Management of the Building Engineering Processes, and Control of Effective and Safe Construction Practices - Research Paper Example

Research Paper 82 Baker Street Project Research Paper for the degree of Bachelor of Science in Building Engineering and Fire SafetyTable of Contents Research Paper i 82 Baker Street Project i Author Name i 1 Introduction 1 2 Commissioned Building Systems 2 3 Conclusion 9 References 10 1 Introduction Refurbishment and part rebuilding of 82 Baker Street is an ongoing project that started six months ago. The scope of works for the project is internal refurbishment that is done through several phases. The client appointed Faithdean plc as the building, construction and Management Company to undertake the contract. The project phases are as follows; Insulation of appropriate scaffolding that supports the building facade as the building is being developed Demolishing of internal walls and floors of existing building Strengthening various parts of the building and the internal columns Reposition the equipment on the roof building Install new secondary false floors Remove supporting scaffolding Construct new roof on some part of the building Complete floors and internal walls of the structure Install building related services Install and commission fire safety equipment and services Commission the building. Since the project is ongoing, there are some phases of the project that have been completed. 1.1 Scope and Objectives The main objective of commissioning buildings is to ensure that the building design is constructed and operated successfully. It is a systematic process that ensures that the final product performs according to the intended design, contract documents, and the client’s needs. The purpose of this research paper is to investigate and develop a clear understanding of management of the Building Engineering Processes, implementation, monitoring, and control of effective and safe construction practices. The aspects at hand are fire safety, environmental issues, green roof, inspection and test plan, and construction related matters. The exercise will develop problem solving skills and resolutions in complicated technical issues encountered during project execution. 2 Commissioned Building Systems 2.1 Fire Safety Appropriate fire alarm and detection system installation design must consider the number of occupancy of the building and means of escape. The building is to accommodate 600 people. Since the building is for commercial purposes, escape means relies on phased evacuation and requires staged alarm systems (Table A1 BS 5839-1:2002) 2.1.1 Fire Alarm and Detection Systems Since the building is a commercial one, the design should incorporate suitable electrically operated fire warning systems with manual call points adjacent to exit doors with enough sounders clearly audible in the building. The building has offices and property and must be fitted in accordance to category L systems (protection of life), M manual alarm systems, and P for property protection. The L3 category fits the building because it gives warning of fire at early stages to enable the occupants to escape (Approved B 2007, p.20). To cater for the physically challenged, a vibrating paging system should be installed. Fire detection systems and alarms must be automatic and meet the BS 5839-1 regulations. 2.1.2 Escape Routes The plan has inner rooms such as kitchen, utility, WC, and bathrooms. Therefore, not more than one door should separate the rooms from interlinked smoke alarm and the access rooms should not be a kitchen. External doors or windows to egress and a protected stairway are incorporated to lead to final exit. The design has incorporated balconies and flat roof since it is more than 4.5m in height. The flat roof is part of the building and is to have an access to storey exit or external escape. Openings within the escape route should be within 3m and offer 30min fire resistance. The travel distance for in the plan from entry to habitable rooms is less than 9m and the cooking facilities in the kitchen are far from the entrance door. The plan allows installation of fire doors with the bathroom being separated by fire-resisting construction materials. The habitable rooms have direct access to entrance hall but within 9m access. The escape routes are well equipped with natural smoke ventilation. The vents on external wall have a free area of 1.5m². The plan also provides for more than one stairway 1100mm wide located with fire resisting enclosure. The stairways discharge directly to final exits around the building. 