Analysing and Presenting a Building Report - Coursework Example

A Domestic Building Report [By] of] INTRODUCTION The discussion aims at analysing and presenting a building report by discussing shallow foundations, wall insulation, electrical installations, and solar panels in houses. The discussion aims at evaluating the significance of all these things in building of any structure in a critical and well defined manner. This will also help in understanding the worth of planned architecture. Shallow Foundations Archer (2005) stated that shallow foundation transfers the load of buildings to the earth that is often very near to the surface. It does not transfer the load to a subsurface layer or other range of depths as done by the deep foundation. Shallow foundation is in the form of Spread footing foundation, slab on grade foundation, mat-slab foundation, and earthbag foundation. An overview of the stated shallow foundations has been discussed as follow. Spread Footing Foundation- Spread footing foundation is commonly found in residential buildings and includes a wider bottom portion than the load bearing foundation wall supported by it. Additionally, the wider part helps n spreading the weight of the structure over larger area for greater degree of stability resulting in greater benefits over a period of time. Mat-Slab Foundation- It is also called on-grade foundations for soils that are often expansive and used to distribute wall loads across the total area of buildings in order to lower the contact pressure. Mat-slab foundation can be constructed near the ground surface and also at the bottom of the basements as per the need and requirements. Slab on Grade Foundation- these kinds of foundations use a concrete slab that is used to serve as the foundation for the structure that is formed from a mold set mainly into the ground. The concrete is placed on the mold and no space is left between the ground and structure. These kinds of structures are mainly seen in warmer areas where ground freezing is quite less. Earthbag Foundation- In this kind of foundation, construction begins by digging a trench down to the mineral subsoil and bags are filled with the available materials and placed into the trench to form the foundation. The digs into the bags weave prevents slippage of layers along with preventing and resisting the tendency of outward expansion of walls. Traditional kind of roof can also be made using this foundation. Wall Insulation Harris (2010) stated that wall insulation is any kind of insulating material that has been used on or within the wall. The major purpose of wall insulation is to increase the climate efficiency of wall by making it easier to either heat or cool the room in a significant manner. Wall insulation also helps in soundproofing the room. In last few years, wall simulation in architecture has been considered as an important aspect of buildings helping in enhancing the overall utility and significance in a critical manner. Wall insulation can be of many types but the discussion will revolve around the internal and external wall insulation. Internal Wall Insulation- Internal wall insulation involves placing the solid insulation against the inner side of the external wall that is held in place with a wooden lattice. The major purpose of the lattice is to offer mounting for plaster boards that goes over the insulation. Additionally, behind the plaster board there is also a vapor membrane that is used to prevent condensation happening inside the wall and the insulation structure. As a result of this act, moist warm air entering in the house will be much cooler. At times, special plaster boards embedded with vapor membrane are used that requires sealing the joints between the board with a kind of specialist vapor impermeable adhesive tape that further prevents and mitigate the warm air getting through the joints. Thus, internal wall insulation is quite useful that is often little costly and time consuming but benefits are quite useful. Additionally, they offer safe and secure living under artificial but favorable environment. Reference: Green Home Technology (2015) Internal Wall Insulation. [Online] Available at http://www.ght.ie/internal.html. [Accessed April, 30th, 2015]. External Wall Insulation- External wall insulation includes a wooden lattice that is fixed to the outside of the wall in order to hold some kind of solid insulation in place. There are a number of finished involved with the external wall insulation in the form of brick and stones and other forms. Additional, with a number of choices, there is every possibility of building the external wall as per the personal preference, taste, and circumstances. External wall insulation often offers depth to the walls that further makes the passageways and driveways quite narrow. Furthermore, guttering and drain pipes need to be shifted outwards. External wall insulation also helps in protecting walls but damp issues should be considered in advance by considering the damp proofing. The cost of external wall insulation is quite high but will help in savings on the heating bills. Overall, it can be said that internal and external wall insulations are quite important for enhancing the life of buildings along with offering benefits in the form of cooling and heating as per the climatic conditions. In addition, the cost and time-framework for both the insulations are different. At the same time, it is important to look into the cost benefit analysis as benefits can be instant but managing the cost can be a cumbersome task. However, insulation is important especially in countries where weather and climate are often adverse for surviving. Electrical Installations in Domestic Houses Construction While constructing a new house or building, it is important to focus on the electrical needs requiring great deal of attention in the form of selecting right kinds of wires, electrical appliances, and cables. Any issue regarding electrical installation can have serious implications on the house construction. It is important to choose the right cable as selecting an incorrect cable can lead to overheat and fire and thus affecting the entire house. An average house with 3 bed rooms should have standard use of cable that has been highlighted as follow. Situation Cable to be Used for Recommended Cable Size Fuse/MCB Rating General Lighting 1.0mm/1.5 mm Twin+Earth 5/6 amp General Power Ring Circuit 2.5 mm Twin Earth (x2) 30/32 amp General Power Radial Circuit 2.5 mm Twin Earth 15/19 amp Cookers up to 40 amps Max Load 6.00 mm Twin Earth 30/40 amp Showers up to 9 kw 6.00 mm Twin Earth 40 amp Additionally, earthing plays an important and crucial role in the electrical installations. All