CONSTRUCTION

TECHNOLOGY
REPORT
Jessica Louise Walker
Jessica Louise Walker Construction Technology Report 10/01/2017

Objective

Section one of this report will provide both written, digital and illustrated information,
relating specifically to the North entrance of the Ellison building at Northumbria University,
situated in block A. Information will cover the external and internal environment as well as the orientation
of the site. Section 2 of this report will move on to look at U values, calculations and varied thermal and
structural issues in given examples.
Jessica Louise Walker Construction Technology Report 10/01/2017

Section 1A Visual and written description.

The sites function is to act as a course and accommodation enquiry centre and is situated North East of
Newcastle city centre, on Northumberland Road. The entrance is on the West side of the building, with the
building itself facing North. Within the immediate surroundings are; connections to various Ellison building
blocks, the Trinity building to the left side with a small green space and opposite is the Northumberland
building with a caf on the ground floor. On the same street within nearby proximity are student
accommodation houses, St James Church and Sutherland House. The road is accessible to pedestrians and
cyclists, with no access to cars. A site plan can be seen below in 1:1250 scale.
Jessica Louise Walker Construction Technology Report 10/01/2017

When viewing the site externally, the primary material used is double glazed glass which catches your eye
and is aesthetically pleasing due to its reflective property, making the building look less heavy and bulky, in
contrast to the heavy use of concrete in the surroundings. In comparison to the rest of the Ellison building,
the entrance is around one quarter of the overall height of the building. The street itself outside of the site is
spacious and is paved with varied coloured concrete slabs, as well as seats nearby, which are also concrete.
The entry site is overall circular with a tilted roof and has a mechanical rotating entrance as well as a
mechanically functioning side door, particularly enabling disabled access to the building. Aside this is also
 Jessica Louise Walker Construction Technology Report 10/01/2017
an emergency exit double door. All entrance doors are located on the West side of this entrance area and are
next to each other, enabling minimal disruption to the aesthetics of the space.

Height variances,
this potentially
allows more natural
light in alongside
making the space
feel more open and
spacious.


Example of reflective
property.


Minimal furniture
can be seen from the
exterior.




Emergency exit
door.

Mechanical side
door, enabling
disabled access.

Mechanical rotating
entry.

External images. (Top) Walking towards the site from the East. (Bottom) Walking towards from the West.

Internally, the site is decorated minimally with couches creating a seating area around the glass windows,
accompanied by hanging light shades. The height difference in the ceiling is smoothly plastered into a slope,
which reduces the emphasis of varied heights towards the glass panes. The colours used throughout all
appear minimal and neutral, with grey stone slabs placed on the floor looking almost like the ones used
externally, this creates connection between the interior and exterior.
Jessica Louise Walker Construction Technology Report 10/01/2017

Beams are used within the interior with a purpose relating to structural support. These are placed at various
points and are painted the same as the ceiling, enabling them to not be as unaesthetically pleasing. Desk
spaces are placed further back within the site and do not disturb the view through the glass panes, allowing
visitors to see out of all glass windows into surrounding areas.

Below are internal images, including images showing the view from inside the site looking outwards.

Glass panes allow views to the Small open natural space enables
North, East and West. more light into the site and more
pleasing views from the interior.

Visual structural beams, as described.

Wide path
Buildings around are often taller, accommodates
yet within a good distance away the potential
to not cause too much disruption. high traffic of
pedestrians and
cycles.

1B and 1C Required environmental conditions within and around the

location and thermal environment.
Jessica Louise Walker Construction Technology Report 10/01/2017
Below are sunpaths for the site, taken in January and July at three different times of the day:

January 6th 2017 July 6th 2017

Sunrise
7.00 Specified time
AM Sunset

The thin orange

curve is the
current sun
trajectory, and the
yellow area
around is the
variation of sun
trajectories during
the year. The
10.00 closer a point is to
AM the center, the
higher is the sun
above the
horizon. The
colors on the time
slider above show
sunlight coverage
during the day.
(Suncalc.net, 2009)

