CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY

UNIT 4

THINK, PAIR, SHARE

• IN YOUR OPINION, WHAT IS CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY?

•THINK – 2 MINUTES

•PAIR – 1 MINUTE

•SHARE – 2 MINUTES

CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY

•THE STUDY OF METHODS AND EQUIPMENT USED TO BUILD STRUCTURES.

SOME EXAMPLES…

•WHAT ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF EQUIPMENT OR METHODS USED IN CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY?

GOING GREEN

•MANY CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES ARE STARTING TO USE SUSTAINABLE METHODS WHEN DEVELOPING STRUCTURES.

•WHY DO YOU THINK THIS IS?

DEFINITION

•SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION (ALSO KNOWN AS GREEN CONSTRUCTION OR SUSTAINABLE BUILDING) REFERS TO A STRUCTURE, THE CONSTRUCTION PROCESS AND OCCUPANCY PROCESSES THAT ARE ENVIRONMENTALLY RESPONSIBLE AND RESOURCE EFFICIENT THROUGHOUT A BUILDING'S LIFE-CYCLE FROM LOCATION TO DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION, OPERATION, MAINTENANCE, RENOVATION, AND DEMOLITION.

WHAT IS SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION?• SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION IS DEVELOPMENT THAT MEETS THE NEEDS OF THE PRESENT

WITHOUT COMPROMISING THE ABILITY OF FUTURE GENERATIONS TO MEET THEIR OWN NEEDS.

• SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION SHOULD ALSO:

ENHANCE LIVING, WORKING AND LEISURE ENVIRONMENTS FOR

INDIVIDUALS AND COMMUNITIES.

CONSUME MINIMUM ENERGY OVER ITS LIFE CYCLE

GENERATE MINIMUM WASTE OVER ITS LIFE CYCLE

INTEGRATE WITH THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

USE RENEWABLE RESOURCES WHERE POSSIBLE

SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION SHOULD NOTSUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION SHOULD NOT:

• CAUSE PERMANENT DAMAGE TO THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT OR CONSUME A LARGE AMOUNT OF RESOURCES DURING CONSTRUCTION, USE OR DEMOLITION.

• CAUSE UNNECESSARY WASTE OF ENERGY, WATER OR MATERIALS DUE TO SHORT LIFE, POOR DESIGN, INEFFICIENCY OR LOW STANDARD CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES.

• CREATE DEPENDENCE ON HIGH IMPACT TRANSPORT SYSTEMS WITH THEIR ASSOCIATED POLLUTION.

• USE MATERIALS FROM THREATENED SPECIES/ENVIRONMENTS.

Water ConservationThe following table shows the average household water usage in Ireland:

Flushing the toilet 9.5 Litres

Taking a bath 80 Litres

Taking a shower 5 Litres/min

Using a washing machine 80 Litres

Watering the garden 540 Litres/hour

Drinking water 10 Litres/day

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS

There are many ways to conserve water in the home.

• Fit low flow taps and showerheads

• Install Low flush toilets (3.5 to 6 Litres/flush)

• Buy water efficient washing machines (faster spinning rate)

• Think about shorter lengths of piping to hot water taps (reducing the amount

of cold water run to waste)

• Permeable landscaping materials absorb and retain rainwater, reducing

watering.

• Compost toilets use no flush water and the end product can be used as a

fertiliser.

• Natural reed beds are an alternative to conventional sewage systems. Large

area of land required.

 Greywater reuse (greywater is wastewater from wash basins, showers, washing machines) for watering the garden or washing the car.

Rain Water Collection Rainwater can be used for gardening and toilet flushing.

Install rainwater collection systems such as water butts for rainwater storage.

DEFINITION

ECONOMIC BENEFITS OF SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTIONEconomic benefits to Occupants• Cheaper operating costs since energy bills will be lower

• Improved aesthetics and levels of comfort.

Economic benefits to Lending Institutions• Since the owners will have lower operating costs more disposable income

should be available to them

• Therefore hopefully reducing the risk to lending institutions.

Economic benefits to Builders• Lower landfill fees due to reuse and recycling of construction materials.

• Lower material costs with careful purchase of resources and materials.

• Potential earnings from sales of reusable items removed during the demolition

of old buildings.

ECONOMIC BENEFITS

Economic benefits to Landlords• Warm dry homes have lower operating costs which causes fewer

complaints to the housing associations

• Well designed sustainable housing can reduce potential maintenance

problems such as condensation

• Sustainable housing should be more desirable than conventional

homes, therefore minimising tenant turnover.

ECONOMIC BENEFITS

A useful indicator of the environmental impact of construction materials is Embodied Energy.

Embodied energy is the SUM of ALL the energy required throughout the lifecycle of a material.

That is energy in:

• Acquisition of the raw material

• Manufacture of the finished product

• Transportation of the product to site

• Construction of a building

• Maintenance through the life of a building

• Demolition of a building

SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS

To reduce the Embodied Energy it is important to use a good design not only in the structure but also in the management and utilisation of materials.

Timber frame construction can benefit this situation because:

• Timber is a renewable resource

• Timber has low embodied energy

• Timber has good thermal properties

• Timber has high strength to weight ratio

Additionally we can design for standard lengths/sizes, choose salvage materials or choose long lasting low maintenance materials.

GOOD ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN

RESEARCH ACTIVITY

CREATE A PRESENTATION ABOUT YOUR TOPIC AND INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:

•NAME OF YOUR MATERIAL OR ENERGY SOURCE

•A PICTURE OF THE ITEM

•A DESCRIPTION OF THE ITEM

•WHERE OR HOW IT IS USED

•COST OF THE ITEM

•WHY YOU THINK THIS MATERIAL OR ENERGY SOURCE IS CLASSIFIED AS SUSTAINABLE OR ECO-FRIENDLY

RESEARCH TOPICS – 1 PER GROUP

•RAIN GARDEN

•GREEN ROOF

•TUBULAR SKYLIGHTS

•FIBER CEMENT SIDING

•SOLAR SHINGLES/TILES

•CONCREATE ROOF

•CELLULOSE INSULATION

•COMPOSITE DECKING

•FGD GYPSUM DRYWALL

•ENERGY EFFICIENT WINDOWS

•SOY-BASED SEALANTS

•GREY WATER SYSTEMS

•RADIANT BARRIERS

DESIGN CHALLENGE: SUSTAINABLE

CONSTRUCTION•STUDENTS, WORKING IN GROUPS, WILL DESIGN AND CONSTRUCT A MODEL OF A SUSTAINABLE BUILDING.

STEP 1: DEFINE THE PROBLEM

•PLEASE TAKE 5 MINUTES TO THINK ABOUT AND WRITE DOWN (IN YOUR PACKET) A DETAILED PROBLEM STATEMENT.

STEP 2: RESEARCH•AS A CLASS, WE ARE GOING TO WATCH THE FOLLOWING

VIDEO THAT DISCUSSES DIFFERENT TECHNOLOGIES, EQUIPMENT, AND METHODS THAT CAN BE USED WHEN DESIGNING AND CONSTRUCTING A SUSTAINABLE BUILDING.

•PLEASE TAKE NOTES (IN YOUR PACKET OR ON A SEPARATE SHEET ATTACHED TO YOUR PACKET). THIS WILL QUALIFY AS YOUR RESEARCH.

•HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=LWSEV-LDQMO

STEPS 3 – 8

•WE WILL WORK ON STEPS 3-8 IN THE LAB!

•UPON COMPLETION OF THIS PROJECT, GROUPS WILL PRESENT.

• PRESENTATION REQUIREMENTS TO FOLLOW