Material Durability and Building Cycle - Assignment Example

Building and Construction Submitted by [Client’s Name] In partial fulfillment of the course syllabus [Subject] Submitted to [Professor’s Name] [Date] Question 1 By principle, all structural and building designs must pass and conform to the standards defined and identified by the Building Code of Australia (BCA) as well as all other regulations specific for the structural design and materials like the Timber Framing Code and EPA Code of Practice. Since this structural project is a two-storey house, any reviews on its structural, materials, environmental, and technical requirements must be based on Volume 2 of BCA. The following report contains the critical evaluation and assessment of the structural adequacy and appropriateness of the building system specific for this project. Suitability of Materials to the Application The internal and external designs and finishes of the structure require the use of both timber and concrete cement with a few additions of metal frames for structural support. The main issues that must be considered when using a combination of timber and concrete in structural design involves (a) structural integrity of the concrete and the timber and their structural combination discussed in Part 3.11 of BCA, (b) load capacities of the timber if used as supporting beams in accordance to AS 1720 and AS 1684, (c) conformance of the joints and braces to the framework standards outlined in Part 3.4 of the BCA, and (d) the need to treat the timber with the prescribed preservative to protect it from losing structural integrity. Direct evaluation of these materials and how they are integrated in the building design show the following: (a) all materials selected are appropriate for the required structure; (b) the design submitted showed structural soundness; and (c) specific requirements set in the aforementioned policies were also met. As per Part 3.11 of BCA, AS 1720, and AS 1684, the materials selected and their uses in the structure conform to the minimum requirements stated by these regulatory policies. Alternative Materials BCA requires that building design and material portfolio must include alternative materials that must also be evaluated in case the original materials are not available. The inclusion of the alternative materials in the building design assures the reviewer that regardless of the materials of choice as specified in the design, all materials considered pass the minimum requirement for the standard materials. The design did show all the structural materials, particular measurements, and specifications required from them. However, there is nothing in the building plan that indicates the alternative materials to be used just in case the hardwoods are not available. Moreover, the design did not indicate an alternative way to complete the project as required by Part 3.0.3 of the Volume 2 of the Building Code of Australia. Material Durability and Building Cycle The structural integrity of dwelling houses, especially those that use wood and timber as significant parts of its structure typically last from 10-15 years. Within this time frame, the performance of wood and timbers – load bearing capacity, integrity of joints and braces, etc - are expected to be satisfactory if not optimal. From the bill of materials presented as well as the structural details of the design, it is easy to identify that the structural integrity of the part of the structure that requires wood and timber for support depends largely on the performance of the wood. For example, the integrity of the walling of the building depends largely on the stud wood lining the walls of the house. This implies that when these pine studs get old and rot, there will be structural problems that will be encountered. Hence, it is recommended that steel frames or concrete will replace the pine studs or will provide support to them to prevent losing the structural integrity. Since a significant part of the structure uses combustible materials, it is highly recommended that requirements on fire-safety were satisfactorily met by these materials. Part 3.7 .1.9 of the BCA requires that the dwelling houses (a) must have provisions for fire detection and early warning, (b) must follow appropriate installation of heating devices, and (c) must follow certain separation distances to the next external combustible wall in order to prevent and contain the spread of fire. Direct evaluation of the submitted building design shows that these regulatory requirements were satisfactorily met. The building installed the appropriate number of early warning and fire detection devices as well as provided sound structural support for its heating installations. The design utilizes wood, concrete, steel, and glass. Wood panels and timbers were also subject to treatment for fire resistance and early decay. There was no integrity issues found on the combination of different materials in the design. Environmental Impact The construction process of any building structure must conform to the Code of Conduct of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In particular, this directive ensures that the human population as well as the immediate environment must be safe and secure from construction wastes and by products. This implies that all construction activities must (a) not post any harm or risk to the human, animals, and environmental health, (b) not cause any form of nuisance, and (c) not cause adverse impact on the environment and areas of special interest (like watershed or animal sanctuary). The design did not provide any specific mention as to how is it going to accomplish its construction process and how