Matt's Construction Blog

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Hot/Humid Architecture

Bringing an aspect of Architecture 2A across to Construction here is an article on architecture in a hot/humid climate. The group i was in for Domus chose this climate and so i thought i'd post an article up here showng what its all about.

http://www.architectureweek.com/topics/humid-01.html

World's tallest road bridge opens

As i chose to do my Major Assignment on Norman Foster, i figure it worth posting here a milestone that he had back in 2004. As the title says, the world's tallest road bridge was opened, designed obviouly by the great man himself.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/france/story/0,11882,1373426,00.html

KOSKY ANNOUNCES GREEN BUILDING TECHNOLOGIES CENTRE FOR BALLARAT

In Ballarat, $300,000 will be spent on a Building and Construction Specialist Centre to be based at the University of Ballarat TAFE Division. Steve Bracks announced this last year and it is to focus on sustainable living.

http://www.legislation.vic.gov.au/domino/Web_Notes/newmedia.nsf/b0222c68d27626e2ca256c8c001a3d2d/b99c4175c63057f7ca2571b8007f48da!OpenDocument

West Midlands Building Technology Cluster

As building technolgies rapidly evolve, it is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that we will all be able to accommodate these changes. Just because an new technique or technology for instance is discovered, does not mean it can easily be transitioned into every day society. This article explores the changes being made in the West Midlands area to accommodate such changes.

http://www.azobuild.com/details.asp?ArticleID=2850

New Building Technologies Can Reduce Quake Impacts

"The greatest tragedy of the December 22 earthquake in California was the deaths of two women who tried to flee a century-old building as the shaking began. For most people, the 6.5 magnitude event was an expensive nuisance requiring minor repairs to buildings. But three days later Iran was struck by a magnitude 6.6 earthquake that turned the entire city of Bam into a moonscape, killing at least 41,000. Much of the difference in outcomes lies in the technology used for building construction."

This is an interesting read on how composite materials, particularly in walls and roofs, can reduce the impact that earthquakes have and the damage they can potentially cause.

http://www.fas.org/main/content.jsp?formAction=297&contentId=60

Site # 2 Visit

Fo my second site visit i went to the new commercial/residential site of 'Torquay Central'. This is a site for what will be apartments, stores and offices etc to which i think Dermet Brereton has the Penthouse! Steel framework is the main structural element with the use of concrete sheeting.

Edit: Sorry about the first image, for some reason it loaded it at a right angleand i don't know how to change it so if you could please just tilt your head to the right that'd be appreciated....

In this first image you can see the way in which th tilt up panels are supported while they are setting. The steel rods support the approximately 3 metre sheets for a given duration of time that allows the panel the time to gain it strength to support itself.

This second image shows the steel structural elements. The pitched roof is supported by these steel members. The rafters are seen travelling perpindicular to the purlins and also its incorporation with the concrete panels.

Third image shows similar elements to the previos image but here we can see the columns and stanchions and the connecting rafters. Obviously not a Poral Frame construction as there are far too many columns, but it is an interesting site to see the various methods for using steel, not just for long span constructions.

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Norman Foster

Well i finally got around to choosing the architect i'm going to be using for my Major Assignment. After loking through some of his work i chose to use Norman Foster.

http://www.designboom.com/portrait/foster/bio.html says:

"His remarkable buildings and urban projects
have transformed cityscapes, renewed transportation
systems and restored city centres all over the world.
many of these aesthetically and technologically
groundbreaking projects are based on ecology -
conscious concepts, setting new standards for the
interaction of buildings with their environment.
among his recent projects are some of the most
remarkable architectural projects of the last years,
including the reconstruction of the reichstag in berlin,
the design of the great court at the british museum
in london, the millennium bridge (the first new thames
crossing for more than 100 years), and the new
hong kong international airport - the world’s largest
airport terminal."

After looking through several of his projects such as the redevelopment of the Reichstag in Berlin and "The Gherkin" as it is so fondly referred to as. Its proper name is 30 St Mary Axe which serves as the London headquarters for Swiss Re, it is apparant that he has a fondness for glass and rather interactive curves, although a design such as the Hearst Tower shows his experimentation into angles. There appears to be no difinative conclusion to whether he prefers curves or angles, so there is some freedom to play with design in that aspect, but to not use glass predominantly, would be to completely go against Sir Norman Fosters great work.