Article Review - 'Green homes going mainstream'

Another article I found on CNET News focuses on prefabricated residential construction and its associated ‘green’ focus. Entitled ‘Green homes going mainstream’, the author explores how simple design and construction alterations, such as placement of doors & windows, can greatly reduce energy consumption.

Focussing on ‘Michelle Kaufmann Designs’, a small husband & wife firm that design modular houses that are manufactured off-site, whom concentrate on achieving a balance between aesthetics, function, and environmental sustainability.

An interesting insight into the lack of architecturally administered design in residential constructions, that invariably leads to uninspired design and inefficient buildings. MKD’s solution to this problem is to provide the wider market with pre-packaged green solutions, that don’t cost more and doesn’t take longer than conventional construction methods.

Efficiency of building offsite in a controlled factory environment, as opposed to rudimentary onsite construction, is also touched on.

With the world’s population slowly but surely becoming increasingly aware of our volatile environment, it seems as if the industry will begin to see more and more of this precise, green, modular construction.

Site Visit #4

This is a multi-residential construction site I visited just off Church Street, in Brighton, Melbourne.

A clear example of bondeck formwork creating the upper levels up this building.

Concrete block work and in situ concrete slab with lightweight metal stud partitioning wall. Commencement of suspended ceiling and associated lighting wiring.

Detail demonstrating the use of angle steel in balustrading support.

Division of interior spaces with metal studs, in addition to mechanical (air conditioning) and electrical services installation.

Plasterboard lining being applied to stud wall (I believe pink plasterboard either represents fire-proof or wet area boarding - but I could very well be wrong).

Article Review - 'Skyscraper design gets a new spin'

Browsing through CNET News online, I came across this article on a proposed rotating skyscraper in Dubai: 'Skyscraper Design gets a new spin'.

At an estimated cost of $350 million, the ‘Dynamic Architecture’ building will physically spin. Whether orientating towards the sun, changing the view, or merely rotating slowly for effect, each level will be capable of independently revolving around the building’s central axis.

However, of arguably greater interest, is the fact the building is to have an underlying energy efficient theme, with the integration of 48 horizontal wind turbines fitted between levels, and capable of producing enough energy to operate the skyscraper two-fold.

Standing at over 300 metres tall, the ‘scraper will encompass offices, apartments and even a ‘6-star’ hotel. It is suggested that 90% of the building will be manufactured off-site in a controlled factory environment, and speedily assembled around a central ‘core’, the fixed nucleus of the structure.

If nothing else, their modular approach is avant-garde (at least in this context) and I am eagerly awaiting the development of this project.

Firms involved include 'Dynamic Architecture' of Florence, 'LERA' Engineers of New York, and construction management company 'Bovis Lendlease' of London.

Completed Building Visit #2

Here I have visited and photographed the interior of the Malop St Officeworks in Geelong. As you can observe it is a warehouse type structure utilizing lightweight steel trusses to span extended lengths.

Here one can observe the basic flat truss shape (Warren configuration) that is used throughout the structure.

This is a more detailed shot of the apex of the roof. We can witness addition bracing, albiet minor, about the web connections.

General overview of some of the services in the building. Airconditioning services appear to be covered in a brand of insulation. Light is suspended from lightweight steel members in the roofing structure.

This is a good shot representing the diagonal cross-bracing between some of the truss systems. Such bracing would help counter torsional stresses.

Detail of the connection between the truss and square hollow section column. Basic steel L-plate with bolting has been utilized.

Article Review - 'Em-Breuer-Ed', On The Road To Throwing Away A Landmark Skyscraper

I came across this aptly entitled article, 'Em-Breuer-Ed', on the FreeTimes website a few days ago. Whilst not directly relevant to our construction studies, it is nevertheless a very sobering read on the politics and associated controversy that architecture and construction can create within a community.

Whilst the Marcel Breuer Tower is considered relatively significant, it is not quite old enough to be of great historical importance, but on the same note, this is far from a new building.

The future of the currently redundant reinforced concrete building, the only Breuer-designed skyscraper, is being heavily contested by the rash local planning commision and a number of concerned architects.

It is likely that the iconic building will be demolished, as a majority of the county commisioners see the building as inoperative with its smaller-than-usual floor plate. The associated cost of demolishing the structure and clearing the site, and replacing it with a more 'functional', modern building runs into the hundreds of millions of US dollars.


Economic issues aside, I find it hard to believe how some people, coincidently those of a local council, are willing to sacrifice beautiful, significant architecture in the name of gaining a few extra square-metres per floor level. Just astonishing..

(..reiterates my interpretation of councils as being a quite unique collection of rather senseless individuals.)

Site Visit #3

Small residential building comprising light steel framework. The steelwork is non-galvanised, which may lead to rusting.


Good example of a combination of onsite weldings and prefabricated bolt connections.


Detail of steel column's endplate being bolted to slab.


Reinforced concrete wall and rendered blockwork creating a garden bed / retaining walls.


Hot-dip galvanised circular hollow setion. Most likely to an external column.


Starter bars for garden bed.


Example of onsite welding for connection of beams. Bolts may yet to be secured, or perhaps they will not be used if the bolt openings on the adjacent beam are not aligned.

Major Project Research

After exploring Alvar Aalto’s oeuvre of work more thoroughly, I have come to admire, above all, his aforementioned Sports Hall at Otaniemi, near Helsinki, Finland. Well, this is perhaps not entirely true. But for the sake of this construction exercise, I feel that the gymnasium exemplifies all of the structural qualities needed for warehouse design. The common ground between the two buildings is of course the open, long span nature of both.

The building utilizes truss-like beams and columns (Swedish patented HB beam system) to create these rather sizable timber frames capable of spanning, in this case, 58 odd metres. The roof is not made from sheet roofing, but rather quaint tongue-and-groove timber panels with double bitumen felt for water proofing.

Whilst I have been unable to source any working drawings of the building, as the photographs suggest, the actual structure of the building is rather palpably expressed, and I believe, with a little bit of research into this particular truss / HB beam design, I will be able to extract all the information I need from photographs alone.

On this note, I have decided to construct a physical model for presentation as opposed to a 3D CAD model. I feel that for this exercise actually executing a physical, 1:10 model with my own two hands will put me in better stead as to actually understanding the structural composition of the section. Computers can be a little mind-numbing at the best of times :)