Britten Pears Archive

Stanton Williams Architects

David Caetano Ambrosio

13015530

Technology 2
2015/2016
Table of contents

Project overview 3 Environment 38 Structure 1 81

Structure 2 82
Building data and spatial planning 4 Strongs room buffer zone 39 Structure 3 83
Natural light and ventilation 40
North and West elevation 5 Sedum green roof 41
Sections 6 Reflective summary 85
Introduction 7 Services 44
Context 8
Bibliography 86
Plan 10 Buildings services 45
Spatial organization 11 Water supply 46
Drainage system 48
Structure 14
Mudchute farm making workshop 50
Structure layout 15
Compression and tension forces 16
Why brick? 17 Models 64
Av strong room structure 18
Study room structure 20 1:100 structural model 65
Pitched roof structure 22 1:20 detail model 66
Flat roof structure 23
Tec Posters 68
Materials 26 Environment 1 69
Environment 2 70
Concrete 27 Environment 3 71
Manufacturing process 28 Service 1 72
Structural components 29 Service 2 73
Service 3 74
Construction 32 Construction 1 75
Construction 2 76
Small detail - door lock 33 Construction 3 77
Medium detail - window 34 Materials 1 78
Large detail - external brick wall 35 Materials 2 79
Materials 3 80
 The Project - Britten-Spears Archive, Aldeburgh

Client: Britten-Pears Foundation

Location: Golf Lane, Aldeburgh, Sulfolk, UK

Architect: Stanton Williams

Services Engineer: Max Fordham
Civil and Structural Engineer: Barton Engineers
Project Manager: David Langdon
Cost Consultant: Davis Langdon
Approved Inspector: BRCS
CDM Coordinator: PFB Construction Management Services Lim
Main Contractor: R G Carter Ltd
Arboriculturalist: Ian Keen Ltd

Construction phase: Nov 2011 - June 2013

Completion Date: June 2013
Date of Occupation: June 2013

Gross Internal Area: 520m2

Construction value: 2.0 million

4
 North and West elevation

North elevation

West elevation

5
 Sections

Short section

Longitudinal section

6
 Introduction

The project is a new sustainable archive building

by Stanton Williams for the Britten-Pear Foundation.
It will house Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears vast
collection of music transcripts, recordings, photo-
graphs and letters. The building will be located in
The Red House property, in Aldeburgh, Suffolk. The
Red House is a Graded II listed building - being the
Brittens former home. The design of the building
would have to consider its context. The main aim of
the project was to house the archive collection and
create a space where the public could research and
study their work. It would be composed by an ar-
chive collection space, study rooms, staff room and
support spaces. The building provides an optimum
environmental conditions in order to provided the
collection through low energy strategies - creating a
passive archive environment.

Gross internal area: 520 m2

Property area : 16534 m2

Floor area ratio : 0.03

7
 Context

Proposal

Red Cottage
The Red House The boundary provided by the trees
Home Reach between the site and Home Reach
will be retained, and additional
trees will be planted. The windows
of the proposed archive have been
carefully sited to ensure that there
is no overlooking and that the ex-
Longitunal section
1:1000
isting levels of privacy are retained,
for example, there are no windows
on the south elevation and only one
small window to the east elevation.
The setting back of the archive from
the building line of Home Reach
will also ensure no unwanted effect
North site
boundary
on the privacy which this property
currently enjoys.
Residential properties are situated
to the east and the south of the site.
South site
Proposal The Red House The amenity of these properties has
boundary
been carefully considered when
designing the proposed archive to
ensure no adverse impact on the
privacy, outlook or daylight and
sunlight which these properties
enjoy.

Short section
1:1000

Drawings by Stanton Williams Architects

Annotated by me 8
 The project created new routes and path-
N
ways within the site which effected the circu-
lation. As mention previously, the architects
had to be very conscious of the context,
therefore they created a new pathway which
leads to the archive building without having
to disrupt in The Red House direct area. This
will allow independent affairs by both build-
ings in occasions.

The new pathways will also affect the land-

scape but the to a minimal extended, a very
minimal and well disguise brick made to
discreetly blend in the architectural environ-
mental.

Due to the location of the site, there is only

two roads surrounding the site, both calm
and one lane only. This shows how quite the
area is and how the street noise will not affect
the building propose - research. Its mostly
surrounded by housing, in a suburban area.

