ModPod by Iara Silva-Silva

ModPod Bicester, Oxfordshire

CONSTRUCTION WEEK 2017 UNIVERSITY OF EAST LONDON Aylem BOYRAZ Austin Nathaniel JOSEPH Elizabeth Olukemi OLUBAJU Iara Sofia De JosÃ© e SILVA Mohamad Wassim AJOUZ Nurul Nadhrah Binti ZAINAL Submission: 06.11.2017

Contents Introduction

Appreciation & Preface

Site Location

The Clients

Bicester

Graven Hill Development

History

Precedents

Studio Bark

WikiHouse

Prefabricted Houses

Workshop

Modular Systems

Cladding

Equipment List

Safety Considerations & Risk Assessment

Instruction Manual

List of Parts

Step by step directions

Construction Diary

Conclusion

The Appendix

Team members & Roles

Timber workshop

Reflections

APPRECIATION

PREFACE

As Group 8, we would like to thank the Studio Bark team: Nick, Wilf and Tom, for their on-going support and helping to make construction week an enjoyable and learning curve. Without them we would have not learnt and enhanced our skills.

This detailed technical report records the process of the construction of ModPod for our client, Godfrey and Pauline Brandt. ModPod refers to a shed to accommodate a relaxation music shed for client in his rear garden. The site is located in 9 Founders Square, Bicester, Oxfordshire, OX25 2AQ.

THE BRIEF: The modular system has been designed to facilitate self-build, achieving ultra-high levels of insulation and airtightness for a low budget. This system is to be tested at 1:1 and may be filmed by the television programme â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;My Grand designsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; during the course of construction.

As a team of 6 architectural students with diverse ability and specialities, we chose this exciting project as it promises to add more to our knowledge and experience. Despite the fact that some members of the team may have had previous experience in construction and some other individual may see these two weeks as a time to gain experience construction site. However as a great team, we will all shared our skills from previous experiences and jointly learned more skills on site especially from Studio Bark staff on site. These new skills helped us to build the ModPod. Construction week helped us all to experience construction process from pre-foundation to roofing over short space of time. This greatly developed our construction and project management skills. We had to make quick decisions on site together for example when the when we discovered the roof parts were drilled in the wrong places, there was no time to take them back to be re-done but we decided to drill new holes in the correct places. These are examples of unforeseen circumstances. Unforeseen circumstances during any project be handled professionally way and overcome them to the best of our abilities. Similarly to those that may occur in real life project. Over the course of this project, we will document the process, materials, equipment, failures and unforeseen circumstances that we faced over the two week construction period.

London A41/A4421

MOD Site E roundabout

Directions Plots

From London, come off the A41/A4421 roundabout at MOD site E, then turn immediately a hard right and drive all the way downt the new track. The first site is plot 03 - Studio Bark’s workshop pod location, refered in this report as ‘Site A’ and the last site is plot 09 - the construction site of this report, refered to as ‘Site B’.

The Clients Godfrey & Pauline Brandt Godfrey was head of the Arts Management department at the Birkberck Univerity where he was also the founder and programme director of the MA, Arts Policy and Management. Currently, Godfrey is finishing his novel, still working in higher education as a recurring visiting academic and continues to strive for the promotion of cross-cultural exchanges in communities. Pauline has recently began her new role as Marketing Officer at the University of Oxford Brookes and continues to regularly work in media and communication, as a voice tutor at the University of Southampton, and by delivering live audio description for the visually impared. Pauline continues to perform voiceovers and has previously, help set up a radio station at the University of Godfrey Okoye, in Nigeria.

Historic Bicester ‘The Domesday Book of 1086 records it as Berencestra, but it has been known as Bicester since the mid-17th century.’ Bicester was initially made up of two separate towns: Kings End and Market End. The town developed as a market centre in the middle ages and in the 19th century, it became widely known for horse racing and fox hunting. Later, in the 20th century, it became popular for its military bases and during the first world war, the northen part of the town became a royal air force station, currently a gliding club. A military depot was later developed in Bicester around two hills: Graven hill and Arncott Hill. The depot was planned as the main supply location for the British Army operations and covered 12 square miles,

Following the war, Bicester became an expanding town with the arrival of new businesses, the M40 and rail links which created excellent transport connection. Due to its reputation as a garden town and in order to secure its status as a healthy town, in 2014 the government identified Bicester for new development of an innovative village with Graven Hill site and will be creating 1900 new homes by 2026

The Graven Hill Project The Graven Hill project is a proposed new village in Bicester and it is UK’s most exciting self-build and custom build development. The project is comprised of about 1900 homes, 40% of which are due to be built by residents themselves.

BICESTER Graven Hill

Location Graven Hill is located on the southern part of Bicester, Oxfordshire. It is about 13 miles north east of Oxford City. The 188 hectare site, formerly a military base, is made up of ancient hills of natural woodland. The terrain is beautiful and breath-taking with a feel of calmness and peace. The site is close to the village centre, as well as the world famous Bicester Villager designer outlet, which will enhance the community life of its residents, and a primary school will be opening to the community in 2020. The proposed plans also include a community centre, local shops, cafes and small businesses.

OXFORD

The Scheme Graven hill is to be the largest custom build development in the United Kingdom. Every participant has a chance to create the home they truly desire, to be involved in the design and construction process, creating the spaces they require. Energy efficient materials are highly encouraged and due to the sustainability of modular constructions, these homes are going to be well designed to fit with todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s efficiency requirements and necessities.

Fast Track Applications All Graven Hill allotments are sold alongside a land passport that provides all major information about each plot. It also contain some guidelines which when followed correctly, will fast track and ease the planning permission process. The Cherwell council has a Local development order (LDO) in place and is willing to offer pre-application advice to guide you through the entire process. Once registered a planning application will usually take a couple of weeks for it to get validated and a minimum of 2 months before getting approved, however as part of the Graven Hill scheme and in order to aid in the development of the new village, the turnaround process for planning applications is an astonishing 28 days, from when the application is registered. The first sets of plots were released in 2016 and construction is already underway, although the houses are yet to be completed, the difference in styles of each house can be perceived, giving the area an architectural uniqueness and quirkiness.

Economical Advantages In order to ensure that people are willing and prone to participate on the project, the overall pricing of each scheme has been set up so to look extremelly attractive The type of volumetric constructions being encouraged by the local government already involve a much cheapter cost when compared with traditional building methods. Also, because of its suistainability and energy efficiency qualities, the modular house will require much less assisted heating, ultimately saving its residents of heating costs. In addition, due to an unique feature in the UK building industry there is a zero rating for value added tax under present HMRC regulations, meaning that the pricing of the whole project, from purchasing the plot to having it built, is a bargain.

Precedents Studio Bark Founded in 2014, Studio Bark’s projects have always been defined by their innovative bespoke designs which through their carefully selected materials, well thought-out technical details and sustainability approaches, reflect their environmental and design ethos. Studio Bark’s founding members, as alumni students of the School of Architecture of the University of East London, have experienced first-hand the benefits of the practical knowledge gained from the construction week projects which in junction with their beliefs on the importance of practical education, have lead them to be recurrent facilitators of the construction week projects.

The U-Build Module Following the rise in the demand for prefabricated houses which reduce both cost and time of construction and pilot projects such as the 2011 WikiHouse, at the beginning of 2015 Studio Bark began developing which would later become their signature design, the U-Built Module – a modular system, digitally design and CNC’d (Computer Numerical Control) wood boxes. The system is an interlocking, easy to assemble design which creates a well-insulated, weather-proof and air tight construction.

The Royal Docks Learning & Activity Centre (RDLA) The first U-Built modular prototype was built in junction with UEL year 4 March students, during 2 weeks in September 2016, the students assembled the first prototype of Studio Bark’s unique modular system – a community garden space in the Royal Docks Learning & Activity Centre (RDLAC) in Newham, East London. The structure in itself, is simple but it incorporates eyecatching features such as the pop-up hatch window powered by reclaimed car-boot pistons, a modular green roof, cladding made of locally sourced Douglas Fir timber and stackable furniture. The RDLAC Garden room which is due to become UEL’s test centre for the Architectural Technology module, will allow students the opportunity to monitor and test the building’s thermal performance throughout the year, in hope to reiterate the importance of environmentalism to future architects and designers. The U-build, as well as benefiting students and the Royal Docks community, served as Studio Bark’s exemplary model of what self-build prefab can be both spatially and visually, highlighting the positive factors of the modular system and changing the perceptions of similar structures.

The SHED Project Studio Bark’s efforts to shift people’s perceptions of selfbuild and use of timber as a construction and cladding material, culminated in the beginning of 2017 when, in association with Lowe Guardians, the practice created, designed and built ‘The SHED project’ – a temporary accommodation pod, made of low-impact and recycled materials, such as the Smartply, lamb’s wool insulation and recycled polycarbonate, all locally sourced. This adapted version of the U-Build gained media attention, in particular the internationally famous Design and Architecture magazine: Dezeen. Each SHED pod can be built within a day, even if the person constructing it lacks building experience, and it can be easily reused and re-appropriated which goes in accordance with Studio Bark’s ethos and mission of environmentalism and sustainability. ‘’On every site, we create a considerable amount of waste; both financially and environmentally. We are looking for a solution which allowed us to [be] much more creative with the space, and take everything with us when we went onto the next site.’’ – Tim Lowe, Director, Lowe Guardian

The ‘Black House’ - Bark Live-Build 2017 Following The SHED project and as part of Bark Live-Build 2017, a 7-8 week construction workshop course led by Studio Bark and opened to all, the U-build system was applied to a bigger scale – a 2 storey self-build house, completely made out of wood. The ‘black house’, as we call it, is located on lot 03 (Site A) of this year’s construction week project, and incorporates the most adapted version of the U-build. The residency, is made up for 300mm thick wall boxes and 100-150mm internal wall boxes, as well as unique internal features such as the kitchen counter and the staircase. The dwelling is equipped with triple glazing as well as wall, floor and roof insulation which makes it more than prepared for Oxfordshire’s cold winters. Once ready, ‘the black house’ will become Studio Bark’s best advocate for prefab, self-build timber constructions.

Precedents WikiHouse The 2011 pilot, Wikihouse which aimed to simplify the design and construction process of sustainable, cost effective dwellings and make them accessible to all, regardless of building experience, became an international phenomenon and by 2015 it counted with a worldwide network of collaborators. The project enables people to purchase, customize and download licensed building drawings and use them to create printable CNC templates. Inspired by classical Korean architecture, the structures resemble jigsaw puzzles, as all pieces either interlock or snap together, requiring the builder to have little or no construction experience. Wiki houseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fast gained fame was due to their mission of making low-cost, high performance houses, available to anyone in the world and aimed at poorer populations, although one would have to gain access to a CNC machine.

