio is one of the important factor in deterining the quality of concrete. The more water put in the mixture, the less strength it has, but better workability as it is more fluid. In contrast, the less water will results in more strength, but less workable. The workability is measured by slump test, while strength is measured by compressive test as mentioned before.

Aggregates Aggregates are stone, sand or gravels that provide strength in concrete mixture. They are divided into two types based on its size: 1. Fine aggregate : 2. Coarse aggregate

: < 5mm : >= 5mm

Concrete mixture have to include a good distribution of both fine and coarse aggregate. That is to ensure less void and better density of the concrete (Ashford 2016).

Poor distribution results in void in concrete which reduces strength and durability of the concrete

Well distributed aggregates results in better strentgh and durability

figure A3.14. Concrete grading comparison Ashford 2016 20

Additives Additive is used to enhance specific characteristic of concrete. Some example of additives are: 1. Accelator : To speed up drying or setting phase of concrete, usually used in cold weather 2. Retarders : To delay drying or setting phase in hot weather 3. Plasticisers : To improve strength by reducing water content without affecting the workability.

However, accelator and retarder are rarely used in Melbourne residential project. They are usually used in place with extreme weather where the temperature can go as low as -20 degree celcius. (Ashford 2016).

Concrete spesification The mixture of the afore-mentioned elements produce concrete of different strength. For example when specifying or ordering concrete we often see grading like N20,N25 or N50. That indicates a (N)ormal class concrete with 20 or 25 or 50 MPa strength (AS3600) Steel reinforcment spesification For steel mesh reinforment we may see specs like RL 718 or 918, where “R” is rectangular and “L” is low ductility steel. 7 represents the diameter of the main bar. The “1” represents the spacing of the main bar which is 100mm. The “8” represents the 8mm diameter of the secondary bars. (Lumbantarna, 2015) For steel bar, we may see spesification like D500L, which stands for deformed 500 MPa steel with low ductility. figure A3.15.

(Ashford 2016).

Steel mesh

Slab Design: Standard design of stiffened raft slab as extracted from AS2870 - 2011, pp. 29 - 30:

Rebate For brick veneer For example, we assume the soil on site is classified as Class M, and we know that the house uses masonry veneer.

Therefore, we need slab that has overall depth of 400mm with 3-L11TM mesh or 3N12 bar. The spacing of the beams should not exceed 5m.

Table C1. Extract from AS2870-2011, pp. 29-30 21

A04

SMALL SCALE CONSTRUCTION: SITE DIARY 4

Date of Visit :Monday, 8th of May 2017 at 11:00AM Weather (Google 2017): Mostly cloudy Temperature – 13°C

Precipitation Rate – 36%

Wind Speed – 24 km/h Current Stage : Second level wall framing Main Activity : Measuring the wall to wall distance for determining the dimension of ceiling Members in attendance: Andre Liegent, Geraldo Lewa, Sat Naing Aung, and Hesham Malik Diary by: Geraldo Lewa – 884322

Human Resource Management Issues Daniel planned to finish this project by November this year. Unfortunately, human resource issues may lead to Daniel not meeting the proposed project deadline. The procurement method of this project is a design and construct procurement, where Daniel is the design and construct contractor, simultaneously managing numerous human resources in the form of consultants and subcontractors.

People, in general, are difficult to coordinate because they have individual needs that differ from one to another. The effort and quality they put to their work differ based on their skills and desire to work: having little to no skill and bad mood will result in terrible project craftmanship, which decreases the overall quality of the process output. For instance, some of the nails connecting the trusses to the subfloors were not nailed by the workers all the way through. The floor trusses support a substantial amount of load. Thus, builders must ensure that they firmly stay in their place. Furthermore, some of the diagonal steel bracings are loose. These quality defects are due to inefficient management of human resource.

Daniel subcontracts (hires third party firms to provide services) most of his processes. These subcontractors obviously work for other clients too, consequently, processes would then be delayed. As an example, Daniel told us that electricians supposed to finish installing underground cabling by one month, but turns out it took them two and a half months to finish.

In summary, the efficiency of the construction process heavily depends on management of human resource, whether that be managing their individual “uniqueness” or to adjust schedules between subcontractors and Daniel, as the subcontractor’s client.

Site Progress Progress was noticeable since our previous visit on 28th of April 2017.

Second level timber wall frames First level timber wall frames Brickwall garage

Existing, neighbouring building Safety Equipment Site barrier Site entrance pathway figure A4.1. Site progress as of the fourth visit.

Wire fences Orange safety nets

It rained hours before our visit, that is the reason why the clouds are dark in this photograph. As a result, there was no workers onsite on that day except for timber frame subcontractors who arrived hours before our visit and worked while it was raining. As mentioned

by Daniel, there was no other choice for the subcontractors but to work in the rain due to their recently tight schedule (they had to work for numerous other clients that week). In this case, the subcontractors will hold full responsibility for any defects on work done on that day that is caused by the harsh weather.

A sign that says, “NO ENTRY – Authorized Persons Only” Hung on the fabric screen to ensure that no-one enters the site other than the people working or people that have been given permission to do so.

The site gate was opened because there was work being done on-site, unlike when we visited on 10th of April 2017. figure A4.2. Site barriers and safety

Cream-coloured fabric 22

Current Stage Second level wall framing This was the progress made from the last site visit. When we reached the site at 11:00 AM, some of the structural timber wall frames for the second level walls were already placed at its designated position. Workers started placing the frames on Friday the 5th of May and on early mornings of our visit; on our visit, the structural timber frame workers/subcontractors had already left the site. Daniel told us that they will return on the 9th of May to finish positioning the structural frames on both houses.

