Podcast
Questions and Answers
What are some considerations for designing optimal housing for end users?
What are some considerations for designing optimal housing for end users?
Ant capping prevents termites from entering a building.
Ant capping prevents termites from entering a building.
False
What is the main purpose of bearers in construction?
What is the main purpose of bearers in construction?
Timber beams placed on top of piers.
Strip footings are usually continuous around the entire __________ of a building.
Strip footings are usually continuous around the entire __________ of a building.
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What is the biggest cause of death in construction workplaces?
What is the biggest cause of death in construction workplaces?
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Match the following types of hazards with their examples:
Match the following types of hazards with their examples:
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What is the difference between hazard and risk?
What is the difference between hazard and risk?
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What is the purpose of weep holes in construction?
What is the purpose of weep holes in construction?
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What is the primary function of stump pad footings?
What is the primary function of stump pad footings?
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Platform floors are recommended for featuring floors due to their exposure to weather during construction.
Platform floors are recommended for featuring floors due to their exposure to weather during construction.
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A non-load bearing wall is a wall that does not support loads from the building besides its own __________.
A non-load bearing wall is a wall that does not support loads from the building besides its own __________.
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Match the following roof elements with their functions:
Match the following roof elements with their functions:
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What is the purpose of a risk assessment according to the Worksafe VIC 2017 guidelines?
What is the purpose of a risk assessment according to the Worksafe VIC 2017 guidelines?
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Which of the following are reasons for conducting good risk assessments?
Which of the following are reasons for conducting good risk assessments?
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A risk has to be foreseeable according to the content.
A risk has to be foreseeable according to the content.
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One of the steps for risk assessment is to evaluate the current risk which includes assessing the ________.
One of the steps for risk assessment is to evaluate the current risk which includes assessing the ________.
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Match the following terms with their meanings from the content:
Match the following terms with their meanings from the content:
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What are jamb studs and where are they located?
What are jamb studs and where are they located?
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What is the purpose of noggings in a structure?
What is the purpose of noggings in a structure?
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The formula for calculating total design load is dead load + ____ load.
The formula for calculating total design load is dead load + ____ load.
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Bracing is essential only during construction and can be removed afterward.
Bracing is essential only during construction and can be removed afterward.
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Match the following beam design checks with their descriptions:
Match the following beam design checks with their descriptions:
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What is the formula for calculating Bending Moment (BM)?
What is the formula for calculating Bending Moment (BM)?
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Why are Shear Force Diagrams (SFDs) important?
Why are Shear Force Diagrams (SFDs) important?
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Strain is measured in units of length.
Strain is measured in units of length.
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The critical buckling load is the maximum force that can be applied to a __________ before it buckles.
The critical buckling load is the maximum force that can be applied to a __________ before it buckles.
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Match the timber grade with its description:
Match the timber grade with its description:
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What is the main load-bearing element in timber framing construction?
What is the main load-bearing element in timber framing construction?
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Which factors can cause structural damage to buildings?
Which factors can cause structural damage to buildings?
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Unseasoned timber is more expensive but has superior qualities compared to seasoned timber.
Unseasoned timber is more expensive but has superior qualities compared to seasoned timber.