15.00
PM

Analysing the sun paths, it is visible that around the date specified in January, the site is unlikely to gain
much sunlight at sunrise, this is due to the overcasting shadows and blockage from the sun from the bridge
Jessica Louise Walker Construction Technology Report 10/01/2017
across the Ellison building, east of the site. Sunshine may get to the site under the bridge crossing but this
will be minimal and will only touch a partial space of the area. In contrast to this, in July it is likely for
sunlight to reach the site from the North east at sunrise. Shadows may slightly effect light gain due to
overcasting buildings such as the Northumbria building and sports central, this should be minimal however
due to the distance between them and the site. Later in the day at 10:00am in January, the site will not gain
any sunlight due to the light coming from the South East and not reaching any of the glass panes at the front.
At 15:00pm in January, the site will gain partial sunlight running up to sunset, with more sunlight shining on
the site in July at sunset. Sunlight not reaching the site potentially means the space will be colder, which is
not ideal in Winter and this requires more sources of heat inside the space to maintain comfortable room
temperatures. On the other hand, in Summer this can be beneficial and can enable the space to be cooler.
This works vice versa and sunlight on the site in summer may cause the site to heat up due to the glass,
causing a need for more cooling methods, whereas the sunlight is ideal in winter to raise cold temperatures.

Below is the initial site plan cropped. The blue shapes cover buildings in the sites immediate surroundings
that may cause overshadows on the building due to proximity or height. This, however, will depend on the
position and height of the Sun.

The wide walkway North of the entrance, along with the green space to the West both allow more sunlight
to reach the area. From observation, if another build was to the West within proximity to the entry, this
would cast a lot more shadow and be detrimental to the atmosphere of the site as it is now.

Shadows on the site as well as sunlight will also affect lux levels both internally and externally around the
site. In December 2016 at 13:00pm, lux levels internally measured at 183 DF%, whilst outside the
measurement was 1937DF%. This shows considerate light differences between the two. For this reason, the
use of artificial lighting can be seen internally which has a function to provide enough light for people to
carry out everyday activities within the space. Additionally, lighting plays a vital part in safety and should
allow people to notice hazards and assess risks (Lux, 2015). The site was seen to use both built in

ceiling lights, as well as hanging lights with lampshades. Whilst the ceiling lights were located all around,
the hanging lights were particularly used above the seating area, creating a comfier and more aesthetically
Jessica Louise Walker Construction Technology Report 10/01/2017
pleasing atmosphere in the space. The built-in ceiling lights were also used around the edge of the site
internally, benefiting the site aesthetically, as well as clearly lighting the glass up, preventing people from
colliding with it.

Temperature was also collected on site in December at 13:00pm, showing an external result of 13.8 C and
an internal result of 16.3 C. Set out by the Health and Safety executive (HSE), thermal comfort in the
workplace should fall at least around 16C and 13C in more strenuous workplaces (HSE, Undated). This
therefore means that the site met the reasonable level for thermal comfort set out as advised. Looking further
at temperature, there is clearly a form of heat prevention within the site design to prevent the internal
temperature being as low as the external, this can be seen in the varying measurements of the two. Firstly,
glass can have either effect on temperature with it being both a source of heat loss, whilst also having the
ability to be a source of heat gain. This will vary depending on weather and various aspects. Secondly, the
site also has internal heat sources and upon observation a radiator sits in the left corner of the site, on the
wall next to the emergency exit door. It could be argued that this is not a good location as much of the heat
can escape through the exit doors and therefore energy is wasted and inefficient.

With consideration of Approved Document L2B (HM Government, 2013) set out by the building
regulations, reasonable actions should be taken to conserve fuel and power in buildings. One factor that is
listed to enable this is to limit heat gains and losses. This can be done through the use of thermal elements
and other parts of the building fabric. Although the glazing used is better than single glazing, further
potential improvements to reduce radiated heat transfer could be to have used triple glazing, although this is
financially more demanding. Another option would be to use glass with a low-emissivity or low-E coating to
increase thermal insulation. On the other hand, heat loss by conduction and convection could be reduced by
replacing air in the unit cavity with a gas that has a lower thermal conductivity (Saint-Gobain, Undated).