The Red House entry

New secondary site entry
Britten-Pears archive entry
Existing site entry for staff and visitors
New brick path

Secondary entrance for staff and deliveries

New gate/driveway

Roads

9
 Plan

8
10
 Spatial organization

Public
10 9

N
Private

7 8
1

11

5
5 1 - Entrance
2 4 2 - Study room
3
3 - Staff workspace/offices
6 4 -Sorting room
5 - Toilet
6 - Staff kitchen
7 - Corridor
8 - Paper and art storage
room
9 - AV strong room
10 - Plant Room
11 - Corridor

9
11
Structure

11
14
 Structure Layout

ter a co crete tructure

The external structure of the building is composed
by an enveloped of solid brickwork, creating load
ter a ric e e o e
bearing outer walls. Normally, masonry has virtually
0% strength in tension, resulting in needing to be in
compression at all times. In order to create an exter-
nal structure stronger in the north volume, due to the
opening to the gardens, there needs to be an increase
regarding to the bricks tensile strength. This can be
done by addition of masonry piers at intervals along
the wall.
The brick walls are secured with concrete foundations
footings. The forces acting downward through the wall
are distributed by the wall footing to the soil.
The north volume is overlaps the south volume, having
a height of 11,5 meters. In the north volume is where
the AV strong rooms are located. These are indepen-
Fig. 1 Buildings structural diagram dent concrete structures. These are raised from the

Internally the spaces are composed by using fair

The architects choose an English bond masonry,

which alternates courses of headers and stretch-
ers, being very widespread. The perpends, the
vertical layer of mortar between two bricks, of
all header courses line up, likewise those of all
stretcher courses. Fig. 2 West facing brick wall axo

15
 Compression and tension forces

As stated previously, a brick structure of the

north volume without piers would crack due
to the length of the window gap. The com-
pression forces action upon the gap will cre-
ate tension and therefore crack because of
the lack of support. Therefore, the architects
use brick piers in intervals to ensure the
tensional forces would be minimal, creating
a stable and strong structure without giving
in the natural light available. The thickness
Fig. 3 Compression and tension forces action upon the brick structure with- of the piers - 350mm - would play a role in
out piers support the strength of the structure. The thicker the
piers the greater the compression forces
will be than the tensional forces.

Fig. 4 Compression and tension forces action upon the brick structure with
brick piers

Fig. 8 Wall opening diagram

Compression forces
For the windows opening in the external
Tension forces brick walls, the architects used a single
leaf lintels in order to support the load
over the openings.

16
Why Brick?
The architects choose brick for the buildings structure because of:

Visually connects with the rest of the site

Its thermal mass helps regulate the conditions within the building

Ensures low-energy building

The thermal mass provided by bricks absorbs and gives off heat slowly after
many hours: the thicker the wall brick is the more heat will be absorbed. Two
leaves of brick or cavity brick offers high thermal mass, and meets the heavy -
mass requirement allowing a significantly lower level of added insulation.
Brick also allows a control moisture better than other wall systems clad with
other exterior materials. Therefore, brick veneer wall systems help minimize
mold growth, wood rot and infestation by insects, and corrosion of fasteners
embedded in wood better than other wall assemblies.
The buildings brickwork was constructed using lime mortar. The reasons for 6 Brick
Fig.Fig. manufacturing process diagram
4
using lime is the environmental advantage performance in a long life building
envelope and allowing to build 25 meters long walls with no movement control Brick making
joints. Clay is prepared by adding water to the
Also, lime being much softer will allow moisture and thermal induced move- soil, making it more workable. An alterna-
ments to happening without cracking the bricks. Therefore, any cracks that do tive is to allow the clay to dry in the sun and
occur will be self healed by the exposure of cracked surfaces to the air. accept moisture from the rain and dew, the
repeated drying process is to allow plas-
Advantages of using a lime mortar over cement ticity and work- ability. The brick making
By being produced at lower temperatures than cement, lime mortar requires less ener- process involves mining clay, mixing the
gy, resulting in 20% less CO2 output. clay with sand, creating the brick molds
Lime putty absorbs CO2 in the curing process. Non-hydraulic lime absorbs nearly its and then ring them in a kiln so that they
own weight in CO2, hydraulic lime, around 75% and lower. can harden. When red, the internal struc-
Lime mortar can be re-cycled, unlike cement ture of the bricks are very strong and have
Bricks using lime mortar can be recycled unlike the cement bonded equivalent which high compressive forces. Various colours
can only be used for hardcore. and sizes can be made, depending on
Strong, flexible, permeable. Traditional buildings built using lime mortar move and ab- the needs. Adding chemicals can change
sorb moisture. In comparison with cement mortar which is rigid, lime mortar 'moves' with the structure of the bricks if more tensile
the structure and so prevents masonry from cracking. By using lime mortar, expansion or compressive strength is needed, or a
joints can be avoided. specif finish is needed
17
 AV strong room