Prefabricated Houses Prefabrication, also known as prefab, modular construction or volumetric construction, is traditionally known as the method of assembling or preparing components of a structure, or the structure itself off-site and transporting the assembled components or sub-components to site where they can quickly be put together. The main argument in favour of prefabricated construction is the amount of time and costs saved when compared to traditional building constructions - besides being an economic, quick to build method, volumetric constructions are also a low impact, environmental friendly and easier to be made energy efficient structures, mainly due to their air tightness aspect, as they are digitally designed and thus can be precisely built. The reduction of the construction times derives from having the possibility of multitasking - whilst the structure is being assembled elsewhere, the site is being prepared and the foundations laid. The off-site assembly lines, can easily be located where the skilled labour is available or, in the case of Studio Bark’s U-Build or Wiki House’s dwellings, can be built by anyone, anywhere using locally sourced materials. Most of prefab constructions are made up of repeating forms or units and due repeating shapes their assembly can be automated, simplifying assembly lines and avoiding any congestion which would usually occur on site and delay the project.

The history & its bad reputation Although prefabrication construction has existed since the beginning of architectural history, it was around the 1950s and’60s that this building method began being perceived as the ‘future of construction’ but due to the lack of means such as fully developed digital programs and automated machinery, like CNC, made volumetric constructions highly costly. In combination with the recession, the disinterest of housebuilders in a fast-tracked construction method as it meant they would have less time to market and sell the properties, and due to the fact that, at the time, most materials were internationally sourced, meaning that air miles were added to the final price, prefabrication gained a bad name – until now. In the midst of a raising housing crisis, companies and developers are looking for a fast approach to solving this problem. Now, that virtual construction software is more accessible and better developed, some designers are focusing on the development of signature volumetric constructions.

Metal prefab, 1950s - Tilford, Surrey

Precedents Contemporary Constructions For example, the Town House, located near the New Islington Canal in Manchester, is a 43 house scheme of volumetric construction. The project was developed by Urban Splash and designed by the architectural practice Shedkm. All house share the same exterior, a grey panelling, metal-clad pitched roofs accompanied with black-framed windows which according to its designers, is an alternative to the ‘noddy boxes offered by many volume housebuilders’. The exterior structure of the dwellings is built off-site, in a factory and craned into place, the interior partitions are added posteriorly and customised by each resident to fit their necessities and preferences. Other example is the Chapter in Lewisham, a 611 bedroom student accommodation by Weston William+Partners, was accomplished in approximately 10 month, 3 of which was spent in placing the assembled components on site. This modular construction, used self-stacking modular units assembled off-site which accounted for 90% of the overall floor area. This method achieved a reduction on ‘site waste, associated traffic movement, noise and dust pollution, transport related CO2 emissions, safer construction and shorter inconvenience period for neighbours’ and served to demonstrate that prefabricated building do not have to be limited to low-storey constructions. The examples of prefab buildings begin to be endless, as one can choose from an array of different packages and designer, such as the Modulus House which can be easily customizable and cheaply built for £50,000 although the price simply refers to the external walls of the building; or houses like Huf Haus, a volumetric construction made by the German Company of the same name which can be installed in week and cost £300/ sqm but the structure has to be transported from Germany to wherever the site is located. Another example is the Braufritz house which is marketed as a luxury volumetric construction which used 100% natural materials but costs £2,000/sqm.

Modern House Bond, South East England by Braufritz UK

Town House, New Islington Canal, Manchester

Town House, Irwell Riverside, Manchester

Chapter Lewisham, Thurston Road Student Accommodation

Modern Perception It has become apparent that prefabrication is not was it once was, the available production and design mechanisms have evolved, making it possible today to have a reduction in time as well as cost. As demonstrated by the previous examples, it is now possible to choose from a different array of prefab packages and each company tends to have their own signature design which they have invested large amounts of time developing and tend to apply it to most projects they might have, moderately adjusting and customizing their original prototype. Even though prefab buildings have been largely developed since the 1950s and 60s, nowadays they only tend to be used on big scale or big developments which involve a large quantities of houses or rooms, such as the House development in Manchester or the Chapter Lewisham in East London. This might be due to the fact that those modular constructions are normally built with materials that often need to be imported or transported over large distances, such as steal. Although these developments have been transforming the preconceived idea of prefabrication, they have also been responsible for characterising volumetric constructions as being design which do not take into consideration their surroundings and have a robotic touch to their aesthetics, as they tend to have one faĂ§ade replicated throughout the whole scheme. However, to challenge these new found perceptions of modular building, there are systems such as Studio Barkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s U-Build which manage to reduce the overall cost of construction even more by locally sourcing materials, adapting to each location and adjusting or altering their system to fit the clientâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s needs and preferences.

Workstation A workshop area is necessary to ensure two fundamental things: that the ModPod building area remains dry so that all tools and internal parts of the shed avoid any water damage if it rains; and to establish an area of work which in addition to being covered, provides a leveled area of work were tools, or in this case, a space with 90Âş angles in which boxes can be assembled and stored. Several workshop designs were thought of and discussed in order to select one which required the less amount of material, time, any additional works such as digging, and that would easily be erected and dismantled. Unfortunately, on the fourth day of construction, the team arrived on site to find out that 60 mph strong winds had knocked over part of the structure over night. Fortunately, the work area was not damaged and a quick meeting was done to assess the structural flaws of the workshopâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s design and how to fix them â&#x20AC;&#x201C; We ended up reinforcing the original structure by adding extra bracing components to specific areas of the design.

Broken Rafter Extra bracing

U-Build System What is it? A modular home is one that is built in a factory-like setting. The finished products are covered and transported to their new locations, where they areÂ assembled. A modular home is not a mobile home; it is simply a home that is built off-site, as opposed to on-site. These homes are often called factory-built, system-built or prefab homes.

Design flexibility

Sustainability

Modular housing construction calls for hundreds of options and design possibilities. It could be characterized to fit your needs and could also be designed in relation to your home location. Moreover, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll generally offer a wide range of house plans to choose from in a variety of styles. You can modify or upgrade your general construction specifications, design your own floor plans and elevations, pick the style of windows or siding, the possibilities are endless.

Modular home construction calls for a much more environmentally friendly option than its site-built counterpart. Engineered construction materials are utilized and effective in-plant recycling is in place at mostmanufacturing facilities, which means that all the excess materials are able to be reutilised. Although it may not sound impressive, one of the dirty secrets of site builders is the amount of waste a new site built home generates.

Reduced building time The best modular homes are typically built in approximately 1/3 the time needed to construct a site-built home. With careful planning, you can often be in your new home within weeks of selecting it. This is because the overall building time is reduced by concurrent site work and home construction, which also allows for reduced interest on construction financing.

Better quality construction option Being built in factories, manufacturers are able to utilize tools unavailable to site builders such as custom manufactured jigs which ensure that all walls, floors and ceilings are square. The quality of the boxes are checked before and after bolting and overall construction is analysed to ensure whether each box has been screwed and fitted probably.

Energy Efficiency Quality engineering and the latest construction techniques significantly increase the energy-efficiency of a new modular home. This ensures it will be economical to own and comfortable to live in, regardless of the weather. The modular homes have much less air infiltration which is one of the largest causes of heat loss in a home. The fact that these homes are constructed off-site, allows the manufacturer to place more sealants, such as caulking, in problem areas that site builders have no access to - for example, a manufacturer is able to create a better seal around electrical outlet and fixtures because they can access the walls from behind, above and underneath.

Cladding Design Workshop To come up with cladding designs, it was suggested that we have a design workshop. Everyone had roughly 10 minutes to come up with one or more designs they felt would work well with the Modpod. Designs were presented, and favourites were chosen. Out of the 6 designs, only 3 were then made into 1:1 prototypes.

Design Consultation Before deciding on a final design. Wilf from Studio Bark spoke to us about the properties of wood. Our initial chosen design was not structurally feasible, so we set on a new design based on what we learned from Wilf and a TRADA cladding design manual.

Design .1 Designed by: Austin Joseph -Diagonal layout. -Angled at 45 degrees. -Fixed to vertical battens. -Repeated to have a chevron effect.

Design Flaws The board has to span further between supports, making it necessary to either use thicker boards or to close up the centres of the battens behind. The boards run in a V-pattern, which is unadvisable because of the volume of water that will collect at the junction. The distance between one board to the one next to it, is not big enough, not allowin enough space for the wood to move - as it will over time.

Design .2 Designed by: Wassim Ajouz -Counter diagonal layout. -Angled at 45 degrees. -Fixed to vertical battens. -Clientâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s preferred design.

Design Flaws The board has to span further between supports, making it necessary to either use thicker boards or to close up the centres of the battens behind. Water will collect at the junctions between boards. The screws would be fixed against the grain of the wood, being prone to breakage - the design is expected to fail in less than a year after its installation.

Design .3 Designed by: Iara Silva -No specific layout. -Creating a randomised effect through the builsing with the idea that every panel would be different from one another,. -Fixed to vertical battens.

Design Flaws Too complicate to fabricate as there is no specific set of pieces because the design does not run in a pattern. Most of the cladding boards would hover and would only be ficed onto the battens at their extremities. The cladding boards will also run both vertically and horizontally, encouraging water deposits.

Final Design

Designed in collaboration -Horizontal layout. -Fixed to vertical battens. -The cladding boards are positioned at an increment of 5mm to 30mm from top to bottom, resulting in a gradient effect.

Cutting List Back pieces:

1794 45 1966.50 45 1996

1794 mm x 38 1966.50 mm x 38 1966 mm x 38

616.70 594

650

594 45

294

616.70 45

45 894.50 45

Side 2:

650

616.70 mm x 38 650 mm x 38 594 mm x 100

45 45 45

Side 1:

796

650 mm 616.70 594 mm 294 mm 894.50

765

x 38 mm x 38 x 38 x 38 mm x 6

Front pieces: 45 45

594 45

796 mm x 38 765 mm x 38 594 mm x 174

Elevations

Back

Side 2

Side 1

Front

List of Equipment

Main tools used during construction

Hand saw cam be used to trim cladding in a quick and efficiant way.

Concrete blocks to be used as foundations.

Illbruck tape to Silicone can be Table be used to secure used to seal window cutting breather membrane edges. pieces. to roof deck.

An electric handsaw will be most helpful when sawing timber away from the workshop.

Counter sync drill used to make indents on wood in order to make the screws flush with the surface.

Small clamps can be F clamps can be to help used to maintain used tighten pieces. plastic sheets in place and protect the Pod from the rain.

Metal screws can be used on site to fix modules to the frame and when assempling the boxes.

An electric hand drill can be used both to screw boxes together and to drill holes also.

Weatherproofing the external timber pieces by painting on a coat would help prolong the structureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life.

Saw for A chisel can be cladding used to assist with the placement of module boxes.

A pickaxe may be helpful when digging the foundation to remove rocks and break up the soil.

Drill can be used to create new wholes in areas that were not already drilled.

Stainless steel screws for fixing the cladding to the frame, as they are not affected by the wheather or rain.

