Tutorial  Journal  Week  7  –  Lachlan  Hine      Description  of  site:  The  site  we  visited  was  on  Victoria  St  in  Richmond,  and  had  approximately  500  apartments  being  built.  The  building  had  been  split  into  three  stages;  this  was  possible  as  there  were  four  different  blocks  of  apartments  to  be  built.      Observations  about  general  build:    Throughout  the  whole  structure  concrete  is  the  most  common  material  used,  with  concrete  plates  being  fabricated  offsite  and  cut  to  size  before  being  put  into  place  once  they  are  bought  to  the  site.  This  is  in  line  with  much  of  Melbourne’s  high-­‐density  buildings,  as  it  is  both  cheap  to  build  and  can  be  erected  quickly.    However,  not  all  of  the  concrete  was  prefabricated;  the  columns  in  the  building  were  poured  in  situ,  this  allowed  them  to  be  reinforced  by  placing  steel  columns  inside  of  the  concrete  column  (primary  structural  elements).      Upper  Floors:    To  build  the  upper  floors,  the  steel  beams  were  first  put  into  place  (along  with  the  concrete  layer  around  them,  before  the  process  was  repeated.  For  every  floor  this  process  would  take  approximately  5  to  7  days,  as  it  takes  that  long  for  the  concrete  to  set  acceptably.    The  concrete  floors  of  each  different  story  also  helped  provide  a  place  for  the  services  to  be  placed  (in  a  hidden,  our  of  the  way  place).  The  higher  the  building  rose  the  bigger  the  concern  with  waterproofing  grew,  this  was  solved  by  adding  a  concrete  additive  which  expands  when  it  comes  into  contact  with  water,  and  also  by  using  a  layer  of  waterproof  membrane.          

Photo  courtesy  of  Diana  Galimova    

Example  of  use  of  concrete  

Carpark:  During  the  construction  period  this  was  being  used  as  the  storage  area/unloading  area  for  the  build,  and  also  contained  a  few  impermanent  offices.  Structurally,  the  carpark  contained  numerous  ventilation  shafts  so  that  fumes  from  the  cars  which  would  be  in  there  could  escape  safely.    Also  important  to  note  about  the  carpark  was  that  it  was  where  the  main  services  were  transferred  in  to  power  the  building  (eg  the  water  was  transferred  in  from  Victoria  St,  and  the  electricity  needed  was  sourced  from  a  local  ministation(?)).      Interior:    Through  the  build  waterproofing  was  a  major  concern;  this  concern  became  even  larger  when  building  the  interiors.  To  get  around  it  they  used  waterproofing  membranes  in  the  balconies  and  bathrooms  to  help  ensure  there  were  no  leaks.  As  they  are  located  on  the  exterior  of  the  building,  however,  the  balconies  got  a  double  coat  of  membrane  (slab,  first  membrane  layer,  cure,  screed  and  then  second  membrane  layer),  whilst  most  likely  due  to  the  fact  that  it  is  located  inside  the  building  the  bathroom  only  needs  one  layer  (except  for  the  shower,  which  has  two  layers  going  up  the  walls  as  high  as  the  tiles  go).      Interesting  fact:  One  of  the  buildings  on  the  site  is  being  built  over  the  top  of  a  branch  of  Centrelink,  which  is  remaining  open  during  the  build.  However,  since  the  Centrelink’s  foundations  needed  to  be  improved  (so  that  it  could  hold  the  increased  weight  of  the  new  building),  the  reinforcing  of  the  basement  had  to  occur  outside  of  their  operating  hours.    

Photo  courtesy  of  Diana  Galimova  

Ventilation  Fan  

Photo  courtesy  of  Diana  Galimova  

Centrelink  branch