1 External structural walls As mention, the strong av rooms store

10 328-440mm porous clay brickwork the large collection of paper and art. The
Hydraulic lime mortar
architects strategy was according to an
2 Insulation egg-in- a-box concept: a buffer zone that
1 150mm breathable mineral wool insulation
regulates the daily temperature variations
3 Inner roof separations the outer wall from the inner
2 Pre-cast structural RC planks spanning wall. The AV strong rooms itself are formed
3 between steel beams, with structural mass
concrete topping layer of beam and block construction spanning
4 onto the external walling. The interior spec-
4 Internal wall ification was driven by the need to create
440mm medium density concrete blockwork
a dustless environment free from solvents
with a breath- able construction that could
5 Slab
In-situ RC slab stabilize moisture levels. The strong rooms
is elevated by concrete plinth from the
6 Insulation ground floor due to the flood risk on site.
225mm rigid slab insulation
These secured in concrete footings. As the
7 Columns force acts downward from the column, the
In-situ RC columns bearing on in-situ RC pile
caps over pre-cast micro piles spread footing distributes that force to the
soil. The bottom of the spread footing is in
8 Footings tension from the bending moment created
5 In-situ RC ground beams spanning between
pile caps by the column force and the earth resis-
6 Pre-cast micro piles
tance.
9 Footings The outer walls are of solid brick construc-
7 Concrete footings tion and vary in width from 330 to 440mm.
10 Zinc roof These are secured with concrete founda-
Pre-weathered standing seam zinc roof tions footings allowing the forces acting
80mm foam glass insulation
downward through the wall are distributed
8 by the wall footing to the soil.
Steel beam

18
 Concrete beam and block floors are constructed using pre-
stressed concrete beams supporting standard concrete blocks
spanning between T beams. These are available in a range of Internally, the AV strong
sizes to suit various spans and loads. Individual concrete blocks rooms Keim mineral
are laid between the precast beams to form an instant floor. paint was used to the
A dry grout system was used to bond the beam and block floor inside face of the block
together, allowing then the floor finish to be installed. work and underside of
Insulation was then added to the required around the structure the block ceiling. It is
to thermally insulate the space. Precast concrete flooring also an industrial resin floor
allows an excellent noise reduction and resistance properties. finish that was laid and
a water-based paint was
sourced for the exposed
faces of the steelwork. To
limit moisture a dry mix,
1. Concrete block
water-repellent polymer,
2. Outside wall
3. Concrete block/ inner
was used in place of mor-
wall tar during construction.
4. Sleeper wall
5. Concrete beam

Fig. 8 Concrete beam and block floor sectional diagram

Fig. 9 Example of installation of concrete beam and block floor

19
 Study room structure layout

As mention before, the internal spaces are divided by using fair

faced concrete soffits and columns as well timber wall linings,
doors and windows to provide warmth and texture.
This section shows the structural elements of the archives study
room. The external structural masonry wall is followed by a air
gap. The external wall is connected to the concrete columns
using wall ties. These wall ties will transfer tensile and compres-
1 sive forces perpendicular to the plane of the concrete columns.
These columns and walls are then claded with timber lining
9 boards.
2 The north volume has concrete roof and door. The doors are
constructed using in-situ concrete. The concrete is usually cast
on a layer of hardcore (consisting of compressed rubble and
3 gravel), however in this case it is cast over a layer of insulation.
The slab also includes a damp proof membrane DMP (polythene
sheet) which prevents water and moisture from penetrating into
the slabs. Finally a layer of timber door is laid, giving a smooth
internal finish, providing a warmer space

1 - Precast concrete roof

2 - Air gap
5 3 - Insulation
6 4 - Timber boards
7
5 - Concrete columns
8
6 - Precast concrete slab
7 - Insulation
8 - In-situ slab
9 - External structural wall
Fig. 10 Staff room section

20
 The reduction of airborne sound through a wall is called sound transmission loss
(STL). The frequency or pitch of sound has a great effect on sound trans- mission,
since low frequency sound will transmit through a wall more readily than high fre-
quency. Therefore the architects chose two materials which enhances the acoustic
performance of the building. Concrete has good air- borne noise acoustic barrier, it
allows less of barrier for impacts and it has a long reverberation time.
The acoustic performance of the timber lining board walls is defined as the amount
of space between the timber slats, allowing sound waves to travel through and hit
the absorptive insulation behind. Normally reported as a 0% of the total panel area
The larger the open area, the more sound can be absorbed and hence, the higher
the performance of the acoustic panel.
The aesthetics of both materials also creates a warmth, peaceful and texture to the
spaces in contrast with The Red House gardens.
The concrete soffits and columns allow the heat moves between the materials sur-
face and its interior at a rate that roughly matches the buildings daily heating and
cooling cycle, allowing a another control variable in the buildings temperature.

21
 Pitched roof structure

In the south volume of the building, the architects choose a

pitched roof for the design. The choice can be due to creating a
bigger void for the strong rooms , subsequently creating a bigger
buffer zone. To be more specific, it is a itched roof without sec-
ondary waterproofing/covering layer, cold deck. In the cold deck
the waterproofing layer is so far removed from the layer of thermal
insulation that a dry air cavity
is formed between the two. This captures the water vapour diffus-
ing out of the insulation and carries it away. Structurally, there are
two load-bearing structures, both steel structures supporting the
roof. In the diagram its shown the roof structure.

