Principles and Applications for Construction and the Built Environment - Essay Example

? Design Principles and Applications for Construction and the Built Environment Assignment 2 Insert (s) Date of Submission Design Principles and Applications for Construction and the Built Environment ASSIGNMENT 1 Introduction This feasibility report is intended to rationally and objectively highlight some of the strengths, weaknesses as well as challenges in the design phases of the speculative office development. My client commissioned the development of a new office accommodation as well as renovation of an existing office in the city center. The existing building was to be connected to the new building using an atrium and an underground car pack was also required to be constructed in the basement of the new building. The assessment of the design phases as well as the planning of the entire construction process will be primarily based on the design requirements such as the design processes, materials, services and the environmental factors that affect planning and the specification of materials (Levy, 2006, p.45). Generally this will involve the evaluation of the various planning and design phases involved and the ways through which they can be effectively managed and coordinated. 1. Planning and design phase of the new accommodation office project 1.1. Planning phase Some of the activities that are important during the planning phase include defining the various work tasks at the construction site, estimation of the needed resources and the likely duration of the project tasks, identification the potential interactions between the tasks and finally the development of a time schedule and budget for the entire construction process. In this regard, the activities to be carried out during the construction of the new office accommodation project will be categorized into: 1. clearing of the site 2. excavation of the foundation 3. Concreting and other activities. 4. Installation of key utilities such as water and electricity According to Masterman (2002. p.107), additional activities that may be important during this phase include ordering of materials and installation of utilities. The duration of each of the activities will vary depending on the nature of the task and the availability of the needed resources. It is expected that each of the tasks will be completed within duration of 2 days. After clearance and excavation of the site, concrete foundation walls will be constructed using three brick layers (Ravindra and Dhir, 2000, p.118). The number of workers needed will however be determined by the sub contractors who will be hired to undertake the construction process of the new office accommodation project. A standard crew required for both the construction of the entire new office development will comprise of a foreman, thirty laborers and between five to ten finishers. On the other hand, the equipments that will be needed for the completion of these tasks include concrete mixers, a vibrator and a concrete pump. Figure1. Excavation of the construction site Figure2. Construction of the concrete walls of the Atrium and the new building Fig3. Tentative programme for the development of the accommodation building 1.2. Design phase During this phase, project team will be resolving all the design challenges likely to be experienced during the construction project and integrating various design concepts into a functional plan. With regard to the architectural design and the site plan, a number of mechanical and civil processes such as water systems, electricity supply and other installations will be integrated into the structural systems (Brian, 2001, p.75). This processes will however be carried out after the completion of site investigations such as soil analysis. Special excavation equipment will be required during the construction of the underground car pack in the basement of the new building. The materials needed include: 1. concrete 2. reinforcement steel 3. Prefabricated building materials Some of the design challenges likely to be met during the construction of the new office accommodation include how to extend the existing building and successfully connect it with the new building without compromising the aesthetics of the site plan. This problem will however be addressed by narrowing the width of the atrium and maximizing the space between the new building and the existing building. Finally the interior finishes will include the installation of lighting fixtures in all the rooms as well as along the corridors, installing the water systems, toilets, drainage systems and other interior finishes. 1.3. Coordination of the planning and design phases There are a number of ways through which the planning and design phases will be managed and coordinated to ensure successful completion of the construction project. After defining all the planning and design activities in the project such as excavation of the site, construction of structures and the installation of interior fixtures, the relationship between these activities will be determined and then an appropriate schedule will be prepared. This will not only show the precedence relations and the sequence of the activities but will also highlight the specific services and materials needed at different times during the construction process. For example the first activity that will be carried out is the mapping and clearance of the construction site after which the other activities such as building the foundation, reinforcement and the actual construction will be undertaken. The management and coordination of the construction project will be achieved through the use of various tactics, strategies and tools that will help reduce the operational costs of the construction project while at the same time ensuring that the completed project will match the expectations of the client. To achieve this, project planning and design teams will be selected to manage and coordinate all the planning and design phases. The team will not only provide oversight of the budgets and schedules but will also be responsible for reviewing some of the key deliverables to comply with the design objectives and the program goals. Fig4. Layout and Location plan of the speculative office building Fig5. Front view of the office building 60M Existing building 15m Atrium 20m New building 25m Atrium skylight Lift Underground car park area Figure6. Inside view of the Atrium skylight Factors likely to affect the specification of materials and building services There are many factors that are likely to affect the specification of the construction materials required for the completion of the new office accommodation project. Generally these factors can be broadly categorized into cost economics of the materials, project construction requirements and the nature of the construction environment. Some of the factors include: 1. Cost of materials: The cost of the materials in terms of their durability, price, availability and usability will be taken into consideration during the specification of the materials required for all tasks in the construction project (Sereda, 2000, p.57). 2. Project needs: project needs such as tensile strength, hardness, thermal resistance and electrical properties as well as the ability of the materials to resist wear, corrosion and friction will also be considered during the specification of the materials. 