Site Report: Measurement 1Building MaterialsConstruction Technology

Lecturers: Sr Ang Fuey LinHasmanira MokhtarLeong Boon Tik

Muhammad Haziq bin Hj Abd Zariful0314131Bachelor in Quantity SurveyingMarch Intake 2014

INTRODUCTION

On the 13th of June 2014, Ms Ang had announced to the whole class an assignment for us to finish by 4th of July that requires us to make a report on a visit to a construction site, consisting of observation & reflection. Ms Ang had helped us book a visit to a construction site located at Jalan Kelang Lama in Mukim Petaling for us to visit on the 20th of June. Before the visit we were required to have a safety helmet for precautions when visiting the site.

On 20th June, we arrived to the construction site by bus with Ms Ang to help guide us on our observation. Also there to help were three contractors under the company ‘Encorp’. The construction was for a condo consisting of 25 storeys, the 2 basement floors & 3rd to 6th floors are car parks, the 1st to 2nd floors are for shops while the 7th to 24th floors are for the 403 apartment units. The construction takes 2 years to complete, set to be finished by November this year. The budget of the project is about RM100 million, provided by the employer, Aikbee Timbers Sdn Bhd.

The construction process is divided into Excavation, Structural works, Architectural works, Brick works & Painting. When we visited the site, it has completed the basement floors as well as 7 storeys while being in the structural works process. As of then, there were approximately 100 workers during the structural works, which could peak to 200 workers as the construction goes.

When we visited, we were allowed to go to the basement carparks & 3 floors up the building, completing the visit in about 45 mins. After the visit, we went to cool ourselves in the temporary meeting room, while asking questions to the contractors, before ending the visit with a group photo.

Employer Aikbee Timbers Sdn. Bhd.

Architect L T Leong Sekutu

Civil & Structural Engineer Perunding Majujaya

Mechanical & Electrical Engineer Kew & Associates

Quantity Surveyor PCM Kos Perunding Sdn. Bhd.

Main Contractor Encorp Construct Sdn. Bhd.

Objectives The site visit allows us to experience the working environment on the field

as a Quantity Surveyor on site, identifying problems that may persist & thinking of a solution to settle the problem

To help us obtain a better understanding of the process of the construction of a building & see every step on how it is built upon from a foundation to the higher level floors

Lets students be aware of the importance of safety & precautionary procedures to avoid injury that everyone present on a site must know while understanding the condition of the site

Improves our knowledge & understanding of the equipment & materials on a construction site by asking the contractors, who has the knowledge in and around the construction site.

To observe & explore the various materials used for the project while identifying what it might be used for

To improve our ability to read & visualize drawings and see how it is applied to construct from drawings to reality

Content/Technical ObservationThe class reached the construction site around 9am by bus guided by our Measurement 1 lecturer, Ms Ang. The first thing we’ll notice is that the construction is on the structural works stage while it has also been constructed 7 floors up. As we waited for the other students who came by carpooling, I noticed the Mesh Fabric Reinforcement stacked outside the site, where it is more noticeable due to the large numbers stacked in different places. Another item I noticed early on would be the tall tower crane but before I observed further, the other students arrived and we went on to the contractors' office.

The contractors brought us to the ground floor of the building & introduced themselves to us before briefing the whole group on the safety precautions when walking around the site. Around the ground floor, we were shown the storage of materials on the sides of the buildings consisting of steel, timber, cement & pipes. The contractor then guided us to the basement floors, which shows the temporary settlement for the workers while also showing us the electrical wiring on the ceiling as well as the piping. Other than that, we were shown the foundation that the building used, contiguous piling, the piles being 0.8-1.5m in diameter 25-36m deep, which can still be observed behind the basement wall. The basement is shown to have finished painting works and was then already at the stage for ventilation & electrical installation.

After visiting the basement, we proceeded to the first upper floor level, walking there through a ramp for cars. There, it is shown that the construction has proceeded to the reinforcement stage, as there were many starter bars seen & the bar bending was made on that floor. We also saw the scaffolding in the middle of the building & the contractor told us it s a void for escalators. We walked until we reached the 3rd floor, as we are only permissioned to visit until there, where it is mostly similar to the floors 1st & 2nd floors. Hence, we went down to the ground floor by the exterior scaffolding.

At the ground level, there were more works being done, such as the concrete piping, the spacers & the staircase formwork. I saw how the columns were marked with grid marks to identify the area of the site according to the drawings. We then bombarded the contractor with many questions, which were very helpful information on the construction, such as the tower cranes, where there were 2 of them in front and at the back of the building, one being from China & the other from Australia. The contractor focused presenting us the concrete piping, such as showing there were 20 numbers of pipes in total, 3m each, pumping 30m3 per hour.

