WALL, DECK AND SEAT SYTEM
Subject: Construction As Alchemy
Year: Year 1
This construction studio subject required the design of a brick wall, timber deck and seat which were to be located in Fawkner Park. This involved producing a set of construction drawings for each, including plans, elevations, sections, detail and 3D views. A site analysis was conducted which involved analysing soil reports and the surrounding environment such as trees, path and playground.
The Building Code of Australia was used to determine appropriate footings and foundations for the wall and deck.
The key requirements of the wall module was to design a single skin brick wall, with a series of small openings and one large opening, with the intent of it being a play structure for children.
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Taking these into consideration, my design features two curved sections divided by a linear wall, which contains the opening that a child can crawl through. This section of the wall introduces an element of play through an obstacle structure, while perforated brick screen on the curved walls offer secondary peep holes and will cast its unique brick pattern shadows onto the deck.
Wall Module
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The design process introduced the importance of stability due to the heavy weight of masonry, and the components such as reinforced strip footings, stacked joints, bond patterns and engaged piers that were necessary to take into consideration in order to create a feasible structure.
In doing so, the challenge was integrating engaged piers smoothly without disrupting the design intent. This was done by the choice to put them on opposite sides of the wall, which contributed to the existing symmetrical design of the wall.
Deck Module
Overall, the wall module demonstrated how bricks, despite being basic masonry unit, can be used to create unique, rhythmic and dynamic facades by playing with light and shadow, extrusions, rotation, recession and detailing.
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The deck was designed to follow the curve of the wall, and incorporated features such as the L shaped edge stairs and 3 decking board fascia. Key requirements of the deck included having an area of 36 square meters, 600mm high and at least 150mm clearance. This task began to introduce new concepts such as standards, loads, cantilevers, material grades and specifications and how to use timber tables to determine the most efficient bearer, joist and stump sizes.
With the introduction of the deck, the structure of the wall also had to be altered. To create a cohesive design, the location of the child size opening was raised and ledgers bearers were introduced to provide support for the timber.
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Similar to the wall, the decking board needed to be staggered for structural stability. This was done so using 5000mm lengths, ensuring that all decking boards lined up.
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The fascia edge boards were a key detailing feature. I chose to use 3 decking boards which concealed the structure from view and created a cleaner finish. As such, more structural components such as trimmer joists and vertical skirt boards were needed to provide the necessary support to create this detail.
Overall, the deck module gave greater insight into the selection of timber products to the tests that had to be conducted for it to be structurally sound. Efficiency had large importance into the selection of sizes of components, which is very relevant in real life projects, allowing us to understand the industry process of design and construction.
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My seat aimed to accommodate for both children and adults using the two materials of steel and timber. The design features two levels with height of 460mm for adults and elderly, but also a lower seat of 240mm for children who may be playing on the deck. I was inspired by the smooth curve of the timber of the NYC Highline Seats and chose to implement a similar style vertical steam bent timber.The design shares the geometry of the deck, with the two levels of seating forming an L shape to frame the main stairs and deck edge.
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Seat Module
To support the structure, 10mm thick Steel plates were welded together to create a steel frame that would be prefabricated offsite. This material was chosen due to its high tension properties and lightweight nature, especially needed as the seat includes two levels.
Each piece of timber was bolted to a 10mm steel plate underneath, ensuring there was a 10mm gap in between to account for airflow and water. The finish for steel components was a black powder coating to prevent rusting and deterioration of the structure.
The seat shares the same decking board as the deck in the side detailing, helping to create a cohesive design. The seating area was constructed of oil finished timber – which were curved using steam bending technique. This flexibility ensured that the edges were smooth, helping to prevent any future injuries.
Placing the timber member vertically also increased the structural stability allowing it to hold more loads, and it’s low conductivity allowed greater thermal comfortabiility for the elderly as the deck is located in an open area without much shade. Gaps between timber allow space for the connection bolts, airflow and reducing water damage.
Reflection
Throughout the subject, utilising the Oval pavilion Construction drawings in conjunction with the lecture series has been very beneficial in learning about the industry standard conventions and the documentation process that is undertaken in an architectural project. The 3 modules have introduced the concepts such as detailing strategies, material properties and accounting for the factors such as lateral and live loads through designing objects at a smaller scale, teaching us the foundations and can inform design decisions for larger building envelopes and future facades.