A hammer is to be A measuring tape will used to assist be used to assist in removing any all measuring on site. unwanted screws or bolts.

A table saw would be Shovels are to be an efficient tool used when digging the for cutting cladding foundation. precisely.

A Stanley knife is A rubber mallet an essential tool should be used to for site work. prevent damaging the timber boxes.

A right angle tool can help mark accurate lines around the site.

To help compact the ground when digging the foundation a sledge hammer can be used.

A silicone gun will be needed when applying silicone around the window edges.

Flood lights will A laser level should be helpful when be used to ensure all working into the foundation blocks are evening. the same height.

Safety Considerations

Site helmets Safety goggles should be worn when would be helpful there is a danger when using the Name of falling CONSTRUCTION of objects table saw GROUP or the 8 Assessor: from above. hand saw as off cuts may –impact eyes. MODPOD STUDIO BARK

safety

belt

Gloves should be on site at all times.

UEL Risk Assessment Formworn a good tool to secure other tools and objects and to free hands for other tasks.

Date of Assessment

Construction boots with steel caps and heavy duty mid sole should be worn on 29/09/2017 site at all times.

High visibility jackets should be worn at all times to increase awareness of others around.

Location of activity: BICESTER, OXFORDSHIRE Activity title: TECHNICAL WEEK – GROUP 8 Signed off by ALAN CHANDLER Date and time 02/10/2017 – 13/10/2017 Manager (if applicable) (Print Name) Please describe the activity/event in as much detail as possible (include nature of activity, estimated number of participants, etc) If the activity to be assessed is part of a fieldtrip or event please add an overview of this below: A TOTAL OF 6 STUDENTS (4 FEMALES AND 2 MALES, YEAR 4) TAKING PART IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE NEWLY INTRODUCED SHED PROJECT DESIGNED BY STUDIO BARK. THE SHED PROJECT IS A PRE-FABRICATED, SELF-BUILD AND MODULAR PROJECT. SITE LOCATION: BICESTER, MODPOD. THIS IS THE FIRST SELF-BUILD SITE LOCATED IN THE UK GROUNDS. THE LAND OWNERS

Ear muffs A dustWAS maskTHE may MILITARY. be FOR THE SITEmay PREVIOUSLY THERE HAS NOT BEEN ANY PREVIOUS HISTORY IN THE AREA IN RELATION TO AN beARCHITECTURAL desired when BACKGROUND desired when using BASES. working with the the table saw or table saw or OF hand hand saw. DURATION PROJECT: 2 WEEKS (10 WORKING DAYS). ACCOMMODATION: ARRANGED BY THE CLIENT GODFREY BRANDT. saw. Overview of FIELD TRIP or EVENT:

CHOSEN STUDENTS ARE AIMED TO CONTRIBUTE AND EXPERIENCE ON HOW A REAL-LIFE CONSTRUCTION SITE WORKS AROUND.

Risk Assessment Guide to risk ratings: a) Likelihood of Risk

b) Hazard Severity

c) Risk Rating (a x b = c)

1 = Low (Unlikely)

1 = Slight (Minor / less than 3 days off work)

1-2 = Minor (No further action required)

2 = Moderate (Quite likely)

2= Serious (Over 3 days off work)

3-4 = Medium (May require further control measures)

3 = High (Very likely or certain)

3 = Major (Over 7 days off work, specified injury or death)

6/9 = High (Further control measures essential)

UEL Risk Assessment Form Name of Assessor:

CONSTRUCTION GROUP 8

Date of Assessment

29/09/2017

MODPOD – STUDIO BARK Location of activity: BICESTER, OXFORDSHIRE Activity title: TECHNICAL WEEK – GROUP 8 Signed off by ALAN CHANDLER Date and time 02/10/2017 – 13/10/2017 Manager (if applicable) (Print Name) Please describe the activity/event in as much detail as possible (include nature of activity, estimated number of participants, etc) If the activity to be assessed is part of a fieldtrip or event please add an overview of this below: A TOTAL OF 6 STUDENTS (4 FEMALES AND 2 MALES, YEAR 4) TAKING PART IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE NEWLY INTRODUCED SHED PROJECT DESIGNED BY STUDIO BARK. THE SHED PROJECT IS A PRE-FABRICATED, SELF-BUILD AND MODULAR PROJECT. SITE LOCATION: BICESTER, MODPOD. THIS IS THE FIRST SELF-BUILD SITE LOCATED IN THE UK GROUNDS. THE LAND OWNERS FOR THE SITE PREVIOUSLY WAS THE MILITARY. THERE HAS NOT BEEN ANY PREVIOUS HISTORY IN THE AREA IN RELATION TO AN ARCHITECTURAL BACKGROUND BASES. DURATION OF PROJECT: 2 WEEKS (10 WORKING DAYS). ACCOMMODATION: ARRANGED BY THE CLIENT GODFREY BRANDT. Overview of FIELD TRIP or EVENT: CHOSEN STUDENTS ARE AIMED TO CONTRIBUTE AND EXPERIENCE ON HOW A REAL-LIFE CONSTRUCTION SITE WORKS AROUND.

Guide to risk ratings: a) Likelihood of Risk Hazards identified 1 = Low (Unlikely)

Hazards attached to the activity Who is at risk?

2 = Moderate (Quite likely) Staff,

Slip or trip hazard due to promotional literature or rubbish, being dropped on or 3 = High (Very likely the floor Slip/Trip hazard – from rainy weather conditions Use of hand tools on site

Students, Client certain) Staff, Students, Client. Staff, Students, Client.

Site work

Staff, Students, Client.

Handling bulk materials

Students

b) Hazard Severity c) Risk Rating (a x b = c) Residual Final risk Existing Controls Additional control Likelihood Severity Risk Rating rating measures 1 = Slight (Minor / less than 3 days off work) 1-2 = Minor (No further actionrequired required) (Likelihood x (if any) Severity) 2= Serious (Over 3 days off work) 3-4 = Medium (May require further control measures) Be vigilant on the day to make sure that 3 1 2 Regular monitoring during day. Health 4 all packaging materials etc. are picked up off the 3 =floor. Major (Over 7 days off

injury or death)

and Safety briefing to be provided to

work, specified

all contributors. 6/9 = High (Further control measures essential)

Scraps of wood to be placed onto areas in relation to prevent from slipping.

Continued vigilance throughout the day.

Student Workshops safety inductions Experience workshop stuffing, appropriate workspace. Goggles and gloves whilst working at height Student/staff Always lift with the knees, not with your back. As for help from team or staff members where required. Staff to ask for suitable footwear and gloves to be used and to be used and projecting nails to be flattened immediately.

Students to review risk assessment when design is being developed prior to manufacture to ensure currency and awareness

Staff to direct students on how to disassemble the structure, breaking down large elements to manageable pieces. Tidy site, practice to minimize trip hazard.

Regular supervision of students, ensuring all students take turns and monitor each other to minimise risk of either back stain or bad practicing skills. PPE worn at all times appropriate to the task.

Students Personal injury or strain to back and limbs due to incorrect posture or carrying or moving too much at once. Direction to be given on safe carrying, safe use of blade and careful management of mixing area to ensure minimal of trip hazards. Use of correct PPE in (eyewear, gloves and footwear),

Instruction Manual Includes: cutting list and step by step directions

ENGLISH Important information Read carefully. Keep this information for further reference.

FRANÇAIS Information importante A lire attentivement. Conserver ces informations pour un usage ultérieur.

WARNING

AVERTISSEMENT

Serious or fatal crushing injuries can occur from furniture tip-over. To prevent this furniture from tipping over it must be permanently fixed to the wall.

Risque de blessure grave en cas de chute du meuble. Pour éviter que le meuble ne bascule, il faut le fixer au mur de façon permanente.

Fixing devices for the wall are not included since different wall materials require different types of fixing devices. Use fixing devices suitable for the walls in your home. For advice on suitable fixing systems, contact your local specialized dealer. DEUTSCH Wichtige Information Sorgfältig lesen Diese Information aufbewahren

ACHTUNG Wenn Möbelstücke umkippen, können ernste oder lebengefährliche Verletzungen durch Einklemmen die Folge sein. Um zu verhindern, dass das Möbelstück umkippt, muss es fest an der Wand verankert werden. Beschläge für die Wandbefestigung sind nicht beigepackt, da sie von der jeweiligen Wandbeschaffenheit abhängig sind. Befestigungsbeschläge benutzen, die für die heimischen Wände geeignet sind. Bei diesbezüglichen Fragen den örtlichen Fachhandel zu Rate ziehen.

Les fixations ne sont pas incluses car leur choix dépend du matériau du mur sur lequel est fixé le meuble. Utilisez des fixations adaptées au matériau du mur. Pour obtenir des conseils sur les fixations à utiliser, adressez-vous à un revendeur spécialisé. NEDERLANDS Belangrijke informatie Goed lezen Bewaar deze informatie voor toekomstig gebruik

WAARSCHUWING Wanneer meubels omvallen, kan er ernstig of levensbedreigend beklemmingsletsel ontstaan. Om te voorkomen dat dit meubel omvalt, dient dit permanent aan de wand te worden bevestigd. Bevestigingsbeslag voor de wand is niet inbegrepen, aangezien verschillende wandmaterialen verschillende soorten bevestigingsbeslag vereisen. Gebruik bevestigingsbeslag dat geschikt is voor de wanden in je huis. Voor advies over geschikt bevestigingsbeslag, neem contact op met de vakhandel.

DANSK Vigtige oplysninger! Læs omhyggeligt. Gem disse oplysninger til senere brug.

ADVARSEL! Der kan opstå alvorlig eller livsfarlig tilskadekomst, hvis møblet vælter. For at undgå at møblet vælter, skal det fastgøres permanent til væggen. Forskellige vægmaterialer kræver forskellige skruer og rawlplugs. Medfølger ikke. Brug skruer og rawlplugs, der passer til væggene i dit hjem. Hvis du er i tvivl om, hvilken type skruer/rawlplugs du skal bruge, skal du kontakte et byggemarked. ÍSLENSKA Mikilvægar upplýsingar Lesið vel. Geymið þessar upplýsingar til að nota síðar.

VIÐVÖRUN Alvarleg eða banvæn slys geta átt sér stað ef húsgagnið veltur um koll. Til að koma í veg fyrir að þetta húsgang velti um koll þarf að festa það við vegg. Festingar til að festa húsgagnið við vegg fylgja ekki því veggir húsa eru mismunandi. Notið festingar sem henta efninu í veggjum heimilisins. Fáið ráð í byggingavöruverslun varðandi hentugar festingar. NORSK Viktig informasjon Les nøye. Ta vare på denne informasjonen for fremtidig bruk.

ADVARSEL Alvorlige ulykker kan skje som følge av møbler som velter. For å forhindre at dette møbelet faller, må det festes permanent til veggen. Festemidler for vegg er ikke inkludert fordi ulike vegger krever ulike festemidler. Bruk festemidler som passer til veggene i hjemmet ditt. Kontakt din nærmeste faghandel for råd om festemidler.