Plywood bracing Lintel Sill trimmer Jack studs Studs that are shortened and placed under window holes.

figure A4.3. Second level front view wall frame

Temporary diagonal timber brace called props, used to prevent the joined plywood and frame structure from falling Truss layer

Stud Timber nogging Truss layer Wire fence

figure A4.4. Second level side view wall frame

Metal tie Connector used to join the plywood bracing to the trussâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; top chord. Nails are inserted through the holes of the metal plate.

Nail plate Made of galvanised steel (Multinail Australia 2017). figure A4.5. Maximised view of the truss layer

Plywood bracing Lintel

Web With triangular gaps between one to another

Head trimmer Timber prop

Bottom chord

Sill trimmer Slab recess Panel length Particleboard subfloor These were staked on the porch on the second visit They are joined together using tongue-and-groove method (refer to A02 diary entry) Triangular spacing Between each joists or truss.

Its size depends on the material, thickness, grade and predicted load that the frame must support (RMIT University 2013).

Mini tie-down metal piece Connects bottom chord to the vertical web.

figure A4.6. First level front view wall frame

figure A4.7. Floor truss arrangement

Label written by Daniel

Curved galvanised steel truss connector PFC steel beams Installed on the week of our first visit on the 27th of March

figure A4.7.a. Nail plate connecting the truss to the top plate of the timber framing.

23

Material Red clay bricks Bricks are made out clay and shale minerals that is fused together through the process of combustion with temperatures up to 1093.33°C or 2000°F (The Brick Industry Association 2014).

Advantages of using clay bricks: “affordable, readily available, fire-resistant, mass-produced, thoroughly tested modular building components. Their most desirable acoustic and thermal properties derive from their relatively high mass. They require little or no maintenance and possess high durability and loadbearing capacity.” (Inglis 2013). However, bricks are not waterproof. For this reason, the brickwork will be rendered (applied with coat).

The combustion of the clay results in the red colour of the brick that does not fade nor weather overtime.

Bricks sold in Australia are designed and made under the requirements of AS/NZS 4455:1997 (Inglis 2013), which defines the strength of individual bricks manufactured.

Bricks are reusable due to their outstanding durability. According to Daniel, roughly 30% of the bricks used for this project were obtained from the previous building on this site that was demolished. This significantly reduces the cost of material procurement.

There are two main types of bricks used for construction: paving bricks are bricks that are have no holes, and structural bricks are bricks that have two to three holes. The bricks shown on the pictures are structural bricks.

figure A4.8. Stacks of structural bricks on the area between the front house and the back house.

Holes in structural bricks make the bricks lighter in weight by approximately 30-60%, depending on the size and deepness of the hole (Go Smart Bricks Editor 2015). This means less transport costs and overall a more cost-efficient approach.

Not only it is cost-efficient, having holes in bricks is also environmentally sustainable. figure A4.9. Stacks of structural brick on the front By using less clay, the required porch Vertical cavity A series of holes on the bricks amount of fossil fuel needed for combustion can be lessened.

Allows expansion due to heat.

Consequently, added to lower This prevents the bricks from breaking in areas where there Stretcher-positioned brickwall amount of transport fuel required is expansion. discussed previously, this design approach is environmentally sustainable.

figure A4.10. Stretcher arrangement brick wall on the garage

PFC steel beam

figure A4.11.a. Bucket-handle pointing method.

Structural bricks are intended to be built vertically up as walls, not horizontally laid as floors, since they have holes in them.

Holes were introduced to enhance the thermal properties of the clay-based brick. Heat diffuses through the building from various spots, such as the ceiling, windows, and walls. Air is a terrible heat conductor.

Therefore, by having air-filled cavities, it would naturally be slower for heat to escape the interior space during winter and vice versa during summer. By being able to maintain interior temperature equilibrium, the need for the occupants to use air conditioning and/or heater can be minimized.

Exterior solid walls were composed of bricks arranged in a stretcher-bond pattern, or frequently known as the running-bond. Runningbond is essentially made of a series of stretcher-positioned (horizontally-laid) bricks offset by half a brick per course (Scottish Brick Manufacturing Industry 2015). Mortar, shaped to a bucket-handle pointing method (Scottish Brick Manufacturing Industry 2015), was used to connect the stretcher-arranged bricks together.

figure A4.11. Side view of the brickwall

24

Main activity Since there were no workers on-site, Daniel had to survey the building all by himself. He respectively asked both Sat and Andre to help him with his job by holding the folding ladder and placing the end of the measuring tape to the right spot.

Daniel was measuring the ceiling distance before he places the Longreach timber trusses along with the flat subfloors on top.

figure A4.12. Daniel measuring using measuring tape.

Foldable ladder Extended tape Sat Naing Aung

figure A4.13. Daniel measuring the distance of the garage

Andre Liegent Extended tape

figure A4.14. Andre helping Daniel by holding the other end of the measuring tape.

Equipment Measuring tape Hook

Danielâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s notebook

Thumb lock

figure A4.15. Danielâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sketches/notes and measuring tape.

25

Gigantic roll of Velcro strap Used to temporarily place and properly align the plywood bracing before its placement is finalised using nails. It was bought from Pryda, Australia’s leading timber connector and roof truss supplier (Pryda, 2016).

