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APC June 2025 > Construction Technology - Docs > Flashcards

Construction Technology - Docs Flashcards

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1
Q

What was the structural frame for one of your projects?

A

Steel frame

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2
Q

Why would a steel frame be chosen over a concrete frame?

A

Steel frame has a higher stength to weight ratio which allows a wider span which benefits offices, allowing them to be more flexible.

Concrete frames would require columns which would impact flexibility

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3
Q

What are the disadvantages of a steel frame?

A

Requires fire protection such as intumescent paint.

Poor acoustic qualities

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4
Q

How does intumescent paint work?

A

Paint includes a chemical which reacts to heat, making it expand and form a layer of char which acts as a barrier to fire

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5
Q

What is meant by Modern Methods of Construction?

A

A process focusing on off-site construction techniques, such as mass production and factory assembly, as alternatives to traditional building.

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6
Q

What is volumetric / modular construction?

A

Large building elements which are built off-site and can be directly installed on site.

Example: Toilet pods

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7
Q

What is Pre-Fabrication?

A

Practice of assembling components of a structure in a factory or other manufacturing site and transporting complete assemblies or sub-assemblies to the construction site.

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8
Q

What are the advantages of Pre-Fabrication?

A

Time: increased rate of supply for identical units.
Cost: reduced risk of overspend due to unforeseen site circumstances.
Quality: controlled conditions with dedicated workforce and less waste.

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9
Q

What are the disadvantages of Pre-Fabrication?

A
  • Long lead time requires careful programming.
  • Difficult storage due to size and weight of units.
  • Costly design changes require a design freeze before manufacturing.
  • Coordination of integration with site-applied services is needed.
  • Costly transportation.
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10
Q

What are some examples of building elements that can be prefabricated?

A

Bathroom Pods
Stair treads for helical stair
Bespoke joinery (reception joinery)

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11
Q

What is the purpose of ventilation in a building?

A

Air quality regulation
Temperature regulation
Humidity control

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12
Q

What types of ventilation systems are there?

A

Passive (natural)
Active (mechanical)
Mix Mode

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13
Q

What is a Passive ventilation system?

A

Utilizes natural convection and flow of external air, requiring little energy and having low operational costs.

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14
Q

What is an Active ventilation system?

A

Mechanically provides air flow for heating/cooling, being energy intensive and essential in areas with noise and pollution.

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15
Q

What is an AHU?

A

A large metal box that connects to ductwork to distribute conditioned air throughout the building.

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16
Q

What are the advantages of an AHU?

A

Constant, reliable rate of ventilation.
Controlled air flow.
Ability to recover heat in cold weather.
Noise is restricted to the AHU location.

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17
Q

What are the disadvantages of an AHU?

A

Significant energy consumption.
Ductwork occupies space and requires maintenance.
Risk of mechanical/electrical failure.

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18
Q

What methods are you aware of for heating a space?

A

Boiler
Ground Source Heat Pump
Air Source Heat Pump
Trench Heating
Radiator
Convectors
Underfloor Heating

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19
Q

How does a Ground Source Heat Pump work?

A

Transfers heat from the ground into a building.

Refrigerant is pressurised and passed through a system of open/closed loop pipes and exchanges
heat a heat plate exchanger in the building.

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20
Q

What types of ground source heat pumps can you get?

A

Closed or open loop

Open loop runs pipework into a lake or open water source
Closed loop circulates antifreeze. Can be vertical or horizontal

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21
Q

How does an Air Source Heat Pump work?

A

Transfers heat from outside air to heat a building

Typically uses electricity to pull in external air, heat a refrigerant which compresses and heats a home

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22
Q

What are the main types of Air Source Heat Pumps?

A

Air to Water - heats water to provide underfloor heating / heat for radiators

Air to Air - produces warm air which is circulated by fans to heat.

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23
Q

How does trench heating work?

A

Trench with grille placed in front of glazing to counteract downdraughts and eliminate condensation.

Hot pipes connected to a boile

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24
Q

How do radiators work?

A

Hot water is heated by a boiler and pumped through a network of pipes to the radiators