AA-1315755-6

30 WV-9 46 FE-2-6 18

FE-2-6 18

WV-12 42 FN-6-114-S 18

FN-6-138 54

WF-6-9 20

WF-3-9 1

WF-6-9 20

WF-6-9 3

WF-6-12 3

WF-6-12 18

WF-6-12 4

WF-6-9 4

WF-3-12 1

WF-6-12 18

W3-i 2

W1-e 1

W1-i 2

W3-e 1

D1-e 2

D1-i 2

W3-e 1

FB-6-30 9

FF 9

RB-6-30B RB-6-30 9

31 FJ-30 9

RJ-30 9

RJ-30_ 9

REJ-30 2

RN-6-161-S 9

RN-6-178 9

RN-6-158 9

RN-6-168 9

WV-9 25

RN-6-185 9

REJ-30_ 2

FEN-1-15012

REN-1-153 1

REN-1-160 1

REN-1-170 1

RE-2-6 18

WV-12 23 FEN-1-1266

REN-1-190 1

REN-1-197 1

REN-1-180 1

Ends 2

RN-6-148 9

RN-6-141 9

RV-21 4

RB-18 1

RV-12 4

RV-12 2 2 RV-9 2

RH-6 10

FE-1-30 1

RE-2-30 1

Sides 2

WH-6 46

WH-3 4

RN-6-116-S FEJ-30 9

RB-6 2

WH-6 88

Dig beneathe ground until reaching a consistent strong soil type (refer to setting out drawing).

Parts: FN-6-138(4) Screws and Fixings: PZ 4x40(24) Insert the FN-6-138 panels vertically into the slots of FJ-30. Use a mallet to ensure FN-6-138 meets FB-6-39. Screw through FJ-30 into FN-6-138.

Parts: FN-6-114-S(2), FE-26(2) Screws and Fixings: PZ 4x40(4), PZ 4x50(6) Slide FE-26 flush against the outer faces of the edge FN-6-138 panels. Screw horizontally through FE-26 into FN-6-138 with PZ 4x40’s. Set FN-6-114-S into the grooves of FJ30. Use mallet to ensure panel is flush. Screw vertically into place using PZx50’s.

Parts: Foundation block(30) Place setting out blocks in correct position within the excavated area (refer to setting out drawing).

Floor box completed. Repeat process of steps 4-6 a further 8 times to obtain an accumulative amount of 9 floor boxes.

Parts: F5 Place setting out blocks in correct position within the excavated area (refer to setting out drawing).

Parts: FJ-30(2), FB-6-39(1) Screws and Fixings: PZ 4x40(22) Insert the FJ-30 panels into the grooves of FB-6-39.Using a rubber mallet ensure gaps between panels are closed. Screw in PZ 4x40’s along the longer edge of FB-6-39 securing the panels together. Rotate the box so that FJ-30 is on the floor.

Parts: FE-30(1), FJ-30(2) Screws and Fixings: PZ 4x50(22)

Parts: FEN-1-150(6) Screws and Fixings: PZ 4x40(12)

Insert the FJ-30 panels into the grooves of FE-30.Using a rubber mallet ensure gaps between panels are closed. Screw in PZ 4x50’s along the longer edge of FB-6-39 securing the panels together.

Insert the FEN-1-150 pannels vertically into the slots of FJ-30. Use a mallet to ensure FN-6-138 meets FB-6-39. Screw through FJ30 into FN-6-138.

Floor box edge completed. Repeat process of steps 8 and 9 another time to obtain an accumulative amount of 2 floor edge boxes.

Parts: Floor Box(9)see step 7

Parts: WF-6-9(1) Screws and Fixings: PZ 4x40(26) Insert the WF-6-9 face panel into the grooves of the partly constructed box. Using a rubber mallet ensure gaps between panels are closed. Screw in PZ 4x40â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s along the face panel ensuring the screws are not protruding from the surface.

Small wall box completed. Repeat process of steps 14 and 15 a further 23 times to obtain an accumulative amount of 24 small wall boxes. Store in a clean environment.

Screws and Fixings: Coach Bolt M10x100(144), Washer M10x100(144) Secure each of the floor boxes together with M10x100 coach bolts and washers. Do not over-tighten.

Connect both the WV-12 and WH-6 side panels together via the tongue and groove system. Using a rubber mallet ensure gaps between panels are closed.

Place floor boxes along foundation blocks ensuring they each rest on 6 of the blocks (refer to setting out drawing provided).

Parts: WV-12(2), WH-6(2)

Parts: Floor box edge(2) see step 10 Screws and Fixings: Coach Bolt M10x100(18), Washer M10x100(18) Place floor box edge along the shorter side of the adjoined floor boxes and rest on foundation blocks (refer to setting out drawing provided). Secure to adjoined floor boxes with M10x100 coach bolts and washers. Do not overtighten. Repeat Steps ... and ... to connect other floor box edge to adjoined floor boxes

Parts: WH-3(2), Wv-12(2) Connect both the WH-3 and WV12 side panels together via the tongue and groove system. Using a rubber mallet ensure gaps between panels are closed.

Parts: WF-3-12(1) Screws and Fixings: PZ 4x40(32) Insert the WF-3-12 face panel into the grooves of the partly constructed box. Using a rubber mallet ensure gaps between panels are closed. Screw in PZ 4x40â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s along the face panel ensuring the screws are not protruding from the surface.

Thin large wall box completed. Store in a clean environment.

Parts: WV-12(2), WH-6(2) Connect both the WV-12 and WH-6 side panels together via the tongue and groove system. Using a rubber mallet ensure gaps between panels are closed.

Parts: WF-6-9(1) Screws and Fixings: PZ 4x40(28)

Parts: WV-12(2), WH-3(2) Connect both the WV-12 and WH-3 side panels together via the tongue and groove system. Using a rubber mallet ensure gaps between panels are closed.

Parts: WF-3-9(1) Screws and Fixings: PZ 4x40(28)

Thin small wall box completed. Store in a clean environment.

Insert the WF-3-9 face panel into the grooves of the partly constructed box. Using a rubber mallet ensure gaps between panels are closed. Screw in PZ 4x40â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s along the face panel ensuring the screws are not protruding from the surface.

Insert the WF-6-9 face panel into the grooves of the partly constructed box. Using a rubber mallet ensure gaps between panels are closed. Screw in PZ 4x40â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s along the face panel ensuring the screws are not protruding from the surface.

Large wall box completed. Repeat process of steps 20 and 21 a further 21 times to obtain an accumulative amount of 22 large wall boxes. Store in a clean environment.

Parts: Large wall box(1) see step 22, Small wall box(1), see step 16 Screws and Fixings: Coach Bolt M10x100(6), Washer M10x100(6) Connect the large wall box with the small wall box ensuring that the face of the small box overlaps the edge of the long box. Secure with M10x100 coach bolts and washers. Do not over-tighten.

Parts: Adjoined floor boxes Screws and Fixings: Coach Bolt M10x100(8), Washer M10x100(8)

Place wall boxes on adjoined floor box edge. Secure boxes to adjoined floor box with M10x100 coach bolts and washers. Do not over-tighten.

Place connected wall panels onto corner of adjoined floor panels. Secure With M10x100 coach bolts and washers. Do not over-tighten.

Parts: Large wall box(3) see step 22 , Small wall box(4) see step 16 Screws and Fixings: Coach Bolt M10x100(28), Washer M10x100(28)

Place both large and small boxes along perimeter of adjoined floor panels (refer to setting out drawing provided). Secure each box to the adjoined floor boxes with M10x100 coach bolts and washers. Do not over-tighten.

Screws and Fixings: Coach Bolt M10x100(36), Washer M10x100(36)

Secure neighbouring boxes together using M10x100 coach bolts and washers. Do not over-tighten.

Parts: Large wall box(2) see step 22 , Small wall box(3) see step 16 Screws and Fixings: Coach Bolt M10x100(26), Washer M10x100(26) Connect the small wall box with the adjoined large corner wall box ensuring that the face of the small box overlaps the edge of the long box. Place beside other wall boxes on floor box edge. Secure corner boxes together and secure each box to the adjoined floor boxes with M10x100 coach bolts and washers. Do not over-tighten.

Screws and Fixings: Coach Bolt M10x100(24), Washer M10x100(24) Secure neighbouring boxes together using M10x100 coach bolts and washers. Do not over-tighten

Parts: Large wall box(5) see step , Small wall box(4), see step Screws and Fixings: Coach Bolt M10x100(36), Washer M10x100(36)

Screws and Fixings: Coach Bolt M10x100(54), Washer M10x100(54) Secure neighbouring boxes together using M10x100 coach bolts and washers. Do not over-tighten

Parts: Large wall box(1) see step 22, Small wall box(1) see step 16, Large thin wall box(1) see step 19 Screws and Fixings: Coach Bolt M10x100(10), Washer M10x100(10) Place wall boxes on adjoined floor box edge. Secure boxes to adjoined floor box with M10x100 coach bolts and washers. Do not over-tighten.

Screws and Fixings: Coach Bolt M10x100(18), Washer M10x100(18) Secure neighbouring boxes together using M10x100 coach bolts and washers. Do not over-tighten

Parts: Large wall box(1) see step 22 , Small wall box(1) see step 16 Screws and Fixings: Coach Bolt M10x100(6), Washer M10x100(6) Connect the large wall box with the small wall box ensuring that the face of the large box overlaps the edge of the small box. Secure with M10x100 coach bolts and washers. Do not over-tighten.

Screws and Fixings: Coach Bolt M10x100(8), Washer M10x100(8) Place connected wall panels onto corner of adjoined wall panels to construct second level. Secure with M10x100 coach bolts and washers. Do not over-tighten.

42 38

Screws and Fixings: Coach Bolt M10x100(44), Washer M10x100(44) Secure neighbouring boxes together using M10x100 coach bolts and washers. Do not over-tighten

Adjoined wall panels and flooring

Parts: Large wall box(4) see step 22, Small wall box(4) see step 16 Screws and Fixings: Coach Bolt M10x100(32), Washer M10x100(32) Place wall boxes on adjoined floor box edge. Secure boxes to constructed wall panel with M10x100 coach bolts and washers. Do not over-tighten.

Parts: RJ-30(2), RB-30(1) Screws and Fixings: PZ 4x40(22)

Parts: RN-6-series(1) Screws and Fixings: PZ 4x40(24)

Parts: RB-6(2), FE-26(2) Screws and Fixings: PZ 4x40(4), PZ 4x50(6)

Insert the RJ-30 panels into the grooves of RB-30.Using a rubber mallet ensure gaps between panels are closed. Screw in PZ 4x40’s along the longer edge of RB-30 securing the panels together. Rotate the box so that RJ-30 is on the floor.

Screws and Fixings: Coach Bolt M10x100(38), Washer M10x100(38) Secure neighbouring boxes together using M10x100 coach bolts and washers. Do not over-tighten.