A bucket of Australia’s H.B. Fuller MaxBond™ Original 320gm construction adhesives (HB Fuller 2017). These light-tan coloured adhesives are essentially used for flooring (plasterboards or particleboards) or wall panel (plywood or polytyrene wall panels) installations due to its suitability to most construction materials: timber, concrete, or steel. They are water-resistant and bonds produced are really durable.

Brown carton centre

figure A4.16. Velcro tape

A 900gm MaxBond™ Original construction adhesives cartridge (HB Fuller 2017).

Two hand saws, or sometimes referred to as manual saws.

They are used by carpenters to cut blocks or timber panels.

Extra piece of Plywood bracing

figure A4.17. Equipment and tools found lying nearby

Orange road barrier

Orang traffic cone

Cream-coloured fabric and wire fence

Broken structural brick figure A4.18. Items on the front porch

Nitrile rubber safety boots. (Ansell 2016) The midsole and toe cap of the boots are made of steel, which protects the foot from heavy falling objects or sharp objects.

Midsole

Toe cap Paslode Tall Impulse Fuel Cell (Bunnings Warehouse 2017).

It is a fuel cell for Paslode gas nailers. It has the power to respectively drive a minimum and a maximum of 1000 and 1200 nails. This fuel cell is suitable to be used in sites where the surrounding temperature ranges between -10°C to 49°C. Adaptor to the fuel cell slot in the Paslode gas nailer.

figure A4.19 Safety boots placed on top of the frame nogging

Packs of ProStrip 30° “D” Head Strip Nails (Paslode 2016) The shanks of the nails are smooth and they are papertaped. Paper-taped nails leave no collation material on job site. These are the nails used to connect the particleboard subfloors to the trusses.

figure A4.20. Paslode Fuel Cell

Sawing desk Extra pieces of Radiata Pine timber made from sawing.

figure A4.21. Carpenter’s outdoor sawing desk 26

HIGH-RISE BUILDING

A01 B01

TITLE RISE BUILDING: SITE DIARY 1 HIGH

Date of Visit :27th March 2017 - 11:00 Weather : Raining (Causing delay) Current Stage : Building A - Structurally completed up to level 4 with some load-bearing walls and col-

umns of level 5 installed.

Building B - Basement was structurally completed with formwork of ground floor prepared on it.

Main Activity : Loading of concrete and steel Member in Attendance: Andre, Hesh, Geraldo, Sat Diary by : Sat Naing Aung - 860309 Key Activities Out of many activities being carried out on site, the most visible activities to us (since we were not allowed to enter the site) were lifting reinforcing bars to level 5 and constructing an internal concrete block wall.

Crane Chains holding the Reinforcing Bars Reinforcing bars

The reinforcing bars were transported from factory to site by the truck which unloaded them at the dedicated loading zone only for construction related vehicles; this actually is part of the road rented by either the owner or the contractor of the building from the city council (City of Melbourne 2009). The bars were securely attached to the crane chains by a builder and lifted by the crane from the truck to level 5 where they will be placed inside the in-situ concrete floor slab.

Builder attached the Reinforcing Bars to the Chains Truck that carried the reinforcing bars to Site

Dedicated loading zone figure B1.1. Lifting reinforce bars to level 5

An internal wall was being constructed on the ground floor using concrete blocks and reinforcing bars which are manufactured off site and transported to site and mortar which was prepared on site. Being an internal, above-ground wall, it will not be subjected to any lateral load such as wind load, underground water pressure and earth pressure, and therefore, no vertical reinforcement was put inside the wall (apart from the reinforcing bars sticking out from the floor slab to connect the wall to the floor) to take lateral tensile stress. Only horizontal reinforcing bars were put inside every alternate course to improve the vertical tensile strength of the wall. After the concrete blocks were laid, fluid grout, which was also prepared on site, was poured into hollow cells for greater compressive strength of the wall.

Concrete block wall Fluid Grout being poured into Hollow Cells Horizontal reinforcement

Vertical reinforcing bars to connect the wall to the floor figure B1.2. Concrete block wall under construction

figure B1.3. Concrete block wall under construction 28

Materials on Site 1. Core-fill Concrete Blocks 2. Australian Builders Cement Mix 3. N20 Deformed Reinforcing Bars

Internal wall

Concrete blocks

Concrete blocks were placed on the ground floor, next to construction of an internal concrete block wall.

figure B1.4. Concrete block on site.

The figure above shows notch type core-fill concrete blocks of size 190*190*390 with ash grey texture on the ground floor (Boral Masonry 2010). They will be used to construct internal concrete block walls which is one of the several types of internal wall in this building (precast concrete walls, brick masonry walls, etc.), according to the site manager. In a building where precast panels are already used predominantly, it is uncommon to use masonry internal walls because they are slower and more labor intensive. However, they are used in this building purely for architectural purpose.

20kg bags of Australian Builders Sand and Cement Mix are transported to site. These are premixed cement, ready to be used just by adding correct proportion water (Australian Builders 2017). Mortar will be prepared on site using the cement for brick and block laying of internal masonry walls.

figure B1.5. Cement transported on site

a bunch of N20 (normal ductility with 20mm diameter) deformed (for a better grip with concrete) reinforcing bars is transported to site and being lifted from the truck to level 5 by the Luffing tower crane.

