Onstruction of Engineering Innovation Centre - Assignment Example

Part 1: Design of Engineering Innovation Centre Introduction What the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) requires in the construction of Engineering Innovation (EIC) Centre is the design that suggests the methods and materials that reduces the cost of buildings but increase productivity. We further suggest energy-efficient and conventional methods that abode well with BREEAM ‘excellent rating’ and low carbon emissions. We present the information based on the concept of a holistic view of Engineering Innovation Centre. We consider BREEAM in the design of the Centre as a way of developing a structure that is cost-effective bringing a sustainable value to Engineering Innovation Centre. In as much as there will be a capital cost to building the enhanced standards by BREEAM, our design will ensure that the cost is seen in the context of the overall value of sustainable development. Growing evidence is demonstrating that sustainable developments, like those delivered through BREEAM, offer value in many ways. To conceptualise this, we assess construction methods and materials for EIC, possible strategies of design for fire safety, recommendations for development of accepted sustainable construction and evaluation of fire modeling problems. Methods and Materials for Engineering Innovation Centre Since outer walls are currently built using concrete façade elements or high-weight infill elements that have been constructed by sheet metal profiles or timber studs, we suggests that the materials for Engineering Innovation Centre should be within this suggestions. However, it has to be noted that when the building is allowed to handle too large prefabricated concrete elements, difficulties on the building sites will be created too. For instance, soil mechanics around UCLan has been documented to be having moderate quality of ground meaning that it cannot have large cranes that lift heavy elements as this will put great pressure on the ground (Wang 2003). In this case, we recommend for light-weight construction materials as well as lower U-values. These materials limit the possibility of using wood because the length of wooden studs that are required in this case can be limited for about 5 metres. Joints too should be avoided because of construction reasons. This gives neither wood nor concrete as the best materials for the construction of UCLan Engineering Innovation Centre. In our design, we therefore propose sheet metal profiles with regard to tolerance control and precision. Regions around UCLan have had cases of moisture. Choosing sheet metal profiles will be a perfect fit for Engineering Innovation Centre since they are not sensitive to moisture damages. Furthermore, I would design Engineering Innovation Centre to have rigid insulation blocks to the buckling stress. Rigid insulation blocks have been adopted as one of essential materials that can determine the increase of the critical buckling load of the CBZ-profile (we consider CBZ-profile as CasaBona which is a light-weight integrated construction that has been consisting of light gauge sheet metal Z-profiles integrated with pre-cut still insulation blocks). According to Chow (2003), we need the material for the 6th and 7th floor of EIC because it will be able to provide a slotted web that reduces heat conductivity through the stud and, subsequently giving the process of construction a coefficient of thermal transmittance that works the same way as a wooden-stud construction. The design will further consider the effects of heat and fire on the concrete used. As such, we consider reinforced concrete and this will be tested for effects of fire and heat. Just like Behm (2005) notes, EIC requires methods for fire protection for concrete elements. We therefore identify this in the design and apply them according to specific requirements of BREEAM. In our materials identification we consider BREEAM as the code for a sustainable built environment and also as strategic international framework that helps us to design sustainability assessment of EIC (it defines our integrated approach to the design, construction, management and evaluation). Conclusively, the design will include the use of steel. As a multi-storey building, we have included steel for EIC due to the following: it will help EIC engineers to create large, column free internal spaces. This particularly fits EIC since the Centre will be hosting offices which need open plan and large auditoria and concert halls. We design the Centre based on its height. This is a seven storey building and as a result, it can influence the following; Foundation system Structural system to be adopted Fire resistance and requirements and means of escape Cladding system Access by lifts and circulation space and Speed of construction and site productivity We note that the structural system for the EIC can be influenced by the means of stabilizing the building. Since this will be a building of up to 7 storeys high, we consider vertical bracing with incorporation of strategically placed braced steel cores. Depending on the Regulations in England on fire safety regulations, we adopt sprinklers. Position of cores/horizontal coordination will be influenced by factors such as; The need to distribute systems for mechanical services The need to distribute the structural stabilizing systems more-or-less symmetrically through the plan and Fire rating needs, which may lead to shortened evacuation routes and reduced compartment sizes Designing Low Carbon Emissions As building regulations within England have advocated for the