Fidanae Amphitheatre and National Building Code, the Failure of the Pruitt Igoe Housing Estate, Cornwallis Building at Kent University - Assignment Example

CONTROL 2 By Name Institution Lecturer Course Date Question 1: Analysis of the Fidanae Amphitheatre based on the National Building Code The national building code required the Amphitheatre to have safe exit routes or panels (Australia Building Codes Board [ABCB], 2014). However, the designer of the Amphitheatre failed to include such crucial facilities that would have allowed for easy evacuation in case of an emergency. The second weakness with the design, according to the national building code, is that the Amphitheatre did not have a solid or permanent foundation that would accommodate the load imposed by the stipulated occupancy. In fact, the designers did not specify the load limit of the building by indicating the number of people that the Amphitheatre could accommodate to avoid failure. For such a building in class10b, the occupancy is high, which means that adequate design should have taken place to ensure that the foundation was strong enough not to give in when the building is full to capacity. Question 2: the Failure of the Pruitt – Igoe Housing Estate The safety of a building does not end with adequate structural strength that enables it to withstand various forces. Other factors to consider in a building construction project include the provision of adequate lighting and ventilation (Pearce, Ahn & HanmiGlobal 2012). Indeed, when people want to occupy a building, these are some of the visible things they look at without considering the structural aspects which many people cannot comprehend. The designers of the Pruitt- Igoe housing estate failed to put into consideration these two aspects of building design and construction although the building was adequately designed when it comes to structural strength. The result was a dark and stuffy building that did not allow for natural lighting and ventilation. Consequently, tenants found that the building was insecure because darkness would attract criminals. In addition, tenants found it unhygienic because it did not allow for fresh air into the building. Consequently, tenants opted to vacate the building for security reasons as well as lack of adequate ventilation. This is an excellent example of a mega project that failed because of small design mistakes. Question 3: The Cornwallis Building at Kent University Before building construction begins, preliminary investigation and analysis should be done on the place where the building is to be located (GISCorps 2009). Issues usually addressed during these investigations and analyses include determining the bearing capacity of the soil, investigation of whether there are ground and underground deformities and investigation of whether there are underground structures that may hinder effective operation of the building or compromise the safety of the building (GISCorps 2009). Failure to perform adequate investigations and analysis may result to failures during or after construction, which was the reason behind the failure of the Cornwallis Building at Kentucky University. The designers did not realize that they were erecting the building on a tunnel. Consequently, since the tunnel could not withstand the pressure imposed by the building, it gave in. Within a short time, the building collapsed. It is clear that if appropriate steps were taken, the accident would have been prevented; if the engineers had done proper investigation, they would have identified the tunnel, which means that the building location would have been shifted. This accident serves as an excellent example and lesson to engineers that they should always follow all the necessary steps no matter how simple they may look like. Missing some simple steps could lead to massive losses and deaths. Question 4: The Triangle Shirt Waist The type of this building was class 8. The room had a capacity of 50 people. Investigations show some weaknesses with the building. Such a building should provide means for evacuating people safely in case of accidents such as fire. To start with, the building should have fire exits with clearly indicated “Fire Exit” signs. Exits should be clear so that in case of fire, people can easily move out without any resistance or barrier. In addition, fire exits should be wide enough to allow people to move out easily. Door covering such exits (if any) should be weak enough that a person can break them and escape in the case of fire (Health and Safety Authority 2015). In addition, it should have facilities for fighting fires including hydrants, which should be checked to ensure that they are operational at all times. Its floors should be slip resistant to ensure safe walking through. In addition, the building should have ramps and hand rails so that people can walk safely. To prevent occupants from falling off and injuring themselves, there should be barriers, which should be strong enough so that they do not fail when a person leans on them. Question 5: The Cocoanut Grove fire The national construction commission in section F2.3 requires public buildings to install and maintain a well functioning hydrant to be used to put off fire or reduce its intensity in the case of fire (ABCB 2014). In addition, the public buildings should have adequate, wide and clear fire exits clearly marked “Fire Exit” (with an easily understandable label or image) so that people can easily know where fire exits are. Exit routes should be clear to ensure easy evacuation of people (Occupation Safety & Health Administration [OSHA] 2015). However, the Cocoanut Grove building failed to comply with these regulations despite it being a public building (a restaurant). The restaurant did not have a water hydrant which means that in case of fire, there was no way of trying to fight it before getting worse. Although the restaurant had fire exits, they were not clearly market such that people did not know the safe ways to exit. Question 6: The use of Flat Roofs on Commercial Buildings A roof is an important part of the building that serves several purposes, some of which include giving the building an attractive look, preventing entry of water into the building in the case of rain and providing shading to the occupants of the building. There are two main types of roofs, a flat and sloping roof. For commercial buildings, a flat roof is preferred to the sloping roof because of the following advantages of a flat roof: A flat roof is less expensive that a sloping roof A flat roof can allow for other uses of the building top such as providing a basking area or place to dry clothes, which is particularly useful in overcrowded places Nevertheless, a water resistant material should be provided. In addition, adequate gradient should be provided to facilitate water drainage such that water is collected and drained into the ground through pipes running along the wall. Question 7: the use of Timber Decks The Australian Building Codes 3.9.1 and 3.9.2 require the provision of timber decks during the construction process to provide ways for builders. Timber decks protect builders from falling off during construction. They should be constructed less than 1 meter above a safe landing area such as the ground, floor or balcony. Question 8: Connection Systems in Pre-cast concrete panel buildings Systems used to connect pre-cast concrete and panel buildings should be properly filled to avoid any void. Voids may initiate cracks that can then spread throughout the structure rendering it ineffective. The connecting material should not be a thermal conductor since conducting heat may result to destruction of pre-cast concrete. In addition, the system should be stronger than the pre-cast concrete it is connecting so that it does not fail before the bearing pressure of pre-cast concrete. Question 9: The Collapse of the Sampoong Superstore Changing the purpose of a building can be dangerous especially when a building is changed from light purpose to heavy use. When engineers and architects design buildings, they consider its intended purpose, which determines the buildings strength capacity. Therefore, if the use of the building is changed, it is clear that its new use will exceed the bearing capacity of the building which will lead to building failure. This was exactly what happened with the Sampoong Store building. Initially, it was designed as an office block. However, after some time it was converted into an open plan department store. A department store has higher live loads than an office block because of the merchandise and the higher number of people moving in, out and within. In addition, vibration loads increased due to constant movement of people. Since the building was not designed to withstand these high loads, it had to fail. This case study serves to warn that buildings should be used for their designed purposes. Otherwise, considerations for change in building use should be made during the initial design to design the building for all possible uses. Bibliography Australian Building Codes Board 2014, The Building Code of Australia. [Online] Retrieved from [Accessed June 2, 2015]. Health and Safety Authority 2015, Emergency Escape and Fire Fighting. [Online] Retrieved from [Accessed June 2, 2015] Occupational Safety & Health Administration 2015, Emergency Exit Routes. [Online] Retrieved from [Accessed June 2, 2015]. Pearce, AR., Ahn, HY. & HanmiGlobal 2012, Sustainable Buildings and Infrastructure: Paths to the Future. Routledge. Read More