MSLE BUILDING In Detail Our group was given four sections of the MSLE building to look at in detail. All of the sections detailed the roof structures and the floor and ceiling structures within different areas of the building. Drawing these details at 1:1 scale it helped to demonstrate what was actually happening in these areas of the building.
Figures above show detailed sections that were drawn 1:1 scale (example can be found in appendix)
Composition Both sections of detail were comprised of concrete slabs for flooring, with the slab in the lift shaft (right figure) being suspended. Both details had flashing to keep the water out of the roof openings. The cavities such as between the roof and ceiling and walls were also filled with insulation to help the building gain a level of thermal control. Building Process The details that have been looked at play a major role in the structural integrity of the building through supporting flooring and roofing systems. This therefore means that they would be constructed early on in the building process. The flooring system is made out of concrete slabs which needs at least 28 days to reach maximum strength which would have also effected the timing of surrounding constructing work to ensure that it does not impact the curing and strengthening of the concrete that had been poured (Ching, 2008). The lift shaft detail however was more reliant on windows and frames, instillation of these
elements would be dependant on the manufactures delivery schedule, however these elements were necessary to be able to water tight the building and allow the fit out of services and finishes to start in the interior of the building. This means that the windows and frames have a large impact on the timing of completion of the building process. Sustainability and environmental analysis The use of building materials such as metal, glass and concrete which are predominately used in these details are energy intensive material – as in they have high levels of embodied energy. This however has meant that they are stronger and longer lasting, particularly in how they have been used within the detailed sections (i.e. Metal flashings) which means that the building is more likely to wear better over time, thus creating a longer lasting building that should also require less maintenance. The use of insulation in the cavities also means that there should be less demand for heating and cooling systems within the building which not only reduces the buildings power running costs, but also means that less energy is being used, thus creating a less polluting building. Economic Implications of decisions The details show just how much consideration was put into each section of the building and therefore reflect that informed and thought through decisions where made. This ultimately means that all the decisions were economically smart, in the long run. An example of this is the use of materials, as already discussed in the sustainability section above, these are long lasting and durable materials, so although they are not the cheapest building materials they will require less maintenance or replacement thus being cheaper in the long term. Areas of the detail have also tried to be standardised across the building as can be seen how the joins across both details (which are actually in different sections of the building) are the same where it is plausible to do so. This therefore means that on the construction site there is less chance of confusion and the builders maintain a high level of skill and accuracy at completing these types of joints which enables construction to be completed to a high standard faster, which in turn saves labour costs. Where and why these sections go wrong As with any opening or join, such as the windows and roof structures within the details the places for error occur when water can get into the building and undermine the weatherproofing and structural elements (Week 9 eLearning, 2013). Water is only able to get inside buildings if there is an opening, if water is present at that opening and if there is a force present to move the water, if you remove one of these factors then the building becomes waterproof (eLearning- week 9, 2013). The details of the MSLE building that have been focused on
have had multiple elements in place to prevent these factors enabling water to enter the building as can been seen through the lack of openings through minimal vents and windows being sealed into the frames, opens that are present such as the air vents are then capped and have flashings to help any water that could be present run off rather than pool. So through the detailing aiming to eliminate around two of the factors mentioned that allow water to enter the building, they have waterproofed the building with such back-up mechanisms in place which therefore means that there are less areas for faults resulting in building failure (water entering the building). Other sections that could go wrong also include the joining methods and strength of material for the role in which they play in the buildings structure. Weak materials or joints would result in sections experiencing minor or major breaks, which compromises the overall function of the building. Thankfully structural engineers are qualified to help specify the building requirements to ensure that no such fault occurs or that the odds of such mistakes are lessened.
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