Online training logs a win for trussed rafter designers

As the construction industry continues its struggle with skills shortages, the trussed rafter industry is working hard to upskill employees with sign-ups for specialist training quadrupling.

The online training course, run by the Trussed Rafter Association (TRA) in association with Edinburgh Napier University, is proving popular with trussed rafter designers.

Two beneficiaries of the training programme are Gabor Vince, from Taylor Lane Timber Frame Ltd, and Frank Kyne, from Wyckham Blackwell Ltd, who are the highest scorers for the Introduction to Trussed Rafter Design online course.

As a reward for their hard work, Gabor and Frank have been given the opportunity to visit a Swedish forestry and sawmilling operations courtesy of Vida Wood UK Ltd.

Gabor says:

“It’s great to be rewarded for doing a course that, for me, was fundamental to my professional development.

“Going to Sweden will be a real eye-opener getting out into the forest to witness how it all works through the whole felling and logging process and seeing how the timber is processed at the mill.”

Frank adds:

“The course for me was very useful and a great test of my skills. Being able to do this all online was really important to me as I would never have found the spare time to complete this otherwise.

“I can’t wait to go to Sweden and see how my work and my colleagues’ work weaves into what’s happening out in the forest and the mills. It’s a fantastic opportunity.”

Nick Boulton, TRA chief executive, said:

“Training for TRA members is going from strength to strength and it’s remarkable how well the course is doing. It’s a credit to the TRA members and their employees for wanting to be better at their job to provide a better service for their customers.”

The online training course is available in two elements: Part 1 Essentials and Part 2 Advanced. Part 1 is suitable for new staff and designers while part 2 is aimed purely at designers.

TRA members can claim up to two units of training completed per site within three months of registering. With each unit costing £175 per candidate or £300 for both, these are great saving for members.

The course is just one element of the TRA’s commitment to training and recruitment in the trussed rafter industry.

At the TRA AGM in May where the theme was ‘The next generation’, TRA chairman, Jonathan Fellingham, announced he is heading up a project to look at the recruitment of the future pipeline of trussed rafter designers and fabricators, calling on TRA members to get involved.

To register candidates, please send the candidates full name and business email address to info@tra.org.uk where you can also find out further information about the training package.

www.tra.org.uk

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The Survey School’s 2018 graduates take home the prizes

Prize-winning graduates of the TSA Surveying Course were presented with their awards and cash prizes at the annual leavers’ ceremony held at Worcester Racecourse.

Among the 31 graduates were two students from Abu Dhabi, who travelled to Worcester specifically for the hands-on training in the principles of surveying provided at The Survey School.

Nine students gained distinctions, and prizes, based on assignment results, exam marks and overall observations by the tutors, were given to four for outstanding achievement.

Jointly sponsored by The Survey Association (TSA) and Leica Geosystems, the Best Student Award went to Eurig Price who achieved an enviable 99 per cent in his final examination.

Tutor at The Survey School, Andrew Crumpler commented, ‘’Eurig came on this course from a machine control back ground and carrying out topographical surveys was new to him. He has worked extremely hard and applied himself to his studies with some outstanding pieces of work.’’

Sponsored by TSA, the recipient of the Vice-President’s Award was Jack Dods of Network Rail who was commended for his exceptionally high standard of work and efficient organisation.

Rafe Holmes of WYG Group was presented with the Chartered ICES prize for Best Assignment for his ‘first class’ surveying and setting out design for a new housing estate and access road.

To demonstrate their support for the TSA Course, a new and additional prize for this year was awarded by RICS for the Best Measured Building Assignment.  Successful completion of the Course counts towards AssocRICS membership.

The first winner of the RICS prize was Steven Smith of IIC Technologies who was applauded for his very clear explanation of the laser scan surveying process and how to get the best results.

The Survey School is recognised by industry and employers as the UK’s premier commercial training centre for the education of land surveyors.  TSA Surveying Course 49 starts on 3 September 2018 and Course 50 on 19 November 2018. For full details on these and shorter technical courses on specific topics, see the School’s website. www.surveyschool.org.uk

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Aarsleff Ground Engineering awarded multidisciplinary contract for sustainable heating scheme in Leeds.