These bars will be embedded inside the concrete floor slab which will be poured in situ on level 5 to improve the tensile strength of the slab.

figure B1.6. Reinforcing bars transported on site

29

Equipments on Site 1. Luffing Tower Crane 2. Cement Drum Mixer 3. Wheelbarrow Trolley 4. â&#x20AC;&#x153;SLOWâ&#x20AC;? signs

Luffing Tower Crane for Building A

Luffing Tower Crane for Building B

figure B1.7. Luffing tower crane

Among the major equipment operating on site, the most prominent ones are the two Luffing tower cranes (see Fig B1.7), one for each of the buildings being constructed on site (the boom is not long enough to reach both buildings). They are used in lifting materials and precast concrete panels to upper levels, significantly saving time and labour while making the installation of the panels a lot easier. Unlike hammerhead cranes whose boom can move only horizontally, boom of Luffing cranes can move in all four directions which makes them more suitable to be used on sites where two or more cranes will be operating at the same time (can avoid each other), although they are slower and much more expensive (Linden Comansa 2014).

Electric Cement Drum Mixer

Wheelbarrow trolley

figure B1.8. Cement mixer and concrete

Fig B1.8. shows an electric cement drum mixer with a wheelbarrow trolley next to it. These equipment are used in preparing and transporting mortar from the premixed sand and cement on site which will be used to build internal masonry walls. The operation hours of these equipment are much lesser than others because the majority of concrete used in construction is prepared off site and transported either as precast walls and columns or in plastic state to the site, in order to speed up the construction process.

30

One of the most low-tech equipment on site are the â&#x20AC;&#x153;SLOWâ&#x20AC;? signs used to slow down, or sometimes, pause the traffic passing by the site while large and potentially hazardous equipment or vehicles (e.g. cranes, concrete trucks, etc.) are in operation. Although it affects the flow of the traffic and causes delay, it has to be done for the safety of the road users.

Builders on Site According to the site manager, approximately 80 to 90 builders were present on site at the time of site visit, performing various tasks such as operating cranes to lift materials up, preparing mortar for the construction of internal walls, laying concrete blocks for the internal wall, controlling the traffic on Albert Street and so on. All the activities had to be paused due to the rain in the morning, however, everyone was back to work as soon as the sky became clear again. figure B1.9. Builder controlling the traffic near the site

Progress made on Site

Formwork of level 4 slab

Structurally completed up to Level 3

figure B1.10. Construction Stage - two weeks before the First Site Visit (Buliding A)

Load Bearing Walls and Columns of Level 5

Structurally completed up to Level 4

figure B1.11. Construction Stage during the First Site Visit (Building A)

Fig B1.10 shows the stage of the site two weeks before the first site visit from which it is observed that the building A was structurally completed up to level 3 and formwork was prepared on level 4 for in situ concrete slab pouring. Building B was only excavated for the construction of basement at that time (photo could not be taken because we were not allowed to enter the site).

Fig B1.11 was taken during the first site visit in which all structural elements of level 4 were completed with load-bearing precast panels of level 5 installed in the front part of the building A. According to the site manager, some services were also installed up to level 4. Formwork for ground floor slab was prepared in Building B (photo could not be taken because we were not allowed to enter the site).

31

B02 A01

TITLE RISE BUILDING: SITE DIARY 2 HIGH

Date of Visit :10th April 2017 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 2:00 Weather :Fine Current Stage :Stripping and Service Installation Main Activity :Delivering concrete 6th floor Member in Attendance: Andre, Hesh, Geraldo, Sat Diary by :Hesham Malik - 699084 Site Information In comparison with the last visit a lot had changed. The most noticeable change being the newly placed pre-cast concrete panels on the exterior. This led to the conclusion, that work had been done on the exterior façade of the structure since the last visit.

Objects are lifted via a crane situated atop the structure and an individual guiding it with a rope beneath so the wind does not cause it to sway violently.

In this case, wooden beams are being transported to the sixth floor where structural work is being done.

The Main Activity as observed by the number of workers gathered and the area unavailable for public access was the preparation to transport concrete from a truck, to the sixth floor via a pump. The workers were testing the pump to ensure the concrete would have no issues being transported once the truck had arrived.

Another angle showing the area unavailable to public as a result of the preparations for the sixth floor. An interesting observation made was that despite the fact that it was the sixth floor which was being developed, a completely different floor was also involved in its progress; the two floors were connected.

figure B2.1. Object transportation via crane

figure B2.2. Concrete Pump Preparation

The pump is connected via a long tube which extends all the way to the sixth floor. Once the cement truck arrives, it gets connected to the pump and the concrete is transported via the tube to desired location.

Workers can be seen pulling the pump in a range of different angles to ensure it is flexible enough to cater for the different areas the concrete will need to be placed on the sixth floor.

figure B2.3. Site temporary extension 32

It s observed that progress has been made on the first floor as well as the sixth floor. Since our last visit, the first floor mechanicals have all been completed such as the lighting, electricity and wiring. In regards to this, the workers will do the mechanicals on each floor in order, making their way from the ground floor and basement up. This is because structural work is still being done on the floors above. We noted that in order to save time, work was being done on two separate floors simultaneously, instead of completing one floor, and then moving onto the next.

Long cord to power tools figure B2.4. First Floor Mechanicals Photos had to be taken rom outside as we were not permitted to enter the structure despite having safety gear on. Hence, the photo taken was the best possible to demonstrate where the work had progressed.

At this stage, the builders were up to level 6 working on the structural aspect. The internal wall was to be done once the inside was fully stripped. Half of level 6 structure was completed as the concrete had been already poured. All that was left was the back corner for concrete to be poured. This was done on two separate days as the front half where it was easily accessible for the truck on the street below, had to wait for the cement to cool.

