Building Surveying and Adaptation (TC50290E): Vestry Hall Condition Survey

Building Surveying and Adaptation (TC50290E)
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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
11.1 Explain the context of building refurbishment and adaptation within the life cycle of a
building and the implications for designing for adaptations...........................................................4
Use Photographic evidence to record internal & external conditions.............................................5
11.2 Develop techniques for carrying out measured and condition surveys of an existing
building..........................................................................................................................................12
11.3 Examine the causes of and remedies for typical deterioration and defects..........................13
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................14
References......................................................................................................................................15
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Introduction
There is a project given to me which needs to measure the condition of the building which is a
UWL site known as “Vestry Hall”. Here the context of the refurbishment of building and
adaptation is done and implications are made for designing adaptations. The technique is been
suggested for measuring the condition and get with the remedial solutions.
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11.1 Explain the context of building refurbishment and adaptation within the life cycle of a
building and the implications for designing for adaptations.
The survey here is the form of a visual or graphic inspection of the interior and exterior side of
the building. The inspection here is taken place with the help of previous documents to facilitate
an effective appraisal of any sort of changes.
The exterior condition of the building-
1. Frost Attack- It is a general problem which occurs commonly in the older bricks or those
which were underburnt in the process of firing. The ability of frost attack is determined by
the structure of pore. This attack takes place through the combination of freezing
temperatures and excessively wet brickwork. The Vestry hall here is facing this problem of
frost attack.
2. Efflorescence- It is a crystalline or translucent deposit of salts which is often visible on the
surface of the natural stone surface, stucco, concrete or brick. It occurs when the water is
existing on or inside the surface of masonry. It looks white or sometimes with a greyish tint
and sparkles. It is present on the surface only and is only salt deposits missing behind by
water. It can be found on floors, walls, surface made of stone, stucco, concrete or brick
(Weintraub, 2017). In Vestry hall, it is present on the stone which is surrounding the window.
3. Holes and Cracks- Hole is termed as hollow space present in a solid surface or body. Also, it
is known as a hollow place in an object whereas the crack is a line on the exterior of
something along which split has occurred without breaking it apart. In Vestry hall, the holes
and cracks are clearly visible.
4. Rotten door- The door is rotten when the frame is constantly in touch with water and it is
very common at the bottommost of the door where the water is collected because of the
drainage issues. This issue comes when the drain pipes are overflowed on a regular basis and
are poorly directed. This reason created the rotten door of the Vestry Hall.
5. Crumbling of light bricks- Bricks are been deteriorated because of the water entry in the
brick. Bricks are known as breathable materials as they can release and hold water and air.
When the bricks here are saturated during the cycle of freeze then the water will contract and
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expand resulting in stress causing the brick components to break. This is what happened in
the bricks of the Vestry Hall.
Interior condition of the building-
1. Wall cracks- It is a line on the exterior of the wall which can be serious also or just a surface
blemish. There can be horizontal crack lines, gaping cracks and separation. When the crack is
started from the apex and is vertical where the ceiling and wall meet, it might be when the
foundation is constructed. When the crack is horizontal then there might be a more serious
issue like water damage or severe shifting of the foundation. In Vestry hall, wall crack exists
on the upper and also lower part (Tucker, 2017).
2. Mixing of cable- When there are many cables at a place, the chances of its mixing are very
high. There can be a case when the wrong cable is put to use or is plugged into the incorrect
place. In the channel, hum sound can be produced if the seating of cables is done wrong. In
the Vestry hall, all the cables are very tangled up and thus can lead to these problems stated
above.
3. Space between the Parquet boards- Parquet board is called as a geometric mosaic of piece of
wood utilized for creating a fancy effect in flooring. It is a problem when hardwood floors
are gapping and occurs when wood floors loosen up the moisture content. This is what taking
place in the Vestry Hall.
4. Mould- When there is the absence of fresh air and excess of moisture in the home then
problems of moulding occur. Excess moisture is caused because of condensation which
comes from showering, breathing without proper ventilation, drying clothes indoor or
cooking. Vestry hall here might be airtight (nhs, 2015).
5. Radiator- The radiator is overheated which occurs because of the broken water pump, broken
fan belt, coolant leak, clogged radiator, stuck thermostat or cooling fan failure. The rusk and
leak problems are also prevalent here in the Vestry Hall.
Use Photographic evidence to record internal & external conditions.