Furthermore, whilst looking at a site like this with glass as a primary material, sun glare should be taken into
consideration for the safety of the people inside, as well as to reduce too much heat gain into the site. A
possible solution is to use solar control glass, which allows sunlight to pass through the material, whilst
radiating and reflecting away a large amount of the heat (Pilkington, Undated).

Ventilation can also be a source of providing thermal comfort, although this is not controlled by the
Building Regulations. Looking at ventilation however, the building regulations 2010 does set out in
Approved Document F (HM Government, 2013) guidance that a ventilation system should be provided to
limit the buildup of moisture which may lead to mould growth and hazardous risks. Within the site, a floor
ventilation system is situated around the glass panes, therefore helping to reduce condensation on the glass,
resulting in minimal moisture and further issues. On observation of the site, no condensation was present.

In regards to overall heat loss for the site, the double-glazed panes have a U value of 2.7 W/m2K. Based on
the U value and thermal transmittance, an estimated loss is 7718.46 W/m2K. Explained by Saint-Gobain
(Undated), glazed glass itself in regards to thermal insulation is different in that it is transparent to solar
radiation, resulting in free heat gain. However, heat may be lost through convection, radiation or conduction.
Jessica Louise Walker Construction Technology Report 10/01/2017

Below is a diagram of the air movement around the site, as well as the air movement Internal sources
created from the heat sources previously mentioned. creating air
movement (heat
sources)

Air from
exterior
Mechanical Air
rotating door movement
from interior
sources

Disabled access
and emergency
exit doors

As shown in the diagram, external air enters the site primarily through the mechanical rotating doors as well
as the disabled access door. The emergency exit door is kept shut and therefore does not enable any air to
flow through. The rotating doors are in motion most of the day and only stop throughout the day if there are
no pedestrians triggering the sensors. Due to their pressure of pushing air through, it is observed that this can
cause a slight draught towards users on nearby seating which is unpleasant and uncomfortable in colder
months. Although, its rotating mechanism acts beneficial and prevents too much air passing through. Even
though this is not ideal in cooler months for too much air to come through, it would act as a beneficial
cooling mechanism in warmer months. Having a trigger system that also stops the doors rotating when not
in use also enables unnecessary air to be filtering through both in and out.

In contrast, the disabled access door is non-rotating and was observed to be used frequently by a high
amount of the pedestrians. This door does not filter small amounts of air due to its simple open and shutting
mechanism, meaning it allows larger airflow through. Observing the entry points, it was clear that this was
where the bigger t amounts of air entered. However, due to its mechanisms, this door can shut as well as
open, preventing a constant cold airflow to enter. In warmer months, this can stop too much cold air
entering, whilst in warmer months it can be open to enable a cooler environment.

Due to the location of the entry doors and the way they are located next to each other, this works well as it
prevents air getting into the site from different points, which helps to maintain heat loss prevention at
various locations in the site.

In relation to air movement, wind will also effect the movement of this. The average annual windrose of the
city shows that minimal wind blows from South West to North East. On the contrary, high winds are shown
to travel to the South West from the North East. With the entry points to the site being situated on the West
side, this means that the Ellison building behind the site will take most of the wind, whilst the site entrance
Jessica Louise Walker Construction Technology Report 10/01/2017

should be minimally effected and receive little wind hitting it. Shown in the chart below, wind is likely to be
higher in mph during the months of January, February and march as well as October, November and
December. It is also visible that average warmer days fall in the months with less wind and vice versa.

