Rathdowne street public estate

This week we were given the opportunity to venture onto a construction site located on the

corner of Princess street and Rathdowne street. This site holds several apartment blocks

and one of the buildings are intended to complete in February 2014.

The building consists of many floors and is designed

ergonomically and systematically suitable for

individuals who suffer from Alzheimer’s. Not only

was it interesting to actually be able to interact with

the structural materials and see the framework for

the entire operation, we were also shown a demo of

what the room was planned to display.

Initially,

we were led around the site that was aimed to

become an apartment block that anyone can

purchase. There were buildings of similar to

same features next to the site and we were told

that the aim was to provide a theme for the

surrounding areas of modern aesthetics.

Computer Generated model of the

buildings

Floor plan of Level 1

Construction site

As we walked down the construction site, we were

able to see the ground beneath the road. The

black tubes are pipes placed there so that water

that leaks gets drained and released into the

ground so the wall doesn’t collapse on itself.

<- This is the frame work that is placed on each

pillar so that all the pillars become interconnected

and united. As a result, the wall becomes more

stable and solid so construction workers can come

later and fill the framework with concrete to

reinforce the wall.

The reason why the site was below ground level was due to the plan to construct and

underground parking lot as it has become policy that all new high density buildings should

have underground parking.

After leaving the apartment construction site, we went to the

6 storey nursing home for individuals with Alzheimer’s. As we

arrived on the scene, I noticed a very high level of cable

management as cables for Television, phone, internet, alarms

etc were all visible.

Image of neighbouring apartment blocks

Different cables found on site

Soon we were taken to a demonstration of a room that possessed all the functions that

were going to be included in the rooms of the building. Before we even entered, we noticed

some very distinct features that were present in comparison to standard apartment rooms.

Outside the room, it had a hand rail which had lights that

can be used at a seated height for those who use wheel

chairs, and possessed a light which can lead individuals

who forgot their destination to their room. Secondly, there was a memory box in place

outside the room to remind those with memory loss that they possess ownership of that

certain room.

Walking through the different floors of the building, we were informed that the walls were

actually made of material that prevented water and fire.

The green wall is designed to prevent water so it is

water proof whilst the red wall is actually fire proof.

All of these material choices are done to maximise

safety precautions in the building and to reach certain

policies.

Hand rail along the wall leading to the room

Memory box

Green wall =Water proof

Red wall = Fire proof

As we walked around on the fourth

floor of the building, we noticed the

high level of incompletion but this was

a plus for visitors. To me, it allowed me

to see in detail how the building is

constructed and as a result, give me a

clearer picture of all the materials and

components used.

Through an incomplete section of the wall,

I was able to notice the bricks used.

Through this image, we can see that the

bricks are actually hollow concrete blocks

and this really informed me on the

construction materials and types used. We

are also able to see a steel rusted bar

there which I believe is used to hold the

bricks in place.

The fifth floor of this building is mainly

scaffolding that is used to hold the roof together

while the fifth floor is being reinforced. Without

these, the roof would collapse due to lack of

support from the dead and live loads from the

roof.

4th

floor of the building

Bricks used are hollow

5th

floor of the building

The roof of the building is also far from

complete as many different things are

scattered across the roof including the steel

cords. These steel cord ditches are placed

and filled with concrete and eventually

pulled with around 1 tonne of force to

stretch and strengthen the concrete.

Caps are placed on the steel rods sticking out of

the ground for a safety precaution. As a result, it

prevents workers from tripping and being

impaled by the rod.

Overall, this site visit was very educational in terms of personal experience and interactions

with the materials rather than learning through descriptions.

Roof of the building

Plastic caps placed on steel rods