CONSTRUCTING ENVIRONMENTS -Catherine Demetriou, Journal 2-
Our first visit on site was the Eastern Precint Student Centre. The Centre was not only an extension to both Douglas McDonnel and the library but it now links the two together making it one large building. The placement of this centre between the two buildings would have been a major constraint during the construction due accesibility issues with large machinery in such a compact area. The most prominent material on the roof of the center is glass and steel. The glass is not only aesthetic but it also encloses the area and allows natural light into the building. The glass itself is held by steel beams that are cantilevered and connected to the library of the building. The center, although contrastingly modern, ties together the two pre-exsiting buildings while also being very aesthetically pleasing.
The second extension in which we vistied was the MSLE building. This building was somewhat simliar to the Eastern Precint Centre in that it acted as a link and an extension to the pre-existing building to the left of it. While the concept of accesibility would have proved to be an inconvenience, a major constraint for this building would be the waterproofing between the roof of the new extension and the brick wall of the pre-existing building. The two most prominent materials within the MSLE building would be the use of both timber and brick. The two materials are not only aesthetically pleasing but they also play a fundamental role in the structural system of the building. The timber frames join to the brick walls and the brick walls act as a means of insillation.
CONSTRUCTING ENVIRONMENTS -Catherine Demetriou, Journal 2-
Queens College Extension was the third extention that we visited during this site analysis. Being still constructed we were able to somewhat view the skeleton of the building. The most evident material around the site was concrete, however, timber and steel panneling was also being utilised within the actual walls of the buildings. The steel would act as a reinforcer for the concrete and the timber would eventually be for the future insillation of the building.
The Oval Pavillion was the biggest construction site we were exposed to during this site visit. Although the pavilion was in the early stages of construction at the time of our visit we were still able to view that the main material of the structure was concrete reinforced by steel beams. In terms of waterproofing there was a waterproofing membrane that prevents pools of water building at the bottom of the structure. Furthermore, without this membrane water would penetrate within the walls of the building, eventually weakening the structure of the pavilion.
The final structure that we saw was the Ormond Theology Center Reception. Like many of the other buildings viewed during the site analysis, the primary material of Theology Center was concrete. Although steel was used as a reinforcement for the concrete it was also utilised for aesthetic purposes at the front of the building, giving it a more barren and indsutrial feel. Another architectural feature of the building was the glass bricks that acted as both the wall and the light giver of the structure.