Unit 1: Design Principles and Application for Construction and the Built Environment
Feasibility Study Report
Background Information
This report entails the preparation of a feasibility study for developing a speculative office project as commissioned by a client. The project, which involves redeveloping an existing stone-clad building, is located in a city center. The existing building will be extended and connected to a new office accommodation through an atrium. Further, a basement will be created beneath the new building to serve as parking space for cars. The report aims at providing the client with information regarding the viability of the project from the inception, throughout the design, planning, and construction process. In order to provide the client with this information, the study considers environmental factors, the specification of materials and building services, roles of all actors taking part in the construction process, and the impact of technology on the design and production of the proposed office accommodation project.
Task 1
1.1 Planning phase: land acquisition, assembly of the design team, planning permission, constraints, community relations, pre-contract safety and health plans.
The planning phase of the speculative office accommodation project is significant in the process of designing the built environment. The planning phase of a construction contract entails the management and enhancing the performance of the project through defining work tasks, choosing appropriate technology, and approximating the required time and resources associated with each activity (Yang " Wei, 2010).
The process of acquiring land is the first step in determining the feasibility of establishing the office project. The services of a surveyor are required to verify due ownership of the land and ensure all acquisition regulations are followed depending on the prevailing tenure conditions and whether the client is acquiring land from third parties (Pm, 2000). Considerations should be made to determine any restrictions regarding the transfer of land ownership from a public or private asset to the project client and whether there is need to acquire vesting rights to use and access the acquired land. All the interests and land rates should be cleared of the title deed after successful registration of the land. Consequently, there is need to review the planning permission considering that the prospective office development is an extension facility (Pm, 2000). The local authorities should be consulted regarding the planning of the project to ensure that the development poses the least disruptions to the existing services and social amenities (sewer systems, road networks, cold water supply). Neighbouring community members should also be approached to raise their invariable concerns regarding the planning, environmental (pollution arising from wastes, noise, dust), and other impacts that the prospective office development would pose to their social lives. The services of a town planner could thus be necessary to carry out an environmental impact analysis which helps assess the health and safety repercussions of the proposed project (Pm, 2000).
As well, the CDM (Construction Design and Management Regulations of 2015)
recommends that a safety and health file should be prepared before the execution of the project (CDM, 2015). The primary role of ensuring the health and safety of the construction process primarily lies with the client (ensures adequate risk control throughout the project) in conjunction with the principal contractor (controls risks in the construction phase) and principal designer (controls risks in the pre-construction phase) as illustrated in the chart below.
Primary parties involved in ensuring health and safety in a project (CDM, 2015).
1.2 Design phase allied to RIBA plan of Work Stages 0-4.
Stage 0: Strategic definition
The first phase entails the strategic appraisal of the prospective office accommodation development prior to the creation of a detailed brief. The strategic definition is particularly important in this context since it involves sustainable considerations regarding the extension of an existing building to create new office spaces (Sinclair, 2013). The phase involves analyzing whether creating more rationalized space plans such as the inclusion of basement parking and an atrium to meet the occupants’ needs would be more appropriate than demolishing the entire existing structure and establishing a completely new building. The strategic definition also involves the review of feedback from relevant case studies or previous projects, establishing a project program, and making initial considerations to bring together the team that will be involved in the project (Sinclair, 2013).
Stage 1: Preparation and Brief
The second phase entails both the setting out of the project activities and formulating the brief regarding the development of objectives of the new office development. These project aims include assessing the project outcomes, quality objectives, project budget, and sustainability goals. Further, feasibility studies are carried out to determine the suitability of providing additional office space to the market within the city center as well as reviewing the prevailing site conditions to determine the practicability of the prospective design. The stage also involves the preparation of the Contractual Tree and the Project Roles Table besides the continued assembling of the project team (Sinclair, 2013). The project program is also reviewed, risk assessments and handover strategies defined, responsibility matrixes designed, services schedule formulated, and an execution plan for the project prepared. An effective communication strategy is formulated to enhance the technologically updated system of coordinating activities among the project team (Sinclair, 2013).
Stage 2: Concept Design
The concept design stage implicates the formulation of perceptive design maps including an outline proposal or rough draft of building services, structural design, preliminary cost estimation, and specifications (Sinclair, 2013). The design team agrees on the various alterations to the outline proposal and develops a final project brief. Other consideration made during the concept design stage includes deliberating on the construction strategy to incorporate a Health and Safety Strategy and technologies like as off-site prefabrication. Third-party consultations should also be made to further inform the design of the prospective office development based on development aspects and research (Sinclair, 2013).
