Constructing Environments – weeks 5 - 6

What we did for week 5: for this week we got in to our groups from week 4 and made another

analysis of the drawings for the Ormond College building. We looked at the different structural

systems that were implemented in the building and the different materials used on the structure.

What we did for week 6: we were assigned to build a model of a primary structure of the Ormond

building and so we chose the front section cantilever of the building.

The materials used in that section of the building were:

- Concrete for the columns, roof and flooring

- Bricks and mass construction for the crossing brick beams

- Steel for the trail structure

The materials that we used for the model were:

- Card paper for the flooring and roof

- Chop sticks for the concrete columns and crossing brick beams

As you can see by the white line when building the model we accidently made the side with the

larger space between the columns on the opposite side of the actual building. However the mistake

did not interfere too much with model wand we were still able to get a good view in how the load

forces worked and it didn’t look to bad.

For this section of the structure there are mostly compression forces in action as most of the

structure is made of concrete however there is also tension and although it isn’t a primary structure

it does have a major impact on the structure. What I’m talking about is the hanging steel trays on

the front of the building as they are hanging there is a large tension force being applied down on the

cantilever which is also the main reason for those large concrete columns which would have to be

reinforced as to support such a heavy load.

For week five our group also had to use the analysis that we made on the drawings and make a an

oral presentation on the Ormond theology building, as shown below:

Fixings Bolts were the main type of fixing used as they are easy and quick to use. Where concrete was fixed to something usually an anchor was used, penetrating the concrete. Welding was used in joining two steel members.

Economic Implications

Steel can be used for rapid construction and requires less work than concrete, which is time and cost saving. Although initially may be more expensive. Some details may have been aftermarket and the costs deceiving such as the water fountain.

The following pages are the second analysis that we did on our drawing of the Ormond College

building: