Learning to be Architect

Cold joint is a specific word used to describe a process in concrete casting. In standard conditions, a piece of concrete needs to be cast in one shot in order to ensure its cohesive strength, however, when it is cast in a few batches where the time between each batch is too long, it will cause "cold joint", which is a phenomenon in which the two separate batches do not join together well and result in a "layered" look between the two pieces. This affects the strength of the casted concrete and is to be avoided whenever possible. Nevertheless, different storeys and sections of a building are usually "cold joined". In these cases, various measures needs to be taken to ensure the integrity of the joint pieces. For example, ribars are to connect between the joints, edges are to be roughened to improve connectivity and bonding agents are used.

There was a time when it was pretty confusing to understand all the different types of pipes that are involved with a Mechanical Engineer's works, so here's a simple breakdown of some involving liquid elements: Plumbing Pipes Deals with fresh water supplied to the development Supplies to water points such as taps, shower heads, WC, etc. Could be running two separate lines because of different types of water used, for example: In Singapore: Between fresh water pipes and NEWater pipes; NEWater is used for non-potable uses such as AC system and toilet flushing (to score on Green Mark points, it is recommended to use NEWater for non-potable sources if it is available for your development) In Hong Kong: Between fresh water pipes and sea water pipes. Similarly, sea water is used for non potable uses such as toilet flushing For small developments, pipes are connected directly from the main public water line, this is for low rise buildings where the water pressure from PUB i...

It is imperative that Architects work closely with the three types of engineers mentioned above in the design of buildings. However, it could be confusing in the beginning when trying to understand what role does each engineer play. Here's a simple breakdown (that may be updated later on). Please take note that this is the understanding in the Singapore context, and may differ from country to country: Electrical Engineer He prepares the electrical, lighting and data items for your building; usually, architects need to talk to him during the design stage if there are any specific lighting looks in the room or specialised electrical equipment to consider His lighting designs have to meet minimum lux requirements based on the location and function of each space, if you are thinking of using a mixture of daylight and electrical light in a space, you need to have more lengthy discussions with his as well as lighting suppliers He will tell you his requirements for the location an...