In the outside defects, photographic evidence is-
1. Frost Attack
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2. Efflorescence
3. Holes and Cracks
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4. Rotten Door
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5. Crumbling Light bricks
In the inside defects, photographic evidence is-
1. Wall Cracks
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2. Mixing of Cable
3. Space between Parquet boards
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4. Mould
5. Radiator
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11.2 Develop techniques for carrying out measured and condition surveys of an existing
building.
There are many constraints when building services and fabrics on the design proposed, these are-
1. Design Constraints- These are the factors which limit the potential design solutions range.
These may include skills, technology, infrastructure and climatic conditions. It will be
beneficial in the design development as it would limit up a number of options feasible and
thus will help in getting an obvious solution for the Vestry Hall.
2. Technical Constraints- It refers the processes involved in finishing the construction activities.
These are based on the realism of standards and building methods. It would help in
adaptation and conversion of the project.
3. Economic Constraints- It relates to the resource allocation and budget of the project. The
project success here is affected in terms of safety, performance, functionality and quality.
4. Management Constraints- It may include overtime requirements, safety procedures, social
and environmental policies, resource allocation, shift patterns, agreements with unions and
working practices. It would help in building fabrics and services on proposed design for
adaptation and conversion of the project.
5. Environmental Constraints- It includes factors like water and waste management, vibration
and dust, resilience to change in climate, pollution or contamination and design for disposal.
6. Third Parties- Every building for the project is under the direct control of project team or the
client. It is been dependent on third parties basically and therefore it is important to
understand, manage and quantify potential impacts to improvise Vestry Hall.
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11.3 Examine the causes of and remedies for typical deterioration and defects.
The defect in any building like Vestry Hall can be of two types which are structural and non-
structural defects. A structural defect is a defect prevailing in the structure of element which is
attributable to the defective design, defective material or faulty workmanship. Whereas non-
structural defect involves a defect in plaster, brick and dampness in ancient structure. There are
some defects in their remedies presented below.
1. Crack on Walls- With the exposure too much of the moisture, structure has heaved, settled or
overloaded causing crack on walls. Also, it is also occurred because of lateral pressure. It can
be controlled by minimizing the movement and by accommodating the movement among
assemblies and materials (Cassidy, 2010).
2. Rising Dampness- Dampness is undesired moisture content or water which decay, saturate,
rot in the structure of timber. It can be prevented with the help of water repellent chemicals
like gel, osmotic water repellency or pore blocking mixture of salt.
3. Timber Decay- It can be because of biological and non-biological deteriorations, non-
biological contains chemical deterioration, excessive moisture content, physical decay and
dimensional instability. For its prevention, firstly identify the root cause and eliminate it by
ventilating the area with the help of dehumidifiers.
4. Termite or insect attacks- Termites are able to feed mostly anything like timber and these are
able to survive because of the source of food, minimal air flow, moisture, low and dark light
intensity. It can be prevented with the products which consist of borates as they are the most
effective things.
5. Roof Defect- Roof is been exposed to the extremes of solar radiation, temperature change or
wind actions. It can be prevented by regularly properly inspecting, adhering to the guidelines
of the manufacturer and following instructions of installation.
The building like Vestry hall is subjected to much of the defects and to overcome these failures it
is very important to take every preventive measure. Once the defect is found it is very important
to immediately carry the needful steps to keep it away in near future (Bakri & Mydin, 2013).
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Conclusion
I have here discussed many interior and exterior defects with a remedial solution of faults like
Frost attack, efflorescence, holes and cracks, rotten door, crumbling of bricks, wall cracks,
mixing of cables, gap between parquet boards, mould and radiator.
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References
 Bakri, N. N. O., & Mydin, M. A. O., (2013). ‘General Building Defects: Causes, Symptoms
and Remedial Work’, European Journal of Technology and Design, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 4-16.
 Cassidy, R. (2010). 39 Ways to Prevent Cracks in Brickwork. [online] Available at:
https://www.bdcnetwork.com/39-ways-prevent-cracks-brickwork [Accessed 19 Mar. 2018].
 Nhs, (2015). How do I get rid of damp and mould?. [online] Available at:
https://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/How-do-I-get-rid-of-damp-and-mould.aspx [Accessed 18
Mar. 2018].
 Tucker, K. (2017). How to Determine if the Cracks in Walls Are Serious. [online] Available
at: http://homeguides.sfgate.com/determine-cracks-walls-serious-37395.html [Accessed 18
Mar. 2018].
 Weintraub, E. (2017). Efflorescence - Deposits on Masonry and Concrete. [online] Available
at: https://www.thebalance.com/definition-of-efflorescence-1798544 [Accessed 18 Mar.
2018].
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