Stage 3: Developed Design
The developed design stage entails fully establishing updated and coordinated structural and architectural proposals for the new office development’s building services, structural design, outlined details and specifications, alignment with project strategies and full cost information as outlined in the design program. Before conducting information exchange of the final developed design, extra time is added to review all the contractual documents and implement the highlighted changes (Sinclair, 2013).
Stage 4: Technical Design
The technical design is prepared in line with the project strategies, and responsibility matrix and comprises of all information regarding building services, structures, architecture, specifications, and expert subcontractors or suppliers as outlined in the design program. Although the work of the design team is completed at this stage, they may be recalled to respond to arising design questions during the execution of the new office development on site. Third-party submissions including building regulations that require legal consent are also submitted at this stage (Sinclair, 2013).
1.3 Management and coordination of the planning and design stages including position (location and structural consideration of building)
The modern-day design and planning process has become more complex with buildings becoming increasingly technical, a higher number of specialist designers, more stringent regulations and standards, and a broader range of materials and products (Am-Gar, 2018). These complexities have, in turn, resulted in miss-communication among the project professionals, omitted information, misappropriation of resources, inconsistent documentation, and inappropriate decision making (Am-Gar, 2018). The lead designer or the project manager can perform a substantial role in the design coordination by integrating all the different parts of the design prepared by different members of the planning and design team including Architects, Engineers, and Quantity Surveyors into one unified set of data that reduces conflicting information between different building components. The advantages of design coordination are that it considerably minimizes disruptions, costs, delays which could consequently lead to re-designing or abortive works. One of the integral functions of design coordination is ensuring that each member of the design team understands the extent of their responsibilities. Design meetings can be utilized to design a responsibility schedule where each profession is informed of their duties. The detailed architectural and engineering packages should also be reviewed during such meetings to further enhance easy coordination among the design team (Am-Gar, 2018).
As the project manager of the new office development, I would consider assessing the financial implication of the design to determine its feasibility in the city center and whether the client will obtain a value for his money. Using the initial cost estimation provided by the Quantity Surveyor, I would compare the capital cost of the building to the client’s budget. If the capital cost is higher than the client’s budget, the developer should consider other options of obtaining additional funding or review the design and specification to reduce the cost. Financial institutions could be the primary source of financing the project whereby considerations should be made to ensure that the client receives the lowest interest rates in the market and take advantage of such incentives as subsidies and tax waiving. I would also carry out a life-cycle costing which entails the capital, operational, maintenance, and disposal costs of the project to determine the sustainability of the office building throughout its lifecycle. In turn, I would advise the design team to incorporate measures that enhance the energy efficiency of the design including specification of sustainable materials and building services.
When installing the plant on site, accessibility should be considered to ensure that it is conveniently reachable from the rear access road. The nearness to utility services such as power and water should also be considered for ease of operation. The plant should also be secured to limit unauthorized access to the site. Since the new office building is to be located within a town setting, considerations should be made to source human labor from within the urban area or provide temporary accommodation to the workers with proper welfare facilities such as sanitation, security, and clean water (HSE, 2018). Reclaimed lands and brownfields are usually associated with a weak soil and differential settlement structure resulting from less compacted ground infill. The reclaimed land thus impacts on the on the structural design of the office development particularly the design of foundations and the type of structural frame (Burdette, 2017). The most appropriate structural footing would be a raft or pile foundations which distributes weight evenly across the building plinth or anchors the structure on more stable ground respectively as illustrated in the images below.
Raft foundation (Burdette, 2017). Pile foundation (Burdette, 2017).
Further, the use of concrete footings would be more appropriate as opposed to steel since the latter is highly corrosive when subjected to acidic soil conditions which are a likely condition on the reclaimed and brown land. If steel frames are to be employed in the design of foundations, they should be covered with concrete to reduce the effects of corrosion which would make steel lose its structural integrity (Burdette, 2017).
Task 2
2.1 Specification of materials
One of the primary requirements by clients is the timely completion of the project using cost-effective of materials which do not compromise on the quality of the final design (Oberlender, 1993). These demands have prompted innovations particularly in the production and execution process of construction materials. Subsequently, manufacturers and contractors have devised new techniques of altering the physical structure and chemical properties of construction materials. For example, the time taken to cure concrete can be significantly hastened to enhance timely completion of the new office development by addition of additives. Polymers, in particular, are widely employed to increase the structural strength of concrete, its insulation properties, and resistance to water which is achieved after the organic compound reacts with cement (Yang " Wei, 2010). Steel is also toughened through additives which increase its structural strength. However, the use of these additives in construction materials could also pose an adverse cost implication to the client. In order to effectively reduce the time taken in the curing process of concrete, for instance, huge volumes of these expensive additives are required to replace at least 10% of the total amount of cement used (Yang " Wei, 2010). A surveyor should thus be engaged to assess and advise on the cost implication of altering materials to meet the timely and quality demands of clients.
