Tech Week Review

This week has been a designated 'Tech Week' for the whole year; a chance to discuss the construction, details and mechanical & engineering aspects of my project. Below I have outlined some of the points I discussed with the 3 tutors (along with Martin and Yussef):

Glen McGowan, construction & overview:

• As part of the concept of 'Well-Being' it is important that the technology and strategies employed in this building reflect that. This means using natural materials as much as possible; 80-90% of natural (or from natural) materials creates a more harmonious relationship between building, user and environment and should therefore be the ambition of my technical studies.
  
• The [natural] materials of the building may well be dictated by their ability to allow for passive ventilation, solar heating etc. For example a certain timber cladding structure may encourage better natural ventilation than others.
• Would green walls to the street help to break the monolithic nature of the wall? Possibly, but then it's North facing so may not actually be suitable for green walls.
• Maybe used rammed earht for the wall.
  
• I should consider using pre-fabricated systems (i.e. SIPS) as much as possible.
• How are voids and variation in wall/ceiling thickness constructed?
• If I intend to have green roofs throughout, I need to detail how the supporting timber frame is constructed.

Professor Alan Newall, M&E:

• Generally, a straightforward scheme to develop. Single storey aspects require no mechanical extract or cooling. All needs to be heated.
• The library, cafe and kitchen building will need local mechanical extracts.
  
• Heating to be from a new district heating system (i.e. biomass boiler) that fulfills the energy requirement for not only my scheme but the existing school and 6th form perhaps?
• Buildings to have radiators or under-floor heating?

Neil Hooton, structures:

• Case of building up strategically from the foundations.
• There has been no previous development on the site and along with the low building height, this means I can use a shallow [pad?] foundation.
  
• If I use rammed earth I need to eradicate erosion/vandalism problems.
• Glulam beams to be used for the 3-storey main building frame. The detail into the rammed earth wall would be necessary. Junctions in steel could be very elegant.
  
• The cantilvered media suite needs columns to support it.

A lot to develop over the next few weeks, with the technology report in just before Easter.