Advantages of a pitched roof:

Protection against the weather (rain, hail, snow)

Protection against fire
Reflection (solar radiation)
Arrangement of the roof surface (on plan)
Protection against or delay of cooling in winter and tempera-
ture rise in summer
Insulation can be laid above, below or between load-bearing
Roof cover- members (problem: sealing of joints with rafters)
ing/sealing
layer
Advantages of using a pitched roof cold deck:

Load bearing Dissipation of any external moisture that may have penetrated
Separating
construction the secondary waterproofing/covering
layer
Load bearing layer Dissipation of warm, moist internal air in winter (prevention of
for vapour barrier Thermal condensation)
insulation Dissipation of air heated up by solar radiation in summer
Vapour barrier/air-
Ventilation
tight membrane
cavity/ load
bearing ribs
Fig. 11 Pitched roof structure

22
Flat roof structure

In the south volume, the volume has a at roof, more specifically, a cold deck at roof.
The cold deck is a double-skin roof construction consisting of a lower, enclosing and
thermally insulating skin with a separate airtight membrane, and an upper, weather-
proof skin designed to carry wind, snow and imposed loads. Between these two there is
a ventilation cavity the size of which is determined by building performance parame-
ters with appropriate inlets and outlets. This ventilation arrangement ensures
a balance in the vapour pressure between interior and exterior climates, especially
in winter, and that in summer the temperature rise caused by solar radiation (stuffy
climate) is dissipated by convection.
The layer of insulation is placed over the loadbearing layer and must consist of a va-
por-permeable material (mineral wool). Incorporating the ventilation above the thermal
insulation obviates the need for a vapour barrier on the inside of the insulation. Howev-
er, such a vapour barrier is included with a loadbearing layer that is very open to dif-
fusion (concrete) and this acts as a diffusion-retardant airtight membrane. The layer of
insulation need not be vapour-permeable because it is positioned above the ventilation
Protective and drain-
cavity. However, it requires its own loadbearing layer (double-skin construction). Gravel
age layer
and a sedum roof are materials for the protective layer above the insulation; the mini-
Waterproofing layer mum roof pitch for a sheet metal roof covering with double welt joints must be 3%. The
fall in the cold deck is usually achieved within the ventilation cavity (loadbearing layer or
waterproofing layer). Such an inclined boundary surface promotes the thermal currents
Thermal insulation in the ventilation cavity.

Vapour barrier

Separating layer

Layer for leveling and falls for

minimum roof pitch

Load bearing layer

Fig. 12 Cold deck at roof construction diagram

Fig. 13 Cold deck at roof diagram
23
Material

21
26
 Concrete

What is Concrete?

Concrete is easily and readily prepared and fabricated in all sorts

of conceivable shapes and structural systems. Its great simplicity
lies in the fact that its constituents are ubiquitous and are readily
available almost anywhere in the world 1. As a result of its ubiquity,
functionality and flexibility it has become by far the most popular
and widely used construction material in the world 2.

The material concrete is often confused with the material cement.

Cement is one of the many constituents of concrete, part of the
glue that holds the other materials together. Concrete is made by
mixing cement, supplementary cementitious materials, water, fine
aggregate (sand), coarse aggregate (gravel or crushed stone) with
or without admixtures, reinforcement, fibres or pigments.

Fig. Chart
1513
Fig. Chartofofconcretes raw
concrete raw materials
materials percentages
percentage

The ingredients are proportioned and engineered to pro-

duce a concrete of a specific strength and durability, so it is
'fit for purpose' for the job for which it is intended. It can be
produced in the form of precast products or as ready-mixed
concrete, which is delivered in the familiar rotating concrete
lorry.
Fig. 1412Concrete
Fig. Concrete blocks
blocks

22
27 Information taken from : Concrete () <http://www.madehow.com/Volume-1/Concrete.html> [accessed 9 March 2016].
 Manufacturing process