it would handle issues on waste management. As required by EPA Code of Conduct, it is necessary for the building design to indicate, in a separate report if possible, how it should proceed with the waste management and disposal associated with the construction process. Conclusion The overall assessment of the building design and specification is favorable. However, there were important areas (which were highlighted) that the design failed to satisfy. There are two areas that need to be met: first, the design must include an alternate bill of material; second, the engineer must provide the report or plan on how it should handle the waste disposal and management as prescribed by EPA. In order for the design to be approved and accepted and for the construction to begin, it is necessary that the engineer or the architect must comply these lacking areas as were recommended. References Building Codes of Australia. (2010). Volume 2. Retrieved online from http://www.bcaillustrated.com.au/bcaicart/ Code of Practice: Environmental Risk Assessment for Unregulated Waste Disposal Sites. (2006). Environmental Protection Agency. Standards Australia. (1999). AS 1684: Residential Timber Framed Construction Question 2 The inspection and testing plan for the construction materials shall focus on three elements: (a) quality, (b) conformance to existing regulatory standards, and (c) relevance to the overall design of the building. The materials are classified into five major categories which are timber, footing, steel and glass, concrete, and masonry. Timber A significant portion of the design requires timber and other wood products to complete the desired interior and exterior finishes. This means that all timbers that will be ordered must pass the minimum requirement for performance and quality in order to become useful. Below are the selected method of determining the quality of timber, the acceptance criteria, and the sampling technique in order to validate the quality and acceptability of these materials. The primary screening requirement for timber and other wood product will come from the manufacturer data provided. Wood materials will be chosen exclusively from manufacturers and/or suppliers that were able to qualify the minimum standard for wood products. The regulatory compliance of manufacturers and suppliers assures the engineer the quality of the materials that will be used. Primary quality inspection for wood and wood-based materials will be done through paper screening and if possible, plant visits. The secondary quality inspection will be carried on by the engineers/purchasers. Timbers must be able to show durability when subjected to stress and flexibility tests. A random sampling of 5-25 samples per material (and per particular use) will be tested to ensure sufficient quality. Rejection criteria will be 95% of the desired material property. Footing The footing material is composed of sand, gravel cement, and the steel framework required in reinforcing the structure. There are two main criteria that will be used to evaluate the footing materials. First is the mixing ratio of the material and second will be the stability of the steel framework when used as structural support. The mixing ratio of the footing materials is necessary to achieve the required load capacity. These data are readily available from the manufacturers of the material. Assessments of these materials can be done by evaluating (a) specific industry standards or (b) by evaluating the maximum load capacity of the combination of these materials from the technical data provided by the supplier. Assessment of the steel frameworks will rely primarily on the technical data provided by the manufacturer and by subjecting the steel to various chemical tests to check the durability and strength of these materials as required by the project. Steel and Glass The primary screening process for steel materials will be the criteria outlined by AS 4100 (Steel Structure Code), AS 1554 (Welding of Reinforcing Steel), and AS 1511 (Use of High Strength Bolt in Steel Structure), depending on the particular use of the steel materials. To check the integrity of the steel materials, it is necessary to obtain the numerical values or the research results for these tests in order to help decide whether or not to accept the particular steel. The acceptability of the steel materials will be gauged based on the outlined comparison between the manufacturer’s data and the performance requirements of the Code. Concrete The acceptability of concrete materials will be decided by their degree of conformity to the requirements outlined in AS 3600 (Concrete Structures) as well as the need of the structure for the specific concrete materials. Masonry While it is difficult to measure the quality of most masonry materials since deriving the quality and reliability data from suppliers and manufacturers may seem improbable, quality control can still be implemented. The materials testing that can be done with masonry materials are the test for brittleness and hardness. Masonry materials that would serve as the footing must be extremely hard or considerably so. Using substandard or porous materials as masonry works for the footing could result to major disaster. Hence, physical tests must be done on random batch samples to check the hardness and durability of these materials. References Building Codes of Australia. (2010). Volume 2. Retrieved online from http://www.bcaillustrated.com.au/bcaicart/ Code of Practice: Environmental Risk Assessment for Unregulated Waste Disposal Sites. (2006). Environmental Protection Agency. Standards Australia. (1999). AS 1684: Residential Timber Framed Construction. Read More