reduction of operational carbon emissions towards zero, the need to design Engineering Innovation Centre with low carbon emissions that satisfies BREEAM excellent rating become a priority. Beginning with low carbon materials, we intend to use reinforced structures of carbon with high percentage ranging between 25-35% of pulverized fuel ash, fill construction and balanced cut for the excavation will work for basement as well as for the filling. The design will intend to attain low carbon emissions by applying lean constructions approach with critical emphasis on resource conservation. For instance, the Gabion walls to be constructed will be through concrete debris that have been savaged from on-site demolitions or regionally produced materials such as eco-paver and low carbon materials such as zinc panels for signage. Engineering Innovation Centre’s priority in our design is to attain energy conservation and the design is intended to attain about 20% of energy consumed. The linear and tapered form is designed to enhance air flow. We will include cross-ventilated layout in the design to provide effective natural ventilation and reduce the demand of air-conditioning. The second factor we are going to consider in the design of Engineering Innovation Centre is energy efficiency by green active systems aiming to attain about 25% of energy saving. For instance, we are going to design High-Volume-Low-Speed Ceiling (HVLS) fans in the second to seventh floor to enhance air movement and the reduction of the demand of air conditioning. Under-floor displacement cooling effectively cools the inhabitant’s zone at a higher supply air temperature. The following are strategies that have further been included in the design to enhance low carbon emissions building; Designing for re-use and deconstruction (for instance, increasing materials re-use from demolition and earthworks on the site; designing for easy reconfiguration during the life cycle) Selection of materials with lower carbon intensities such as cement substitute like sustainably-sourced timber or cement Selection of materials with reduced transport-linked carbon emissions like locally identified aggregates Changing the specifications regarding building elements and in this case is to lower weight roof design Designing for less waste in every floor and this can be done by cutting wastage rates on the top 10 materials starting from baseline to good practice Strategies of Designing for Fire Safety Beginning with baseline designs, the construction of the building will ensure that the baseline design complies with the functional requirements such as B1 to B5 of Schedule 1 to the England and Wales Building Regulations of 2010. Since this will be school building, the risk profile will be A1 and therefore we design it with automatic sprinkler systems. Secondly, there will be other areas used by members of the public such as halls within EIC. To provide such areas with fire safety, we design fire detection and alarm system. This will be an L2 system as it has been defined in BS5839-1 acting as minimum optical smoke detectors throughout staircases to the seventh floor, corridors and escape routes. Still on baseline designs in this structure, there will be inclusion of different voids in the upper floors. The voids will be an inherent part of the ventilation strategies but provide a pathway by which the products of combustion such as smoke, flame, gases or fire can spread from storey to storey faster compared to building without voids in the floor (Gardner & Baddoo 2006). Means of escape is another element that the design will consider as far as design for fire safety is concerned. The means of escape for the structure to be constructed will be based on simultaneous evacuation to an extent that the actuation of the fire detection as well as alarm systems will be resulting in prompt evacuation of the building. For instance, when calculating horizontal escape needs from the large halls or spaces, the wider exit will be discounted and the remaining exits made wide enough to contain the maximum intended occupancy. Horizontal travel distances will be designed not to exceed the ones in the table below. However, it has to be noted that these have been applied to the baseline designs of Engineering Innovation Centre. Risk Profile B2 B1 A2 A1 Single route for escape 20m 24m 22m 26m Escape Available in two or more directions 50m 60m 55m 65m Part 2: Two Fires in Building---Case Study Beginning with United Kingdom (UK), cases of fires in the building have become rampant in different parts of the country. Fire and Rescue authorities were alerted to a total of 506,700 cases of fire or false alarms in 2013-2012 (Cowlard et al. 2013). As a matter of fact, this figure was about 3% higher than cases reported in 2012-13. This makes it necessary to review an incident of fire in the building to understand strategies and methodologies needed for design and fire safety. We analyse the recent incident of fire at Wokefield Part country hotel in Berkshire. This incidence calls for a review or adherence to the principles and practices of fire safety engineering in United Kingdom. One major concern that was reported was that there could be dysfunctional safety systems (White 2016). According to Cowlard et al. (2013), the building lacked the needed distance that could allow people to travel to escape. According to safety measures, there should be a maximum of 30m distance where people will be required to travel to escape. Another aspect that was reported by White (2016) is that there ought to have been a fire exit for every 50 people and every exit in such building