1 - The raw materials are stored outside in piles

except the Portland cement, which is stored
in large vertical silos in order to protect it from
moisture. As production start, the required ce-
ment, sand and gravel are mechanically trans-
ferred to a weight batcher to ensure the proper
amounts are used.
2- The dry materials then enter a mixer where
they blend together. After the materials are
blended, a small amount of water is added. If
the water is under extreme temperatures , the
water may first pass through a heater or chiller
to regulate its temperature. At this point, admix-
ture chemicals and coloring pigments may also
be added. The process should take between
6-8 minutes.
3 - Once the load of concrete is thoroughly
mixed, it is dumped into an inclined concrete
block bucket conveyor and transported to an
elevated hopper.
4 - From the hopper the concrete is conveyed
to another hopper on top of the block machine
at a measured flow rate. In
the block machine, the concrete is forced downward into molds. The molds Concretes
Fig. 16Fig. manufacturing
14 Concretes process
manufacturing processdiagram
diagram
consist of an outer mold box containing several mold liners. The liners
determine the outer shape of the block and the inner shape of the block Quality control
cavities
5 - When the molds are full, the concrete is compacted by the weight of the This process requires constant monitoring
upper mold head coming down on the mold cavities. to produce blocks that have the required
6 - The compacted blocks are pushed down and out of the molds onto a properties. The raw materials are weighed
Fig.1715Bad
Badconcrete electronically before they are placed in the
flat steel pallet. These are then pushed out of the machine and onto a chain Fig. concrete
mixer. As the blocks emerge from the block
conveyor.
machine, their height may be checked with
7 - The pallets of blocks are conveyed to an automated stacker or loader laser beam sensors. In the curing kiln, the
which places them in a curing rack. temperatures, pressures, and cycle times are
8 - The racks of cured blocks are rolled out of the kiln, and the pallets of all controlled and recorded automatically to
blocks are unstacked and placed on a chain conveyor. ensure that the blocks are cured properly, in
9 - The blocks pass through a cuber which aligns each block and then order to achieve their required strength.
stacks them. Fig. 16Good
Fig.18 concrete
Good concrete
28
23
 Structural components

Reinforced concrete is a composite material con-

sisting of concrete and steel. The interaction of
these two materials the reinforcement resisting
the tensile stresses, the concrete resisting the
compressive stresses is not an additive process,
but rather leads to a new load bearing quality. The
size of the reinforcement is determined in a struc-
tural analysis which takes into account the internal
forces.
The strength and durability allows the material to
be used in the majority of buildings, bridges, tun-
nels and dams for its strength and also concrete
gains strength over time. It is not weakened by
moisture, mould or pests and concrete structures
can withstand natural disasters such as earth-
quakes and hurricanes.
The thermal mass of concrete walls and floors slow
the passage of heat moving through, reducing tem-
perature swings. This reduces energy needs from
heating or air-conditioning, offering year-round
energy savings over the life-time of the building.
Being naturally fire-resistant concrete forms a high-
ly effective barrier to fire spread.
Concrete is used not only for its strength but also
due to its high albedo effect. The high albedo
(reflective qualities) of concrete used in pavements
and building walls means more light is reflect-
ed and less heat is absorbed, resulting in cooler
temperature. This reduces the urban heat island
effect prevalent in cities today, and hence reduces
Fig. 19
Fig. Diagramsofofthethe
17 Diagrams concrete
concrete structural
structural components
components
energy use for e.g. air-conditioning.

24
29
Construction
32
27
 Small detail

Aluminum door lock in an interior door

between the server room and the hallway.
The door locks allows the space to be only
used by the staff of the archive. The door
lock is integrated into the door prefabricat-
ed space. The slick and modern design is
coherent with the slim and smooth surfaces
of the internal materials.

Front eleva- Section

tion 1:5
1:5

Plan
1:5

33
28
 Medium detail

Section Elevation
1:25 1:25

Aluminum frameless glass window on the ground

floor, study room, 2850x1850 mm, which has an
external view to The Red House gardens.

Plan
1:25

29
34
 Large detail

Brick external structural wall 1 story high, 8425mm, above ground

floor , which is the west facade of the south volume of the building.
The wall has 7 opening to allow the inside spaces (study room,
hallway and staff kitchen) to receive natural light as well provid-
ing views to The Red house gardens. As mention, the in order to
create the opening and maintain a strong structure, it The mason-
ry bond used is English bond and has a thickness of 440mm to
provide a sturdy structure.

Section
1:100

Plan
1:100

Elevation
1:100

30
35
Environment

33
38
 Strong rooms buffer zone

As mention, the strong av rooms

store the large collection of paper
and art. The architects strategy
was according to an egg-in-a-
box concept: a buffer zone that
regulates the daily temperature
variations separations the outer
wall from the inner wall.
The outer walls are of solid brick
construction and vary in width from
330 to 440mm. In summer this en-
velope shields the strong rooms
from direct solar gain. High-level
openings within the brickwork walls
naturally ventilate the void space,
preventing heat build-up. The ther-
mal mass of the inner envelope mi-
nimises temperature fluctuations
between day and night.
In winter this mass, together with
high insulation levels and airtight
construction limits the buildings
heating requirements. Within the
paper and art store a single heat-
ing pipe around the perimeter of
the space provides background
heating at 13C, maintaining a sta-
ble relative humidity level.