Vital Energi have awarded Aarsleff Ground Engineering the multidisciplinary foundations package at Saxton Gardens, on behalf of main client Leeds City Council. The foundation works form part of a wide-scale scheme to create the Leeds PIPES district heating network for the city that would see the heat created by the council’s Recycling and Energy Recovery Facility (RERF) in East Leeds being used to provide hot water and heating for households and businesses through a network of underground pipes.

Vital (www.vitalenergi.co.uk) were awarded the design and build contract, and subsequently awarded Aarsleff Ground Engineering the driven steel tube piling, mini bored piling, king post wall and drilling and grouting works required for the network’s back-up equipment at Saxton Gardens.

Specifically, Aarsleff will install 44No. driven steel tube piles, 16 No. mini bored piles to be installed inside a 4.5m Height restriction, 45lin/m of King Post Wall to a retained height of 1.5m, and the drilling of 60No holes to be drilled to 18m past the existing coal seam & filled with grout, the latter technique which has already commenced on site.

Overseeing the project start up, Aarsleff’s Chris Purvis said “We’re currently utilising our JS130 rig to drill 72No. vertical and inclined holes. Due to many areas of the site being close to the foundations of existing building walls and underground services, it has been necessary to work with extreme caution and assess all risks prior to drilling. Having assessed detailed site plans, made suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks posed by those hazards and co-operated with principle contractor Vital Energi, we have made sure any rules or agreed methods of working are strictly adhered to.”

Heralded as the next sustainable model for urban development, the scheme is expected to be completed by 2020. Should the scheme prove successful it could be expanded to other areas of the city.

Aarsleff’s Managing Director Kevin Hague said:

“Aarsleff Ground Engineering are delighted to be part of such a significant scheme that could provide low-cost and environmentally friendly heating and hot water to 1,983 homes in Leeds, saving over 22,000 tonnes of carbon emissions. Responsibility is one of Aarsleff’s core values, and this project really adds to our green credentials, plus it’s given us another platform to showcase our unique multidisciplinary offering for clients seeking a one stop shop solution”.

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Sheet piling to accommodate varying retained heights for new residential development

Aarsleff Ground Engineering were awarded the contract by WW Martin Ltd to design & install 436 linear meters of sheet pile retaining wall for a new housing development off Hailsham Road in Herstmonceux, East Sussex.

 

Aarsleff are now on site & have taken delivery of over 100t of the 550t total requirement.

AGE main works will provide a wall with retained heights up to 6m to accommodate the existing sloping site & allow the housing development to be constructed behind.

WW Martin constructed a temporary piling platform for the AGE 80 tonne crawler crane to operate from & allows AGE to install pairs of Z piles using temporary guide frames as support until s

ufficient penetration in to the Wadhurst clay strata is achieved. A crane suspended high frequency vibro hammer is being utilised to install the Z- piles & the remaining 133 No. 7m long GU8N sheet piles will be installed with Aarsleff’s own Movax SG75 & Volvo base machine.

Aarsleff will be installing almost a full range of Z profiles for this project, with section lengths ranging from 9.5m to 17m long to accommodate the site’s varying retained heights from 2m to 6m.

Aarsleff Ground Engineering mobilised work on 11th June and are expected to be on site for approximately 6 / 8 weeks.

For more information about Aarsleff Ground Engineering and its driven sheet piling solutions, contact the company on 01636 611140 or email info@aarsleff.co.uk

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Mr. Fix-It: How do you Care for An Asphalt Driveway?

Our team at Wolf Paving was invited back in the Mr. Fix-It studios to answer listeners' questions related to asphalt driveway repair. This program gives weekly advice on home improvements, repairs and do-it-yourself projects.

This blog will cover the questions concerning new and old asphalt driveways.

To listen to the 5 minute segment on asphalt driveways, click here!

Read the questions from the interview below:

"I’ve got a brand new asphalt driveway, I think about 3 years old, and it’s developed one brand new crack, and it’s probably a quarter to three inches thick. I tried to put some asphalt filler in, and it just keeps expanding. What should I fill that with?"

That’s pretty common in this climate. If you get a crack that fine it’s hard to get any kind of filler in there, and get it to stick. A lot of times when a professional company would come out there they got a router, almost like a wood router, and they will route that crack out to widen it out to get some sealer in there so it can stick

If it’s a really narrow, or really small crack, it might have to get routed out to get some sealer in there. I would suggest using a rubberized crack filler in there

"We’re at a condominium, we have an asphalt driveway and parking area and I know the asphalt needs to be sealed. How often and why?"