Parts: Large wall box(5) see step , Small wall box(6) see step, Small thin wall box(1) see step Screws and Fixings: Coach Bolt M10x100(46), Washer M10x100(46) Place wall boxes on adjoined floor box edge. Secure boxes to constructed wall panel with M10x100 coach bolts and washers. Do not over-tighten.

Insert the RN-6-series panels vertically into the slots of RJ-30. Use a mallet to ensure RN-6-series meets RB-30. Screw through RJ-30 into RN6-series.

Slide RB-6 flush against the outer faces of the edge RN-6-series panels. Screw horizontally through RB-6 into RN-6-series with PZ 4x40’s. Set FE-26 into the grooves of RJ-30. Use mallet to ensure panel is flush. Screw vertically into place using PZx50’s.

Roof box completed. Repeat process of steps a further 8 times to obtain an accumulative amount of 9 roof boxes.

Parts: REJ-30(2), FEJ-30(1) Screws and Fixings: PZ 4x50(22)

Parts: REN-1-series(1) Screws and Fixings: PZ 4x40(12)

Place roof box across wall panels ensuring they balance evenly. Secure the roof box to the wall panels with M10x100 coach bolts and washers. Do not over-tighten.

Parts: Roof Box(8)see step 46 Screws and Fixings: Coach Bolt M10x100(208), Washer M10x100(208) Place roof boxes across wall panels ensuring they are balanced evenly. Secure the roof boxes to each other internally and the wall panels with M10x100 coach bolts and washers. Do not over-tighten.

Insert the REJ-30 panels into the grooves of FEJ-30. Using a rubber mallet ensure gaps between panels are closed. Screw in PZ 4x50â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s along the longer edge of FEJ-30 securing the panels together.

Insert the REN-1-series panels vertically into the slots of REJ-30. Use a mallet to ensure REN-1-series meets FEJ-30. Screw through REJ-30 into REN-1-series.

Parts: Roof Box(1)see step Screws and Fixings: Coach Bolt M10x100(8), Washer M10x100(8)

Parts: Roof Box edge(1)see step 49 Screws and Fixings: Coach Bolt M10x100(72), Washer M10x100(72) Place roof box edge along the edge of the adjoined roof boxes. Secure to neighbouring roof boxes and constructed wall with M10x100 coach bolts and washers. Do not over-tighten.

Roof box edge completed. Repeat process of steps 5 and 6 another time to obtain an accumulative amount of 2 roof edge boxes.

Completed ModPod structure. Use this time to tighten all coach bolts.

Parts: Selected wall insulation Cut insulation strips external facing boxes Ensure minimum gap is tween the edge of the and box.

to fit into tightly. left beinsulation

Parts: FF(9) Lay floor boards down internally. Ensure that the each floor board sits exactly over the earlier constructed floor boxes. Use a mallet to push the boards tightly in the corner and to ensure all floor boards are flush.

Parts: REJ-30(1) Screws and Fixings: PZ 4x50(44) Insert the REJ-30 panel into the grooves of the roof edge boxes. Using a rubber mallet ensure gaps between panels are closed. Screw in PZ 4x50â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s along the longer edge of REJ-30 securing the panels together.

Screws and Fixings: PZ 4x40(360) Once the floor boards are positioned correctly, use the Pz 4x40â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s to secure the floor boards to the floor boxes. Screw into countersunk holes.

Parts: Selected floor insulation Cut insulation strips to fit into internal facing floor boxes tightly. Ensure minimum gap is left between the edge of the insulation and floor box.

Parts: W1-E(1), W1-I(2), Screws and Fixings: Wood glue, quick fix clamp Apply a sensible amount of wood glue to a surface of W1-E. Glue W1-I to this surface. Use the quick fix clamp to assist bond and leave to dry for one hour. Release the clamps and apply a sensible amount of wood glue to the exposed face of W1-I, to it attach W1-I and re-clamp the frames. Be sure to wipe of any access glue around the borders. Check wood glue drying instructions and leave to dry for the appropriate time.

Floor insulation completely installed.

Parts: SW glass panel Once the frame has dried place the SW glass panel into the allocated slot carefully

Parts: W1-E(1) Screws and Fixings: Wood glue, quick fix clamp

Apply a sensible amount of wood glue to the exposed face of W1I, to it attach W1-E and re-clamp the frame. Be sure to wipe of any access glue around the borders. Check wood glue drying instructions and leave to dry for the appropriate time.

Parts: W3-E(1), W3-I(2), Screws and Fixings: Wood glue, quick fix clamp

Apply a sensible amount of wood glue to a surface of D1-E. Glue D1-I to this surface. Use the quick fix clamp to assist bond and leave to dry for one hour. Release the clamps and apply a sensible amount of wood glue to the exposed face of W1-I, to it attach W1-I and re-clamp the frames. Be sure to wipe of any access glue around the borders. Check wood glue drying instructions and leave to dry for the appropriate time.

Apply a sensible amount of wood glue to a surface of W3-E. Glue W3-I to this surface. Use the quick fix clamp to assist bond and leave to dry for one hour. Release the clamps and apply a sensible amount of wood glue to the exposed face of W3-I, to it attach W3-I and re-clamp the frames. Be sure to wipe of any access glue around the borders. Check wood glue drying instructions and leave to dry for the appropriate time.

68 Parts: LW glass panel

Parts: W3-E(1) Screws and Fixings: Wood glue, quick fix clamp

Parts: Selected door insulation Cut insulation strips to fit into external facing door slots tightly. Ensure minimum gap is left between the edge of the insulation and door frame.

Parts: D1-E(1) Screws and Fixings: Wood glue, quick fix clamp Apply a sensible amount of wood glue to a surface of D1-I. Glue D1-I to this surface. Use the quick fix clamp to assist bond and leave to dry for one hour. Be sure to wipe of any access glue around the borders. Check wood glue drying instructions and leave to dry for the appropriate time.

Once the frame has dried place the LW glass panel into the allocated slot carefully

69 65

Parts: D1-E(1), D1-I(2), Screws and Fixings: Wood glue, quick fix clamp

Parts: RV-12(2), RV-9(2) Connect both the WV-12 and WH-3 side panels together via the tongue and groove system. Using a rubber mallet ensure gaps between panels are closed.

Apply a sensible amount of wood glue to the exposed face of W3I, to it attach W1-E and re-clamp the frame. Be sure to wipe of any access glue around the borders. Check wood glue drying instructions and leave to dry for the appropriate time.

Screws and Fixings: PZ 4x40(12) Using a rubber mallet ensure gaps between panels are closed. Screw in PZ 4x40â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s securing the panels at the edges. Repeat the process a further two time to obtain an accumulative amount of 3 window boxes.

Parts: Window box(3) Screws and Fixings: Coach Bolt M10x100(24), Washer M10x100(24) Use the coach bolts to connect the three window boxes together. Do not over-tighten

Parts: Constructed window boxes Screws and Fixings: PZ 4x40(48)

Parts: Window lintel(1), Window head(1) Screws and Fixings: PZ 4x40(24)

Slide the constructed window boxes into the window opening. Use Pz 4x40 screws to secure the window boxes around the perimeter.

Place the window lintel along the bottom of the window ledge. Screw into the window boxes with Pz 4x40 screws. Place the window head along the top of the window opening. Screw into the window boxes with Pz 4x40 screws.

Screws and Fixings: 15x8 hinge(3),PZ 4x50(12)

Screws and Fixings: 15x8 hinge(3),PZ 4x80(12)

Lift the constructed window into the window opening and rest parallel to window boxes. Secure window by screwing in hinges to the top of the window and into the window box with Pz 4x50.

Lift the constructed door into the door opening. Secure door by screwing in hinges along the right edge of the door frame with Pz 4x80.

402359 5685 ENGLISH Important information Read carefully. Keep this information for further reference.

FRANÇAIS Information importante A lire attentivement. Conserver ces informations pour un usage ultérieur.

WARNING

AVERTISSEMENT

Serious or fatal crushing injuries can occur from furniture tip-over. To prevent this furniture from tipping over it must be permanently fixed to the wall.

Risque de blessure grave en cas de chute du meuble. Pour éviter que le meuble ne bascule, il faut le fixer au mur de façon permanente.

DANSK Vigtige oplysninger! Læs omhyggeligt. Gem disse oplysninger til senere brug.

Day .1 02/10/2017

Summary: Met Nick from Studio Bark / Met client / Project brief / Program breakdown / Settled into accommodation / Site introduction / Workshop (workspace) design Start Time: 12p.m. End Time: 5p.m. Working time: 5 hours.

We met as a group in front of university entrance at 9.00 a.m., with plans to leave by 9.30 a.m. to make it to our first meeting with the Studio Bark team on time. Some delays occurred, with a number of factors resulting in us only leaving by 10 a.m. The drive to Bicester took nearly 2 hours, and we made it on time for our first meeting with Nick Newman, one of the people on Studio Bark’s team that was stationed on site. Godfrey Brandt, our client, came shortly after we arrived and we were all introduced to one another. Godfrey showed us the site, and tells us of the plans he have for the Modpod and how he and his wife intends to do with the space. Godfrey is a writer; he writes mostly educational and research papers. But he considers himself a creative, and is working to become a fictional writer. He will be using the Modpod as a creative writing space. His wife, Pauline Brandt (who was not present at this point) plans on using the Modpod as a place to practice her yoga. Lunch time came around and Godfrey brought the 4 girls to the place where we would be staying in for the next two weeks while we work on the build. The boys proceeded to have lunch as they were staying at a separate place. After dropping off our luggage at the accommodation, the girls left for lunch with Godfrey. Everyone gathered and took this opportunity to get to know the client. We returned to the site at approximately 2p.m. and had Nick brief us on the project and what tasks we will need to carry out over the next 2 weeks. Among other things that he spoke about was; Site safety: He went over a list of basic site safety rules. (see page 26) Emergency contact: We were required to provide him our details and that of our preferred contact in the case of an emergency.

Roles on site: Nick stresses how important it is to assign everyone a role to carry out on site. Among the roles he mentioned was; Project lead, CDM, Program manager, Site manager, Cook, Person responsible for waste and Documentor. A detailed description on each role can be found on page --. Site office: Nick showed us Studio Bark’s site office. It was constructed using the same methods that we were going to use for the Modpod. The site office was located behind a house designed by them using the same modular system. Site facilities: Located nearby the site of fice was the toilet, changing room and site canteen. The Modpod design: We were shown a 3D representation of what the Modpod should look like once fully assembled – sans any façade treatment. Before we could begin building the Modpod on Godfrey’s site, we needed to first separate, gather and deliver the materials from Site A (Studio Bark’s site office and ongoing project) to Site B (Godfrey’s site). We also had to disassemble part of the workshop space Studio Bark had set up on Site A, to bring and re-assemble to fit into Site B. Aside from that, we also needed to prepare a 3D model on Sketchup to assist us in building the covered workshop space. This 3D model will help us make any decisions regarding the design of the workshop, and inform the components as well as the dimensions of what we will need to build it, as well as provideing us with the ability to truly assess its structural integrity. We split into 2 groups; 4 working to disassemble the workshop on Site A, and 2 working on the 3D model using the computer in Studio Bark’s site office. Before we wrapped up for the day, Nick had everyone look at the 3D model to assess it. Once everyone agrees with the design, we discussed a starting time for the next day. Then everyone left for their accommodation.

