Activity: Off Campus Site Visit Week 7 This week we were given the opportunity to go and visit a site on Victoria Street that is still under construction.
On Victoria Street, a large area is undergoing construction, where they are building new apartments in the area. This project began in September 2012 and did not start above ground level till January 2012.
Trucks usually bring in the materials such as doors, frames, walls, pipes and etc. when required and cranes could even be used to transfer materials on site. Although today, the materials were brought in earlier and are made easily accessible to the workers.
Site #1
Existing structure is concrete, therefore light weighted material is put on top such as timber
Transfer platform: This was said to be 1m deep, where there are concrete slabs on this transfer level in order to prevent noises from the construction to transfer underneath the operating building.
This building has an existing building , Centrelink, that has been operating normal business hours whilst the area has been undergoing construction.
Prefabricated concrete panels Generally 180-‐200 mm
Site #2
Using concrete has many positives, therefore is used very commonly. For example, it will be a quicker constructing process when concrete is used. Concrete is a great construction material as it does not require constant repairing and maintenance costs. It is versatile, long-‐lasting and durable as well as very cost-‐effective. It is not only a sustainable choice for residential but also commercial buildings. (Concreteworksharder, 2010)
Steel columns are connected to the existing concrete columns because steel is put on top and is lighter in weight.
The underground car park area is where the transfer of services to various buildings occurs. The electrical energy comes from the back as the water come from the opposite end of the car park. The car park is also an area for storage, where they can leave their materials and store it there until they are required on site.
Fans are used to blow away any fumes that may have found their way down to the car park. The edges of the columns are chamfered, connecting to the ceiling above it
Site #3 These columns are placed insitu. They are used to hold up the ceiling of the car park.
These are the individual rooms of the apartment. Interesting fact was that cranes are put into sites by using other cranes.
The frames may have been joined this way in order to keep the beams going across stable. A pool will be placed here, so having this similar to a bracing for a wall, it will have the ability to support the pool.
Cantilevers Some of the beams are a different colour but all are made from steel. This is because the darker coloured steel have been galvanised in order to protect it from moisture, especially because this may be exposed to water from the pool that will be constructed here. Galvanising is the cheapest long term alternative coating because it lasts longer and needs less maintenance (GAA, 2011).
Site #4
Acousitic matting is usually found above a habitable area. Bathrooms are not a habitable area, therefore there is no need for an acoustic mat in that area.
aterproofing membrane is a layer of material that A w prevents the passage of water. (wiseGEEK, 2013). Therefore membranes can be found on the balcony and in the bathroom to make it waterproof. Because the balcony is a high-‐risk area, they performed a double membrane. Membranes are usually applied after a concrete slab is made. In a bathroom where there is a shower, the membrane usually goes up to where the tiles go up to the wall where the tiles stop.
This is an example of the membrane. It is like paint coated over the concrete slab.
Soffit -‐ The exposed undersurface of any overhead
component of a building, such as an arch, balcony, beam, cornice, lintel, or vault. Harris, C. 2006. Dictionary of Architecture and Construction. 4th ed. McGraw-‐Hill, p. 1019.
REFERECNES: Concreteworksharder. 2010. Why Is Concrete Better?. [online] Available at: http://www.concreteworksharder.com/resources/why-‐is-‐concrete-‐better [Accessed: 16 Sep 2013]. GAA. 2011. 10 Real Benefits of Galvanized Steel | Galvanizers Association of Australia. [online] Available at: http://www.gaa.com.au/index.php?page=10-‐benefits-‐of-‐galvanizing [Accessed: 17 Sep 2013]. wiseGEEK. 2013. What Is a Waterproofing Membrane?. [online] Available at: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-‐is-‐a-‐waterproofing-‐membrane.htm [Accessed: 17 Sep 2013].