Case Study: Early Childhood Education Centre

Introduction

The case study is on the early childhood care education centre that has been built. The centre is  on 681 Arthur Porter Drive near the Wintec Roto kauri campus. The base area of the sight is 4533 square meters. The project has wide range of aspects such as a large carpark which has the capability of parking upwards to 35 vehicles, also there are several parts to the  estate that can host an accommodate to the requirements kids with different age criteria’s. the centres base area is 1220 square meters.

The building has been built directly facing the sun which means that the centre will be in Hine site of sufficient rays from the sun to create and optimum location for children to learn grow and develop. The centre has also been divide in to sections to cater for the children with age differences. The reason for this is that kids in kindergarten will love to be active and love to be vocal which means they will need space to do so however babes and toddlers need quiet and calm space to take naps and crawl around without being hurt or bombarded by any older kids.

The overall purpose of the building has been very clear from the very beginning stages of the project. The building is to server as an early childhood care centre and also and education centre for kindergarteners. Once the building has been fully furnished and completed the centre will be up and running.

Structure

The ECT Centre is sitting on a 100mm 30Mpa concrete slab on grade, the slab is also reinforced with 1 layer of SE62 Mesh on 50mm chairs. There are also tilt slabs that run from the ground to the roof which gives and provides added strength and support to the building. As shown on the fig 1.

Figure 1

The tilt panels on this diagram have been fixed to the base of the foundation slab with a set of HD12 bars at 300 centres to suit Drossbach tubes in the panel this reinforcing bars run horizontally through the thickenings of the concrete slab. As shown on the fig 1.

The structure is mostly built of structural steel portals and beams  with hold down fixings.as shown on fig 2, the beams both offer vertical and horizontal support to the structure to ensure the strength of the steal it is also bolted and welded. The beams have been fixed to the concrete panels with SP12x120mm anchors at 300mm centres. Yan se this further illustrated in fig 2.

Figure 2

The remaining structure is built of H1.2 timber this includes the lintels, walls and trusses. The timber is also fixed with varying components such as nails, plates and stainless steel bolts. These fluctuate in sizes and types to fit all aspects of the building to ensure that the framing has a lot of stability. The ECT entre has been built with three very important materials which stand out amazingly throughout the construction. These materials are structural steel, concrete and timber. Fig 3 and fig 4 are the perfect example of this. 

Figure 3

Figure 4

Suspended mid-floor

With the conversation of a suspended mid floor it is clear that there isn’t one present in the ECT building, however if there were to be one this would be the description, connection and details for it describes and illustrated.

The detail I have chosen to use shows a subfloor connected to the continuous foundation plate with joists supporting it. This is shown on fig 5.

Figure 5

Stairs

As I discussed above this building does not include a suspended mid floor which also means there is no set of stairs in the building, however for the purpose of this assignment I will illustrate the details and materials for a hypothetical staircase.

The stair case detail I have chosen shows a simply stair case that has been built of timber ascending to the mid floor. The detail if for a deck stair case however it illustrates compound that would usually be considered when building a midfloor stair case. The illustration is shown on fig 6.

Figure 6

Envelope

 Concrete wall-  

The exterior of the building is 30mPa concrete walls which are mostly sealed and polished to finished requirement wanted by the client. The concrete wall, is as mentioned in the structure section, is fixed to the slab thickenings via 2 sets of HD12 reinforcement bars at 200 centres and 1 set of HD12 reinforcement bars tied into the slab from the tilt slab. It is also connected to the steel frame with SP12x120mm bolts at 900mm centres and fixed to cleats with 2xM16 bolts.

Roof- 

The roof that has been used for this building is called Diamond DP955, it a metal roof made from COLOURSTEEL Endura – 0.55mm BMT a pre-painted, galvanized zinc coated steel. The cladding has been fixed to the roof purlins using  Thermax B 120x10mm Thermal Break strips and spray adhesive to strengthen the cladding and give it more durability. The design of the roof cladding is very modern as it’s a modern building, having tile roofing would give the ECT centre a vintage look if it was chosen.

Wall metal cladding-   

The cladding for the exterior is Diamondcladd Rib50 Metal is a cladding made of COLOURSTEEl Endura 0.4mm BMT. The cladding for the exterior is a similar thinner version of the cladding used on the roof. The fixing for the cladding is the same as the roofing. To fix the cladding to the wall there have been cavities made so that the 4.8 diameter rivets can be used to fix the cladding to the wall.

Waterproofing-    

For waterproofing they have used the fast wrap underlay. The waterproofing is very absorbent and very light weight which is perfect for the early childhood and education centre. The entire building will be waterproofed in various types of claddings. The  fast wrap will insure that the durability of the centre will last longer and keep moisture out .

Alternatives.