electrical apparatus fixed to the fabric of the property should be connected to the earth unless it is clearly identified that there is no requirement as such. Kitchens and bathrooms should have copper pipe joined together electrically with an earth cable wire of 4mm. Gas, oil, and water services must be connected via a 10mm earth cable to the main electrical earth of the building. After this, there is a need for lighting installations that can be done using the twin or earth cables which are chased into the fabric of the building. Lighting can be connected via 3-plate method, 2-plate method, and joint box method. In the 3-plate method, cables are taken from the fuse board to the nearest light, then another cable is linked to another light and then each light has a separate switch (Curl, 2006). In the case of 2-plate method, cables are taken from the fuse board to the nearest light, and then another cable is linked to another light. After that from the switch, a cable is run to the light to be operated. On the other hand, in a joint box method, supply of electricity is taken from the local source and the supply of electricity happens from the joint box. In terms of switching, lights or fans can be switched from two sources using two-way switches or else single designated switch for each appliance can be used. It needs to be stated that apart from the general electrical installations in the form of selecting the wires, cables, and switches; one needs to decide the number of appliances to be used in the house. Modern houses have different electrical fittings in the form of power points, lights, fans telephone, internet, television, home theatre, security system, distributed audio, and security appliances. The use of all these appliances requires different electrical fittings and wires that needs to be facilitated in a planned and systematic manner. It needs to be mentioned that power and telecommunication services require entry points and for the electric supply, a cable is run either overhead or underground into the distribution board. Additionally, electrical installations can be tested using a digital multimeter. Reference: Bryant, J (2015) Using the 830B Digital Multimeter in the Home. [Online] Available at http://jbryant.eu/pages/DMM.htm. [Accessed April, 30, 2015] Solar Panels in Houses Solar panels in houses have been used a lot in last few years in many countries with the government offering incentives and benefits on it. Additionally, solar panels help in reducing the electricity cost along with minimizing the carbon emissions in a significant manner. Solar panels do not have moving parts and they are a part of completely stationary system. The location of homes plays an important role in extracting the benefits out of the solar panels (Tusher, 2015). Houses should be situated away from the towering shades of trees and tall buildings. Additionally, different kinds of panels react differently to the shade. A poly-crystalline panel will reduce the output if any part of the panel is shaded while a mono-crystalline panel will stop producing electricity entirely. Thus, in order to install solar panels, it is important to make sure that there is no shadow on roof panels’ area during the sunniest hours. It was found that a typical solar panel produces around 120 watts of energy in a day and for a 7.5 Kw setup; there is an approximately need of more than 60 panels. This may require around 700 square feet of space. It is important to understand how solar panels work in order to have a proper understanding. Solar panels are photovoltaic (PV) cells that can be termed as batteries efficient enough to harness the sunlight along with transforming it into the energy. This produced energy is them sent to an inverter which further converts in into the electricity powering homes. Installing solar panels is not an easy task considering the fact that it requires additional installation of wires and panel placement that is often considered as a key in building an efficient system. Additionally, installing solar panels is not an easy task and often takes weeks or months of time. It is always important to go for permanent installation as it helps in availing tax benefits along with enhancing the value of the house in a significant manner. A number of houses in the UK and US have accepted solar panels for their housing needs in order to reduce the carbon emission along with contributing in making the environment greener and safer (Tusher, 2015). Reference: Tusher, C (2015) Everything You Need To Know About Adding Solar Panels At Home. [Online] Available at http://www.forbes.com/sites/houzz/2014/05/17/everything-you-need-to-know-about-adding-solar-panels-at-home/ [Accessed April, 30, 2015] Based on the findings, it can be said that solar panels are one of the most effective ways of saving electricity along with reducing carbon emissions in a significant manner. However, there is a need for proper analysis in terms of assessing the total square feet required for solar panels and also the analysis of the surrounding and environment. Solar panel installations also require high maintenance as dust particles can affect the entire mode of generating energy in a significant manner. Overall, it can be said that with little intricacies being involved in installing solar panels, it is always beneficial to install them for effective source of power generation. Additionally, with so many governmental incentives on offer, it is always better to seek help from the trusted solar installation companies. Finally, based on the entire discussion, it can be concluded that building houses is very much dependent on understanding the significance of shallow foundation, wall insulation, electrical installation, and solar installation in a critical and in-depth manner. References Archer, J (2005) The literature of British domestic architecture, 1715-1842. Cambridge, Mass.; London: MIT Press. Bryant, J (2015) Using the 830B Digital Multimeter in the Home. [Online] Available at http: //jbryant.eu/pages/DMM.htm. [Accessed April, 30, 2015] Curl, J (2006) A dictionary of architecture and landscape architecture. 2nd edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Green Home Technology (2015) Internal Wall Insulation. [Online] Available at http://www.ght.ie/internal.html. [Accessed April, 30th, 2015]. Harris, E (2010) British architectural books and writers 1556-1785. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Tusher, C (2015) Everything You Need To Know About Adding Solar Panels At Home. [Online] Available at http://www.forbes.com/sites/houzz/2014/05/17/everything-you-need-to-know-about-adding-solar-panels-at-home/ [Accessed April, 30, 2015] Read More