Model Photos

Here are some photos of my detail model for the major project.
It is the connection between a steel rafter and a loadbearing concrete panel, while also showing the roof structure and the box gutter.

Engineering Drawings

Here are some Engineering Drawings that I obtained from an engineer that relates to my project.

Steel Rafter connection to a Loadbearing Concrete Panel.

Typical Shop Drawing of a Tilt Up Concrete Panel without openings

Connection detail between the Concrete Panel with the footing and the slab

Detail showing the connection between 2 corner panels

Fly Bracing Detail

Alternative connection detail between a Steel Rafter and a Loadbearing Concrete Panel

The Greenhouse Effect

Here is an article on Australia's Greenhouse gas emissions. An interesting figure to note that nearly 69% of Australia's Greenhouse is producing by human activities

The Greenhouse Effect.

Greenhouse gases are a natural part of the atmosphere. They trap the sun's warmth, and maintain the earth's surface temperature at a level necessary to support life. Human actions are increasing the concentrations of these gases in the atmosphere, creating the prospect of global climate change.

Water vapour is the most important greenhouse gas, but human activities make little direct impact on the amount of water in the atmosphere. Human activities have a significant effect on carbon dioxide that comprises 68.4% of Australian Greenhouse gas emissions, methane comprising 25% and nitrous oxide, 6.4%.

Australia’s net greenhouse gas emissions for 1999 were 458.2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents, excluding land clearing. Land clearing is accounted for separately due to high levels of uncertainty associated with the estimates. Emissions from land clearing are a result of burning cleared vegetation, decay of unburnt vegetation and from soil disturbance which are offset by carbon sequestration due to regrowth of vegetation on previously cleared land. It was estimated that net emissions from land clearing were 71.7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide in 1999.

Carbon dioxide emissions resulting from direct human activities have significantly altered the global carbon cycle. Carbon dioxide is major type of greenhouse gas released in Australia. In 1999 some 313.5 million tonnes were released of which 256.9 million tonnes resulted from the creation of energy. Electricity generation alone contributed 171.2 million tonnes, with transport the next largest source with 69.5 million tonnes.

Methane makes the next biggest contribution to greenhouse gases. Of the 114.4 million tonnes of methane emitted, agriculture contributed 61.6% of this.

Of the 29.3 million tonne of carbon dioxide equivalents of nitrous oxide emitted, the majority of these emissions were from agricultural soils due to adding fertiliser or burning savannas.

Forest growth provided a CO2 sink of 75.8 Mt, more than offsetting 52.8 Mt emissions from harvesting.

Steel Framing Article

This is an article that I came across from 'Master Builder' magazine Feb/Mar 2007 Volume 61.
The article relates to steel as an alternative to timber framing in housing. The use of steel framing construction in housing is on the increase in Victoria due to the many advantages it has over timber. The advantages are durability, protection against termites and ease of construction.

Timber Framing

The warehouse that I am studying for the major assignment utilised timber framing for the construction of a mezzanine floor office area with a tearoom and a toilet underneath.

Basic timber framing with 90 x 35 F5 pine studs, top and bottom plates and noggings.

The floor framing on the mezzanine floor consisted of 250 x 50 F7 floor joists at 450 maximum centres with 25 mm thick sturctural flooring.

The timber joists of the mezzanine floor are fixed to the steel beam by vertical steel member called cleats with bolts.

The end floor bearer is supportied by a steel angle which is dynabolted to the concrete panel.

The timber stair for the first floor office area is a prefabricated unit that is delievered to site as pictured above. The company that manufacturers these stair units in Stair Lock.

Architectural Drawings

These are some of the Architectural Drawings that I obtained from the Architect, for a warehouse development which I am studying for the major project

Site & Landscape Plan

Floor Plan

Roof Plan

Elevations

Section & Details

Portal Frame Building

This building is a portal frame school gym located in Melton. The building is comprised of a combination of different materials such as precast concrete panels, brickwork and a sheet metal material.
The floor of the gym consists of structural steel members acting as bearers and floor joists, with timber floor boards.

The portal frame of the gym is expressed externally, with the use of pre cast concrete panels as the cladding at the base of the wall, and a steel sheet cladding at the top of the wall.
The image also shows diagonal cross bracing for the portal frame, and the downpipes from the box gutter connected to steel columns and into the concrete pad footings.

This image above shows the rigid base connection between a steel column and a concrete pad footing. The steel column is also connected to the concrete panel through a bolted cleat shown in the image.
An interesting element of this connection is that the pad footing is raised out of the ground, when usually pad footings are positioned below ground.

Victorian College of the Arts Building

This building is the Victorian College of the Arts Centre for Ideas, located in Dodds Street, Southbank. The Architects for this building were Paul Minifie and Fiona Nixon. The building is 3 stories tall, and the budget for the project was only $5 million.

Digital modelling software was used in the design of this building, using virtual to actual process.

The form of the facade is an interesting element, with a strong combination of reflective materials and use of colour.

The form of the facade consists of shallow cone shapes and orthogonal fenestration. The Veronal silver system and bronze stainless steel cladding give an ambiguous scaleless-ness look to the building.

Tilt - Up Concrete Panels

Panels are propped and stabilised by temporary supports at an angle of 60 degrees, connected to the propping ferrule in the panel and bolted to the concrete slab.

The curing process of tilt – up concrete panels takes 7 days to maximise quality and reach the required strength. After the curing process, the panels can be lifted into their final position using a crane.

Typical set up of a concrete panel prior to pouring showing the bar chairs, steel reinforcement, steel plates cast into the panel, reinforcement bars around the edges of the panels, the lifting ferrules and the propping ferrules.

This image shows the setup for the pouring of tilt-up concrete panels. The concrete slab acts as the casting bed for the panels. The image also shows timber formwork used to shape the edges of the panels and props, which are used to support the formwork.

To stop the panels sticking together, a chemical bond breaker is applied between each concrete panel.

Week 4 - Tutorial Exercise

Section A-A: Section taken through the reception/ office part of the building at 1:50 scale.

Store/ Warehouse plan, showing where Section A-A is taken

Week 3 - Tutorial Exercise

Section B-B: Section through a portal frame along the apex of the roof line

Week 2 - Tutorial Exercise

Section A-A: Section through a portal frame showing the connection detail between the steel column and rafter

Week 1 - Tutorial Exercise

Exterior view of a warehouse development currently under construction at Lot 116 Industrial Drive, Melton.
Concrete tilt up panel load bearing construction, with steel rafters and timber mezzanine floor.

This image shows the connection between the concrete slab and the concrete panels through a steel plate called a stitch plate. The stitch plate is a 150 x 75 x 10 mm thick plate, which is welded to a steel angle cast in the concrete slab, and to a steel plate set in the concrete panel to join the two elements together.

This detail image shows the connection between a steel rafter and a concrete panel.
The steel rafter is welded to a steel plate cast in the concrete panel and is supported by a stiffened beam, positioned underneath the rafter to prevent it from sliding down the wall.
The image also shows diagonal rod roof bracing and a taper flange channel around the perimeter of the concrete panels, to join all the elements of the frame together.