One of the technical challenges associated with choosing materials is the skill gap involved in installing new construction materials using appropriate and up-to-date building technologies (Oberlender, 1993). Considerations should thus be made by the design team when specifying the type of materials to establish whether the respective technical know-how is readily available within the city center. The high cost associated with skilled labour should also be regarded when specifying materials. For these reasons, a builder should be involved during the design stage to inform the project team whether the specified materials details are economically constructible. The contractor also gives an insight on the workability of the materials concerning the ease of handling and hoisting (Oberlender, 1993).
Another factor affecting the specification of materials is their availability. If the materials are not available locally, shipping arrangement should be made and a transportation analysis made to determine the cost implication of sourcing such materials from overseas. The impact of the specified materials on the overall weight of the design should be considered during the design stage and appropriate calculations made by the engineers in the design and specifications of the structural frame as well as materials used for the building envelope. The project team could also factor in the possibility of mass production of the construction materials in situ or on-site by the contractor which would create significant cost reduction on the project cost due to the economies of scale. Architects should ensure that the specified materials achieve the desired aesthetics and quality of the overall design (Yang " Wei, 2010).
The building regulations and legislation are structured in a manner that encourages developers, design teams, and contractors to adopt innovative construction materials. In the recent past, most Local, State, and Federal governments are in full support of new buildings that take a sustainable designs approach. The use of recycled materials and products is highly encouraged in a move to promote environmental conservation. There have been instances where the New York City municipality, through its Mayor Di Blasio, has made efforts to give incentives to clients who employ sustainable design strategies in their designs (Crawford, 2017). Such developers enjoy a considerable reduction in land rates, taxes, as well as increase their chances of receiving subsidies from the local authorities.
During the design phase of the new office development, the project team should be concerned about the comfort of the building user when specifying construction materials. The selected materials should meet the required acoustic requirements of a typical office space to avoid unwanted echoes, eliminate structure-borne noises such as those created on the floor by furniture movement, enhance confidentiality, and promote efficient communication among the occupants (Steve, 2008). The thermal performance of the materials used in the building envelope should be factored in to provide necessary insulation and create a comfortable and air-conditioned office space both during the cold and hot seasons.
The project engineers should also consider the durability of the specified construction materials and their response when exposed to elements of weather such as moisture and sunlight (Oberlender, 1993). The use of glass to clad the building facades, for instance, could be designed to optimize the utilization of daylight which consequently enhances the energy efficiency of the development. The frequency of maintaining the specified material depends largely on how the proposed materials react to these environmental elements which consequently determine how effectively a building design minimizes the cost-in-use (operations and repairs). The project contractor and other manufacturers have the social responsibility to ensure minimum environmental pollution and degradation during the production process of the materials. To achieve this, manufacturers should produce the specified construction materials in a controlled condition within the factory setting. Contractors as well should strive to minimize generation of waste, noise, and dust with an ultimate goal of reducing the carbon footprint and employing environmentally friendly construction techniques (Mitchell, 2013).
2.2 Specification of building services
The specification of building services to achieve aesthetics is done during the design stage whereby architects and engineers locate the services in concealed spaces where occupants cannot directly see them. The positioning of building services including supply and distribution of cold water, natural gas, electricity, information technology systems, and fire safety systems can be consolidated into an individual truncking scheme separated into different ducts (City University of Hong Kong, 2018). The central ducting system which is usually located in the building core helps in eliminating instances where building services pipes are directly located on the building facades. Besides the trunking system, service pipes can be concealed within the ceiling or beneath a raised floor system especially the building heating and cooling systems. If the piping system runs across beams and other structural frames, the building services engineers are tasked with the role of specifying openings of a particular diameter which do not compromise the structural integrity of the building (City University of Hong Kong, 2018). The pipes supplying water for domestic use should be fixed in narrow grooves created on the walling surface and covered with plaster. The HVAC systems used to air condition the office spaces should be located within the roof structure as opposed to placing them on the building facades hence enhancing aesthetics and reducing the resultant noise as shown in the image below.
Location of an HVAC system on a flat roof (City University of Hong Kong, 2018).