2.1.3 Horizontal Escape Routes The storey building has occupancy of 600 people and therefore requires more than one escape route which is provided for in the plan. As a commercial building, a travel distance not exceeding 18m with a maximum travel distance of 45m in more than one direction is catered for in the plan (Approved B 2007, pp.30-34). The minimum number of escape route for the building should be 2. The plan has more than two escape routes. The plan has four exits 850mmwide. This means that the exits will accommodate; The ground floor offers the storey’s final exit. To enable maximum evacuation flow rate equal to the building, the following calculation is done; ) where W is width of final exit (metres), N is number of people served by ground floor storey exit; S is stair width in metres. In this case, the ground floor serves 600 persons and the exit stair is 1.2 m. Therefore the final exit is; ( 2.1.4 Vertical Escape Routes Refuges offer safe waiting areas for a short period of time. The plan has a refuge at the protected stairway enabling direct access to the stair providing accessibility of 900mmx1400mm for a wheelchair. Emergency voice communication system (EVC) should be fitted to assist the occupants to seek for assistance (The Building Regulations 2000 2004, pp. 4-15). Since the building has six floors, its stairway width can be calculated as follows; Where p is number of people to be served, w is width of the stairs, and n is number of storeys served. For this case, the number of storeys served is six. Therefore the width of the stairs is calculated as follows; The maximum travel distance to the exit door should be 27metres and 18 metres to the stairway with a maximum floor area of 90m² (Approved Document B 2007, pp.45-53). 2.2 Environmental Issues For most green roofs the main pollutant source is wet and dry deposition. Researchers have revealed that much of the nitrogen and phosphorous that enters water bodies through water runoff brought about by atmospheric deposition. The guidance offered includes: I. Pollution prevention guidelines: this will offer guidance on how to manage fire outbreaks, water and other spillages that can arise; this guideline has the objective of reducing the effects that may be caused by surface flowing water and fighting fire within the shortest time possible. II. They are also designed to secure the health, safety, welfare and convenience of those that will be in and around the building and those that may be affected by the pollution caused. III. To ensure that contractors work in order to help in conserving energy and power at all costs. IV. The regulations also ensure that there is effort to minimise the wastage of water, undue consumption and prevent misuse and the contamination of water (Evans 2010, pp. 54). In accordance to Building Regulations 2010 that has always been reviewed since 1984 so that it can meet the rapid growth demand for better, safer and more accessible buildings, it emphasizes that in every building that is constructed there should be: An increase in thermal insulation that will assist in conserving and reducing global warming (Wakefield council, working for you, web) Roof Plan The sixth floor has terraced roof, while some areas of the plan has flat roofs. Two tenant plant space and AHU space are made available. The fifth floor terrace roof is made of glass which is an eco-friendly construction material. However, the design does not cater for storm water harvesting techniques and other greenhouse technologies. 2.3 Independent Learning: Green Roof Research has shown that there is a large amount of nitrogen and phosphorous emitted to the environment from the storm water, this has led to several practices of water treatment practices that work to reduce the or clear these chemicals from water. Storm water has a great contribution to the pollution of surface water and the pollutants are: pesticides from farms, oils and petroleum products, chemicals and sediment. The contamination by the agents causes the death of aquatic plants and animals, contamination of domestic water and deaths of other wild animals. Green roof is one of the methods that have been put in place by the NC Environmental Management Commission to reduce the amount of nutrients that get into the estuarine water. The best option was the green roof because it makes good use of the space that is not on the ground and is made a layer of media that has been covered by vegetation. This helps conserve the environment by tapping water that falls into it then soak the media then drain from through a drainage that is put below the green roof media. The plants are selected to suit the depth, type of the media and the climate of the area that it is to be put. The media has a filter fabric layer that functions as a sieve to retain the fine particles from leaving the media. It also has a water retention mat that keeps the water and nutrients during the dry seasons from draining from the media. It also has a root barrier that prevents roots from penetrating into the membrane of the roof that works the purpose of waterproofing. Green roofs have several benefits which include: Retaining rain water Reduce the rapid flow of rooftop runoff Helps to reduce the temperatures of the roof surface. Reduces the costs of building energy. Extend the life of the roof covering It provides a platform for relaxing and recreation for the occupants of the building especially in areas that are congested. Despite the many benefits that the green roof provides to the environment, it also has its drawbacks like: There construction is more expensive compared to conventional roof tops, this is n caused by the materials that will be