BUILDING CONSTRUCTION & MATERIALS
This module introduced the environmental issues and provided some in-depth understanding of the complexities and influences that built environment caused to the natural environment. The module's intent is to instill environmental literacy and understandings of policies related to sustainable design and practices. We developed the awareness of local and global environmental issues and explored the various sustainable practices and trends in built environment.
PROJECT 1 - Application of Architectural & Structural Materials
The application of building material varies. The choices and placement of the materials on buildings can distinguish the appearance and image of a building. This project is designed as an exposure for us more on the building materials that are universally used in building design. Individually, we were required to choose an architect and identify 5 architectural building materials and 2 structural building materials based on the case study. We are also required to study on the ideas, concept and properties of the selected materials used in relation to the building design and construction.
I feel that this project gave us an introduction on various types of building materials commonly being used in building construction together with their properties and applications. This online research made me explored and understood better on the reasoning of the choice of materials used on buildings together with their characters, properties and the influence on the building design in general.
PROJECT 2 - Construction of Detailing of Building Elements
In a group of 7, we are required to emphasize on producing connection detailing of building elements on superstructure which include floor, wall, door, window, staircase, and roof. Our task is to find a floor plan of a of two-storey terraced house in Malaysia and the building could be made of concrete, masonry, steel or timber. We redrew the the floor plan together with the building’s details manually based on the given types of construction materials.
In this project, we translated our design into construction drawings with appropriate construction details and use established architectural drawing convention. We are now able to classify the types of architectural and structural materials typically used in local context while giving insight into a deeper understanding of it. By translating our idea into drawings, I have demonstrated the understanding of the basic building elements and sub-structural and super structural system in buildings. I've also learned to work in a team and participate in the design process.