After then, we rested in the meeting room, asking more questions & finished the site visit by having a group photo.

Photos & Descriptions

These pictures show the front view of the building & the overall levels completed above existing ground floor. The first thing we’ll notice is that the construction is in the structural

works progress, showing the columns & scaffolding, The building, during our visit, has finished 7 levels so far.

These posters were shown right in front of the main entrance to remind us of the importance of safety in the construction site. The poster in blue shows us the proper attire & accessories to wear in the site, for example the safety helmet & boots, whereas the poster

on the right warns us about the dangerous works being operated & to authorize visitors’ entry, we’ll need to report to the guardhouse

These project signboards are found outside the site area in front of the building. These boards are found in all major constructions to show the organizations & companies who contributed to the

project as a team, consisting of the engineers, employer, architect, quantity surveyor & main contractor. The top board shows the proposal of the construction, for example, it shows there

would be a bridge connecting to the nearby building.

Outside the building, laid on the side of the construction zone near to the fencing, layers of Fabric Mesh Reinforcement can be seen. These two pictures shows the reinforcement is separated &

placed in different places scattered in the site

Right in front of the entrance, there is a security room to keep out unauthorized entry

Outside the security wall, the proposal & approval of the construction of the building is placed to prove authorization of the construction

Stacks of timber materials laid beside the building, marked with letters to distinguish different stacks as seen on the top right of the picture

The picture on the left shows the long steel bars laid in stacks to be used while the picture on the right shows steel bars that has been cut, grouped together

regardless of different diameters to be recycled

Water storage for the construction workers are placed outside the building, used for laundry & toilets. As observed, however not pictured, the women of the construction

workers are in charge of the laundry.

The toilets are also placed outside the building, located beside the water storage consisting of 6 stalls.

The picture shows the office for the main contractors. Other than functioning as an office, it is also identified as an emergency assembly point, also showing where the fire extinguisher can be

found during the construction course

Beside the main contractor’s office, a schedule can be found, showing how important organization is for construction. This schedule shows a schedule, rebar, casting, material

delivery, tower crane usage & the contact no. of the relevant people

The contractor gives a ‘safety talk’ required every time a visitor visits a construction site, to give details on how & why safety is important when visiting

the site. The talk includes the required attire when walking around & also tells us to look out for sharp objects on the ground when walking

Cement stacked on site, covered with a plastic sheet

Plastic & Steel pipes stored on the site

The void at the center of the building is told to be for escalators to be constructed once structural works are complete. In the meantime, the

contractors use the void to place the scaffolding

The temporary settlement for the construction workers is placed in the 1st basement floor. A line of rooms runs along the basement floor that has electricity, providing

lighting & power.

Other than rooms to sleep in, a surau is also placed in the basement

An independent scaffolding is used by the workers to plaster the ceiling of the basement floor

The foundation of the building is a contiguous pile foundation, where a wall of reinforced bore piles are placed after drilling the earth to a

deep depth

Other than the basement, the temporary settlement is also placed on the ground floor outside the building

Reinforcement bars for the ramps leading to the car parks

The picture shows a ramp that leads to the car park. The car parks are located at the basement floors & the 3

The construction workers uses the formwork to help easily bend the bars

The bars are bent in different ways including into stirrups to be placed as reinforcement for the structures of the building

The exterior scaffolding for workers to access the floors of the building or to transport materials

Grid numbers are marked on the columns around the building for contractors to easily identify the right area of the site according to drawings

The concrete is flowed from the pump towards different areas of the building, each pipe being

3m long. As the building is constructed even higher, more & more pipes will be added to

transport the concrete to the higher levels

These pictures show the spacers, which are used to determine the concrete cover. The picture on the right shows the worker separating the damp concrete to the right

measurement.

There are 2 different tower cranes used for the project for the transport of heavy materials, as seen in these pictures. The one on the left, placed in front of the building is from Australia, made in 1970 & is told by the contractor as being faster than the one placed at the back of the building, which is from China and was made only recently.

As we finished the site visit & headed back to the bus, the delivery truck for the Mesh Fabric Reinforcement arrived on schedule

When having a break, the contractors showed us the plan drawings of the building for us to observe

Conclusion

I have most definitely improved my knowledge on construction, thanks to the knowledgeable contractors, who managed to answer every question we threw at him. This site visit will be valuable experience for myself & would hopefully help me not just for the coming exams but also for the future whether as a student or as a professional. Hopefully, with the same classmates, I would be able to visit another site & just like this one, enjoy my time as I experience it.