(pdf)week 9 journal

Week 9 In this week’s studio, we were made to create a scale drawing of our element, but then turn it into a 3-dimensional drawing. My attempt was futile as i did not know what my element looked like in real life as i was unable to reach it (on top of a 3-storey roof), so I was unable to visualize it adequately to create an accurate drawing. My attempt was not too bad though considering this problem, i just tried to elongate some of the edges and in the end I was actually really happy with it.

Details: The details of the drawing were pretty straight forward after looking over it a few times.

The drawing was a skylight situated between and existing brick wall, and a steel roof deck.

Timber board used internally for fixing of walls. This is capture by an aluminium angle attached to a box section which carries the glass roof. Timber is used as it has high connectivity and cohesion with other elements of the structure such as doors, more windows or plasterboard for the walls. A silicone seal is fitted under the brick wall flashing to prevent and water that does seep in from getting further into the structure.

Waterproofing Waterproofing is equipped fittingly into this element as it is exposed to high levels of rainwater due to it being exposed directly to the external environment. Colorbond flashing is installed on both the side attached to the existing brick wall as well as above the roof deck. This protects the entire internal component of the roof structure from detrimental effects caused by water i.e. rust, leakage, dampness.

Pros & Cons The skylight provides natural lighting to the particular area below it. It also acts as a slight

temperature control as well as just serving an aesthetic purpose.

One con of the skylight is that during summer on hot days, it may make the room below warmer by letting in sunlight and heat. This creates the need for air conditioning which wastes energy and money.

Sustainability The element employs a heavy use of steel which has a very high embodied energy (20.10 MJ/kg), and aluminium which is extremely recyclable as it can be reused in any product which contains aluminium, but has a ridiculous amount of embodied energy and CO2. It produces around 15.6 tonnes of CO2 per tonne of aluminium produced as well as having 155 MJ/kg of embodied energy.

Economic Implications Steel can be used for rapid construction which saves both time and cost as less labour is needed. The element is reasonably cost effective given it’s numerous uses, although, when sustainability is taken into account, reconsideration may be needed as it’s production isn’ very good for the environment Areas for failure Things that could go wrong are: - The flashing: the flashing, if not installed properly will cause massive amount of rainwater to seep under the roof structure and cause all kinds of problems such as dampness of drywall which affect integrity of ceilings primarily, leaks and rusting.

- The glass could crack and allow various unwanted organisms such as insects into the premises as well as letting water in and affecting internal climate control.

- There’s always the issue of connection, so if connection of beams, bolts or frames is not done properly, it may greatly hinder the integrity of the structure as a whole.