Nick’s briefing

Visiting the ‘Black House’

Getting to know Site A

Getting to know Site B

Day .2 03/10/2017

Summary:

Site A cleanup / Transporting materials and tools / Delimiting ground area for excavation / Excavation / Assembling and building workshop space / Receiving modular pieces from CNC cutters

“Vocab”: Site A – Studio Bark’s original site in the area. Located plot 3 houses/land apart from the Modpod site. Site B – Modpod build site 9, belonging to our client Godfrey & Pauline Brandt. Start Time: 8.30 a.m. End Time: 6.30 p.m. Working time: 10 hours.

We arrived on site at 8.30 a.m. First order of business was to clean up Site A; we began with removing the obstacles in our path and placing every extra bit of scrap material in an organised pile. Then we gathered all the materials we needed and might need to start building the workshop space in Site B. All materials were loaded onto the van, provided by Studio Bark, and then driven from Site A and unloaded onto Site B. Once all the materials were unloaded, the team began delimiting the ground area to excavate accordingly to the original plan for Modpod shed. *insert photo* We marked the boundaries of the land where the shed will be built on by putting stakes into the ground and tying a length of rope along all four corners, thus creating a clear rectangular indication of the excavation site. We discussed with the client, Godfrey, on what he would prefer us do with the excess soil that was going to be dug out. Nick suggested raised beds, and he agreed. Excavation was done manually throughout; using shovels and spades. This task required the involvement of everyone on the team, as it is physically draining and because it needed to be done before we could start with anything else. We soon discovered that our method of digging was ineffective, and that we desperately needed a systematic plan to carry out the task more efficiently. After our lunch break, we had decided amongst ourselves what we thought would be the best way to continue digging. What we did before: Everyone kept digging in a “scattered” manner, digging out soil from different points within the boundary and piling the dug out soil onto the center – resulting in the soil returning to its original state when someone steps on or walks on them.

What we did after: We would all continue digging in one direction, and have the dug out soil to be immediately collected in a wheelbarrow and relocated to a designated pile (close to where Godfrey plans on having raised beds) on site. Separately, on the side, Nick began building parts for the workshop. He was assisted by one of us at any given time as we took turns digging and assisting him. The workshop area needed to be built on a level surface, to ensure comfort and safety as we worked on the site. So before finalising each component of the workshop floor, each of its surface was levelled. The workshop area was built using pallets and pieces of cut wood transported earlier during the day from Site A. The workshop area and also the site, needed to be covered and protected from the possibility of rain. Thus why the workshop structure included a “canopy” or a roof, to help ensure the site remains dry and safe for everyone. Part of the structure intended to hold up the roof made use of the readily available Heras fencing surrounding the site boundaries. The pieces that would go on top the Heras simultaneously while the digging continued.

fences

were

built,

We exceeded our own expectations and managed to complete the excavation process in one day. However, it was then pointed out to us that the boundary we had determined earlier was slightly inaccurate; and as result of this, we had to update the boundary to its correct measurements and the next day, continue digging around the periphery of our excavated site. Nick informs us that we are ahead of schedule. We drew conclusions from the day, and left for our accommodations.

Morning briefing

Site A clean up

Reviewing Workshop 3d Model

Assembling Workshop Structure

Day .3 04/10/2017

Summary:

Continue excavation / Build ground workshop area / Clean excavated grounds / Arranged foundation blocks / Sew tarpaulins for workshop covering / Erect workshop structure / Level foundations

Start Time: 8.30 a.m. End Time: 7.30 p.m. Working time: 11 hours.

The day began with us continuing with where we left off. Some parts of the site still needed to be excavated due to an error from the day before. Digging continued for the next hour or so, after which, we cleaned up the surface of the excavated site in preparation for the foundation blocks. Once that was done, we grouped ourselves into separate tasks as they was a lot to be done on the day. Some of us worked on levelling the excavated grounds; important, as it will ensure the entire structure would be built and assembled on levelled surface. This task was done using the help of a laser leveller. Foundation blocks needed to be put in place (3 rows of 10) and levelled with a 5mm tolerance. All the laser measurements were recorded in our notebook. By the end of the first and half of the second row of foundation blocks were put in place and at the right height, though not yet levelled. Some of us had the task of joining two separate pieces of tarpaulin together (one new and one re-used from Site A) since the one we had on hand was not enough to cover our entire workspace on site. It needed to be extended by at least 2 metres in length and width. The tarpaulin was joined by “sewing” them together using a length of rope, and then using tape to cover up the gaps and holes to ensure its water-resistant quality remains intact for the entire build. The day was particularly windy, so it required everyone’s help to fold the tarpaulin in preparation for its installation. Another group of us worked with Nick on assembling the workshop’s components. The floor/ground portion of the workshop was completed first, followed by preparing the components of the roof structure that would eventually cover the site. Towards the end of the day, all the remaining components of the workshop was ready. The task of erecting the entire structure required everyone on site to work together – and that included our super hands-on client, Godfrey.

The process of putting the structure up was complicated, risky, and time consuming. But Nick’s guidance teamed with everyone’s amazing effort – the structure eventually stood in place and soon began to take shape. Today was the longest time we spent on site thus far, and it was dark by the time we’ve secured the workshop structure.

Positioning Foundation Blocks

Levelling Foundation Blocks

Assembling work area

Day .4 05/10/2017

Summary:

Structure fell / Rebuilding the structure / Level foundation blocks / Assemble wall and floor boxes / My Grand Designs team introduction

Start Time: 9.00 a.m. End Time: 6.30 p.m. Working time: 9 hours

We arrived on site to news that the structure we built had fell down during the night due to strong winds (>60mph). We were also introduced to another Studio Bark team member, Tom Bennett. It was mostly Tom and Nick that worked on rebuilding the structure and reinforcing it with braces, etc. When it was complete, everyone came together to spread out and secure the tarpaulin over the structure using reinforcements. Work on levelling the foundation blocks continued and subsequently completed. We were also introduced to Wilf, the founder of Studio Bark. Wilf taught us how to assemble the modular floor and wall boxes. We got into two teams; each working on the wall and floor boxes respectively. The crew from â&#x20AC;&#x153;My Grand Designsâ&#x20AC;? came today to follow up with the progress on site. They filmed the team carrying out different tasks and interviewed Godfrey on what he thought about our participation in the Modpod project. The whole team needed to sign a non-disclosure agreement, stating that we not only agree but approved of potentially being on TV. The rest of the day was spent assembling the floor and wall boxes. We got most of it done, leaving only some left to do the next day.

Day .5 06/10/2017

Summary:

Assemble remaining wall and floor boxes / Place Damp Proof Membrane over foundation blocks / Position and bolt floor boxes in place / Drill roof boxes / Position first row of wall boxes / Cover building for safety over the weekend

Start Time: 8.00 a.m. End Time: 4.00 p.m. Working time: 8 hours

Immediately upon arriving on site, everyone set out to put the rest of the wall and floor boxes together. We completed this task before noon. Under Tomâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s guidance, the Damp Proof Membrane (DPM) was rolled out over the excavated site and the foundation blocks. It needed to be folded over twice to prevent it from any rips and damages. The purpose of putting down the membrane is to avoid moisture from raising up onto the floor boxes. The floor boxes are then assembled along the boundaries of the site and bolted together. It is important that the floor boxes be assembled in a manner that would ensure it is airtight. The sides of the floor boxes were also assembled and put in place by bolts. Some of the wood boards that makes up the roof we received from the CNC miller were missing some holes, so it had to be done manually by drilling through it. Once the floor boards were fully assembled, the first row of wall boxes were arranged in their correct positions before being secured by bolting. Since we would be returning to London over the weekend, we had to leave the site earlier than usual. Before we did, we had to make sure everything was covered under sheets of tarpaulin so that if it were to rain at any time during the weekend, everything we had worked on, and every other parts and unbuilt components of the building would be safe from rainwater and moisture. Every tool and equipment were loaded onto the van, and we left for London at approximately 4.00 p.m.

Day .6 09/10/2017

Summary:

Placing side wall boxes / Rectify major error / Assemble roof boxes / Place roof boxes/ Put insulation into first row of wall boxes

Right

Start Time: 8.00 a.m. End Time: 6.00 p.m. Working time: 10 hours Wrong Some of us had arrived to Bicester the night before while the rest drove from London the same morning. Upon arrival, we removed the tarpaulin covering whatever we had built the week before. We also began working on putting the side wall boxes into place. But then we noticed some design errors; The floor plate which supports the wall boxes raises slightly as it is only screwed and bolted in on one side. The raise creates a gap, thus threatening the whole structureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s airtightness and waterproofness. This was an error in assemblage â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the floor plate that was in place was the ones that were wrongly cut, and the corrected ones were stored somewhere in Site A. Due to this problem, the wall boxes sat within the boundaries, not leaving enough space for the floor boards to fit in between. It also causes the small side of the wall boxes to not fit with its length and floor plan. The problem had to be rectified before we could move on with other tasks. We suggested a number of solutions that would fix the problem without the need to disassemble whats been put on in order to save time and energy, but unfortunately the Studio Bark team were persistent that the only way to do was to take the wrong pieces out and replaced with the correct ones. While on team worked on rectifying the problem, another team worked on assembling the roof boxes. There were 9 pieces in total. After the error was corrected, all wall boxes could finally be put back into its place. All the pieces now fit perfectly as as should. The wall boxes were then bolted together, allowing the instalment of the roof boxes on top of it. We also began stuffing the walls with insulation, but restricted to only the first row of boxes.

Day .7 10/10/2017

Summary: Secure wall boxes / Prepare window frames Square-ing the building / Cladding workshop / Cladding prototyping Start Time: 8.30 a.m. End Time: 5.00 p.m. Working time: 9 hours

Today, the walls were all screwed in and fixed to their positions. We began preparing a 3-pane window frame, but first had to match bolt distances on both the frames and those of the wall boxes. The distances were 60mm to the first bolt, followed by intervals of 150mm). The roof boxes were put in, and held closely together by nuts and bolts before tightening. It was then that Nick realised that the building was curving, and not perfectly square. He took it upon himself to rectify the problem by unbolting the walls and roof boxes and then hammering, pushing and pulling the structure into place. While Nick worked on making the building square, he instructed that we have a workshop amongst ourselves to design and decide on a cladding design. Everyone brainstormed and sketched a number of cladding ideas, which were then presented to each other. We voted for a favourite from each one of our designs and set off to make a 1:1, 1200x600mm prototype. Some of our designs are similar to one another, so only 3 ideas ended up being made into a prototype. Those designs belonging to Austin, Iara and Wassim. Once all the prototypes were completed, it was presented to Nick, and everyone listed the pros and cons of each design and consider how it would be built if it was chosen as the final design. While the designs are all beautiful, some poses more problems than others when it comes to the matters of constructing it. The building was squared and with that all the wall and roof boxes were rebolted. We continued to put insulation in all the remaining wall boxes and on the floor boxes as well. Once all the floor boxess are filled with insulation, the floorboards were put in place on top of them. The side roof boxes were put in place and bolted them at the bottom and on the sides. The top part was left open to allow other bolts to be put in.