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What is the internal moisture content of unseasoned timber after being kiln dried brought to? ____%
What is the internal moisture content of unseasoned timber after being kiln dried brought to? ____%
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Study Notes
Course Overview
- CT 1 focuses on applying scientific knowledge for low-rise construction, while CT 2 focuses on high-rise construction
- Designing for the inhabitant involves considering the end-user's needs, including durability, flexibility, insulation, protection, structural stability, sustainability, aesthetics, resilience, quality, safety, and health and wellbeing
Designing for the Inhabitant
- To make a house a home, factors such as durability, flexibility, insulation, protection, structural stability, sustainability, aesthetics, resilience, quality, safety, and health and wellbeing should be considered
- Structural stability involves designing buildings to resist forces applied to them
- AS1684 timber framing manual is used throughout the course
Construction Process
- Site investigation involves assessing the ground's composition and characteristics to choose a compatible foundation
- Site visit provides insight into ground conditions, natural bodies of water, and nearby obstacles
- Site condition report details potential difficulties, including existing services, legal issues, and site conditions
Types of Homes
- Resilient homes are designed for long-term durability, considering factors like bushfires, high winds, and floor loads
- Sustainable homes are designed for sustainability, incorporating features like solar panels, batteries, and rainwater tanks
- Reliable homes are designed for ease of mind, with high-quality materials and robust building warranties
- Liveable homes prioritize occupant wellbeing, with access to green outdoor spaces and community gardens
- Healthy homes are designed to promote occupant health, using non-toxic, natural, and safe materials
Timber Construction
- Brick piers are built on top of concrete pad footings to a certain height, with framing sitting level on top
- Ant capping is used to force termites to go around the piers, helping to find and prevent damage
- Bearers are timber beams placed on top of piers, spaced at around 1800mm and spanning 1800mm
- Joists are placed on top of bearers, spaced at 450mm or 600mm, with a span of around 1800mm
- Flooring is placed on top of joists, creating a subfloor space for maintenance, termite inspections, and ventilation
Roofing and Wall Frames
- Wall frames consist of columns (studs) held together by top and bottom plates, with noggins in between to prevent buckling
- Lintels are used for spanning openings for doors and windows, taking loads from the roof
- Roofing involves prefabricated roof trusses, with a structure including rafters, ceiling joists, and ridge boards
Soil and Footings
- Soil bearing capacity is the ability of soil to carry the load of a building and its contents without excessive settlement
- Volume changes in soil can result in serious damage to footings and buildings
- Footing systems must be selected to suit the anticipated volume change in the soil
- Soil types include rock, sand, clay, and problem sites, each with unique characteristics and challenges
Slabs and Footings
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Stiffened raft slabs consist of concrete beams and floors across the entire floor plan, with a 100mm thick concrete slab and steel reinforcement
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Strip footings are also known as reinforced concrete footings, usually continuous around the entire perimeter of the building
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Waffle slabs are formed on top of the ground using a polystyrene grid, with advantages including reduced concrete and steel usage
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Slab on ground involves both conventional and waffle slabs, with an edge rebate for brickwork in brick veneer type construction### Construction Safety on Residential Buildings
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Biggest cause of death in construction: falling from height
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High-risk activities: height, moving plant and machinery, working under small margins with high production pressures
Hazards
- Chemical hazards: gases, dusts, fumes, vapours, liquids, acids, corrosiveness, petrol, flammability, oil, slippery
- Biological hazards: bacterial, viruses, mould, insects, vermin, animals, and animal products
- Psychosocial hazards: stress, fatigue, bullying, long working hours, intensive work, job insecurity, lack of work-life balance
- Physical and ergonomic hazards: cluttered access routes, badly designed workstations, rung missing from a ladder, heavy box, mass, back strain from lifting
- Safety-related hazards: working at height, falling objects, collapsing structures
- Health-related hazards: asbestos, toxic fumes, psychosocial hazards
Controlling Risks at the Workplace
- Hierarchy of control:
- Level 1: Eliminate (physical removal of the hazard, very high protection)
- Level 2: Substitute (swapping something dangerous for something less dangerous, high protection)
- Level 3: Isolation (engineering controls, medium-high protection)
- Level 4: Administrative controls (changes to the way people work, moderate protection)
- Level 5: PPE (personal protective equipment, low protection)
OHS Performance Measurement
