WEEK TWO: Studio Activity   Bridge - the task to build a bridge out of a small piece of balsa wood seemed very difficult - Planning was a very important process as we only got one shot. During this process we can up with numerous ideas of how to build a 1.5 m bridge that would support a load - most of our initial ideas included ideas of strong permeate joints between pieces and some sort of bracing to help support the load that was going to be applied Plans and Initial ideas:
Structural Systems (Ching, 1975) -1. solid systems: compression, stone, brick, acres are efficient -2. shell or surface systems: opera house -3. frame/skeletal systems: very common and efficient way to transport loads -4. membrane systems: tension, less common, north court Melbourne uni, sports stadiums, want to cover large stadiums cheaply -5. Hybrid systems: structural frame and clad, mix of a couple, fairly new (ETFE membrane, Beijing Olympics)
construction systems: frame/skeleton system - We ended up creating a series of curve like frames in order to build our bride - the frame was supported by brackets in hope that they would help support the applied load - we decided to cut the wood in strips and use it vertically as we thought it would be more stable and strong that way and support the load better - we used a range of materials in order to create fixed joints in order to connect the curved frames to each other and to the table
WEEK TWO: Studio  Joints (YouTube, 2014) 1. Roller Joint: loads transfer in only one direction 2. Pin Joints: very common: useful to work out how the structure will behave, truss system, can in two directions or planar 3. Fixed Joint: most complex to calculate, bending can occur if a load occurs on one member - for our bridge we decide t use fixed joints out of glue, sticky tape and pins, in order to create a more supportive and strong structure - overlapping: the joints had to contain large overlapping areas of the wood to ensure strength in the bridge
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Material: Balsa wood -the balsa wood was very thin and flexible therefore it would be less floppy and likely to warp if we used it vertically -it was a challenge trying to create a 1.5 m bridge out of a 62x10cm piece of wood, thats why planning was an important process in this task as we only got one shot at cutting the wood -the wood ended up being strong the way we used it and didn't snap like other groups, the joints at the table broke instead - the flexible property of this material caused the bridge to rotate outwards
WEEK TWO: Studio   Other Groups - Other groups used different methods to use but some also used the idea of brackets as support. All the other groups chose to use the wood horizontally and unlike our structure this resulted in their bridge ultimately snapping due to the applied load - one group even use a truss like structure in order to add strength to the bridge, this proved successful, however unlike ours it actually ended up snapping under the applied load - another group used a triangular like bracket to attach the bridge to the table and to add more support, this proved somewhat efficient but no as much as some other groups and again ended up snapping - The last group also used their wood vertically like us, however just connected a group of strips together with pins. This resulted in it actually being quiet flexible as the joints allowed movement and weren’t fixed, but ultimately it snapped under the heaviness of the load.
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Group one:
Group two:
Result - out bridge turned out successful but didn't support the full load - the faults in the bridge where the connections or joints to the table, where under pressure the bridge pushed down causing the connections at the table to lift up and eventually snapped off - the brackets worked efficiently in adding stretch and support - the vertical curved structure faulted under heavy pressure, as the structure rotated outwards and the brackets only helped to some degree - the joints between the pieces of wood worked very efficiently and didn't break. I think this was due to the different type of material used to join the wood and also because there was a great amount of overlap
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WEEK TWO: Learning loop   Building Systems (Ching, 1975) 1. Structural Systems - superstructure is the vertical extension of a building above the foundation - columns, beams, load bearing walls support floor and roof structures - substructure: forming foundation of a building 2. Enclosure System: Shell or Envelope - the roof and exterior walls shelter interior spaces from the elements - exterior walls and roofs also help to shelter and protect exteriors elements - doors provide access - interior walls sub divide interior spaces 3. Mechanical Systems: Provide Essential Services to Buildings - water supply system, sewage disposal - heating, ventilating, air con systems - electrical systems control - vertical transportation system - fire fighting systems Lecture: London Olympics (Pert, 2014) - built buildings that were economically efficient and could be built in a small timeframe - most of the buildings built were temporary and contained pin joints so they could be taken part and transformed after the Olympics and the buildings and areas also contained recycled materials from surrounding areas - a good example was the athletics stadium which was built from old steep pipeline and was bolted together, - as built on was a brownfield site and a lot of effort went into cleaning the site and making sure it was easily connected and assessable from surround areas.
Building systems applied
Building System (YouTube, 2014) 1. Performance Requirements - structure, fire resistance, performance for comfort, insulating, protection from water, cope with movement, sounds resistance, age gracefully, easily maintained, hierarchy of finishes 2. Aesthetics qualities - proportion, colour, surface, qualities, natural finishes, lightly touched on, select finishes based on service the building is proving e.g. hospital, heritage choices 3. Regulatory constraints 4. Economic considerations - affordable buildings (initial cost of building and life cycle cost: longevity and how well the building performs overtime) 5. Environmental impact - embodied energy, efficiency of materials, what the environment requires 6. Construction practices - labour ability, build in situ or on site, decisions vary and are complex
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The stadium (Klijs, 2012)
ESD and Selecting Materials (YouTube, 2014) - Strategies Used: local materials, material efficiency, thermal mass, night air purging, solar energy, wind energy, cross ventilation, smart sun design, insulation, water harvesting - Life Cycle: begins with the extraction of raw materials from the earth and ends with the disposal of waste products back to the earth or recycled (partially or totally) into other products - Stages: raw materials acquisition>primary processing and refining>manufacturing>delivery>construction use and maintenance>final disposal - Issues: depend on locations, processes used - Feedback During Construction Phase: green star rating system helpful in choosing materials and making decisions
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WEEK TWO: References and Glossary References • Ching, F. (1975). Building construction illustrated (5th ed., pp. pg 2.02-2.04). New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold. • Klijs, A. (2012). Building the olympic stadion 2012 London. Retrieved from http://ajklijs.files.wordpress.com/ 2012/05/plan1.jpg Pert, A. (2014). Olympic Constructs. Lecture, The University of Melbourne. • YouTube,. (2014). ESD and Selecting Materials. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch? • v=luxirHHxjIY&feature=youtu.be • YouTube,. (2014). Framework for Analysing Form. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=KJ97Whk1kGU&feature=youtu.be YouTube,. (2014). W02 c1 Construction Systems. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch? • v=8zTarEeGXOo&feature=youtu.be • YouTube,. (2014). W02 s1 Structural Systems. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-JtPpI8uw&feature=youtu.be YouTube,. (2014). W02 s2 Structural Joints. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch? • v=kxRdY0jSoJo&feature=youtu.be
Key Terms
!- Embodied Energy: the total
energy (oil, water, power) used during the stages of a materials life - Recyclability: the ability for a product to be reused or transformed - Carbon footprint: measure of the amount of greenhouse gas created during the during the production and use of a material or product (large the product the more positive impact it has)
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Key Terms
!- Structural Joint: Something
that connects two or more elements/pieces of material together - Column: vertical beam, important to support loads in structures -Tension: applied load pulls on a structure, making the material moves apart, causing the material to stretch -Frame: The skeleton of a building structure -Bracing: something used to strengthen and support a structure -Span: a section between two supports
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