used in its construction, the skilled labour that will be required to install it, the structural support that will have to be offered to the green roof. ( Hathaway, Hunt, Jennings 2008, pg 18) Materials and Methods used to construct Green Roof The different researches that have been carried out on several green roofs shows that they are constructed differently: The green roof at Wayne Community College in Goldsboro, NC, has an area of approximately 70M², was constructed using gravel ballast, the rooftop was divided into two such that one half was unchanged so that it could operate as a control roof, and the other was changed into a green roof. The depth of the media had an average of 75mm, the plants that were included on the site were from various species like Sedum album, Sedum spurious etc. The hydro drain that was used for this roof was 300 with a Floradrain FD40 with a system filter SF layer ( American Hydrotech, Inc., Chicago, III, no date) was used. The other roof was at Neuseway nature Centre in Kinston, NC, had an area of about 27M², it was pitched to 3% and had a media that was 100mm deep, The data collection is later monitored by collecting samples from the roofs to monitor the drainage. After the tests were carried out it was observed that both the green roofs retained 64% of the total rainwater, and each of them reduced the peak flows by more than 75%, and they all substantially delayed the start of outflow that was noted to have began after several hours of continued rainfall. The results showed that green roofs were: Good BMPs for the retention of water. Effective devices that could be used in the control of the peak flow of rooftop runoff. To reduce runoff of storm water is essential in all watersheds in nature centres. After the installation of green roofs the concentrations of TN (total nitrogen) and TP (total phosphorous) were seen to be higher in the roof outflow than in the rainfall. Green roof outflow had higher concentrations of TN and TP than in the control roof outflow (Hathawa, Hunt, Jennings 2008, pg 43) The results of the quality of water showed that the media of the green roof was acting as a source of nutrients which was observed that the nitrogen and phosphorous leached from the media into the green roof outflow. A study was carried out at NCSU (North Carolina State University) and it discovered that nitrogen and phosphorous leaching could be effectively reduced by mixing compost with soil. (Moran, 2004). More research is yet to be done so that the optimal media is determined so that areas where there is a great concern on storm water quality can be able to know the standards of the design (Hathaway, Hunt, Jennings 2008, pg 44). 2.4 Inspection and Test Plan Building commissioning is a process clearing new buildings and document that the materials used in constructing, the systems and amenities that have been installed function as expected and the building satisfies the wants of the client and the people that will be using the building. This involves: Documenting the design of the systems in the building, how they operate and carrying out tests that will lead to the verification. Ensure that the occupants of the building receive training on the systems and how they can be maintained. A building verification test is a set of tests carried out on newly constructed buildings so that they can be commissioned. Test that are carried out for the verification of the building include: I. Sound insulation testing: the Part E of Building Regulations requires that buildings should provide resistance to the passage of sound and a sample of each of the dwellings on the building has to be tested prior to completion so that it can be seen if they meet, exceed or do not meet the Part E standards. The person taking the test should have approved qualifications and affiliations. The test is carried out on the floors and the walls and it is necessary that when the building that is on sound test is completed and sealed, they will not experience any leakages through the windows and the doors. II. Mechanical ventilation airflow rate testing: Requirements of Part F of Building Regulations 2010 requires that there should be: Adequate means of ventilation that are provided to those that will occupy the building. The systems that will be fixed to offer mechanical ventilation and other controls that are associated to this will have to be commissioned and adjusted to meet the regulation requirements. III. Pressure testing is a way of determining the air leakage of a building. The need to test pressure of a building is to: Know the effectiveness of air barriers. Presence of openings. Usage of energy in the building. Building comfort (Bochat & Emory, 2008). IV. Sampling of material: Testing of materials is done by the local authority where a sample of the materials that is intended to be used for construction is taken for testing so that they will be able to approve that the materials meet the regulations of the site. V. Electronic service of documents: The ministry confirms the electric installation meets the IEE Regulations. VI. Building envelope testing is the process of testing the air tightness, the test takes measures of the air leakage rates through a building envelope under pressurization and depressurization that have been put under control (International Code Council 2006, pp. 90-110). 