Construction Technology

Question 1

What are building regulations ?

Answer 1

Statutory instruments that set out the minimum performance standards for the design and construction of buildings

Question 2

What are some building regulation approved documents?

Answer 2

B - fire safety
L - conservation of fuel and power
F - ventilation
M - disabled access and facilities

Question 3

What are British standards?

Answer 3

Publications by the British standard institution that provide recommended minimum standards for materials, components, design and construction practices

Question 4

On the Milton Keynes accommodation project, what quantities did you advise that steel frames possess?

Answer 4

• lighter weight
• span for a longer distance
• quicker to assemble
• recyclable
• don’t expand or contract with moisture and temperature changes

Question 5

What are the disadvantages of steel frames?

Answer 5

• cost fluctuations, lack of price certainty
• require fire protection
• installation required skillful labour that may come at an additional cost

Question 6

What are the components of a steel frame?

Answer 6

Beams, columns, purlins, rafters, eaves, fixings, cladding rails

Question 7

What are the different parts of a steel beam?

Answer 7

Flange, web, root

Question 8

What is a form of fire protection for a steel frame?

Answer 8

Intumescent paint

Question 9

How does intumescent paint work?

Answer 9

It stops oxygen reaching the steel, preventing it aiding a fire

Question 10

What are the advantages of a concrete frame?

Answer 10

Natural thermal and acoustic insulation properties
Slower form of construction, can aid project casualo

Question 11

What are the advantages of a concrete frame?

Answer 11

Natural thermal and acoustic insulation properties
Slower form of construction so can aid project cash flow with reducing the amount of expenditure at the start of a project
Inherent fire protection properties

Question 12

What are the disadvantages of a concrete frame?

Answer 12

Time consuming to install
Require reinforcement
Heavier so can require larger foundations
Required formwork

Question 13

How did you measure the concrete frame using the GIFA for the Milton Keynes Accommodation Project?

Answer 13

I used the GIFA and applied benchmarked rates using in house project data that provided a cost per square meter of the GIFA for a buildings of a similar type. I then multiplied the total GIFA of the accommodation by this benchmarked rate.

Question 14

On the Milton Keynes project, roughly what was the cost of the steel per tonne in your comparison ?

Answer 14

Due to it being more complex steelwork for a residential block, with fabrication and installation it was towards £3000/T

Question 15

How does raw iron turn into steel?

Answer 15

1) extracting molten iron (pig iron) from iron ore in a furnace (high carbon product)
2) this pig iron is refined in the basic oxygen furnace. This is when oxygen is blown through it to burn off excess carbon and other impurities to leave behind steel

Question 16

What are the different types of off site construction?

Answer 16

• Volumetric = manufacturing of three dimensional units
• Panelized = production of flat panels such as walls or floors
• Hybrid modular = combines volumetric modules with panelized components
• components ( sub assembly) = individual building components such as stairs