Design Technology

Question 1

What are the common design standards used in the UK?

Answer 1

• ISO (International Organisation for Standardisation), EN (Eurocodes and related standards), and BS (British Standards).

Question 2

What is the difference between modular power modules and traditional?

Answer 2

• Modular is manufactured off site
• Modular can be swopt out if power requirements change
• Modular can run more efficiently

Question 3

What is an FCU

Answer 3

• An FCU, or fan coil unit, is a device consisting of a heat exchanger (coil) and a fan. FCUs are typically connected to ductwork and a thermostat to regulate the temperature of one or more spaces and to assist the main air handling unit for each space if used with chillers. The thermostat controls the fan speed and/or the flow of water or refrigerant to the heat exchanger using a control valve.

Question 4

What is an ASHP? How does it work?

Answer 4

• An air source heat pump is a low-carbon heating system made up of an outdoor unit and an indoor unit. They use electricity to simply move heat unlike gas boilers that burn fuel.
• An outdoor unit either heats or cools refrigerant in a series of coils which is then piped to an indoor unit that will then either heat or coil internal areas. The system can either be air to air or air to water.

Question 5

What is a cascade heat pump system?

Answer 5

• A cascaded heat pump system allows more than one heat pump unit to work together to meet a property’s heating and hot water needs.

Question 6

What is an ambient loop system?

Answer 6

• An ambient loop system operates at significantly lower temperatures than traditional communal high temperature heating systems. It is like a district cooling or district heating, but sending the water at medium temperature in the distribution network. Then each building can have its heat pump to use this ambient loop as an unwanted heat source, giving or taking heat from it. That is, evaporate or, if it is summer, condense. It also serves to balance the network if there are different types of consumers, some cold and others hot.

Question 7

How does an AHU work?

Answer 7

• Air intake controlled by dampers, element of filtration, the air is then heated or cooled usually done by heating coils and then air is distributed via ductwork

Question 8

How is CRAH unit installed?

Answer 8

• A CRAH unit (Computer Room Air Handler) is a type of cooling equipment used in data centers to regulate temperature and maintain optimal environmental conditions for IT equipment.

Question 9

What is the difference between AC an VRF?

Answer 9

• Refrigerant control: variable based on demand vs fixed
• Zoning: can control temp in multiple zones vs usually cools one zone per unit
• Inverter tech: always users inverters vs may or may not
• Efficiency: high vs moderate to low

Question 10

CRAH vs CRAC

Answer 10

• Cooling: chilled water v direct expansion (refrigerant)
• Efficiency: higher vs lower (simpler install)
• Cost: higher vs lower

Question 11

What is the difference between insitu and precast concrete?

Answer 11

• The main difference is where the concrete is mixed and cured: in-situ concrete is poured on-site in its final location, while precast concrete is manufactured off-site in a controlled environment and then transported for assembly.

Question 12

What are the advantages and disadvantages of precast and insitu concrete?

Answer 12

• Pro’s: In-situ concrete offers design flexibility for complex shapes and lower upfront material costs
• Con’s: requires more on-site labour, longer construction times due to forming, mixing, and curing processes, and is susceptible to weather delays.
• Pro’s: Precast concrete provides superior quality and strength due to factory-controlled production, faster on-site installation, reduced labour, and weather-independent manufacturing
• Con’s: involves higher initial costs, transportation challenges for heavy elements, and less design flexibility

Question 13

On MIL04, what advise did you give to the client for additional pipework to the generator systems?

Answer 13

• The initial advice I gave to the client was that there were cost effective alternatives however after a review by the client designer, it was decided to stick with the originally proposed material as this was their standard design.

Question 14

What were the options for the generator pipework VO on MIL04 and what did they cost?

Answer 14

• The material options were different grades of stainless however the differences in manufacturing meant a potential saving of up to approximately 100k euros. Approx 2.5k per generator system.

Question 15

What methods of substructure construction are there?

Answer 15

• Pad foundations, piled foundations, strip foundations, raft foundations

Question 16

What are the pro’s and con’s of prefabrication?

Answer 16

• Prefabrication offers pros such as increased speed, improved quality control due to factory settings, cost savings from reduced waste and labor, reduced environmental impact, and improved on-site safety.
• However, it also presents cons including potential transportation challenges and costs, longer initial planning phases, higher initial investment costs, and potentially limited design flexibility compared to traditional construction.

Question 17

What are the pro’s and con’s of institu?