2.5 Construction and Related Matters Construction management is the process of coordinating, planning and putting a project in control from when it starts to when it ends. The major issues that the construction managers should look up to in a construction company is to: Make sure that the furniture and other facilities on site are arranged appropriately The facilities that are used on site like the routes used by staff, equipment, sanitary, the aids used in communication are all clean and functioning. Carry out auditions on the equipment on site and making sure that they are maintained. Staff that is to be employed on site should be trained on how to work in a construction site, for the machine operators, they should be made aware of the new machines that are brought on site that they may not be familiar with and other devices that could be of assistance to them. Ensure safety measures and escape routes are in order and should also have a first aid kit is on site. Ensure that the security services are highly maintained so that the equipment and people on site are safe and to keep off unauthorised personnel, this will help them be protected from liability. This is according to Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992. Always update the workers on what is going on at the construction sites through memos or their websites to minimize inconveniences as much as possible (Building for Everyone, BS 8300:2009). The construction manager should also ensure that the order of construction is followed Make sure that the materials that arrive on site are checked to be sure that they are what the regulations recommend. Plans and specifications of the project are given priority. The finished building is protected from weather and any other distractions. The builder is supposed to inform the client on when the building is expected to have been finished. And the client should also be informed on the delays that may occur due to: If there are any other constructions the contractor is working on. The availability of subcontractors The weather Delay of material delivery Storage of materials: After materials that arrive on site are considered appropriate they should be stored and handled well. Timber is one of the major materials that should be stored in a dry place instead they will rot. Measures that should be taken when storing materials are: Cover them from weather Handle well when carrying from the truck especially cement, lime etc. Materials should not be stored on the ground because it would cause dampness. Materials should be stored on even surfaces to check warping. The place of storage should not allow for sweating or escape and absorption of moisture The materials should not be used as platforms while working. Disposal of Waste Material and Rubble Waste material at a construction site should be assessed. The aim of the assessment of waste materials is to: Know clearly the source of the waste material, volume, quality and the timing of the wastes from the activities in the site. After assessment a recommendation can be made on how the waste will be controlled in accordance with the legal and administrative requirements for the disposal of construction waste, this may also include the ways on how to reduce the waste, how it can be reused and recycled. Put measures for the disposal of the inert materials and waste that may arise from the site. How Waste Material and Rubble should be handled in compliance to Regulations The clearing of the site and demolitions if any. This causes concrete rubble, plastics, metal, glass, and asphalt from the surfaces, wood and other refuse. These materials should be sorted and grouped into inert and non-inert material. (Environmental Impact Assessment 2006, pg 8-2). Material that has been excavated and these may have contaminated sediments. (Environmental Impact Assessment 2006, pg 8-3). For wasted concrete, the solid waste concrete can be recycled and used as a base for the pavement around the building. Waste wood. This may arise from wood that has been used as falsework, formwork and scaffolds. Wood should be sorted from other waste so that it is re-used until its quality is not suitable for re-use again. The material is not allowed to be burnt in the open as it is banned by the Air Pollution Control Ordinance, Open Burning Regulation (Environmental Impact Assessment 2006, pg 8-5). Chemical waste like paints, lubricants, solvents engine oils etc.: in case the construction process produces chemical waste, the contractor should register with EPD as a chemical waste producer. The handling, storage transport and disposal of the waste will be in accordance with the packaging, labelling and storage of chemical wastes that have been published by the EPD (Billington, Bright & Waters 2007, pg 8-6). Sewage: Mobile toilets may be provided for site staff, the contractor must ensure that arrangements are made for the collection of the