Alternative wall cladding-  

The best alternative wall cladding that I would recommend would be Euro Clad.  Euro Clad – Selecta Weatherboard is a unique, pre-finished composite timber cladding system with a beautiful wood-grain embossed surface.
Designed for stability and longevity with premium style, Euro Clad – Selecta Weatherboard offers a sustainable timber alternative that is eco-friendly and virtually maintenance free. With its lightweight tongue & groove profile and pre-drilled panels, it makes installation a breeze. Euro Clad – Selecta Weatherboard can be installed either horizontally or vertically and is available in six natural wood colours with a comprehensive 15 year warranty for peace of mind. This cladding is very durable and also looks very aesthetically pleasing which can make the ECT centre look very modern and UpToDate with the design of today’s buildings.

Figure 7

Alternative floor cladding- 

The alterative floor cladding I have decided that would suit the centre is vinyl floor cladding which is LM18 Caldera  This cool and fresh travertine stone features delicate, light natural tones and a soft mottled pattern that adds interest and complexity.

Supplied in Free Length x 152mm vinyl stone tiles of 3.0mm thickness, Caldera is a perfect flooring for any commercial space and also for an education space.

Being a vinyl it means that it’s very easy to clean and in having that makes for the perfect flooring for the ECT centre. The vinyl is much more softer than concrete flooring which would make it ideal for kids to play on and learn. The flooring is also very durable and can withstand moisture, having vinyl flooring means you get offered to a larger range of different types of colours and styles to suit the design of any building.

Figure 8

Interior partitioning

the interior partitioning is vital for the ECT entre to succeed as the centre will depend on the way the building has been structured to suit the requirement of the children. This will also mean that the centre will be very organized and have a structure to it so that for the children attending, they will be able learn and be active in the environment. This will also mean that the children will be kept away from any harmful substances or equipment at the centre, this will create a very safe atmosphere for toddlers and babies.

There are different colours coordinated to the partitioning’s. the reason is so that each room can be customized to the specific function it is required for.

Due to it being an open education centre is if very clear that the building will suffer from damage that can be caused by children engaging in activates. Because of this plaster board will be used to fix and replace any damages caused. The plaster board will be nailed to the timber with gib screws.

The partitions  are made roughly to the same size however there may be an exception for the toddlers area. They will require more space as the need to crawl around and also there must be separate toilets, laundry and kitchens. For the toddlers.

Figure 9

Passive fire protection

The centre has taken many safety precautions to ensure that the centre has passive fire protection as there will be children at the centre. To do so they have chosen various claddings, covering, doors, aluminium joinery and glass windows  to ensure that they have a fire safety rating.

The vinyl floorcovering that has been chosen has been made sure that it complies with the NZBC C/AS2-AS7 and works in conjunction with the 13mm Gib Fireline to help prevent the rapid spread of the fire between rooms in case of and emergency of such. The reason behind this is that if the fire is slowed down and contained the building will suffer less damage and there will be

more time for fire officials to get there and eliminate the fire.

The glass of the ECT centre has been chosen from a list of specific fire rated and passive protection glass. The specification for the joinery and glass fire ratings can be on the ECT centre plans.

The roof underlay of the ECE Centre is Fast wrap Flame Spec SS a high synthetic, nonwoven polyolefine roof underlay. The underlay is very absorbent, extremely breathable and  fire redundant. The underlays purpose is to also protect the beams and steel roof from excessive heat in case of a fire.

The centre will also be equipped with special alarm systems that activate when smoke has been detected by the smoke detectors, it will send a signal to system monitor which will then activate the security doors and open all the emergency exits so the people will be able to evacuate from all area of the building.

Provision of services.

HVAC system-    

The ECT centre will be using a VRF which stands for variable refrigerant flow .

The systems main purpose if to control the temperatures throughout the building. It will also be capable of controlling the ventilation . the system will also be capable of controlling the temperature of each individual room, this make for a great feature as babies’ aren’t capable of withstanding certain temperatures where’s kindergarteners can. The system can also keep the room at a certain temperature at all times, no matter what the outside condition maybe.

References. 

• http://www.vinylcladding.co.nz/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwo7foBRD8ARIsAHTy2wlya4HiIuMdFOtL1-Z_BH8GkJ8Ph22RRhx0rynqJUbrFk6LnvmyNZQaAiJREALw_wcB
• http://www.buildmagazine.org.nz/assets/Uploads/Build-151-31-Design-Right-Suspended-Floors.pdf
• https://info.dynex.co.nz/builders-palliside-sample-pack?gclid=Cj0KCQjwo7foBRD8ARIsAHTy2wlzulvgP0_4xSmLsK36TcPF0GBRvnupBV1O2hoDp3GEA5n1MmdD378aAraHEALw_wcB