Underpinning

The process of underpinning can be confusing sometimes to understand,I particularly found it odd when my dad told to me to fetch him a book about it, I remember thinking before I began my course "What on earth is underpinning" at first I thought it had something to do with inserting pins into a building to help it stay up in some way but I later found out that it was basically a really good way of supporting buildings with weak foundations or buildings that had been the subject of subsidence.

I remember the first time I saw a building that had subsided, it looked like something out of a story book and while these things did happen I did not expect it to look so real in front of me. 

I had accompanied my dad to the site and this was the first time I had actually heard the engineer talk about the situation of the house, there turned out to be more problems than normal and the underpinning had to be done as soon as possible because the home owner had a big family and were going to start school any time.

At first I was baffled at how they were going to sort this mess out, luckily for me we had a Geotechnical lecture the next day and it was all about Underpinning, our teacher showed us that since its completely different to new foundations this type of work is carried out on existing structures. He explained how the procedure is carried out in sections usually numbered and formed in sets of "1's 2's and 3's" and so on. The following image shows an Illustration of how the sets are made.

Here you can see that the sets go from 1 to 4 and are completed in a sequence to insure that the structure is supported underneath and doesn't just collapse.

Fortunately I was able to go on a few site visits and the Chief engineer sent me to check how grout was being dry packed at the required level which was 75mm as he was worried that the workmen were not carrying out the work properly. In the end the underpinning was completed and it looked really good, I actually wish I had pictures but I couldn't take proper photos as the days I went were just too hectic.

One major point to take into consideration is the amount of labour involved in the procedure of underpinning as this usually adds to the cost of £1000/metre. 

Does anyone else have experience with working with underpinning? Do you have any special tips? 

Houda  

Olympic Park | My thoughts

Ok so the Olympics are nearly over but the legacy of the structures that are scattered all over the Olympic park will remain a part of London's historic attractions. I personally cannot even decide on what I love the most, whether its the Olympic stadium taking centre stage or the Velodrome that was so amazing I was addicted to watching the sprinters on their bikes.

I was lucky enough to visit the Olympic park before its completion in 2009 and I still remember the day I was a few meters away from the Aquatic centre no words can describe how amazing it is,the triangular structure that holds up the smooth curvy roof is rather spectacular. I wasn't surprised that the Architect responsible for the structure (Zaha Hadid) won the prize of having her design be the final one to implemented for the Aquatic centre her idea was easy on the eye yet screamed water,perfect for the sport it would be hosting.

Thankfully my friend was able to attend the opening ceremony and take a few snaps of the Stadium and when I saw them I got goosebumps all over me its an engineers dream to see such structures and while it looks huge from outside it looked even bigger from inside.

Just before the opening ceremony starts love the triangular masts around the stadium

Olympic rings!!!!!!!

Love the chain of the flags

 Amazing at night!

The crowds have filled the stadium!

I personally loved the tribute to Brunel and the industrial revolution the master of engineering 

The steel rings go up!

Arcelor Mittal Orbit not my cup of tea but still interesting I do hope go up it one day

Overall I im really excited about all the different structures that were made for the Olympics and it will remain a part of London and what it achieved for the Olympics.

Here are a few photos I found on-line of the velodrome which are amazing the links are available here, here and here.

What are your thoughts on the Olympic venues? Do you think they are as amazing as they were hyped to be? Leave your comments below :)

Sheeps wool as insulation

OK, so as you may know everyone is trying to go "green" whether it be recycling their daily waste such as packaging and food, using less energy or walking more, people are trying to find more ways to live a better life in terms of helping the environment and one industry as mentioned previously in my blog posts is the construction industry.

One of the latest trends to use as insulation for houses and buildings has been "Sheep's Wool" , and is probably one of the best materials that can be used to provide insulation for homes.

Why?

Because as a country we have so much sheep it would be mad not too, a local source, sheep's wool is something we specialise in, they are all over the country side and they shear their coats sheared around twice a year for clothing and other industries why not use it to keep your house warm like a woolly jumper keeps you warm?

As I mentioned in a previous post about the "Natural House" at the BRE in Watford they used Sheeps wool to insulate the loft and the walls.

It is also useful in partitioning walls and timber frame structures, not only is it available locally and has minimal processing when being prepared for use, it also has the natural ability to balance and control moisture levels in the building, preventing the formation of damp and mould which could lead to health problems especially for people with asthma.

The ability to have clearer air is also an important aspect of trying to go green as you would want to be independent of air conditioners and anti humidity filters.

Furthermore, since it is a natural product it is durable and is resistant against harsh weathering.

However there have been a few comments about people not liking the fact that if the wool gets we,t as it is natural it can sometimes smell a little of dead sheep.

During my research I came across a company that was featured on Grand Designs which is a programme I love! they are called Blackmountain and have a few bits of useful info on their website about using sheep's wool as insulation.

Has anyone else used this type of insulation in their home and what are your experiences?