Entrance to site accesible only to workers and other authorised people.

figure B2.5. Tool Powering

Rubbish for hard waste from site

Workers According to the site manager, and a rough look at the workers office hall, approximately 70 to 80 builders were present. However, of this number, only 15 to 20 were visible from outside leading to the conclusion that many more were working inside, presumably towards the rear, where the structural aspect was still currently developing.

figure B2.6. Entrance

A photograph of the building showing important information of the location of services related to evacuation was present in the site office room where it is easily accessible to every individual worker.

figure B2.7 . Emergency Evacuation Plan 33

Crane lifting loads from the ground to upper levels.

External cladding has been installed on multiple levels. These pre-cast concrete panels were simply placed into position with the aid of the southern crane as the north crane could not reach this angle of the site. Cladding has so far been placed along the back corner of the structure. It is essential to get the dimensions and size of these panels correct to the minor details and hence these panels cannot be made in-situ.

figure B2.8. Pre-cast concrete panels

The crane lifts heavy objects from the ground to upper level. This is the most convenient way as objects may be too large and heavy to carry from within the building.

The load is securely fastened to not only the crane wire itself, but also to another rope which is in turn coordinated via a worker.

The worker directs the load from beneath so it is steadily lifted and doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t bump into the structure whilst it is lifted up. This is dangerous as the load can dismantle.

figure B2.9. Lifting Loads

A temporary bin for all the hard waste collected from the site.

Various openings throughout the site for where most likely there will be windows installed. As the structure is made out of pre-cast panels and there is no core, each floor is individually and uniquely designed with no requirement to have an allocated connection.

Temporary electrical wiring placed in a place where it can be easily removed once there is no requirements for it. This is to power the tools utilised throughout the site.

figure B2.10. Bin

Metal rods can be seen supporting beams running across on the floor above. However, these rods do not serve as the primary structural part of the structure but can be rather looked at as the secondary structural support. figure B2.11. Temporary Electricals 34

Equipment The two cranes still remain and will probably do so until the structural aspect of the entire building has been completed. These cranes lift loads directly to upper floors and aid in assembling precast concrete walls and columns.

Addressing Issues A little south of the image, images had been graffitied onto the side of the pre-cast panels. However, these were to later be covered and hidden from view. figure B2.12. Cranes

Barely visible is a elevator located on the south side which travels all the way up to level 6.

This, in addition with the stairs, is the only way to reach the level, as the north elevator only travels up to level 4.

Surrounding building has also started its construction.

figure B2.13. Southern Elevator

figure B2.14. 2 weeks prior to 1st visit

figure B2.15. 1st visit

Progress made on site A lot of changes can be observed such as the structural development on the upper floors. Structural work is developed from the ground floor up and has been completed up to level 6. Pre-cast concrete panels can also be seen installed on the external faรงade.

As the structure is made out of pre-cast concrete panels, there is no core structure.

figure B2.17. 2nd Visit

Trades stripping level 2 so that mechanical services can be installed. Ground floor and basement have been completely stripped and mechanical services have resultantly been installed. Like the structure, the mechanicals and electricals are installed systematically once the floors have been stripped from the lower levels working their way to upper levels.

35

B03

TITLE RISE BUILDING: SITE DIARY 3 HIGH

Time and Date

: 2:40 pm on 28th April, 2017 Weather Condition

: Cloudy Current Stage

: Building A - Structurally completed up to level 7 floor slab on which load-bearing columns

are being installed. Formwork of level 8 slab is also partly prepared.

Building B - Structurally completed up to level 1 floor slab on which load-bearing walls and columns are being installed.

Main Activity

: Lifting precast concrete panels and installing them Members in Attendance : Andre, Geraldo, Hesh and Sat Diary by : Sat Naing Aung (860309)

Key Activities Some of the activities happening on site were lifting precast concrete walls and columns from the trucks to level 7 of Building A and level 1 of Building B and installing them in place, removing formwork which was supporting the level 4 floor slab of Building A as the concrete has gained enough strength to support its self-weight and installing service pipes to level 2 ceiling. Of these activities, lifting the precast panels was the most clearly observable to us since we were not allowed to enter the site.

Crane Chains attached to the panels

One of the precast columns transported to site were securely attached to the chains of the cranes (both Luffing tower crane and Franna crane) by the builder who then signaled the crane operators to lift when the panel was ready to be picked up

Precast Concrete Panels transported to Site Builder attaching the panel to the chains

figure B3.1. Attaching the Precast Panel to the Crane Chains The task of the Franna crane, whose chains were attached to one end of the panel, was to lift the panel together with the Luffing tower crane, whose chains were attached to the other end, to a certain height and hold it there while the tower crane lifts it up further (see Fig **).

The purpose was to turn the precast columns that were transported horizontally into vertical position in which they will be installed without damaging them.

Franna Crane assisting in turning the Panel into Horizontal Position Precast Panel being lifted by the Crane

figure B3.2. Turning the Precast Panel into Vertical Position 36

After the column was turned into vertical position, it was detached from the Franna crane and lifted to the destination by the tower crane (see Fig B3.3). It was then assembled in place by the builders who were waiting on level 7. Among the several methods of connection for precast panels such as column shoe and bolts, dowel and cast-in grout tube, and bolted base plate (Austral Precast 2016), the panels in this building use dowel and cast-in grout tube connection (see Fig B3.4) which requires temporary props to support the panels until the grout, which is prepared on site and filled into the tubes after the dowels are inserted, gains enough strength to hold the panels together and transfer the load. The reason for choosing this particular method, according to the site manager, is that the quality of connection is less likely to be affected by human and mechanical errors which occur during installation than the bolt connections.