Fig. AV strong
20Buffer
Fig. 18 room buffer zone diagram
zone diagram
39
34
 Light and ventilation supply

Artificial light
Natural light
Natural ventilation systems

Fig. 21 Short and long section showing the light and ventilation strategy

40
 The architects decided to have a green sedum roof on staff
areas, the south building volume, helping blend the building
with the landscape, encouraging biodiversity. A green roof is
a roof onto which vegetation is intentionally grown or habitats
for wildlife are established. The roof used is classified as an
extensive roof serve. This is an ecological covering that pro-
vides society with environ- mental benefits and the client with
life cycle cost benefits. A lightweight, low-maintenance roof
system, typically with succulents or other hardy plant species
(often sedum) planted into a shallow substrate (typically less
than 100 mm) that is low in nutrients. Irrigation is not normally
re- quired.

Fig. 22 Sedum green roof

Advantages:

Alleviate Flooding: after a heavy rainfall, the green roof will initially retain more rain than a conventional roof. This minimizes the
initial heavy runoff, which can cause localized flooding and put pressure on the sewage system. The remaining water then drains off
more slowly, allowing more rain to remain in the natural water cycle and less in the sewage system.
Noise Reduction: the soft layer of sedum blanket growing on a green roof has the affect of absorbing sound, as opposed to
hard conventional roofs which can reflect it. In an noisy urban environment this is certainly beneficial, although is not the case of the
archive. The same layer improves the buildings sound insulation properties, reducing sound pollution within the building.
Thermal Insulation: the addition of a green roof layer to a property increases its thermal insulation properties, making it warmer
in winter, cooler in summer and reducing energy costs.
Natural Habitat for Animals and Plants: green roofs can help compensate for the loss of green surfaces, sacrificed to building
developments. This helps to provide an environment for the development of wildlife, especially bird, plant and insect life, increasing the
biodiversity in our towns and cities.
Improving Building Aesthetics: a green roof can help the building blend into a surrounding green landscape, minimizing the
impact it has on the immediate environment.
Where a building is located in a more urban landscape, the addition of a green roof can introduce a very welcome green interlude in
a heavily built up area, where green spaces are few and far between, substituting in some way for the loss of a previous greener land-
scape.

Information taken from : Sedum supply, Green roofs () <http://www.sedumsupply.co.uk/our-sedum/why-green-roofs.html> [accessed 24 March 2016].
41
Services

37
44
Buildings services

In the plan you can see that the stairs and the lift re placed in the in
the entrance of the building, this connects the public spaces tot he
AV strong rooms where the collection is located. The two different
access routes allows an easier transport of the collections materials
to the public.
The toilets and staff kitchen are also situated in the same space,
therefore the drainage and water supply is all grouped together here.
The lighting tracks and ventilation systems are used in the study
room, hallway and AV strong rooms which are the main spaces. In
the study room natural light (windows) and ventilation (louvers) are
predomination, reducing the buildings noise impact.

Natural light

Natural ventilation

Artificial lighting

Stairs

Lift

Water and waste

Fig. Fig. 23 Light

20 Light fittingsfittings in thetimber
in the lining Fig.
Fig. 21 24 Louvers
Louvers doors
doors in theinstudy
the
lining timber
boardsboards study
roomroom
Fig. 22Diagram
Fig.25 of the
Diagram of thebuildings
buildingservices
services
38
45
 Water supply

A ground source heat pump is used which provides heating and hot water for
the building. A ground source heat pump system harnesses natural
heat from underground by pumping water through it. The heat pump then
increases the temperature, and the heat is used to provide the buildings hot
water.
The pump needs electricity to run, but the idea is that it uses less electrical
energy than the heat it produces.
The heat pump performs the same role as a boiler does in a central heating
system, but it uses ambient heat from the ground rather than burning fuel to
generate heat. Unlike an air source heat pump, which takes heat from the air.
The heat pump is located in the plant room.
Heat pump process
1 - Collecting the heat: collection of this ground source heat
is achieved by installing a series of pipes (aground loop) in
the ground which contain a water and glycol (a type of anti-
freeze) mix at a low temperature. Pipes can be laid in trench-
es or using boreholes for heat pumps. The surrounding soil
is at a higher temperature, typically 10C 13C which gen-
tly warms the glycol mix as it is pumped around the ground
loop. A temperature increase within the ground loop fluid of
just 3C or 4C is all ground source heat pumps require. The
returning warmed liquid is fed into a Heat Exchanger / Evap-
orator. You can find out more about this process on our page
covering groundworks for heat pumps.

2 - The Evaporator: the purpose of the Evaporator within the

heating pump is to take the collected ground source heat out
of the ground loop liquid and return it cooled to the pipe for
the next cycle. It does this by using a refrigerant that boils at
approximately -10C. The act of boiling turns the refrigerant
into a vapour which is then moved into the Compressor.