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25
How do convectors work?
Room air is pulled in at the bottom and fed through a finned hot water pipe at low level. This creates an upward convection current of hot air within the casing and pushes hot air out the top. Fan convectors help to speed this process
26
How does underfloor heating work?
Distributing warm water through a circuit of pipes beneath the finished floor
27
How do chilled beams work?
Chilled water system with a long rectangular unit mounted at high level to cool the surrounding air
28
What are the 2 types of chilled beams?
Active - incorprate small fans to help movement. Ventilation and cooling Passive - relies on warm air buoyancy to create air movement. Cooling only
29
What are some pros and cons of chilled beams?
Pros - quiet, high cooling output Cons - takes up ceiling space, require seperate heating and ventilation systems
30
What are some electrical systems?
Lighting Transformers (High voltage to low voltage) Busbar (Runs power between levels)
31
How many Approved Documents make up the Building Regs?
16
32
Which regulation covers ventilation?
F - Ventilation
33
What guidelines does regulation F set?
Sets guidelines for ventilation rates to limit moisture accumulation that could lead to health hazards.
34
Which regulation covers acoustics?
E - Resistance to Sound
35
How did you evaluate the costs associated with the structural alterations for the interconnecting helical stair, and what were the main challenges you faced?
Hosted meetings with the stuctural engineer about what was required. Priced temp works, cutting into the slab, secondary beams, the stair carcass and associated finishes. Total cost was c. £500k
36
Explain the methodology for installing the helical stair
1. Pre-agreed soft-spot agreed with the landlord 2. Prop the area 3. Cut through the slab 4. Add secondary beams to support the helical shape 5. At the same time, install formwork 6. Concrete & Reinforcement to corners (cure for 14 days) 7. Remove formwork 8. Prefabricated stairs to be installed top down – bolted and welded into the concrete structure at the top and bottom
37
What are temporary works?
Parts of a construction project needed to enable the permanent works to be built.
38
What are some examples of temporary works?
Scaffold Props Formwork
39
What is the purpose of the extract system?
To extract pollutants from the kitchen.
40
What does a UPS do?
An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) maintains power in the event of a failure, commonly including a battery that supplies power when needed.
41
What is a structural pad?
Formed by square concrete pads that support localized single-point loads such as structural columns. Load of the column is spread by the pad to a load bearing layer
42
What factors influence the arrangement of structural pads?
Nature of structure Load imposed Bearing capacity Space availability
43
What is the difference between a finishing kitchen and a full catering kitchen?
A finishing kitchen focuses on preparing and plating dishes, while a full catering kitchen handles the entire process from raw ingredients to packaged or served food for off-site events.
44
What plant was required for the kitchen extract system?
Air Handling Unit Extract Fans within a hood Filters Fire-rated ductwork
45
What is a soft spot?
A designated area where if cut into will not structurally impact the rest of the building
46
What is the difference between single and double glazing?
Single glazing uses one pane of glass, while double glazing uses two panes with an insulating layer of air or gas in between.
47
How does double-glazing work?
There are two panes of glass absorbing the sound vibrations and the (Argon) gas between the panes which helps to slow and dampen the transmission of sound waves
48
What is the cost difference between single glazing and double glazing?
Depends on the fire rating requirement and Db requirements. From the cost exercise I completed it was c. £2.5k per m for double glazed and £3k for single glazed both to meet 45db
49
Can you explain the structural modifications needed to support the additional load from the UPS?
Structural modifications included a structural pad with steel beams to transfer the load to the existing frame. This ensured the floor plates could support the additional weight.
50
How much did the structural modifications for the UPS cost?
£60,000
51
How much did the UPS cost?
£550,000 - Kholer Quote
52
You mentioned the UPS was built in the basement, how was the basement built for this building?
Ground was excavated, the foundation was piled so secant piles formed the external wall. Drained cavity system formed to help waterproof the basement. Concrete was poured in and cured over 14 days.
53
What are secant piles?
Interlocking piles (male and female) are bored into the ground to provide a combination of foundations and basement walls
54
What are other types of pile walls?
Contiguous Piles - series of bored piles positioned very close together (not watertight) Sheet Pile - sections of sheet materials with interlocked edges that are driven into the ground to provide earth retention and excavation support (usually temporary)
55
How are piles constructed?
Driven or Bored
56
How does load-bearing capacity differ in piles?
End-bearing capacity - where the load trasfers to the toe of the pile and onto a hard layer of rock/dense gravel or soil Friction piles - load-bearing through stresses along the sides of the pile causing friction between the pile and soil
57
What are the different grades of basement?
Grade 1: Basic Utility (e.g. car park) Grade 2: Improved Utility (e.g. retail storage) Grade 3: Habitable Space (e.g. residential/office space) Grade 4: Special areas (e.g. document archiving)
58
What is a drainage cavity system?
Where water penetration is expected a void former creates a cavity between the external and internal walls where water is collected and pumped away using a sump pump.
59
What is a sump pump?
Small pump installed in a specially constructed sump pit (to ensure it is the lowest part of the basement) which when water flows into the pit, it pumps the water out of the pit and away from the building as directed.
60
How are glazed partitions built?
Install tracks or channels in the floor/ceiling/walls Secure glass panels within tracks Sealing the edges
61
How are partitions installed?
Metal framework installed Install soundbloc / fireboard if required Add services / cabling Close walls using plasterboard Add finishes
62
What are the components of a steel frame?
Beams and columns: £2000 per tonne Reinforcement: £1500 per tonne Intumescent paint – 10 to 15% of steel cost
63
How do FCUs work?
1. Fresh air is pumped into the FCU through secondary ductwork from the AHU 2. Heating and Cooling coils condition the air to the required temperature 3. Fan pushes the air out 4. Condensation caught in condensation pipe
64
How do VAVS work?
1. Fresh air is pumped into the VAV through secondary ductwork from the AHU 2. Damper inside to control airflow to maintain desired temperature
65
How doe VRF systems work?
Variable Refrigerant Flow Systems Refrigerant is a susbstance which easily turns from liquid to gas. Evaporators and condensers are used to heat and cool refrigerant to heat or cool an area
66
What are the different type of VRF systems?
1. Cooling only Systems 2. Heat Pump System (2 Pipe VRF) 3. Heat Recovery System (3 Pipe VRF)
67
What are some considerations to be made if there is no soft spot within a building?
If the building had no pre-agreed soft spot, there would be considerations for the following: - structural enhancements for the building - secondary steelwork to support the breakout of the slab - plant to install the steel beams – cranes

APC June 2025 (18 decks)

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