Crane Chains attached to the panels Precast Panel being lifted by the Crane Luffing Tower Crane lifting the Panel

Crane Chains attached to the panels

Precast Panel being lifted by the Crane figure B3.4. Dowel and Tube Connection

Builders who will install the Precast Panel figure B3.3 Lifting the Precast Panel by the Luffing Tower Crane

Crane Chains attached to the panels

Precast Panel being lifted by the Crane

Precast Concrete Panels transported to Site figure B3.5. Lifting the Precast Panel by the Luffing Tower Crane

Figure B3.5 on the left shows a similar activity of lifting the precast panels and installing them on level 1 of Building B. The only difference was the lack of use of Franna crane because, unlike precast columns, precast walls were installed in horizontal position, the same as they were transported to site, hence they do not need to be turned.

37

Materials on Site 1. Precast Concrete Panels 2. Ventilation Units 3. TEC Grout GP

Precast Concrete Panels

Trucks that carried the Panels to Site

Builder detaching the chains which secure the panels to the truck

Precast concrete panels constitute a large proportion of the total materials in this building and are used as both structural walls and columns. They are preferred over the in-situ concrete because they have a better quality control as they are manufactured in a factory environment which is not affected by weather, the installation process is more silent which is neighbor friendly and requires less labor which is cost effective, and the overall construction process can be up to 5 times faster, hence, less chance to exceed the deadline of the project (Flood Precast 2017). Among the different types of precast concrete, the panels used in this building are double-storey precast panels which further speed up the process as each panel covers two storeys, with off-form finish which is manufactured according to AS 3610 and is the least expensive in the market (Bianco Precast 2017; Reardon 2013).

figure B3.6. Precast Concrete Panels transported to Site

Rangehoods

Air Handling Units Ventilation Ducts figure B3.7. HVAC Unit

20kg Grout Bag

figure B3.8. Grout on site

The figure B3.7 on the left shows some of the different units of the HVAC system (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) on site. HVAC is one of the mechanical services to be installed as the building is being constructed and is crucial to control the air quality and circulation inside the building. The system units include ventilation range-hoods to remove polluted air from the kitchens, air handling units to filter, and heat or cool the air before supplying into the building, and ventilation ducts to deliver the air throughout the building.

Fig B3.8 shows a 20kg bag of general purpose non-shrink class A grout on site. It is a mixture of portland cement, crystalline silica, plasticiser and hydrogen evolving compounds and is easy to prepare on site by adding the correct proportion of clean water (Aitken Freeman Pty Ltd 2016). Grout prepared from this mixture is used in construction of concrete block walls to fill the hollow cells for extra strength as well as in installation of precast concrete panels to fill the grout tube connections.

38

Equipments on Site 1. 20 tonne Franna Crane 2. Platform Ladders

In Fig B3.9, a 20 tonne Franna crane, also called a Pick and Carry crane, which is manufactured according to the requirements of AS 1418 (MCG Cranes 2005) is on site for a period of time. The particular task of this crane on the site is to assist in turning the precast columns into the vertical position before the Luffing tower crane lifts it up. The major difference of a Franna crane form a mobile crane is the lack of stabilizer legs as its main purpose is to pick up the load and carry it to the destination (Monster Cranes 2012).

20 tonne Franna Crane figure B3.9. Franna crane on site

Fig B3.10 shows a platform ladder which elevates a builder so that he can attach the service pipe to the ceiling. A platform ladder which has a platform as the top step with a rail guard for safety purpose is specifically designed to safely perform tasks which require a person to use both hands (Ladders.net 2017). A number of platform ladders are used on site to perform tasks at places that are beyond the average humanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s height.

A Platform Ladder

figure B3.10. A Builder working on a Platform Ladder

Builders on Site There were more than 100 builders on site, according to the site manager. The major activity was lifting precast panels with cranes from the trucks to level 7 and installing them. The manager explained that the site progress was delayed due to the Easter break during which the construction process was completely paused.

39

Progress made on Site

This figure was taken during the second site visit. At this stage, the structural components of building A were assembled up to level 5. Formwork was also prepared for in-situ level 6 floor slab, some elements of which came from formworks of level 2 and 3 floor slabs that were removed. In building B, in-situ ground floor slab was completed with some load-bearing walls and columns installed on it. (photo could not be taken because we were not allowed to enter the site).

Structurally Completed up to Level 5

figure B3.11. Construction Stage during the Second Site Visit (Building A)

Formwork of Level 8 Slab Load Bearing Walls and Columns of Level 7

This figure shows the third site visit during which building A was completed structurally up to level 7 with some columns at the back being installed. Formwork of level 8 was also prepared on some parts and the rest will be done after the columns have been installed.

Structurally Completed Up to Level 7

figure B3.12. Construction Stage during the Third Site Visit (Building B)

Load Bearing Wall of Level 1 being installed Formwork of Level 2 Slab

Structural elements were completed up to level 1 floor slab in Building B, on which load-bearing walls and columns are being installed (. Formwork for level 2 floor slab was also partially prepared.

Precast Load Bearing Walls and Columns transported to Site

Structurally Completed Up to Level 1 figure B3.13. Construction Stage during the Third Site Visit (Building B)

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B04 A01

HIGH TITLE RISE BUILDING: SITE DIARY 4

Date of Visit : 8th May 2017 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 2:00 Weather : Fine Current Stage : Service Installation Main Activity : Minor Detailing (framing) Members in Attendance : Andre, Geraldo, Hesh and Sat Diary by : Hesham Malik - 699084

Site Information There were no workers working on the site at the time and hence the majority of the deduction had to be made via observation. Regardless, a number of changes were visibly noticeable.