sewage by the government. The disposal will have to be in order with the Technical Memorandum on Effluents Discharged into Drainage and sewerage Systems, Inland and Coastal Waters (Building Regulations 2000, p. 7). Installation of scaffolding and cranes Scaffolding is a temporary platform that is constructed to support workers that are working at heights above the ground and material in the construction of buildings. The contractor must make sure the scaffolds are built from strong material to ensure safety of the workers. The contractor should also know the factors to put into consideration when selecting the type of scaffold: The load that the scaffold will carry The condition of the site The height to which the scaffold is to be erected The scope and type of the work that will be done while using the scaffold. The period that the work will take. The access equipment that will be used to reach the platform (Long, Y. & et. al. 2006, pg 21-25). 3 Conclusion 3.1 Summary The Building Regulations have been put in order to give guidance to builders who want to erect a new building, add an extension to an already built building, or change the usage of a building. To ensure safety and health of the people in or around the building is protected, the builders have to follow the Building Regulations. The regulations relate to the stability of the structure, fire safety and offers choices o the means of escape, and how the building should put into consideration of the disabled, resistance to weather, insulation, drainage, handling waste materials, etc. The regulations also give guidance on how the construction would be done without affecting the environment or reduce the effect. Each building that is done must be inspected and commissioned before it starts operation. The regulations are always reviewed often due to climatic changes and for this reason the builders should be updated on regulations that have been put. 3.2 Evaluation The fifth floor meets the regulations that have been put for the disabled because it has a wheelchair refuge that will be of safety to them and a WC that has the regulations that have been put for the facilities of the disabled. It also has risers and a lift that will be used for fast movement up and down the building. The glass roof will be effective in lighting the rooms. Fire safety has been checked by the provision of automatic smoke curtain in the second floor, this will be effective by preventing the movement of smoke and heat to other areas of the building in case there occurs a fire. The ground floor has a number of fire exits, an escape hatch from the basement, lifts refuge and its ceiling has a line of fire curtain, these avenues make the building occupants to be safe from fire. There is a bin storage zone that makes it environment sensitive. The second floor has a solar thermal panel that may be used as a collector for the solar radiation that will be converted into energy that will be used for heating water, this is an effective means of saving energy. It also has a latchway system that will provide protection in case something falls. The structure has a revised column location, lift shaft modifications, 13 new columns, four lifts, wheel chair refuge, and three lifts. The disabled are also considered in access systems of the structure. The design for the roof is environment friendly since the building has flat roof in some areas, glass roof, roof terrace, and roof light areas. This enables the building to use solar as a source of energy. References Alderson, A. (2010). Stairs, Ramps and Escalators: Inclusive Design Guidance, Centre for Accessible Environments, London; UK. Pp. 80-85. Billington, M. J., Bright, K. & Waters, J. R. (2007). Building Regulations: Explained and Illustrated, John Wiley& Sons, London; U.K. Bochat J. & Emory P., (no date). Building Envelope Pressure testing, National Environmental Balance Bureau, NEBB. Evans, H. (2010). Guide to Building Regulations, RIBA Publications, London; U.K. Hathaway, A. M., Hunt, W. F. & Jennings, G. D. (2008). A Field of Green Roof Hydrologic and Water Quality Performance, American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, Vol. 51 (1). ASABE Inc., New York, NY; U.S.A. Pp. 37-44. International Code Council, ICC (2006). 2006 International Building Code, International Code Council, Inc., London; UK. Pp. 90-110, 180-199, 201-223. Long, Y. & et. Al. (2006). Environmental Monitoring and Audit (EM & A) Manual, 382047/E/EMA/Issue No. 5. Hong Kong. Pp. 5-1 to 5-9. The Building Regulations 2000 (2004). Access to and use of buildings, Approved Document M, U.K. pp.4-15, 24. The Building Regulations 2000 (2006), Fire Safety; Approved Document Vol. 2 Buildings other than Dwelling houses, U.K. pp. 33, 54,55,59. The Building Regulations 2000 (2010). Ventilation, Approved Document F, U.K. pp.24-34. The Building Regulations 2010 (1998). Protecting from Falling, Collision, and Impact, Approved Document K, U.K. pp. 15-25. Wakefield council, working for you, web: http://www.wakefield.gov.uk/CouncilAndDemocracy/Performance/Policy/EqualityAdDiversity/EqualityDuty/default.htm. Accessed 21/03/2014. Read More