3. Nature of the environment: With regard to the nature of the environment, materials will be specified according to the local building regulations, type of soil, and topography among other environmental factors. The other factors that are also likely to affect the specification of the project construction materials are aesthetics of the materials such as their texture, appearance and quality as well as the ergonomics, availability and reliability of the materials. The specification of the building services of the proposed new office building such as lighting, ventilation, heating, acoustic, safety systems, lifts and plumbing will depend on a diverse number of factors. Generally building services are designed to enhance the safety and comfort of the built environments so that they can not only provide shelter but also comfortable environments where people can work, live and perform their duties effectively. In this context, some of the building services that will be required for the new office accommodation project include installation of IT networks, energy supplies, water, lifts and drainage systems among others. The choice of the building services to be included in the construction project will primarily depend on factors such as aesthetics, design of the building, ecological sustainability and energy efficiency, maintenance requirements, safety, standardization as well as the costs of such services. All these factors will ensure that the installed building services do not impose high costs or results in risks to the users of the new building. This will consequently ensure more satisfactory performance of the building services with regard to convenience, environmental comfort, reliability and flexibility. The financial implications of specifying building services and materials for construction includes both direct costs and the long term costs such as maintenance and durability of the materials or building services. For example by choosing concrete as the main building material during the construction of the building, the durability of the material will ensure low maintenance costs and reduce the need to repair the buildings after the completion of the project. On the other hand, solar heaters will be installed on the roof tops as part of the building services and this will also lower the costs of heating water in the building. Specifying sustainable materials and building services often results in low financial costs in terms of better use of resources reduced environmental damage and improved performance. In this regard, proper specification results in reduced wastes and improved efficiency and consequently low financial and economic costs both to the clients and the local agencies. Ideally the choice of materials and building services should always be based on the environmental burden of the material, price and durability. Figure7: Sustainable building services: Installing solar heaters on the roof ASSIGNMENT 2 3. Environmental factors affecting the planning and design phases of the construction A number of environmental factors will be taken into consideration during the planning and design phases of the project. One of the likely environmental factors that will be addressed is the need to conserve vegetation and urban trees at the construction site. In most cases, vegetation not only enhances the aesthetic value of the built environment but also protects the soil against soil erosion and water logging. Another important environmental factor that will influence the planning and design phase of the project is the management of waste products during the construction process. Some of the key environmentally friendly ways of waste disposal that will be used in the disposal of wastes during the construction include removing toxic materials from the wastes before dumping the rest of biodegradable materials in compost pits. Consequently both the project manager and the contractors will be required to reduce the amount of wastes during the construction process by only ordering the right quantity of materials and using environmentally sustainable building materials to minimize the amount of wastes going to landfills. Generally some of the environmentally sustainable methods of promoting and enhancing environmental efficiency will include reducing the amount of wastes, reusing as well as recycling of the waste products. Figure8: Maximizing sunlight to reduce energy use Figure9: Effects of poor dumping at a construction site 4. Roles and responsibilities of the parties involved in the construction project 4.1. Roles and responsibilities of parties involved in planning and design phase Many parties with different roles and responsibilities such as architect, design experts and the project managers will be needed during the planning and design phase of the construction project. 1. Architect: The architect will be responsible for coordinating a number of tasks such as drawing plans and schedules, making sure that all the tasks are carried out within the allocated time frame and reviewing the original plan. In this regard, the architect will be the chief planning and design professional. During the design phase the architect will primarily be concerned with the aesthetics of the building, finishes and spaces. 2. Design expert: The design expert will coordinate a number of activities such as the selection as well as the inspection of various project tasks such as the installation of ventilations, IT networks and the design of the pavements (Mark, 2011, p.209). 3. Project Manager: The project manager will be responsible in ensuring that the planned construction project is successfully completed according to the plan. 4.2. Roles and responsibilities of parties involved in the Production phase During the production phase, the parties involved will include the Production project manager, production specialists, the project director and the client. The production project manager will be responsible for ensuring that the planned construction project as outlined during the design and planning phase. On the other hand, the project director will oversee the management and allocation of resources to various tasks while the production team specialists will be charged with the responsibility of implementing all the relevant tasks during the production phase. 4.3. Corporate responsibilities of all parties involved in the construction project Some of the corporate responsibilities of the parties involved include ensuring that the corporate needs of the construction project are well understood by the client and making sure that the project fulfill the business objectives. The personal responsibilities of the parties involved however include making sure that each of them perform their roles effectively and contribute towards the success of the project. The contractors also have a personal responsibility of ensuring that all the laborers and workers have site inductions and given suitable training for the project. 5. Effects of technology on the design and production phases of the construction project 5.1. Modern technology available to planners, designers and builders There are currently a number of new construction technologies available for planners, designers and builders. Some of these technologies include the use of computer aided design programs, global positioning systems, laser levels and sustainable and energy efficient designs (Hannon, 2006, p.28). Additionally the contemporary building information models are increasingly being used by builders to develop digital representations of the structures before the actual construction. The use of these new technologies ensures that the challenges and limitations that were previously associated with the construction industry are effectively addressed. Figure10: Computer aided design of a building 5.2. Effects of technological advancements on the various phases of construction There are a number of ways through technological advancements can significantly affect the various phases of the building construction project. For example these technologies improve the efficiency of the construction processes as well as ensure that a large number of tasks can be completed within a relatively short period. Finally the technologies can significantly enable the designers and architects to track some of the important information in the new building and ensure that it meets all the required specifications. References Brian, P. W, 2001. Construction Planning, Programming and Control, New York: John Wiley & Sons. Hannon, J. J, 2006. Emerging Technologies for Construction Industry, Los Angelos: Construction Research Board. Levy, S. M. 2006. Design-build project delivery: managing the building process from proposal through construction. New York: McGraw-Hill. Mark, R. S. 2011. Construction Specifications Writing: Principles and Procedures, New York: John Wiley and Sons. Masterman, J. W. E. 2002. Introduction to Building Procurement Systems. London: Spon Press. Ravindra K. Dhir, M. C. 2000. Utilizing Ready Mix Concrete and Mortar, New York: Thomas Telford. Sereda, P. J. 2000. Durability of Building Materials and Components, Toronto: ASTM International. Read More