Framing had been started on floors 1,2 and basement. Like many of the progression such as structure and mechanicals, it also started from the lower floors making way to the top ones.

figure B4.1. Framework

Graffiti that was present during our second and third visit to the site has been removed. This has rejected our initial thoughts of it being covered by the external façade, but instead has been removed prior by a request from the company to the council.

This could have been a minor setback for the workers, but an easy fix considering the structure being a Union site.

Framing on the external as well as the internal indicating extra support for the structure via the metal beams, and most likely where glass will be placed. However, it is to be noted that these beams are not the primary support structure, but rather act as a secondary. figure B4.2. Pre-cast concrete panels

In comparison to third site visit where the concrete had to be transported via pump to the sixth floor, the barricade has been pushed back and the street is accessible by public once again. Hence the perimeter of the site has also been reduced. figure B4.3. Removed barricade

41

Cement has also been poured for the footpath. This would have been done in-situ when the cement truck arrived as indicated by the graffitied engravings. Pre-cast concrete would have been dried up and too hard to alter.

Vents are available and ready to install. As half of the vents have already been installed, it can be concluded that they are currently working on these. This floor has already been stripped prior to the installation of the vents. figure B4.4. Vents

figure B4.5. Concrete Footpath

The entrance where the workers access the site has been cleaned up and must be safe enough for no caution tape or blockage present.

Scaffolding placed so that workers are able to develop the exterior of the building. In this case, they were most likely used to install the window framework on level 2 as the scaffolding resided directly next to the window where the frame had been placed. figure B4.6. Scaffolding

figure B4.7. Bin

Temporary lights and wiring remain despite the buildings electricals and mechanics being installed. These have been placed in positions where once the use for them is utilised, they can easily be removed.

Road safety precautions have also been removed indicating that the majority of the hazardous work where workers have to operate heavy machinery in public vicinity, has been completed.

figure B4.8. Temporary Electricals

figure B4.10. Noticeboard

A sign from which it can be concluded that workers can be contracted on the job as the building progresses. It is not all initially decided.

figure B4.9. Road Safety

Equipment Preston Hireâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s retractable crane loading platform systems are used to simplify the tasks for the workers by making it safer and easier for them to handle materials. The platform has a maximum capacity to hold up to 5 tonnes, and since it operates like a drawer, it resultantly reduces crane operation time. These retractable systems extend roughly 4.5 to 5 meters from the side of a building.

figure B4.11. Platform Systems 42

Site office door is closed indicating that the workers are either on break or are not required to work. Due to the site belonging to the Union, workers have a day off only on public holidays such as the Easter break. On more than one occasion when the group visited, there was no trace of any worker leading to the conclusion that the workers have a strict selected time to go on break.

figure B4.12. Site Office

figure B4.13. Image of a standard concrete block showing gaps where piping and mechanicals can run through.

A wall which has been developed. As this has been recently constructed, as opposed to being erected when the structure of the first floor was being developed, it can be deducted that the wall is not part of the structure. Additionally, it has no connection to the floor above and hence can not support it. This wall is neither a primary nor a secondary structural component. The wall has been constructed using concrete blocks as opposed to brick veneer. This is primarily due to the fact that it is highly durable and an essential component in buildings. This in addition with the fact that they provide excellent insulation.

figure B4.14 Concrete Wall

A side view of the building shows the installed pre-cast concrete panels by the northerly placed crane as well as scaffolding in locations where glass windows will eventually be placed. It can also be seen how far the scaffolding extends from this view; an extension of approximately 1-1.5m. The ground surface is flat and widely accessible, and it is also much cheaper to hire this scaffolding in comparison with the retractable crane loading platform system. Additionally, it is more for lightweight installations on the exterior and hence does not require a more complex system for heavyweight materials.

figure B4.15. Window location

One observation made is the amount of metal rods which have been paced on the south side. It shows that as these have been placed after the initial construction of the first floor, these serve only as secondary support structural systems whilst at the same time being placed for aesthetical purposes such as perhaps to connect windows and doorways.

Bins are regularly emptied due to the amount of hard waste collected.

figure B4.16. Secondary Structure development

43

The pipe to the concrete pump is no longer required hence it is left abandoned in a cut-off area where it is not accidently stumbled upon by anyone. This is where the concrete was transported via a concrete truck to levels directly. This was witnessed by the group on the sixth floor specifically for formwork and structure during the second site visit.

Excess left over cement from inside the piping. Basically, the piping is washed so that the cement does not remain in side the piping where it can dry up and cause it to clog.

figure B4.17. Excess Cement

Safety Barriers are also specifically designated and have to follow certain guidelines and standards to be utilised by the construction site. This Triton Barrier specifically is AS (Australian Standard) and NZS (New Zealand Standard) approved.

figure B4.18. Safety Barrier

figure B4.19. Collage of photos showing progress. Visit 1 (top left corner), 2 (right of the 1st), 3 (Bottom left), 4 (Bottom right)

Progress made on site The site has come a long way since the initial visit. The pace at which the workers are constructing has led to the site developing substantially. Since our monitoring and observation during the period, we have noted and witnessed the development of the core structure in each of the floors. We were not present during the sites initial stages and when we had arrived, progress had already been made on the first 3 floors.

However, we were fortunate enough to witness the stripping of these initial floors to make way so that electricals and mechanicals could be installed. Hence we were able to witness the development of every level. Through conversation with the site manager, we were able to discover that the site was to be completed late this year. The group witnessed the development of the core structure of the site as well as cleaning and stripping excess to make way for touches not involved with structure in a span of roughly 2 months. With the rapid progression of the construction site, it can be concluded that the site is steadily coming together and will be finished on time.

