ARCHIDEX 2013

Every year there is an exhibition of building materials and prefabricated components held in Malaysia. This year the exhibition known as ARCHIDEX 2013 was held at KLCC and open to public. I visited the exhibition and was able to view many different building materials, components, interior design materials and architectural materials. Also gained lots of information and brochures and booklets from different companies regarding the materials.

The exhibition was very grand an  d distributed into 6 hall areas. It was a very informative experience and I hope to visit next year.

Field Works – Levelling & Traversing

Two field works were conducted during the semester, during which we, working in groups, used the instruments (auto level, measuring tape, range poles and reading staff) to do levelling survey and traverse survey.

By means of the fieldwork, I was able to know how to use the instruments and take readings and do the calculations. It provided a better understanding about how land surveyors do their work and how important it is for quantity surveyors to understand the different fields of construction.

Holding reading staff vertically straight with help of plumb bob until reading is taken

Taking reading on the staff to find level using auto level.

Field notes for levelling survey

Plan showing area surveyed and route of levelling survey

Field notes for traverse survey

Learning Outcomes SS

During site surveying, I was able to learn about what is site surveying, the equipment used and how to use them. Furthermore I gained knowledge on the different types of surveys and how to calculate reduced levels and measure boundaries.

A lot of calculation questions were practiced during tutorial, hence I learnt and got practice in doing the calculations and will be useful when I go to work in a construction firm.

Learning how to use auto level

Adusting the auto level before taking reading

Group Assignment – Building Integration of Solar Energy

The highlight of this semester, in my opinion, is the group assignment for building services 1. It was a case study report along with a video presentation. It was the first time, that such a task was assigned and it was a great opportunity to test our creative skills.

The topic chosen by our group was also an interesting topic, which was Building Integration of Solar Power. As a creative approach was required for the video presentation, our group decided to do a stop motion video.

The stop motion video required about 2 weeks of preparation, which included planning, preparing the materials, photo shoot, audio recording and video editing. It took a lot of patience and time, but all-in-all it was a fun experience for the whole group. I was able to lead the group and go through with the assignment without any obstacles or problems within the group.

stop motion material

photo taking

preparation

For the purpose of this assignment, we were also able to visit a landmark building in Malaysia, The Diamond Building which is the headquarters of The Energy Commission of Malaysia. It was a great experience to be able to take a tour of the building known for its energy efficiency and learn about the design of the building. It was a very informative visit.

At diamond building with the staff who gave us a tour

diamond building

Attached below is the link to the video presentation we made.

Building Integration of Solar Energy – Video Presentation

Learning Outcomes BS 1

I learned this semester, that a complete building is one which fulfills all the structural requirements and also has all the services installed. By means of this unit, I was able to learn about how building ventilation functions and the types of ventilation. I also gained knowledge on how communication services are installed in different types of buildings and about supply of hot and cold water. Furthermore information on storm water management was also provided.

I also learned how to distinguish between different services installed in buildings.

Group Assignment – Pile Foundation

Site 1

Site 2

We were assigned a group assignment to do a case study on one of the topics covered. It was an opportunity to test our leadership and capabilities, as we had to organize visits to site on our own. Our group was able to gain permission to visit 3 construction sites in Sunway and Subang Area in order to get field knowledge on the topic ‘piling’.

The site experience was very different from our classroom environment. We were able to gain information first hand from engineers and project managers on the site. We were also able to observe the construction process and how the machinery is worked. It was easier to understand the construction methodology when able to we can view the process happening.

The sites visited were site for D’Latour developed by DK Land Construction near Taylor’s University Lakeside Campus and sites for Sunway Geo and Sunway Pyramid Phase 3 developed by Sunway Group.

Site Visit to Sunway Geo Site

Sunway Geo site area

Learning Outcomes CT 2

The content covered in CT 2 was very large, but it was a lot of useful information which will be required during our internship and future work places. This semester, I gained in-depth knowledge about basement excavation, deep foundations, scaffolding, steel and portal frames, precast, suspended ceilings and other major topics.

I now have a better understanding of the construction methodology and functions and requirements of the components.

Group Assignment M2

There were two group assignments for this unit. The first one was in a group of 5 people and each person was assigned a task by the lecturer. I faced no problems in completing the assignment along with my group members. There was great cooperation and every member completed their parts well. The assignment was based on staircase finishes.

However, the second assignment was a 3 hour timed assignment, in order to ready us for exams. It was quite difficult due to the pressure of time and the content being big. Nevertheless, I was able to complete the work along with my group mate. This assignment was based on wall structure and finishes and floor finishes.

Learning Outcomes M2

This semester, in Measurement 2 I learned about measuring the staircase structure and finishes for it. In addition to this, I also learned about the wall structure and how to measure the brickwork and finishes for internal and external walls. Floor and ceiling finishes were also taught in this semester. Furthermore I learned how to prepare the Bill of Quantities for these components as well.

Compared to previous semester, the content of this semester is easier to understand and absorb in.

The lecture notes provided were quite helpful in understand the flow of the work to be done, given that there are no books available on the subject.