Module title Building Efficiency & Pathology
Level 7
Assessment title Building Pathology Report
Weighting within module This assessment is worth 100% of the overall module mark.
Submission deadline date and time
For coursework assessments only: students with a Reasonable Adjustment Plan (RAP) should check their RAP to see if an extension to this submission date has been agreed.
How to submit
FORMAT
All submissions should have a cover sheet identifying the module, the date and the student’s roll number.
As the University will mark assessments anonymously where this is possible, please use your student roll number and not your name on your submission.
In addition to the in-text citations, all submissions shall have a reference list of the sources used in the preparation of the report. The School has adopted the Harvard system (APA 7th) as standard, and guidance is available from the link below: –
http://www.salford.ac.uk/skills-for-learning/home/using-and-referencing-information/referencing
SUBMISSION
You should submit your assessment electronically, as a single WORD file.
PRE-SUBMISSION CHECKLIST
Before submitting your assessment; ask yourself the following questions, just to be sure you’ve met all the requirements:
Have I correctly referenced all the sources which I have used?
Have I completed the assignment within the word limit and/or stated my word count?
Have I used a spell checker and proof read my work?
Assessment task details and instructions
You are a Property Professional working for a Salford based firm of Chartered Building Surveyors.
A client has recently purchased a 1965 built four storey in-situ concrete car park, with retail units on the ground floor, unseen at auction. This is located on West Street in Blackpool, Lancashire, UK and the client has since discovered two issues regarding its condition which require further investigation and remediation.
The car park is clad externally by dressed sandstone blocks with thin mortar joints and glazed aluminium framed windows to all sides (See Plate 3) except the East side on Corporation Street which also has some large openings in the external wall which remain open except for vertical RC louvers which extend over two stories. All elements of the façade are in good condition to all sides of the structure. The main frame of the structure and the floors are all reinforced in situ concrete.
The client does not own any of the retail units on the ground floor. The access to the car park is by a concrete ramp situated on West Street itself.
Issue 1) The roof level (4th Floor) is made from reinforced in situ concrete panels and is open to the elements. This level also has parking access for customer vehicles as illustrated in photo 1 below. The roof level is covered with several old layers of bitumen based felt and puddles of water are evident on this surface. Tears and blisters are evident in the bitumen in various locations across the roof.
Issue 2) The internal parking level immediately below the roof level (3rd Floor) has severe spalling evident to its ceiling beams (see photo 2) as well as to its columns and ceiling soffit. This appears to be a long-term problem and the spalled concrete appears normal in all respects except for evidence of rust staining. Other levels in the car park also have smaller localised patches of spalling to their ceiling soffits and to some columns but not to the same extent as the third floor.
The client wishes you to prepare a report addressing the following three requirements.
A) Identify the most likely reasons for the deterioration of the bitumen felt roof covering in issue one and explain the deterioration mechanisms involved. Predict the likely progression of this deterioration without intervention in the scenario given. (30%)
B) Identify and outline in full what you suspect are the most likely reasons for the deterioration of the ceiling beams in issue two – as seen in photo 2. Identify any laboratory tests you feel are required in order to confirm your assessment of the most likely deterioration mechanisms. Predict the likely progression of this deterioration without intervention in the scenario given (30%)
C) Offer your solutions for remedial actions to rectify the deterioration arising from issues one and two and to limit further risk of the same failures occurring in this location in the future. Note that the client wishes to keep disruption to the car park to a minimum and does not have ownership to the retail units on the ground floor. (40%)
Clearly state any assumptions you have made.
Photo 1 Location of the car park on the right with roof level parking evident. The image is orientated with North to the immediate top of the photo. (Google Maps Image Accessed on 21/12/2019)
Photo 2 Spalled beam on the underside of the roof level. Photographed from the floor of level 3 looking up at the ceiling of the 4th floor roof deck. To the left is a column. (Pye, 2019)
Photo 3 West elevation of the car park on Market Street, Blackpool, Lancashire. The red element is colour contrast aluminium sheeting & is not structural. The sandstone cladding and aluminium window frames are evident in this image and are in good condition. (Google Image Accessed on 21/12/2019)
Photo 4 East elevation on Corporation Street, Blackpool, Lancashire showing the reinforced concrete louvers to the openings. The red element is colour contrast aluminium sheeting & is not structural. (Google Maps 21/12/2019)
Assessed intended learning outcomes
On successful completion of this assessment, you will be able to:
Knowledge and Understanding
1. Identify the effective and proper use of buildings
2. Identify symptoms and possible causes of common building defects.
3. The importance and effect of efficiency in buildings including the green agenda/sustainability 4. Describe common factors that cause deterioration to building fabric.
5. Appraise and contrast remedial measures, i.e. predict long-term implications of defects and occupancy
6. Identify, select and apply suitable remedial measures to particular situations.
7. Develop and communicate practical and appropriate remedial measures.
Transferable Skills and other Attributes
8. Undertake independent study to achieve intended learning outcomes.
9. Select and modify appraisal techniques to a variety of factors, i.e. durability, cost, aesthetics, buildability.
10. Develop analytical skills in the selection of suitable solutions.
11. Communicate via written and drawn media technical/construction information for use by others
Module Aims
1. To develop a working knowledge of the function of buildings in use including the management of the facilities, life cycle costs.
