Cube Method Estimating

The Cube method estimating is specific for building projects and aims to overcome the current criticism to the floor area method that does not take into account possible variations of  the storey height. The building volume method became very popular in some European  countries like in Germany and Switzerland, where building costs are often expressed in cubic  meter prices. The total cost of the project will be given by: 


Estimate = Volume X Unit Cost (Cost/m³)

External plan area X height X Cost (cost/ m³)

In order to use the method, the building volume must be first assessed and explicit rules exist  in some countries for that purpose. Buildings with distinct types of occupation should have  corresponding volumes assessed separately, for example, car park areas, shopping areas and  office areas in a commercial building. Specific works like excavations, foundations and  external works ought to be assessed separately by using cost comparisons or approximate quantities, for example. 


Costs per cubic meter may be difficult to find  in countries where the method is not current. Actually, such costs depend on a number of variables, like building types, proportion of wall  area per floor area, quality of finishes and so on.  

Calculation of volume is subject to rules of measurement

 >   Measured from external faces of external walls

 >  Height of the building is taken from the top of foundation to

     -          For pitched roof

      ·         A point midway between the ceiling and the apex of roof 2/3 where roof space is un-occupied

      ·         A point three quarters from the ceiling to the apex of the roof where roof space     is occupied

      -          For Flat roof

   ·         A point 610mm (2feet) above the roof structure                

Unit Method Estimating

Unit Method Estimating

The unit method estimating consists of choosing a standard unit of accomodation and multiplying  an approximate cost per unit

Estimate = Standard units of accommodation X Cost/Unit

for example:

Schools – costs per pupil place

Hospitals  - costs per bed place

Roads – per Kilometers

Car parks - costs per  car space

The technique is based on the fact that there is usually some close relationship between the cost of a construction project and the number of functional units it accomodates.  Functional units are those factors which express the intended  use of the building better than any other.  This method is extremely useful on occasions where the  building’s client requires a preliminary estimate based on little more information than the basic units of  accommodation.

The units adopted to facilitate this analysis depend on the  type of project under consideration.

Site condition

Specification changes

Market conditions

Regional changes

Inflation

Using this estimating method can generate a rough estimate quickly, but the lack of accuracy will render it of little use in the cost planning procedure outlined earlier. However, this method ids often used to determine the very first notion of a price in early discussions of a project and as a crude means of comparing the known costs of differet buildings.

Methods of Estimate

Methods of Estimating / Type of Construction Estimate

Methods of estimating,used in the early stages of cost planning,depend on reliablehistorical cost data whereas an analytical approach to estimating is based on applying current prices for resources to a well-developed design.A contractor may use a combination of estimating methods in developing a cost for a design and build project

1. Preliminary Estimate

Ø         ( i )  Single Rate Methods

·        Unit Method .......

·        Cube Method ......

·        Story Enclosure Unit Method

·        Superficial Area Method......

Ø         ( ii )  Later Stage Estimating ( Multi Rate Methods)

·        Approximate Estimating

·        Elemental Estimating

·        Cost Modeling

2. Engineering Estimate

3. Contractor detail estimate

·                    ·      Unit Quantity Method

·                    ·     Total Quantity Method

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Architecture​, Technology​ and​ Process Free download

 Architecture​, Technology​ and​ Process  download Architecture, Technology​ and​ Process Free download This new selection of essays follows Chris Abel's previous best selling collection, Architecture and Identity. Drawing upon a wide range of knowledge and disciplines, the author argues that, underlying technological changes in the process of architectural production are fundamental changes in the way we think about machines and the world we live in.


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1 Architecture in the Pacific Century 11
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Housing The Essential Foundations free download
Housing: The Essential Foundations provides a comprehensive introduction to housing studies. This topical text is essential reading for students embarking on degree and diploma courses in housing, surveying, town planning and other related subjects. Professionals within these fields will also find the book valuable as a source of up-to-date information and data.

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Tables
Introduction
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11: Conclusion
Index

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National Glass Museum Holland by Bureau SLA

National Glass Museum Holland by Bureau SLA
The Dutch National Glass Museum collects, examines and exhibits glass art and design from 1850 onwards. It serves as the Netherlands’ treasury, laboratory and centre of knowledge on glass. The Glass Museum was started in 1953 in the house of Petrus Marinus Cochius, director of Leerdam glass manufacturers and founder of the Leerdam glass tradition.

Having two villas is charming, but provides the visitor with nothing else than to walk from one small room to another. By linking the two buildings, continuous exhibition rooms are created. The connection is more than a corridor; it is display space itself and becomes part of the visitor’s experience. Furthermore, the connecting bridges serve as the museum’s storage space. This open storage is fully accessible, making the National Glass Museum the Netherland’s first museum to give public access to its complete collection.

Exhibition spaces are spread across both existing buildings and the bridges with 9000 objects on display in glass cabinets by Dutch designer Piet Hein Eek

Both buildings have been refurbished with one housing a restaurant and the other a library that doubles as staff offices.

The New National Glass Museum in Leerdam

Once the villa on Lingedijk 30 had been acquired, bureau SLA were commissioned to turn the two buildings into a home for the National Glass Museum. It was suggested to turn Cochius’ former residence into an exhibition area and to use the second villa as offices, storage facilities and a cafeteria.