44

A01 C

TITLE CONCLUSION

1st Visit 27th May 2017

On the 1st visit, the wall timber frame has been erected. The main activity that we observed is the installation of steel beam (PFC) above the wall

Building Aâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s structure was commpleted up to level 4. The basement of building B was also completed.

The main things happening on site were lifting reinforce bars and constructing an internal concrete block wall

2nd Visit 10th April 2017

On the 2nd visit we saw flooring system for upper floor has been done. Floor joists and chipboards were installed and fixed.

The 6th floor was in the process of having cement delivered via truck through piping which led directly to the floor.

Unfortunately, we did not see any progress in our 3rd visit. That is due to some issues such as weather, holiday and other management issues

Building A was structurally completed up to level 7. The building B was completed up to level 1. The main activity was lifting and installation of precast concrete panels.

On the last visit, timber wall frame of the upper level has been erected partially. The job has to be hold until the heavy rain stopped. The site manager was seen doing some measurement on the garage to match the ceiling beam

The structural aspect has been almost completed.

Stripping the floors to make way for mechanicals and electricals is currently under process with workers up to level 3.

3rd Visit 28th April 2017

4th Visit 8th May 2017

45

Differences

Residential Material

Equipment

High Rise

- Only some of the components are prefabricated (e.g. trusses).

- The building is made out of mainly precast concrete panels.

- Timber and brick are predominantly used.

- Concrete and steel are predominantly used.

- Concrete is used only for footing and ground floor slab.

- Timber is only used as form-work.

- Materials are not highly fire-rated (because it is not required by the regulations as people can more easily get out of the building in case of fire).

- Highly fire-rated materials are used (according to the regulations because it takes more time for people to get out of the building in case of fire)

- Smaller equipment and machinery are used (e.g. duct lift, etc.)

- Heavy-duty equipment and machinery are used (e.g. luffing tower cranes, permanent concrete pumps)

- No one machinery stays on site - Tower cranes and concrete pump stay throughout the entire period of construc- on site until the construction is complettion. ed.

Tradespersons

OH & S

- Not many builders are on site (at most 4 or 5 people at a time).

- A lot of builders are on site (about 100 people at a time).

- No specialist builder is required (because the construction is relatively simple)

- Highly qualified builders are required to perform certain tasks (e.g. operating tower cranes, installing precast panels)

-No project manager is appointed to monitor and manage the entire project.

- The project manager monitor the entire project and make changes and adjustments accordingly.

- OH & S rules are not very seriously taken and builders are not fully equipped with PPE.

- Each and every builder has to be fully equipped with PPE before they enter the construction site.

46

Construction Method

- Stiffened concrete raft slab with structural timber framing and brick veneer cladding.

- Pile foundation with in situ concrete floor slabs and precast concrete walls and columns.

Site Set Up

- Being a loose site with the building in the middle of the site boundary, site storage is around the building within the boundary.

- Being a 100% tight site with the building occupying the entire site boundary, site storage is inside the building.

- There is not site office.

- The site office is just across the road, opposite the construction site.

Site Security

- Temporary steel mesh fencing with no lock at all.

Public Protection

- Most of the construction activities happen within the site boundary, therefore, - Screens on the upper levels and the no public protection is required. scaffolding supporting the elevated working platform provide public protection.

Issues on Site

- Temporary timber sheet fencing with two entrances that are locked out of working hours.

- Weather conditions (even a normal rain or wind) have a significant effect on the construction process.

- A normal rainy or windy day of Melbourne does not affect the construction process, but an extreme one would.

-Since the tasks are dependent on one another and very few tradespersons involve in the construction, even the absence of a tradesperson causes delay.

- Although the tasks are dependent on one another, many tradespersons involve in the construction, hence, can be substituted even one is absent.

- Since there is no project manager to organize, the construction schedule and the material deliveries are not very well planned and this causes more delay.

- The project manager organizes the entire project in advance and tries to minimize any potential delay.

47

Similarities Although the two construction sites are significantly different in many ways, they do have some similarities.

- Traffic management has to be performed on both site (although the small site requires less) while cranes (tower cranes or mobile cranes) are operating beyond the site boundary or materials are being transported to site by large trucks.

- Site managers are appointed on both sites to manage the builders and activities happening on site.

- The long holiday (Easter and ANZAC) caused delay on both sites.

What We Learned The main thing we have learned from this assignment is teamwork: how to distribute the workloads evenly, how to effec-tively communicate with one another, how to manage time between people with different timetables, and how to tackle conflicts. We also got to learn things that we do not know yet from each other. The experience of working in a team will be very helpful not only for our future assignments but also for our future career in the construction industry where communication is essential to succeed.

Another important thing was learning the stuff happening in the construction industry in real life. It was an amazing opportunity to talk to the site managers and learn about how challenging management of a large group of people is, the problems they have encountered and the way they solved them and their other experiences in the industry. We got the chance to personally enter the residential construction site, talk to the builders and see the way a house is being constructed step by step. We also learnt about the occupational health and safety rules and the importance of personal protective equipments, especially in larger buildings. However, to be honest, we did not practically learn much about the construction of a high rise building as we were not allowed to enter the construction site but about the management issues as we were able to see the site manager and ask questions.

In our opinion, it was a very different and much more effective way of learning , at least for construction students, than learning in a classroom.

48

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