should be at least 1100mm wide. In as much as Wokefield Part country hotel designed the width, it could not allow for about 50 people to exit at a given time. Secondly, the fire incident in the building was hastened by the fact that the design in of the structure was not made in a way that there could be appropriate provisions for the early warning of fire, and in such connectedness, provisions for means of escape. Regarding the United States of America, Boston Brownstone fire incident is another case that scholars have analysed extensively. NFPA have ratified a number of codes and standards that provide guidelines on fire safety. The first issue that Behm (2005) noted was absence of sprinklers in some floors, provisions of a smoke control and presurisation systems. This means that the building was not designed using the principles of NFPA or from a single established Guidance or Code. Secondly, reduced levels of fire resistance to structure and compartments indicates that engineers were mainly concerned with life safety but with little attention to protection of assets. According to Behm (2005) there are a number of lessons one can learn concerning fire safety regarding fire incident in the building. One of such is that there has to be proper coordination of fire safety measures especially with refurbishment works as well as programmes, more so in an occupied building. Based on the two incidences discussed, there are a number of lessons and measures that should be taken. Emergency response and recovery is one area that engineers should be concerned with. We have to note that incidences of fire in buildings are solely not responsibilities of Fire Safety Agencies, designers or engineers are not to blame for the cases of fire in building but multi-agency response. Part 3: Question1: a. Nomenclature of Halon and Freon Systems Nomenclature of halon can be understood from the perspective of fluorocarbons. They are fluorocarbons but at least with one bromine with no hydrogen. The nomenclature for naming halon is simpler compared with CFCs since halons can be identified in terms of i j k l where i represents the number of carbon atoms, k as the number of chlorine atoms, j represents number of fluorine atoms and l being the number of bromine. For instance, Halon-2402 can be represented as C2F4Br2 on the hand; Halon-1211 can be represented as CF2ClBr. Based on the nomenclature above, Br, Cl and I are the essential components that makes halon effective with regard to extinguishant. The halon number means number of C atoms, number of Cl atoms; number of F atoms; number of Br atoms. However, numbers of H atoms are not included though can be calculated easily. For instance, Bromochlorodifluoromethane = CF2ClBr = C(1)F2(2)Cl(1)Br(1) = BCF = halon 1211 Nomenclature of halons will change depending on the applications they are used for. Taking a case on Halon 1301, it is an effective low-temperature refrigerant that has been applied effectively in other industrial applications; this will in turn be identified by a standard refrigerant name such as Freon 13B1. b. Environmental Impacts of Halons The Montreal Protocal ratified some measures that help in understanding the environmental impacts of halons. The fragility of ozone layer plays a critical way in understanding the extent to which gases can be released to the environment. Studies found that ozone layer was vulnerable to damages from chlorofluorocarbons (White 2016). Additionally, other ozone depleting substances (ODS) include halons. As a matter of fact, halon, being the subject matter of this analysis has an ozone depleting potential many times higher than CFCs. Contextualising this aspect, halon fire suppression agents though have been used for many years in the protection of gas and oil production facilities and valuable electronics, cause depletions in the ozone layer. It is for this reason that Montreal Protocol aimed at reducing extent to which halons could contribute towards the reduction of ozone layer depletion. c. Reasons for Halon Replacement in Fire Protection Engineering Montreal Protocol aimed at reducing extent to which halons could contribute towards the reduction of ozone layer depletion and as result, ratified measures to replace halon in fire protection engineering. The adoption of traditional, non-halon fire protection materials like carbon dioxide, dry chemicals, water sprinklers and foam meant that the rate at which halons depletes ozone layer should be controlled. In the Decision named ‘VII/12, the Parties to the Montreal Protocol suggested that all non-Article 5 Parties need to ensure that they endevour, on a voluntary ground, to limit the extent to which halon emissions permeates to the air as the gas is dangerous to ozone layer. References Behm, M. (2005). Linking construction fatalities to the design for construction safety concept. Safety science, 43(8), 589-611. Chow, W. K. (2003). Fire safety in green or sustainable buildings: Application of the fire engineering approach in Hong Kong. Architectural Science Review, 46(3), 297-303. Cowlard, A., Bittern, A., Abecassis-Empis, C., & Torero, J. (2013). Fire safety design for tall buildings. Procedia Engineering, 62, 169-181. Gardner, L., & Baddoo, N. R. (2006). Fire testing and design of stainless steel structures. Journal of Constructional Steel Research, 62(6), 532-543. Wang, Y. C. (Ed.). (2003). Steel and composite structures: Behaviour and design for fire safety. CRC Press. White, R. H. (2016). Analytical methods for determining fire resistance of timber members. In SFPE handbook of fire protection engineering (pp. 1979-2011). Springer New York. Read More