2. To develop a working knowledge and the ability to identify symptoms and diagnose defects found in a diverse range of building types.
3. To develop the ability to identify, compare, evaluate and apply appropriate approaches to the effective use of buildings and repair/remedial measures including their design and application.
4. To develop the ability to critically evaluate the implications of building condition and level of repair on functional use, value, aesthetic standards, and maintenance obligations.
5. To recognise and interpret the links between building maintenance practices and the occurrence and impact of building defects.
Word count
Your submission should consist of no more than one report 2,500 words long.
This includes every word, but excludes any initial contents/title page, any abstract, the reference citations in the main body of text, appendices and the reference list(s) located at the very end of your submission
Only the first 2,500 words (as defined above) will be marked. Any words you write in excess of 2,500 (as defined above) will be ignored.
Feedback arrangements
You can expect to receive formative feedback throughout the module – formative feedback is helpful to enable you to develop and improve your academic writing and presentation skills. Please note that you must email your tutor to arrange an individual appointment. Drafts issued within the 7 days leading to the submission deadline will not be provided with feedback. Drafts will only be checked once so you may wish to have a near complete assignment before submitting for feedback.
Remember that using the Turnitin draft checking facility in the assessment support module space as previously explained above is only checking for similarity of your work to existing literature.
Written feedback, identifying marks awarded against each item of the marking criteria, will be provided within 15 working days of the final submission date via blackboard.
Support arrangements
You can obtain support for this assessment from the lecture sessions and tutorials and the lecture learning materials uploaded onto blackboard, tutor office hours by appointment, emails, etc (please see contact information on the first page of this brief). Your email queries will be answered within 48 hours during week days.
Good Academic Conduct and Academic Misconduct
Students are expected to learn and demonstrate skills associated with good academic conduct (academic integrity). Good academic conduct includes the use of clear and correct referencing of source materials. Here is a link to where you can find out more about the skills which students require http://www.salford.ac.uk/skills-for-learning.
Academic Misconduct is an action which may give you an unfair advantage in your academic work. This includes plagiarism, asking someone else to write your assessment for you or taking notes into an exam. The University takes all forms of academic misconduct seriously. You can find out how to avoid academic misconduct here https://www.salford.ac.uk/skills-for-learning.
Assessment Information
If you have any questions about assessment rules, you can find further information in Blackboard in the Assessment Support area.
Personal Mitigating Circumstances
If personal mitigating circumstances may have affected your ability to complete this assessment, you can find more information about personal mitigating circumstances procedure here.
Personal Tutor/Student Progression Administrator
If you have any concerns about your studies, contact your Personal Tutor or your Student Progression Administrator.
Assessment Criteria
Marks for your assessment will be allocated based on the weightings shown below.
A. Bitumen Defect Diagnosis (30%) Accurate identification of the most likely deterioration mechanisms and contributory factors affecting the bitumen felt typically linked to use of the building, age of the materials and location amongst others. Progression accurately described within acceptable parameters of safety and normal expected progression rates.
B. Concrete Ceiling Beams Defect Diagnosis (30%). Accurate identification of the most likely deterioration mechanisms and contributory factors affecting the concrete ceiling beams, typically linked to the age and type of the materials used and the location of the building. Progression accurately described within acceptable parameters of safety and normal expected progression rates. Accurate identification and description of relevant laboratory tests conforming to both British Standards and accepted industry practice of testing concrete structures.
C. Solutions to both Issues (40%) Offer solutions which will ensure a reasonable amount of longevity for the client’s use of the building as proposed. Ensure the clients requirements regarding use and ownership are met where possible and that future progression or reoccurrence of same deterioration issues is minimised or eliminated.
Grade Descriptors:
Performance in respect of each criterion will be graded in accordance with the university grade descriptors as below (more details:
http://www.salford.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/610669/AssessmentAndFeedbackTaughtAwards.pdf):
Grade Descriptor Mark
Extremely poor 0%to 9%
Very poor 10% to 19%
Poor 20% to 29%
Inadequate 30% to 39%
Unsatisfactory 40%to 49%
Satisfactory 50% to 59%
Good 60% to 69%
Very good 70% to 79%
Excellent 80%to 89%
Outstanding 90% to 100%
In Year Retrieval Scheme
Your assessment is not eligible for in year retrieval.
Reassessment
If you fail your assessment, and are eligible for reassessment, you will need to resubmit on or before a date TBC.
You will be asked to resubmit the same piece of work unless advised otherwise.
For students with accepted personal mitigating circumstances, for absences / non submissions, this will be your replacement assessment attempt. Students should be aware that there is no late submission period at reassessment (this includes those students who have an accepted PMC request from a previous attempt).