Day .8 11/10/2017

Summary:

Insulate walls and floor / Tidy up site / Secure Damp Proof Membrane / Secure breather membrane / Cladding discussion / Brief workshop on properties of wood

Start Time: 9.00 a.m. End Time: 6.00 p.m. Working time: 9 hours

We finished placing all the wall insulation. Wilf briefed us on what is left to be done. The exterior floor and roof gaps are filled with insulation â&#x20AC;&#x201C; but this time using Udiflex, a different type from that put into the wall boxes. Everything was bolted on, and tightened and the floorboards are finally screwed into place with a 1mm gap between each one. We were asked to tidy up the site to prevent the strong winds from blowing pieces of plastic and card away. The Damp Proof Membrane (DPM) was stapled to the wall boxes in order for the breather membrane to lie on top of it. We had to ensure that no staples or sharp bits were present so to prevent the breather membrane from getting damaged. The breather membrane also needed to be stretched as tightly as possible before being stapled in place. Having all agreed on one cladding design the day before, we presented it to Wilf. Wilf then spoke to us about the properties of wood, and more importantly how it could move and change with time. After reviewing the cladding prototype, both the favoured one from the day before and the other two prototypes, it was concluded that neither one of them would work. So everyone came up with a new design that we thought was not only equally beautiful, but simple to construct, less problematic and long-lasting.

Window frame assembly

Day .9 12/10/2017

Summary:

Cut counter battens / Do 3D model of cladding design / Tape breather membrane onto roof deck / Put in roof insulation / Put Butyl roof membrane in place / Sand window frames / Begin front door assembly / Cut window reveals / Set out cladding placements / Fix counter battens onto frame / Insulate big window.

Start Time: 9.00 a.m. End Time: 6.30 p.m. Working time: 9 hours

Since we were pressed for time, with only 2 days left to finish the ModPod, Wilf put everyone into teams with very specific tasks to carry out for the day. But first, everyone needed to load the van with wood pieces to be cut into counter battens and cladding and move them to Site A – where it would be prepared and cut into size. The breather membrane was secured to the roof deck using Illbruck tape, followed by placing the roof insulation – that was glued down with silicone gun, felt glue and later, plain silicone. Then the butyl roof membrane was put on top. The window frames and exterior door pane was sanded down to create a nice, smooths surface and then they were treated with Osmo oil. We began assembling the front door. Over on Site A, 32 pieces of counter battens were cut down to 2410 mm, and a 3D model of the cladding design was made in order to determine the right number of wood pieces and the lengths we would need them in. Counter battens were transported to Site B. After that, we began cutting down cladding pieces to its required dimensions. Window reveals were also cut as per the drawings provided. The reveals, sill and head of the 3-pane windows were installed. One batten was used as reference to set out cladding posiition. The battens are fixed onto the building’s frame and then the big window is insulated using foam tape. The workshop was taken down.

Cutting roof insulation to size

Ensuring all bolts are tightened

Assembling door

Taking down workshop structure

Securing roof insulation to structure

Day .10 13/10/2017

Summary:

Treat windows / Cut remaining cladding pieces / Treat door / Mark cladding placement / Install main door / Install all windows except one / Cladding assembly / Tidy up the site

Start Time: 7.30 a.m. End Time: 9.00 p.m. Working time: 14 hours

Began the last official day of the build being briefed by Wilf, and then set out to carry out separate tasks in groups. All tools were unloaed onto the van â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in order for more cladding pieces to loaded onto it and transported to Site A to be cut to size. The treated windows were sanded carefully to remove dirt and grit, and then treated again with osmo oil. The door was now ready and then insulated. It was then sanded down and treated with osmo oil after. Silicone was administered along the window sides, and the remaining window reveals were cut according to its specifications. The counter battens are all installed onto the structure, and then using chalk line, we marked the required placement of the claddings on them. We finished cutting all the cladding pieces and moved them all from Site A to Site B to prepare for installation. The main door is installed, and so was the big and 3-pane window. The fixed single pane window could not be installed as the correct head was not found. We began assembling the cladding, but unfortunately could not finish because some pieces can only be fixed until the windows are completely done. Screws from scrap wood were removed to be recycled and reused. Its also to prevent any accidents from happening. All materials on site were left neatly stacked and organised inside the Modpod in case of rain. The structure above the Modpod and the workshop area were disassembled and then tarpaulins were folded and moved to Site A for safekeeping. All tools were loaded into the van and dropped of at Site A before we left for London. The Modpod was not completed at the end of the day, despite us staying over until late. We would then later organise a day where we could return to Bicester and work on any remaining thing that needed to be done.

Chalk marking

Day .11 18/10/2017

Summary: Install all remaining claddings / Obtained more screws / Cut out wood pieces for windows / Install window. Start Time: 9.00 a.m. End Time: 8.00 p.m. Working time: 11 hours

Only 4 out of the 6 of us managed to come to Bicester to complete the Modpod. We left London at 8.00 p.m. and reached the site at approximately 10 a.m. We immediately began claddings. But before supplies, specifically so we had to drive out

working on putting up the remaining that, we discovered we were short on screws, needed to secure the claddings an acquire them.

Unfortunately we ran through a number of problems; a supply shop ran out of the screws we need, and another shop gave us the wrong ones, resulting in us having to turn back around and lose some precious time. Most of us worked on the cladding, while the other helped Tom with cutting out pieces needed for the windows and actually installing the window in its designated spot. We finished all the cladding and installed all the windows, but since we didn’t have the components and materials needed to continue any other type of work (fixing the door, putting up levers for all the windows, etc.) on the Modpod, we had no choice but to leave Bicester before the shed was truly complete. Before leaving Bicester for London, all of us helped clean and tidy up the site. We took photos of the “final” product of our work over the past 2 weeks and a day and left.

Conclusion During the construction week we, as Group 8 contributed in the making of Studio Bark’s U-build MODPOD shed project. When going into the process and learning more about the core material CNC, we came up with a strategic and efficient process to our workflow that helped us to keep up on track of time. Issues that had occurred; digging, levelling, CNC frame, panels, bending, cracking and unusable scrap material due to knots.

Structure As first-time builders for the shed project, we had come up with some issues in relation to the ground levelling. We have overcome this issue by repeating the levelling process with the laser twice for each of the concrete blocks. Originally, the aim was to place twenty concrete blocks to level out the shed but whilst working on this task, we had taken a quick decision to add an additional ten concrete blocks to the central area. This decision was taken due increasing stability in the structure. Whilst fitting all the CNC blocks together, we had started to screw the blocks in place. Unfortunately, we had realised that this process was not a useful one and that we had to unscrew the joints, whilst still keeping the bolts in place. This was due to enabling much more of a flexible structure whilst we put all the parts in place. Once we had proceeded onwards with fitting all of the pieces in place, we then had to repeat the process for screwing the joints.

Cladding Before our cladding construction begun, Wilf, one of the directors at Studio Bark had given us an introductory insight of the core wood cladding rules and regulations were. Our core cladding material was Western Red Cedar. After the introductory session, we had a quick design workshop session where each of the team members sketched ideas of their design ideas for the cladding. As a group we had decided on three of the many ideas we had shown each other. Once we had decided on the chosen designs, we were given the task to construct a small area of the design onto the current structure of the building to visually see how the design would look and to have an insight of how long the process would take for each of these designs to be constructed. Once this workshop was done, Wilf went through all the designs with us to teach us how the cladding would absorb water and how it wouldn’t. Unfortunately, we had realised that all of the three designs were not reliable for the long-run of the shed and that we had to come up with an additional design. Our final design was designed on a sketch-up model with Wilf’s approval and our cladding construction had begun from then onwards.

Equipment The equipment we have used during the construction was borrowed partially from the wood workshop at our campus and partially from Studio Barks equipment’s. We all individually were required to purchase our own site clothing and handy equipment’s. The required equipment we were informed to bring with us by Studio Bark was: - Stanley knife - Good quality 5m tape measure (cheap ones that don’t measure properly will be thrown into the abyss) - Pack of carpenter’s pencils - 5 pack of site gloves (ideally rubberised one side) - 1 pair of protection glassesv

Summary In the two week process, we learnt a lot about teamwork and communication. It was important to some members of the team that we all contributed to the project. This project taught us the importance of learning through making. The construction week allowed all team members to experience working on a real life project. We were able to gain knowledge and skills through working with the CNC and the Western Red Cedar materials. Overall, at the end of the two-week process, we managed to complete most of the tasks we were set out to do in the beginning. There were problems we had faced with the CNC base material and Western Red Cedar panels, time and equipment. As a team, we believe that we accomplished our tasks well and are really appreciative of the Studio Bark team and University of East London for giving us this opportunity.

Appendix Team Members & Roles

The ModPod construction team was made up of 4th Year UEL students and 3 members of Studio Bark which supervised, aided and taught which construction methods to use. UEL students: Austin Joseph, Aylem Boyraz, Elizabeth Olubaju, Iara Silva, Nurul Zainal, Wassim Ajouz Studio Bark Architects involved Meynell, Nick Newman, Tom Bennett

with

the

project:

Wilf

ROLES: Throughout the 11 days, all members of the team took it upon themselves to ensure the safety rules were followed and that each team member had, by the end of the construction, performed each of the key role in order to ensure a smoothly ran construction site. Project lead – Under the responsibility of the Studio Bark members & Godfrey Brandt (client). The lead was the first point of contact for any problems that might arise, that being the reporting of accidents or injuries, clarifying any doubts regarding the use of tools, machinery and building methods, signing any deliveries, disclosing any visitors or assigning roles to the students. CDM – (Construction, Design & Management) – Person responsible for checking if the site conditions and team members comply with health & safety regulations, carrying out risk assessments and coordinating with the project’s lead whenever necessary to confirm and implement any health & safety regulations or to attend to any hazardous situations. The 2015 CDM regulation, appoints the architect and the contractor has the people responsible for this role. Program manager – Usually it is the person who needs to ensure that the set out program is being followed, checking the progress of what has been done and what needs to be done in order to ensure that the overall project will be finished on time. For this particularly project, this program check was done by all team members in every morning briefing, lunch break briefing and end-of-day meeting in which the goals and key targets for the following day were set. The program Asana was used at times by project leads to aid with the listing and distribution of tasks. Site manager – Person responsible for organizing all tools and ensuring they are safely put away at the end of the day. Usually also the person responsible for signing any deliveries and keeping records of any purchases, stock checks and receipts but in this project the latter task was also managed by the project lead.