To enhance the performance in use of building services, the engineers should design appropriate diameters of the piping systems that supply fluids such as cold water and natural gas to maintain and provide the appropriate pressure required by the building users. Additionally, the building services should be specified and detailed in a manner that provides for accessibility in case there is a need for maintenance and servicing. The service ducts, for instance, should be clearly labelled to separate their functions such as fire safety and Information Technology ducts (City University of Hong Kong, 2018). The design team could also consider the installation of renewable energy systems such as solar systems and natural ventilation systems which significantly improve the energy efficiency of the buildings by reducing the running costs. Renewable energy systems also reduce the emission of greenhouse gases into the environment by minimizing the use of building services that operate using fossil fuels. Building services should also be fitted with automated control and monitoring systems that regulate the amount of energy required to operate a particular utility. For example, thermostats could be used to monitor and regulate the amount of energy required to heat and cool buildings (City University of Hong Kong, 2018).
The provision of utility services in the new office development should be installed to meet the occupants’ social needs and provide a hygienic and neat environment. The safety of users is also a key consideration when specifying building services to include fire and related hazards safety measures such as the sprinkler systems and fire escape routes. The subject of energy efficiency in new buildings should be taken into account at the planning and design stage of the development to incorporate the most appropriate economic and technical solutions (CDM, 2015).
2.3 Financial implications of specifying building services and materials
a) Client’s budget and intention
The client’s budget is the amount of money that a client is willing and able to pay or borrow from a financial institution in order to install a particular building service or employ specific materials into the prospective office development. The client’s budget is outlined in the financial plan formulated by the Quantity Surveyor. The client could also prefer the installation of a specific building service or material based on other benefits besides cost such as inclination towards an environmental design to raise the corporate image of the company (Dietrich, 2006).
b) Cost of construction and installation
The cost of construction is the total expenses required to execute the specified building services or materials by the project contractor. The setting up cost is usually inclusive of the initial cost of the building services or materials as well as the cost of skilled labour necessary to fix the system into the physical structure (Dietrich, 2006).
c) Cost of management
These are statutory fees paid usually to the local authorities, the State, or Federal government. The levies are charged by these authorities for providing licensing or permission to operate on a particular site whereby the client is expected to pay land rates and other associated taxes (Dietrich, 2006).
d) Cost of routine maintenance
These are expenses incurred by the building owner while the building is in normal operation. The running costs of the new office building include electricity bills, water bills, daily cleaning of the building, and servicing or repair expenses (Dietrich, 2006).
Task 3
3.1 Impact of Environmental factors in the construction project
The debate on how best the construction industry can help mitigate global environmental challenges such as the contentious topic of climate change has been the subject of discussion in the recent past. The global community has had diverse opinions regarding the subject of protecting the environment and the adoption of sustainable architectural designs or green buildings. Whereas some stakeholders in the construction industry are keen to implementing environmentally conscious designs, other players in the sector have dismissed the green-fundamentalism on grounds that it has severe financial implications to the client and the economy throughout a building’s lifecycle (Steve, 2008).
The introduction of the atrium as a transitional space between the existing building and the proposed new office space plays a significant role in ensuring that the project harnesses important environmental factors to enhance the comfort levels of the building users, reduce on the capital, maintenance, operational, and life cycle costing of the design (Dietrich, 2006). First, the atrium at point A allows the penetration of daylighting into the habitable spaces located on the Northern facade of the new office block as well as the South-facing façade of the existing building. Thus, the new building extension has the potential to maximize the use of natural light during daytime or rather the official office hours. Notably, the atrium stretches over the entire façade adjacent to the existing building (18,300mm long) and the slightly longer elevation of the office development. Besides its length, the atrium is wide enough to eliminate the main challenge associated with achieving an even distribution of daylighting and illuminating the lower building spaces close to the ground level (Steve, 2008).
The depth of the new office accommodation should be based on grounds that the daylighting levels fall considerably with an increase in the depth of the room. Put differently, the spaces closer to the windows or openings receive a greater intensity of natural light that could lead to glare compared to spaces that are further from the windows (Steve, 2008). The diagram below demonstrates the relationship between the window height (h) and the depth of penetration of daylight (2.5h).
Window height versus depth of penetration of daylight (Steve, 2008).
Therefore, for maximum natural lighting, the office project should employ high-height windows to enhance the luminance of the usable spaces (Steve, 2008).