Whilst this fulfilled functional requirements, it seemed like a missed opportunity to us at bureau SLA, as the new situation would appear to be not very different from the old one. The museum would have more space, indeed, but this would not be visible from the outside

The four pedestrian bridges that bureau SLA designed draws everything together in an elegant manner. Visitors can idle through extensive rooms; only one lift is needed and an enormous amount of space is gained. The bridges serve as storage space in which all the museum’s objects are on display, in cases specifically designed for the museum by Piet Hein Eek.

In the historical villas not much more needed to be done; they were elegant by themselves. Repairs were carried out where needed, with some later additions removed. The bridges were constructed from several layers of polycarbonate panels and covered by a translucent skin of grey, powder-coated, aluminium mesh. During the day they contrast sharply with the refined old villas, whereas at night they glow in reflection of the 9000 glass objects inside them.

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Willis’s Elements of Quantity Surveying free download

Willis’s Elements of Quantity Surveying free download

Whilst it is recognized that modern computerized measurement techniques utilizing standard descriptions might appear far removed from traditional taking off , it is only by fully grasping such basic principles of measurement that they can be adapted and applied to alternative system.  

Contents  of Elements of Quantity Surveying

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General rules for taking-off

Substructures

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Tension membrane structures

Tension membrane structures offer an aesthetic,  practical, and cost-effective way to provide roofing to either new or existing areas. These shade  supporting structures have been put into use for most  part of the twentieth century and have found wide  spread applications including, sports facilities,  convention centres, concert halls, shade roofs of large  commercial buildings, airport roofs, gas stations and terminals, to mention only a few.  The membrane part in the structure is pre-stressed and thus enables the structure to maintain its form.

 Two types of shapes are found in tension membrane  structures. The first type is the 'anticlastic structures' with two double curvatures in the  opposite direction while the second is a   'synclastic structures' with the double curvatures  in the same direction. Anticlastic structures can  take a variety of shapes and forms including,  the arched vault, hyper and cone. Technically speaking a tension membrane  structure is a combination of elements, which carry only tension and no compression or bending. This  is the reason why the use of compression rings or  beams, that form the bending or compression elements,  is used in most tensile structures.

Why Tension Membrane Structures?

The semi-translucent nature of fabric structures is  what makes them a favourite with engineers and architects looking for roofing systems to cover large  areas, such as sports stadia or terminals. Fabric  structures help in increasing the sustainability quotient of  a building in more ways than one. The fabric allows for  entry of natural light, while cutting down the  transmission of heat. The high reflectivity of the  membrane makes it an ideal alternative to glass as a  roof glazing system.  Tension membrane structures are usually reinforced  using either PVC /Polyester or PTFE based coatings. This makes the fabric structure perform well from the fire  performance perspective too. For example, a tension membrane structure with PTFE coating is rated non  combustible as per ASTM 136, making them completely safe. Additionally the inert nature of the fabric aids in  self-cleaning, a characteristic which makes them  perfectly suited for application over large areas.

The  dependency on artificial lighting is vastly reduced. The unique properties of light reflectance and  transmission also offer exciting possibilities for lighting  after dark. Directing lights under the canopy to reflect  off the underside is a great way to use uplighters, but  more even lighting can be achieved under the fabric by  shining lights down on the fabric from above.

The thermal insulation achieved with a single layer  of either PVC/Polyester or PTFE membrane with a typical weight of around 1200gm per sq metre and a  U value of approximately 4.5 W/m2K, is more or less  similar to that of glass. White is mostly the preferred  colour when it comes to tension membrane structures.  This is because with dark coloured membranes, the  absorption of heat is very high. Dark coloured  membranes can also re-radiate heat. White is  therefore the preferred choice in the case of tension  membrane fabrics.

Roofing and Cladding

With tension membrane structures, it is possible to  have both the roofing and cladding in one single structural element. Typically the seam and curve of the  fabric structure that reflects the tension is aesthetically  pleasing, while also being important for the structural  integrity. Due to the integration of the roofing and  cladding, the structures are also easy to clean and  maintain, when compared to glaze glass roofing. The  roof, in the case of tensile membrane structures is  factory welded and therefore easy to install, apart from  acting as a weatherproof skin that does not contain  expansion joints. All these factors enable rapid  construction and coverage of large areas.

Span Capabilities

An excellent span capability is another factor that  puts fabric ahead of other materials. While every other  possible roofing material requires rigid intermediate  support, it is not the case with fabric structures. The  fabric can span from one boundary to another in one  unbroken (sweep). This ensures that there are no sealing  related issues that need to be addressed. The amazing tensile capacity of fabric helps to  reduce the number of components that make up the  supporting framework to a minimum, thus enabling a  structure that is much more light-weighted when  compared to other types of construction. On the flip side  though, the structures incorporating the concept need  large foundations in order to prevent wind currents  lifting the canopy. This factor is offset by the fact that in  terms of cost foundations are cheaper to prepare, than  the visible above ground construction components that  are exposed to the vagaries of weather and therefore,  more prone to damage.