Constructing   Environment  

Week   8,   studio   journal  

Jianpeng   Deng,   657598  

This  week,  e-­‐learning  section  is  mainly  about  openings  in  structures  and  the  

property  of  glasses.  As  it  is  also  discussed  during  studio  section,  openings  

provide  access  between  two  spaces  that  allows  lights,  views  and  especially  

people  to  walk  through  etc.  Openings  are  divided  into  two  categories,  windows  

and  doors;  speaking  of  door,  there  are  exterior  door  and  interior  door,  “exterior  

doors  should  provide  weathertight  seals  when  closed  and  maintain  the  

approximate  thermal  insulation  value  of  the  exterior  walls  they  penetrate.”  

(Ching,  2008,  Pg.  8.02)  Also,  door  types  are  of  variety,  such  as,  swinging  door,  

bypass  sliding  door  and  folding  door.  On  the  other  hand,  windows  are  much  alike  

as  doors,  different  types  of  windows  achieve  ventilating  differently;  for  example,  

fixed  windows  produce  0%  ventilating  whereas  casement  windows  can  produce  

100%  of  it.  In  addition,  we  also  discuss  the  details  about  openings,  such  as  

mullion,  spandrel  and  sash.  

 

Glass  is  another  emphasis  that  is  a  material  widely  used  in  construction  

nowadays.  An  example  of  which  is  Wilson  Hall  in  campus  that  the  curtain  wall  is  

made  of  glasses.  The  focus  is  on  flat  glasses,  to  be  more  specific,  it  is  float  glass,  

laminated  glass  and  tempered  glass;  float  glass  is  standard  window  glass  and  the  

process  involves  a  large  bed  of  molten  tin.  Laminated  glass  consists  of  glass  and  

plastic  interlayer  that  makes  it  has  an  advantage  of  safety.  Tempered  glass  is  

strong  in  the  bending  strength  and  the  biggest  advantage  is  the  little  fragments  

the  glass  will  become  when  it  breaks.  Moreover,  double-­‐glazing  is  also  discussed  

in  the  video  as  well  as  during  the  studio  class,  that  double-­‐glazing  simply  means  

a  window  with  two  panes  and  a  gap  in  between  and  the  purpose  of  which  is  to  

reduce  heat  and  noise  transmission  through  the  window.  

 

Image  1  is  the  summary  of  the  week’s  topic.  

                                                          Image  1  

 

 

The  activity  for  this  week  is  to  visit  case-­‐study  building  and  find  assigned  detail.  

MSLE  building  is  the  building  that  I  am  assigned  to  as  well  as  the  specific  part  of  

the  building  is  shown  in  the  following  images.  

                                                                                                                                     

The  blue-­‐line  

section  is  the  one  I  

take  charge  to  find  

out  the  details  

about,  material  and  

structure  etc.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Image  2-­‐  the  footprint  of  MSLE  building  

This  is  the  image  of  the  

tasks  that  other  group  

members  are  working  on.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This  image  shows  the  task  

that  I  am  assigned,  the  one  

at  the  bottom  in  blue-­‐line  

section.  First  of  all,  it  

clearly  tells  us  that  it  is  the  

rear  part  of  the  building  

structure.    

 

 

 

This  image  on  the  left  shows  the  specific  part  of  the  real  

building,  it  will  be  referred  back  to  illustrate  the  detail.  

Simply  it  gives  an  idea  of  metal  frame,  transparent  and  

white-­‐color  glasses.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Image  3  

Image  4  

Image  5  

The  picture  on  the  left  is  my  

1:1  sketch  of  the  assigned  

section;  it  is  not  drawn  

accurately  as  I  am  not  a  

good  sketcher.    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“1”  with  an  arrow  to  the  thin  sketch,  it  is  vinyl  floor  finish  that  it  is  either  tiles  or  

just  the  painting  on  the  floor,  which  is  to  protect  and  beautify  the  floor  

underneath.  

 

“2”  represents  one  of  the  important  structures  of  building  which  is  the  concrete  

floor  slab.  As  it  refers  back  to  the  big  drawing,  it  is  new  concrete  slab  added  to  

the  existing  one.  

 

“3”,  I  fail  to  find  the  information  about  it,  but  it  seems  important  that  it  connects  

the  floor  and  ceiling,  also,  there  are  dozen  of  it  in  the  same  section  and  regularly  

seen  in  drawings;  therefore,  it  has  to  be  strong  enough  to  hold  the  ceiling  

underneath.  I  guess  maybe  there  is  a  light  bulb  in  it.  

Picture  1  

1  

2  

3  

4  5  

5   6  

6  

7  

8  

“4”  is  flush  jointed  plasterboard  ceiling  that  the  purpose  is  to  provide  a  better  

looking  as  well  as  other  systems  (light,  smoking  detector  etc.)  so  that  we  don't  

see  the  concrete  floor  at  the  top  directly;  also,  it  in  some  ways  blocks  dirt  and  

moisture  to  the  floor  above.  See  the  image  in  the  following  that  shows  the  ceiling  

in  real  building.  

 

Image  6  

 

“5”   represents   two  window   framing,   to  my   observe   and   also   refer   to   Image   6  

above,  that  the  window  framing  is  made  of  aluminum;  the  benefits  of  which  are  

to  reduces  carbon  footprint,  long  durability  and  low  maintenance  etc.  

 

“6”  represents  two  joints  that  holding  a  spandrel  in  between,  it  is  complicated  as  

apart  from  the  ingredients  that  clamping  the  glasses  and  spandrel,  there  are  also  

a  rectangular  shape  with  a  cross  inside  stands  for  timber;  moreover,  it  is  made  a  

draining  hole  that  when  rainwater  leaks  in,  it  will  then  flow  down  and  out.    

 

“7”   is   the   spandrel   which   is   a   white   color   glass   (refer   to   Image   5),   cover   the  

construction  that  is  not  good  in  viewing  it,  in  this  case,  it  would  be  the  concrete  

floor   slab   and   so   on.   Besides   that,   it   acts   just   like   glass   preventing   moisture,  

rainwater  etc.  (this  spandrel  should  look  straight)  

 

“8”  refers  to  the  shadowline  which  is  a  line  that  separate  glasses  and  ceiling,  so  

that   it   facilitate   the   cleaning   method   in   both   of   them   and   makes   it   easier   to  

uninstall  any  one  of  them  without  the  other.