(Left) Annual windrose showing hours of wind blows from specific directions in
Newcastle upon Tyne. (Right) Average temperatures and wind speed for Newcastle
upon Tyne.
(Meteoblue, 2017)

As well as previously discussed measurements, acoustic measurements were also taken. At 13:00pm in
December 2016, the site had an internal reading of 69.8dB(Hi) and 67.4dB(Lo) whilst externally the reading
was 71,7dB(Hi) and 60.2dB(Lo). With regards to human hearing these levels fall within the comfort zone.
As explained by Boduch and Fincher in Standards of Human Comfort: Relative and Absolute (2009),
humans can hear sounds as little as 0db, with the pain threshold around 130db depending on pitch. This
means the site and external area have noises easily heard by humans but none which would be substantial to
their acoustic comfort. Upon observation, the site sometimes got noisier depending on lecture times and
levels of people passing through. However, the sound, mainly of people talking and walking, never became
unbearable. Furthermore, looking at the acoustic property of glass, double glazing considerably reduces
external noise due to the interlayers acting as noise dampeners and therefore weakening sounds passing
through (Double Glazing Info, Undated), this is also beneficial when rain falls and hits the glass in order to
cause minimal disturbance internally.
Jessica Louise Walker Construction Technology Report 10/01/2017

Section 2 Thermal and structural issues.

2A and 2B U Values and calculations.

A U value is a measurement of a material within buildings that enables us to see how effective it is as an
insulator. Its units are in W/m2K and the lower the U value, the more effective the material is with regards to
losing less heat.

Below is the working out and calculation used to find tthe U value for the given example:

U= 1

Ros + 1 Brick + air gap + 1 Block + 1 Plaster + Ris

K Brick resistance K Block K Plaster

1
U=
0.055 + 0.100 + 0.18 + 0.100 + 0.020 + 0.123

0.840 0.650 0.500

1
U=
0.055 + 0.119 + 0.18 + 0.154 + 0.040 + 0.123

U= 1

0.671
U= 1.49 W/m2K
Jessica Louise Walker Construction Technology Report 10/01/2017

2C Calculating support reactions and design loads.

100kN

5.0m 5.0m

100kN
HA
A B
VA VB

Below is the working out and underlying knowledge used for the calculation:

Sum of all forces = 0

Horizontal = 0
Vertical = 0

Horizontal equilibrium
No horizontal force
Ha = 0
Vertical equilibrium
Sum = 0

Va + Vb = 100 kN
Va = Vb = 100 2 = 50kN
Jessica Louise Walker Construction Technology Report 10/01/2017

The below drawing looks at loads. Load types are given to the live/imposed and dead loads via a line
directing to them.
Jessica Louise Walker Construction Technology Report 10/01/2017

Bibliography

Climate Newcastle upon Tyne (2017) Meteoblue. Available at:

https://www.meteoblue.com/en/weather/forecast/modelclimate/newcastle-upon-tyne_united-
kingdom_2641673 (Accessed: 8 January 2017).

Glass and thermal insulation | Saint Gobain Glass United Kingdom (n.d.) Uk.saint-gobain-glass.com.
Available at: http://uk.saint-gobain-glass.com/trade-customers/glass-and-thermal-insulation (Accessed: 8
January 2017).

HSE - Managing workplace temperature (n.d.) Hse.gov.uk. Available at:

http://www.hse.gov.uk/temperature/thermal/managers.htm (Accessed: 9 January 2017).

Overview (n.d.) Pilkington.com. Available at: https://www.pilkington.com/en-gb/uk/architects/types-of-

glass/solar-control-glass (Accessed: 9 January 2017).

Standards of Human Comfort: Relative and Absolute (2009) Repositories.lib.utexas.edu. Available at:
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Suncalc.net. (2009). SunCalc sun position and sunlight phases calculator. [online] Available at:
http://suncalc.net/#/54.9773,-1.6079,18/2017.01.07/02:08 [Accessed 7 Jan. 2017].

The Building Regulations 2010 The Building (Approved Inspectors etc) Regulations 2010; Conservation of
fuel and power; Approved Document L2B. (2013) Gov.uk. Available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/540327/BR__PDF__AD_L1
B_2013_with_2016_amendments.pdf (Accessed: 9 January 2017).

The workplace lighting rules and regs you need to know about (2015) Luxreview.com. Available at:
http://luxreview.com/article/2015/05/education-office-and-healthcare-lighting-everything-you-need-to-
know-but-dared-not-ask (Accessed: 9 January 2017).

Types of glass (n.d.) Double-glazing-info.com. Available at: http://www.double-glazing-info.com/Choosing-

your-windows/Types-of-glass (Accessed: 9 January 2017).