Cook – Person responsible for gathering all food supplies, cooking meals and clearing after lunches and tea breaks. However in this project each team member preferred to be responsible for their own lunches and therefore there was no need for a designated Cook. Recycling/Waste - Ensuring there are bins on site to aid with the separating of waste and that each bin is used correctly – separating card board and plastic, metal, wood and general waste from each other and making sure a tidy site is kept throughout the day. Documentor – Person responsible for documenting the key moments in each construction stage – either by notes, photographs or video.

Timber Workshop Before choosing the final cladding design, Wilf Meynell gave the UEL team a small lecture on the usage of timber in construction so that we would have a better understatement of how timber can and should be used on buildings. ‘’People do not like timber cladding in London because they think it’s not durable. It’s not durable not because the wood is bad but because it hasn’t been designed right’’

Hardwoods and softwoods The trees which remain green all year around, ‘Evergreens’ produce softwood and those that shed their leaves during winter time produce hardwoods and are called Deciduous. However there are woods such as Balsa wood which is although it is classified as a hardwood, it is one of the lightest, least dense woods that can be found, as well as Poplar which is actually a hardwood but due to its softness is usually used the for the same purposes as softwoods. Normally hardwoods, such as Oak, are used for structure and softwoods tend to be used for cladding.

What is the difference between hardwoods and softwoods? We learned that most rotting timber buildings are that way due to poor detailing – generally small gaps, known as water traps that allow for water to gather behind the cladding visually damaging the wood. For the cladding we used Western Red Cedar due to its qualities: being grown in the UK, being a soft wood which is grown fairly slow and has got little lateral movement as well less knots than other softwoods.

Why do we have knots in bad wood and not in good wood? It has to do with management. A good forest management includes cutting the branches off annually or every two years by a good forester who will cut the branch at a certain angle which prevents water from running off the cut, stopping rot from going into the knots - the cutting of branches will push the tree to grow straight, reason why all the ‘good’ un-knotted wood exists in the first 100m of a tree.

Why are knots bad? Knots affect the technical properties of wood – reducing the local strength and increasing the possibility of splitting along the grain and due to their stiffness, they advance movement of wood which generally moves around the knot.

The trees which remain green all year around, ‘Evergreens’ produce softwood and those that shed their leaves during winter time produce hardwoods and are called Deciduous. However there are woods such as Balsa wood which is although it is classified as a hardwood, it is one of the lightest, least dense woods that can be found, as well as Poplar which is actually a hardwood but due to its softness is usually used the for the same purposes as softwoods. Normally hardwoods, such as Oak, are used for structure and softwoods tend to be used for cladding.v

Which woods are better? For hardwoods, Oak is one of the strongest timbers in the UK, although if you want to use a hardwood for cladding, the most durable one is Sweet Chestnut. In terms of softwoods, Western Red Cedar, Douglas Fir and Larch wood are all very good quality timber. ‘If you’re working in a particular country, why wouldn’t you try and use the wood available there? You’re gonna cut down air miles, you’re gonna boost in local economy. Think of it in that sense.’ ‘Wood is not simple, wood has got so many different characteristics and it can vary from species to species, from tree to tree, from one board to the next, so you gotta take that into consideration when you design’ ’A lot about designing with wood is about allowing it to do what it wants to do. Don’t try to stop it. With steel and concrete, in some ways, you can be quite restraining with what the material is doing, if you try and do that with wood, it’s just going to destroy either itself or something else.’

Reflection University of East London Students

Austin Joseph I consider myself to be very hands on when it comes to construction so I was very excited to begin this task. I had previously worked as a labourer to gain relevant experience on site before returning to university and I enjoyed all aspects of it. The opportunity to design something and to then be involved with the construction is an experience all architects should participate in. As I feel I had I already gained the experience the university was hoping to pass on to their students during this task, I stepped into the process with the expectation of building a large modular structure which was more about constructing than design. At times it was hard to work with a team as everybody entered the experience with different expectations, level of skills and ability, especially in a labour intensive setting. For the majority of the two weeks we found ourselves working in sync but not always. I quite enjoyed the challenges of trying to resolve problems we found with the panels through no fault of our own. It forced us to think quickly and to make the best decisions out of limited options although some of our resolutions I disagreed with and found quite frustrating. I would attempt to change the mind set of people from the beginning of the two weeks. The project ended up taking longer than we had anticipated as the same effort we showed towards the last few days wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t shown throughout. Collectively we continued to leave site as close to the end of the day rather than ensuring we had finished the daily necessary tasks. Due to this we had to return to site for one extra day where we had taken the project as far as we could have. I feel the project went well overall, I left the site knowing I had assisted building a fantastic structure that our client was most pleased with. I learnt a lot in the two weeks about myself, my abilities and my field of study and hope to apply that to my career.

Aylem Boyraz Previously in my architectural studies and career, I have always, to some extent, lacked knowledge in the making process rather than the conceptualising process. For this reason, Construction Week 2017 has been a very eye-opening experience to me. I am glad to have been involved with such project due to it exposing us on new and innovative methods to construction. Throughout the project and processes, I began to understand every step from the beginning till the end, on how to cut the wood, sanding, drilling and assembling. Before the construction, I could say that I was first intimidated by the tools and fear of doing it wrong and wasting usable materials. However, with guidance from the Studio Barkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s team, it was a smooth and on-going process overall. Other than this, we were all fully equipped for this task and all knowledgeable in each task that we had took onwards due to given workshops and useful tips. I found this extremely useful as we, student architects, are always designing for either the concept or the purpose rather than being hands-on with materials etc. From designing to building it with raw materials in two weeksâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; time was truly challenging but also very satisfying to witness the end product. Working as a team was very crucial for this project and I believe that all of our team members have contributed evenly throughout our stay at Bicester, Oxfordshire.

Elizabeth Olubaju Exciting and educational, that is the way I can describe the construction week. I was happy at the opportunity to see a full construction process from foundation to completion in two weeks! And for it to be our first project on the course was a good starting point. It’s one aspect to design a building as an architect in the making, however it’s more fun to actually be involved in the process of building the structure you or someone else has designed. It was a lot of hard work; especially with the digging of the foundations but teamwork was excellent and each team member is unique in their ability and we all had a lot to offer towards the ModPod project. The studio bark team also provided enough support and imparted knowledge as we were building along. Overall, it’s an amazing time away from home.

Iara Silva I found the construction week extremely fun and educational. I have always been a fan of timber but having the opportunity to build with it, learn more about it and understand its textures, versatility and flexibility was beyond interesting and insightful, as well as having the ability to work on an actual building site was amazing. Going away for two weeks with a group of people I had only known for one day was interesting, at first I was a bit apprehensive but I ended up having a brilliant time working and getting to know all the wonderful people I got to share these weeks with, from my team mates to the Studio Bark team and the clients. During the ModPod building there were a few hiccups, especially certain conflicts that arouse between group members which I believe delayed the whole project a bit, but a project without any problems, isn’t a fun one and overall I had a wonderful time expanding my construction knowledge and actually building something.

Nurul Zainal

Wassim Ajouz

I have always felt that as architects we are often disconnected from our work – and more so when I started working for a practice after graduating with my degree. So what makes Studio Bark unique is their active and “present” involvement in their projects.

I had a good opportunity to learn various things on site which is a different learning experience to theory or attending class at university. I had a good chance to work with my who were very helpful and co-operative. Studio Park were very helpful and their team advised us of many things which I was not aware off. I had a great opportunity to learn about different materials while I was working on site such as insulation, digging and working with a laser leveler, Moreover, I learnt how to construct the shelter and other stuff. In my point of view every student should work hands on in this way as it is an invaluable experience. I am sure that the skills we learnt will continue to benefit us throughout our careers.

I value the experience of working with Studio Bark in Bicester and learned a lot during my time there. Working on site is challenging; the weather for one – it was cold, windy and some days, wet as well. But most of the time, the challenge presents itself in the form of unforeseen circumstances. As a team we learned that things are not (possibly even never) going to go exactly as planned. Earlier during the build, we were ahead of schedule. But later, as the tasks grew more complicated and we began to encounter a number of complications, it became really difficult to tick all the boxes we needed to on a day to day basis. There was a time we felt that Studio Bark didn’t make the right decision and in making that decision, our progress was being pushed backwards. But in hindsight, and once we begin to think and discuss it more openly with other people – the lesson to learn in that situation isn’t who to blame and how we got into that sticky situation but instead to start thinking of solutions, and ways to rectify it or make it better. By acknowledging that mistakes and errors will happen regardless of what we do to prevent it, we would then be more accepting of it – and thus able to handle the matter as positively as possible. Aside from that, this experience has also exposed me to a number of tools and equipment that while I have used before, I have never had a chance to truly familiarise myself with. Additionally, I learned about the properties of wood, what components make up what is essentially, a building in its most simple form and the importance of teamwork. To wrap it up, my construction week was fun, insightful and incredibly tiring. And while I loved it, I’m glad that it is coming to an end.

Reflection

The client: Professor Godfrey Brandt. FRSA This group of students undertook to build my ‘modpod’ under the direction of the architectural practice Studio Bark and executed it with alacrity and commitment. Though the practical skills needed for this task was not necessarily their skill set as “student’ architects, they approached the necessary tasks with a high degree of professionalism and enthusiasm and I am sure this helped them to understand the whole process of architecture; design; build.

Building Design The group handled those design tasks which were within their control with some skill as well as the necessary humility and deference required for achieving the best result. This was especially evident in the design of the cladding for the building on which they worked together with unity and a matching sense of purpose. The building of the protective cover to facilitate the build was an exercise in cooperation which they all embraced in the face of some difficulty – difficulties which they did not let deter them but rather to rally their creativity in finding a solution to the problems.

Group relations As a group they had to negotiate a difficult set of relations with people with whom they had not worked before and whom they had not even met before. That meant they were negotiating a difficult set of interpersonal relations while at the same time, completing a very complex and demanding task. I would say they did this with a certain grace and efficiency which is to be admired. This fact is exemplified by the successful completion of the task, to which some of them had to return in order to complete the job. It perhaps took longer than expected, for many reasons, but they followed it through well ‘beyond the call of duty.

Client satisfaction As a client, I was very satisfied with their performance on site and I was very happy with the degree of dedication and professionalism they displayed in turning up for ‘work every day. As a non architect, I cannot evaluate their work in terms of architectural practice but what I can say is that they seemed to me to approach the situation with a high degree of professionalism and pride and generally supported each other despite any difficulties that might have been encountered.

Client satisfaction In conclusion I can assert that I have been very happy with these students’ contribution to my project and with how they worked together to achieve this.

Thank you to all involved.

November 2017