DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION - LABORATORY II (LAB C)
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- Versione italiana
- Academic year
- 2021/2022
- Teacher
- EMANUELE PIAIA
- Credits
- 11
- Didactic period
- Secondo Semestre
Training objectives
- The Laboratory (LCA2) is the fourth technological course of the architectural degree.
LCA2 studies the building-design process analysing in detail the “technical design” stage including all the architectural, structural, MEP-HVAC, and economic information. The environmental-sustainability design is the complementary topic of the laboratory.
The main goal of the Laboratory is to propose, to the students, a methodological approach of the building design. During the laboratory the students face the main tasks of the design-construction process (Concept design; Developed design; Technical design) presenting the important role of the technical design in order to propose the feasibility of the architectural project.
The main topics developed during the course regards:
- the building quality assessment;
- the methods, tools and techniques of the building technical design;
- the design procedure,
that allow the transformation of the professional project design in a constructed building.
Background knowledge:
The main acquisitions will cover:
- design and management process at every stage, from the concept design to the use and/or maintenance phases of buildings and the implementation phases;
- concept of technological culture, quality, building process, building system and construction system;
- concept of environmental, social and economic sustainability according to an interdisciplinary approach;
- correct use of material and energy resources;
- users’ needs and procedures to define the relationships between the operators;
- construction processes and related technologies for design of building structures and innovative building envelopes;
- graphical representation of technical drawings of an executive project;
- technical content of construction detail represented in scale 1:5;
- prefab steel building system considering the joint form different elements and the interface with other construction technologies, rules and regulations;
- experimental applications of design technologies;
- procedures for drawing up technical specifications.
Ability / Skill:
The main skills will be:
- to develop project objectives and outcomes in relation to the users’ needs, functional design of the building at different scales, management of the building envelope problems
- development of executive-constructive detail in scale 1: 5;
- consistency between aesthetic-morphological choices, constructive technologies, plant engineering requirements and structural aspects;
- preliminary, definitive and executive design of a building (technical content and meanings of drawings);
- technical knowledge able to design contextualized buildings from social, economic, environmental and cultural point of view;
- principles relating to sustainable architecture and improvement of energy efficiency throughout the building process;
- ability to control choices of materials, products and components in relation to the context and costs of design choices;
- control of the aspects related to use and maintenance of the building in the life;
- management of construction systems with high prefabrication components and modular coordination. Prerequisites
- Only the students that have completed the Laboratory of building architecture I or other basic technological courses can follow LCA2.
Furthermore, is necessary to comprehend the background knowledge introduced in the following courses:
- Materials and design of construction elements
- Technical Physics
- Environmental design
- Structural design
In particular:
- Knowledge of materials, components and systems available on the building market;
- Basic knowledge of the principles of the Technical Physics and installations;
- Basic knowledge of the structural aspects of a building;
- Ability to assemble products and systems according to the required performance by the Building System with particular attention to environmental aspects. Course programme
- The Laboratory is an interdisciplinary course that provides 132 hours of education (lessons and class exercises), about Executive Technical Design (84 hours), Structural Design (24 hours) and Property valuation and investment (24 hours). These three types of trainings jointly contribute to the Laboratory teaching program.
The feature of the Laboratory is the belief that the architect's role is the coordinator of skills and disciplines characterizing the building process: from preliminary concepts till the realization of the work. The Laboratory organizes visits and practical construction site experiences aimed to the direct knowledge of particularly building systems.
The contents of Executive Technical Design will be:
- theoretical principles and methodologies to learn, understand and control the manufacturing, construction, refurbishment, maintenance and management of building systems;
- user needs analysis;
- concepts of environmental and economic sustainability;
- technologies for the design of complex building;
- methods of graphical representation of an executive project and a construction detail 1: 5;
- maintenance aspects of the building system in the useful life cycle;
- manufacturing processes and related technologies for the design of building structures;
- norms, regulations and standards of the building construction design.
The "Structural Design" and "Property valuation and investment" modules highlight some of the many roles and expertise of the architectural profession. In particularly presents to the students an idea of the construction process complexity.
The “structural design” module proposes a preliminary calculation of the structural elements in relation to the architectural quality: formal, functional, energy efficiency, etc.
The module of "Property Valuation and investment" aims to propose the basic rules regarding the economic aspects of the building market and the economic impact of architectural formal decision inside the design process.
The laboratory proposes a design exercise that will cover the main stages of the process design. The professors will propose a specific project theme selected in cooperation with a public administration. The complementary topics of the exercise are: norms analysis, project budget definition and economic impact, structural design decision, detail design including technical installations.
The exercise will be organized in two main phases:
1. “Preliminary” and “Final design” elaboration;
2. “Detailed design” including the report describing the architectural design, the construction details of the most significant nodes (scale 1:5), the structural scheme of the project with its elements and nodes and an economic evaluation. Didactic methods
Learning assessment procedures
Reference texts
- - Fondazione Promozione Acciaio (2014), Guida all'architettura multipiano in acciaio – Manuale tecnico-pratico (Multi-Storey Steel Buildings - Part 1: Architect's Guide), Flaccovio, Palermo.
- Migliacci A., (2006) L'architettura dell'equilibrio e della deformazione (The balance and architecture of the deformation), CEA, Rozzano (MI).
- Piaia E., Zannoni G., Toni M. (2020) Progetti del Laboratorio di Costruzione dell’Architettura 2 (Designs of the Laboratory of Architectural Construction 2), Libri Emil, Città di Castello.
- Utica G. (2011), Stima sintetica dei costi di costruzione (Synthetic estimate of construction costs(, Maggioli Editore.
- Zannoni G., (2018) Sistemi a secco con lastre di gesso rivestito, manuale di progettazione e posa (Plasterboards, design and installation manual), Franco Angeli, Milano.