Answer 17

• In situ construction offers advantages like design flexibility, customization, and the creation of monolithic structures free of joints,
• it comes with disadvantages including longer construction times, higher labor costs due to on-site formwork assembly, weather-related delays, and challenges in quality control

Question 18

What are the pro’s and con’s of building a data centre out of steel or concrete?

Answer 18

• Steel pros: Building a data centre from steel offers pros such as speed of construction, excellent structural strength, flexibility for future expansion, and high sustainability credentials.
• Steel cons: However, cons include higher initial costs compared to some alternatives, challenges with the supply chain for materials, potential for structural issues without proper fire protection, and significant embodied carbon due to steel production.
• Concrete pros: superior fire resistance, thermal mass (which aids in energy efficiency), resilience to natural disasters, and long-term durability with low maintenance
• Concrete cons: longer construction time, potential for longer-lasting structural issues if not constructed carefully, reduced design flexibility, a higher occupancy area, and challenges with future expansion and modification once the structure is cast.

Question 19

What are the typical stages in the sequence of construction?

Answer 19

• substructure, structural frame, roof construction, external walls, internal fit out, finishes and M&E installations

Question 20

What are the environmental services in a building, and why are they important?

Answer 20

• Environmental services in a building include systems and practices that minimize negative environmental impacts, such as sustainable HVAC, water conservation, energy-efficient lighting, effective waste management, and renewable energy integration

Question 21

What are the key M&E (Mechanical & Electrical) systems found in a data centre?

Answer 21

• M&E systems in a data center are Power (including UPS, generators, switchgear, and distribution), Cooling (including CRAC/CRAH units, chillers, and free cooling), Fire Safety (detection and suppression), Security (access control and CCTV), and Building Automation Systems (BAS) for monitoring and control, all designed with high levels of redundancy to ensure continuous, uninterrupted operation of the IT equipment.

Question 22

Can you walk me through a value engineering decision where your advice influenced the chosen construction solution?

Answer 22

On a previous warehouse cut and carve project, the proposed steel frame solution for a new internal office block utilised a truss system which was more expensive and on a longer lead time then a beam and column system. I advised changing this to save time and money and the VE was accepted.

Question 23

What does RIBA stand for?

Answer 23

Royal Institute of British Architects

Question 24

What are the RIBA stages of work?

Answer 24

Level 0 - Strategic Definition
Level 1 - Preparation and brief
Level 2 - Concept Design
Level 3 - Spatial coordination
Level 4 - Technical Design
Level 5 - Manufacturing and Construction
Level 6 - Handover
Level 7 - In use

Question 25

What would you expect to receive at each stage of the RIBA plan of works?

Answer 25

Level 0 - Strategic Definition - ER's and business case Level 1 - Preparation and brief - Project brief, site info, budget, programme, procurement strategy Level 2 - Concept Design - project brief derogations, outline spec, cost plan Level 3 - Spatial coordination - updated outline specs and updated cost plan Level 4 - Technical Design - manufacturing info, construction info, final specs Level 5 - Manufacturing and Construction - building manual, health and safety files, defects list, Level 6 - Handover - feedback on project performance and final certificate Level 7 - In use - updated building manual, health and safety file and fire safety information

Question 26

Can you name different types of piling?

Answer 26

From my experience I know of Driven, Bored (ie CFA) and Sheet piling

Question 27

What are the advantages of CFA piling?

Answer 27

It reduces the vibrations created and therefore ideal for urban areas.

Question 28

What are the different types of external walls?

Answer 28

Curtain walling, brick walls, sheet cladding

Question 29

Stick vs Unitised curtain walls

Answer 29

- Unitised are installed in large prefabricated systems, stick are installed piece by piece - Stick require more onsite labour - Stick systems offer more flexibility but unitized offer faster installation times - Stick would be installed on smaller projects where unitised would be used on high rise

Question 30

What are the different roof systems?

Answer 30

Flat Roofs, Pitched roofs, Hip roof

Question 31

What is a hip roof?

Answer 31

it is a four sided roof sloping down towards the walls

Question 32

What are the modern methods of construction?

Answer 32

these focus on off site construction techniques, mainly different varieties of prefabrication in high volumes.

Question 33

Can you tell me how you achieved level 3 for construction technology?

Answer 33

I achieved level 3 as i questioned the original solution and presented the client with alternatives giving my advice on which I thought would be best to move forward with.

Question 34

Can you list some building regulations?

Answer 34

- Doc M - Access to and use of buildings - Doc L - Conservation of fuel and power - Doc B - Fire Safety - Doc F - Ventilation - Doc S - Infrastructure for charging electric vehicles