- Measurement assists in controlling risks by providing information on how the system operates in practice, identifying areas for remedial action, and providing a basis for continuous improvement
- OHS performance indicators:
- Lagging indicators: number/rate of incidents, costs of losses, historical, trailing
- Leading indicators: current performance, predictors of future safety performance, upstream, predictive, positive
Managing Risk
- Risk assessment, Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS), Job Safety Analysis (JSA), Safe Operating Procedure (SOP), and ‘Take 5’ are methods used to manage risk in the construction industry
- Managing risk involves not only documenting a safe plan but also executing it with the people around us
Critical Health and Safety Behaviours
- Case example reporting limitations
- Categories of critical health and safety behaviours
Construction Safety Risks
- Housekeeping: managing activities to ensure safe movement around the site, designated walkways, appropriate footwear, reporting risks
- Manual handling: minimizing bodily force when using materials/interacting with machinery, mechanical leads
- Work at height: biggest cause of serious and fatal injury, roof work, mobile platforms, scaffolding, ladders, rope, applied controls to prevent/restrict/mitigate falls
- Structures and excavations: risk of unintentional collapse, structural support
- Lifting operations: proper planning and supervision, cranes and lifting accessories, trained and competent operators
- Electrical safety: safe and properly maintained, live systems can be worked on by a qualified and authorized person
- Mobile plant and vehicles: qualified operators, attention to access requirements and restrictions
- Permits to work: required for some sites, eg.### Water Resistance
- Load-bearing element is not the brickwork but the timber frame
- Weep holes are used for drainage and ventilation to reduce the risk of rot and dampness
- Weep holes protect timber framing from a structural perspective
Foundation Options
- Screw piles: flexible, fast, and cost-effective foundation option
- Screw piles are screwed into the ground using a hydraulic attachment on machines such as excavators
- Stump pad footing: simplest and most familiar footing used for vertical support and transfer of building loads to the foundation
- Stump pad footing is used to support timber-framed houses
- Timber, concrete, and steel can be used for stumps
- Concrete/timber footing is placed under the base of the stump to spread the load transferred from the building
Sub-Floor Construction
- Bearers: first of the sub-floor frame members to be installed, positioned over stumps, piers, or other supports
- Floor joists: typically run over bearers
- Sub-floor: analysis assumes joists carry a uniformly distributed load (UDL)
- Bearers carry point loads
- Platform floors: provide a working platform for the builder, laid before erecting the wall and roof framing
Wall Framing
- Wall systems: timber stud wall frame is the most common in Australia
- Wall framing: non-load-bearing walls do not support loads from the building besides their own weight
- Load-bearing walls bear some of the building's weight as well as their own weight
- Bottom plate: carries the stud loads to the floor joints
- Top plate: built along the full length of all walls, including over openings
- Bracing: provides lateral support to wall framing, attached to studs
Roofing
- Roof types: hip, valley, gable, hipped, hipped with Dutch gabled, skillion
- Ceiling joists: provide structure onto which the ceiling is fixed, connect to the lower ends of rafters, preventing spreading and sagging
- Hanging beams: reduce the span of ceiling joists, allowing for more economic joist size and consistent section
- Struts and strutting beams: transfer loads from underpurlins and other beams to load-bearing walls
- Collar tie: a tension tie resisting rafter separation during periods of unbalanced loads
- Ridgeboard: a non-load-bearing member used as a platform for rafters to rest against and connect to
Cladding Systems
- Cladding systems: enclose the building and provide protection from the weather
- External cladding contributes to the comfort, structural adequacy, and aesthetics of a building
Construction Sequence
- Site preparations
- Final prep for pour
- Slab poured
- Wall framing set out
- Wall framing erected
- Fascia, guttering, and trusses installed
- Roof ties installed
- Sisalation and windows/doors installed
- Brickwork
- Services
- Insulation
- Plastering
- Internal doors
- Painting
- Brickwork painted
- Flooring and fixtures
Fixtures and Fittings
- Fixtures: items secured and bolted (lighting, sockets, built-in wardrobes)
- Fittings: free-standing items (microwave, furniture, oven)
Categories of a Home
- The resilient home: designed for longevity, durability, and against natural disasters
- The sustainable home: focuses on sustainability, circularity, and waste systems
- The reliable home: ensures high-quality and reliable products, functionality, and flexibility
- The liveable home: focuses on occupants' wellbeing, access to green outdoor spaces, and community engagement
- The healthy and safe home: prioritizes health and safety, creating healthy living through material choices and ventilation
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Description
Learn about the design and construction processes of low-rise housing, focusing on the needs of the inhabitants. Apply scientific knowledge for practical construction purposes.