The need to ventilate and light the new office block naturally could also necessitate the design of a building that is narrow in the plan (Steve, 2008). Referring to the layout plan in the client’s brief prepared by Sr Dick Li, the proposed office structure is wider than the existing building (18,300mm). For that reason, the planning and design of the new development should first consider the option of using high floor-to-ceiling height as demonstrated in the subsequent calculations. Assuming that the new building has window openings on both the East and West facing façade and that h = 3000mm, then the maximum depth of the plan regarding daylight penetration will be 2(2.5h x 3000) = 15,000mm. A floor-to-ceiling height of 3000mm will thus be insufficient to allow for maximum and even daylighting of the new development since 15,000 ≤. 18,300. Assuming that h = 4000mm, the recommended depth of the plan would be 2(2.5h x 4000) = 20,000mm. A floor-to-ceiling height of 4000 would thus be adequate for lighting the building naturally (Steve, 2008).
Alternatively, the design and planning phase could consider the introduction of a courtyard at the center of the building (Gregg, 1995). The primary function of the courtyard is to increase the perimeter zones of the daylight which consequently enhances the amount of natural light penetrating the building as illustrated in the drawing below.
Plan, Section, and Elevation of a central daylighting courtyard in the office building
(Gregg, 1995)
Daylighting is suitable for office users since the human eye is adapted to it biologically. If properly harnessed, daylighting has the potential to reduce the amount of artificial energy used for lighting a building by 35% to 75%. For instance, depending on the nature sun path, the office building could be designed to either employ daylighting during the office hours or a system of natural light control that dims or brightens in response to the outdoor light intensity (Gregg, 1995).
The amount of greenhouse gas emission can also be considerably reduced by designing a new building form that minimizes the use of mechanical ventilation. The quantity of fossil fuels used to cool and heat the building is significantly reduced through the introduction of natural ventilation to drive air currents into and out of the office block thus air conditioning the interior spaces (Groundzik 2014). The introduction of an atrium at point A and a central courtyard thus serve as effective techniques of reducing the cost and energy consumed in ventilating a building mechanically and consequently lowering the level of CO2 emission. The use of high ceilings, however, increases the use of energy since presents a larger volume for heating and cooling. A case study of MF1, a company with nearly 500 commercial stores, illustrates how new designs can utilize building management systems to cut down greenhouse gases production by about 50% (Groundzik 2014). The company first installed an automatic lighting dimming and heating system at the cost of £800,000 which saw the business enjoy the significant cost savings through reduced energy use in 12 months’ time. A single light dimming unit established to control 50,000 m2
of office space had within 18 months managed to repay its initial cost. The company as well installed renewable energy systems including gas obtained from landfills, wind energy, and solar power to further cut down on its carbon footprint and the running costs associated with using fossil fuels (Groundzik 2014).
Environmental factors also determine the site layout of the new office accommodation during the initial stages of planning and design. Orientating the new design due South, for instance, exposes the building to maximise natural lighting (Groundzik 2014). The degree of heat loss from the building can also be significantly reduced through the design of main doors to have shorter operation periods and facing away from the direction of prevailing winds. Introducing landscaping elements around the site such as mounds or earth forms and tree belts play a significant role in helping reduce the speed of the wind and consequently minimize the rate of heat loss from the office building by barring the percolation of excessive drought into the design. The design of the new development also takes advantage of the sloping site from the main road (+19,750) to the rear access (+14,750) and introduces a half-buried and half-exposed basement. The concept reduces the high costs associated with cut and fill with earth and allows for natural ventilation of the basement through the exposed part. The utilization of a high pitched roof in the existing building could also be incorporated into the new office block since higher roof elevations enclose more air volume thus reducing the need for intensive heating (Groundzik 2014)
The choice of building materials is also an environmental consideration in the construction process of the new office accommodation. The use of materials with low embodied energy is a primary consideration when designing sustainable and climate responsive buildings (Mitchell, 2013). The construction materials should be locally sourced in order to reduce the amount of fossil fuels used in extracting, transporting, handling, and maintaining the materials. As well, building materials should be carefully specified to avoid those that cause indoor air pollution. For example, asbestos which is widely used in ceilings is highly carcinogenic while Volatile Organic Compounds which are extensively used as flooring materials, adhesives, and wood products composites generate VOC emissions in the air. The extraction process of the stone cladding used in the existing building particularly causes air pollution by releasing solid particles or dust into the surroundings (Mitchell, 2013).
3.2 Environmentally responsible methods of waste disposal
Installing a garbage chute system in the new office development would provide the most effective, safe, centralized, and environmentally responsible method of managing and disposing of wastes generated while the building is in use (SFSP, 2017). A garbage chute is a type of ducting system running across all the four floors and fitted with enclosing walls after its installation by the mechanical engineer. The chute is fitted with a vacuum-pneumatic scheme where all the waste generated in the office floors above is directed. The vacuum-pneumatic system is located in the b