3 - The Compressor: the vapour is compressed in volume

and as its volume reduces, the temperature increases to lev-
els of between 75C and 125C. The gas is then fed through
a Heat Exchanger within the heating pump.

4 - The Heat Exchanger: feeding the hot gas through a con-

Fig. Heatpump
26Heat pump cycle diagram
denser allows the refrigerant to turn back into a liquid. As it
Fig. 23 cycle diagram
condenses, its heat is passed into the Heat Exchanger which
supplies the domestic hot water and powers the central heat-
Advantages of using a heat pump: ing system using the ground source heat extracted originally.
Combating unstable oil prices
Increased efficiency 5 - The Expansion Valve: to complete the closed circuit of the
Lower environmental impact ground source heat pump, the only thing which needs to be
Low risk of accidents done is reduce the pressure of the condensed liquid.
Hot water safety
Information taken from : Heat pump (1/02/2016) <http://www.which.co.uk/energy/creat-
Minimal maintenance required ing-an-energy-saving-home/guides/ground-source-
heat-pumps-explained/how-ground-source-heat-pumps-work/> [accessed 22 March39
2016]. 46
 Water and light supply diagram

Light supply
Cold water supply

Waste water

Hot water supply

Heat pump

47
 Drainage system

A new drainage system was implemented, linked to the existing drain on site. The
drainage system is mainly in the toilet and staff kitchen area, although there is
drainage pipe in the plant room. Therfeore two new manholes were creates to pro-
vide access to drainage. A new rainwater harvesting system was implemented in
ater from a south part of the build-
ings roof. Integrated into the normal drainage system, water is easily intercepted
and diverted to where it is required.

New Manhole

Existing Manhole

New rainwater
recovery systems

New soakway

Existing drain
New drains

Fig. 27 Drainage diagram

48
Mudchute Farm making workshop

50
 Day 1

The first day started with an introductory 8 minute vid-

eo regarding to canoes timber construction. The video
showed a basic understanding of crafting based on
knowledge - no plans, section or models. The carpenters
featured had a very deep knowledge and understanding
of the craft and spatial awareness, using only their eye
sight to build and refine their work. Afterwards, small
groups were formed and a task was handed.
The first task handed to us was a construction challenge.
Which group could build a small hunt the fastest? The
task has a time cap of 10 minutes and the idea was to
use columns, rafters and nagging pieces to build spans
of 2x2 meters base and 2,5 height. The task was been
surprised by David - a carpenter - which discussed the
prefabrication process and how nowadays contempo-
rary architecture focus on materials such as concrete
and steel, neglecting timber as an option. He argued the
advance in technology, such as CNC and laser utters,
will allow architects and engineers to design and execute
a more precise construction than back in the day. Much
so that the craft of carpentry has faded due to these
advances. The intention of the task was for us to take a
step back in time and try to constructed the hut like the
old days.
So, without any structure references, the first step was to
build the floor components, and establish which column Above is showed where the individual pieces where placed and faced
or rafter would go. As a team it was important to commu- right end where the rafter would connect and place into the base. The
nicate and physically mark position figuring out where first components to be risen were the jolt post, as it is the main struc-
what would go before construction. Then, the team be- tural support. To help, each piece end had a letter and numbers which
gan to assemble the vertical components - columns- to described their placing in the structure.
the horizontals ones - rafters.

51
52
 Arch truss

Purlin

Brace
Top plate

Wall post

Jowl post

Wall brace

Floor brace

53
Day 2

In the second day, it was given a task to build a two storey structure
floor. It was used several 4x2 6 feet components and two 18mm ply-
wood sheets. This floor would be the foundation of the structure. The
construction pattern of the floor was built for also to be considered as
a wall. The process started by screwing and hammering various kinds
of nails into 2 by 4s. The floor dimensions was based of the plywood
dimensions, therefore the structure would be shape out of it. After
the decision was made regarding to the arrangement, the nails were
placed 16 inch apart and then add the plywood onto the structure
frame. However, it was need to adjust the plywood sheet to frame base
due to the frame be half the side of the plywood sheet. Therefore, we
cut half of the plywood sheet using saws. Normally, the next step would
be to attach the plywood sheet onto the frame and filled with insulation,
however we did not secure the plywood because we need it separated
for the next day.
The next step was to mark the frame position points and the center of
the floor built. We also marked an 8 inch line offset of the floors shape.
The floor needed to be leveled, therefore we used a Dumpy level and
several wood pieces. The next part of the day was occupied by attend-
ing a lecture of timber structural engineering, where we learn about
several types of timber frames and their dwellings. The speaker was
an structural engineering with 40 years of work experience. He spoke
the different types of timer, their properties and how all of those played
a massive factor when it became to structure a building. In the lecture
there was a good contrast between timber strengths and flaws when it
came to structural properties. It was pointed out, that in the 18th cen-
tury many of the timber buildings designed and made already featured
prefabrication features. The only difference is that the prefabrication
process is much more complex and fast.

