Week 3:
Today we went to have a look at some buildings around the University. The Architecture building spans over six levels and 17,488 square metres. Downstairs in the basement there are a two 120 seat lecture theatres and one 500 seat lecture theatre. There is a hanging studio in the atrium with a capacity of around 30-‐50 students. The library is down in the basement, with study spaces on the level 1 atrium. The rest of the floors from 1-‐5 are tutorial rooms and staff/academia offices, with access by 2 flights of stairs and 5 lifts. Structural components of the building The building has a basement level and 5 floors. The basement retention system consists of 12m bored piles with ground anchors and a capping beam cast on top of them. The basement has a reinforced suspended slab and the rest of the floor slabs from Ground, 1-‐5 are Bondek composite slabs with post tensioned 600mm beams. The columns in the building are all precast to save time compared with insitu and the lift and stair core are also precast panels. Concrete panels with a smooth white off form finish are cast in to the slab beam system (shown on the right). These act as shear walls and are precast with mesh as reinforcement. Later the outer zinc façade screens will be bolted with 4 x M20 High strength bolts to the panel which will connected it. The façade serves no structural purpose and is a layer for aesthetics. Lastly for the Joseph Reed Façade (below) that is being incorporated in to the new design is being supported by a retention system to prevent it stability from lateral loads until structurally attached to the rest of the building. This retention system consists of temporary and permanent system of steel UB and UC (similar to the Oval Pavilion Canopy). The permanent retention system is cast in to the slab and welded with angled brackets and stitch plates.