For instance, the Gabion walls to be constructed will be through concrete debris that have been savaged from on-site demolitions or regionally produced materials such as eco-paver and low carbon materials such as zinc panels for signage. Engineering Innovation Centre’s priority in our design is to attain energy conservation and the design is intended to attain about 20% of energy consumed. The linear and tapered form is designed to enhance air flow. We will include cross-ventilated layout in the design to provide effective natural ventilation and reduce the demand of air-conditioning.

The second factor we are going to consider in the design of Engineering Innovation Centre is energy efficiency by green active systems aiming to attain about 25% of energy saving. For instance, we are going to design High-Volume-Low-Speed Ceiling (HVLS) fans in the second to seventh floor to enhance air movement and the reduction of the demand of air conditioning. Under-floor displacement cooling effectively cools the inhabitant’s zone at a higher supply air temperature. The following are strategies that have further been included in the design to enhance low carbon emissions building; Designing for re-use and deconstruction (for instance, increasing materials re-use from demolition and earthworks on the site; designing for easy reconfiguration during the life cycle) Selection of materials with lower carbon intensities such as cement substitute like sustainably-sourced timber or cement Selection of materials with reduced transport-linked carbon emissions like locally identified aggregates Changing the specifications regarding building elements and in this case is to lower weight roof design Designing for less waste in every floor and this can be done by cutting wastage rates on the top 10 materials starting from baseline to good practice Strategies of Designing for Fire Safety Beginning with baseline designs, the construction of the building will ensure that the baseline design complies with the functional requirements such as B1 to B5 of Schedule 1 to the England and Wales Building Regulations of 2010.

Since this will be school building, the risk profile will be A1 and therefore we design it with automatic sprinkler systems. Secondly, there will be other areas used by members of the public such as halls within EIC. To provide such areas with fire safety, we design fire detection and alarm system. This will be an L2 system as it has been defined in BS5839-1 acting as minimum optical smoke detectors throughout staircases to the seventh floor, corridors and escape routes. Still on baseline designs in this structure, there will be inclusion of different voids in the upper floors.

The voids will be an inherent part of the ventilation strategies but provide a pathway by which the products of combustion such as smoke, flame, gases or fire can spread from storey to storey faster compared to building without voids in the floor (Gardner & Baddoo 2006). Means of escape is another element that the design will consider as far as design for fire safety is concerned. The means of escape for the structure to be constructed will be based on simultaneous evacuation to an extent that the actuation of the fire detection as well as alarm systems will be resulting in prompt evacuation of the building.

For instance, when calculating horizontal escape needs from the large halls or spaces, the wider exit will be discounted and the remaining exits made wide enough to contain the maximum intended occupancy. Horizontal travel distances will be designed not to exceed the ones in the table below. However, it has to be noted that these have been applied to the baseline designs of Engineering Innovation Centre. Risk Profile B2 B1 A2 A1 Single route for escape 20m 24m 22m 26m Escape Available in two or more directions 50m 60m 55m 65m Part 2: Two Fires in Building---Case Study Beginning with United Kingdom (UK), cases of fires in the building have become rampant in different parts of the country.

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