54
55
 Day 3

In the last day, we started the day by making a

plan and start assembling the structure. The first
step was gather the Jowl posts and the columns.
The structure would then be elevated by putting the
frame base on the top of the floor. After the Jowl
post and the columns were ready, the addition of
2 tie beams to the structures top was made and
secured by screws - forming the structure upper
floor. In order to stabilize the possible horizontal
agitation, we added 2 queen posts in the bottom of
the structure. Then, a purlin was added through the
frame, creating the second floor, 2x4s.
Upon concluding the task, we finished the day with
another lecture regarding to the industry and the
declined of timber in the construction world. This
was concluded by the finish of the structure.

56
 Day 2

Fig 28. 1:20 Axonometric drawing of the initial complete floor structure
58
Day 2

Fig 29. 1:20 Axonometric drawing of the almost complete floor structure
59
 Day 2

Fig 30 1:20 Axonometric drawing of the complete floor structure

60
Day 3

Fig 31. 1:20 Axonometric drawing of the first floor off the 2 storey structure
61
 Day 3

Fig 32. 1:20 Axonometric drawing of the complete 2 storey structure

62
Models

43
64
1:100 model

In a group, we made a model of the

structural envelope and internal struc-
ture of the strong rooms at 1:100. The
goal was to show the buildings prima-
ry structure and display the construc-
tion sequence.
We choose grey cardboard due
to the texture of the material being
similar to the brick and concrete. As
it can be seen, the two volumes have
different shapes and heights. We
modeled using a 1 mm grey card, al-
though the thickness of the modeled
walls needed to be 4mm, to achieve
a more precise cut. We also modeled
the av rooms in the south volume, ris-
en from the ground floor. We modeled
small footings to achieve so.

65
 1:20 detail model

We made a model
of a detail con-
struction of the
building at 1:20,
1 also done in as a
group. It intends
to show both the
materials and its
textures.

2
1 - Brickwork
2 - Insulated cold
3 panels
3 - Block work
4 4 - Floating screed
5 - Rigid insulation
6 - Concrete struc-
5 ture
7 - Vapour barrier
8 - Breathable sof-
fits insulation
9 -Insulation
6 10 - Vapour barrier

7
8

9
10

66
 Tec tasks posters
Poster reduced from A3 format to A4
Refer to digital copy for A3 format

47
68
 Plan of eco house (unscaled)
The Archi+ Carbon Positive House

ArchiBlox has designed what they describe as The worlds first carbon positive prefabricated
house. The house is completely fabricated off site and available to be customised to a clients
specification. The client orders the house and ArchiBlox from the start to finish your new build. The
price of a pre-fab house can cost the same as a family car, around the 20,000.

-In-ground Cool Tubes to help with cooling keep the building cool without the need to install expen-
sive and ecofriendly AC systems. Diagram to explain the Archiblos design ap-
porach to the carbon positive eco house
-Sliding Edible Garden Walls to block sun penetration and to allow the occupants to grow their own
vegetables. The sun walls can be moved to allow for solar gain in order to heat the building through
the faade windows.

-Green Roof for added thermal insulation. This creates a space for the cities birds and insects to set-
tle up and thrive in an otherwise unfriendly environment, preserving the natural ecology of the city.

-The Buffer Zone The lungs of the house & Food Basket separates the external environment and
creates a stable, even temperature.

-Healthy Materials High Grade sustainable materials and formaldehyde and VOC (volatile organic
compounds) free.

-Airtightness - Airtight building envelope improves sound protection and saves energy by creating a
controlled environment where temperatures can be managed without the need of expensive AC/
Heating systems.

-Hard wired data lines to reduce electromagnetic radiation

Sources & images:
-http://www.dezeen.com/2015/02/22/prefabricated-house-mel-
bourne-city-square-archiblox-carbon-positive-house/
-http://www.archiblox.com.au/projects/carbon-positive-house/
 Reflective summary

After Tec 1 my knowledge was very superficial regarding to structure and construc-
tion, so coming into Tec 2 I knew it was an aspect that I wanted to develop knowledge
in. The Tecbook allowed me to develop my knowledge in all areas of technology but
mostly important in structure and construction.
The most significant learning component was the structure, because it allowed me to
explore the structural components of brick which are predominant in my studio work
and it helped me develop my project structurally.
If I could give myself an advice in the beginning of the year would be to explore the
services and structural components even further, it would facilitate not only the de-
velopment of the Tec book exploration but also the approach needed for my studio
project.
Next year I intend to develop my knowledge across other materials, from structure to
materiality. It will give me a more general knowledge of structural and constructional
components of other materials.

62
85
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All the building images/photographs are accredited to Hufton & Crow.

Drawings are based of Stanton Williams Architects drawings

87