So there are a couple of reasons why people like asphalt sealer.

1. Aesthetics. It’s like putting a coat of paint on a house. It gives you a nice black surface again, which helps melt the snow and ice.
2. The other is if you’re parking a car or truck in the same area and it drips a little gas or oil, that sealer will prevent that gas or oil from penetrating down into the asphalt and destroying it. We recommend every other year on the sealcoating, maybe even longer, maybe every three years. You need to let it wear down before you put another coat on.

"We built a house in 2005, we put the driveway in in 2007. The driveway is dropping down at one end at least 3 inches and then goes across to zero degrees, so it’s even. Also the stoop that goes up to the front porch is coming away and the gap is about three inches now. They told us when they did it they were putting rods in to the garage floor, and rods into the porch itself. But it’s still happening. So i don’t know if it has to be mudjacked or do we have to replace everything?"

It sounds to me when they backfilled around the house they didn’t get real good compaction, would be my guess. Now that soil is settling and it’s just sort of taking everything with it. If this was 12 years ago I’m gonna guess more of your settling is done.

"So is it mudjacking that we would do? Is that gonna help?"

I would suggest starting with a less expensive route. Worst case scenario you’re looking at replacing, but we’d recommend getting a mudjacker's opinion as that would be less expensive. And that’s recycling so you won’t be wasting any materials.

Where the stoop is concerned, it depends on the thickness of the stoop and they can’t drill through steps. So if the stoop is connected to that walk, maybe they could punch that walk up.

"What thickness in asphalt should a residential driveway be? And what’s the anticipated lifespan for that driveway?"

So there is a couple different thicknesses you could go for for your driveway. The standard thicknesses that we generally see out there are 2.5 inches or 3 inches, that’s going to be enough to handle the weight of pickup trucks and cars. If you have something that’s gonna take a little heavier loads, septic trucks or dumpster trucks, then you’re going to want to go a little bit thicker. Something like 3.5 inch or 4 inch.

As far as longevity is concerned, the average lifespan for a driveway in Wisconsin is about 15 years give or take a few years.

Interested in more more Wolf interviews with Mr. Fit-It?

• Wolf Paving Q+A On Mr. Fix-It – How To Fix Sinking Asphalt
• Wolf Paving Q+A On Mr. Fix-It – Tree Roots And How To Expand A Driveway
• Wolf Paving Q+A On Mr. Fix It - Asphalt Recycling
• Wolf Paving Q+A On Mr. Fix-It - Damaged Asphalt Driveways To Recycling
• Wolf Paving Q+A On Mr. Fix-It - Water Pooling Near Culvert
• Wolf Paving Q+A On Mr. Fix-It - Driveways And Parking Lots

With 75 years of asphalt paving experience, from highways to driveways, we are your local source for all of your asphalt paving needs. It’s never too early or too late to request a free paving estimate. For the Milwaukee area, call us at 262-965-2121. For the Madison area, call us at 608-249-7931.

For more information on Wolf Paving visit our Why Wolf? page to see what we can offer you.

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Marvels of architecture across the world

Technology has made it possible for us to design, create, and maintain structures that were not feasible in years gone by. With the additional support of artificial intelligence, architects can make informed choices regarding the building’s structure. Variables such as materials, use, and climate can all be factored in quickly by modern technology.

Together with Oasys, who offer retaining wall solutions, we take a look at some of the best examples of advanced architecture in the world.

Apple Park, Campus 2

One of the most well-known companies in the world, tech titan Apple has moved to its new offices lately. Worth a staggering $234.7bn, the company, which is now one of the biggest on the planet, was able to invest a further $5bn into a new building and move its tremendous workforce into a circular futuristic structure. The new office-space, which opened in April 2017 midway through construction, is made up of 175 acres — and is even bigger than The Pentagon.

This building’s unique trait comes from its roof. The whole structure’s roof is made from solar panels, which makes it one of the most efficient buildings the world has ever seen, in terms of energy saving. The solar panels are capable of generating 17 megawatts of power (75% during peak daytime) and the company has aims to make the complex entirely powered by renewable energy in the future. Another four megawatts are powered through the use of biofuel and natural gas within the complex, using Bloom Energy Servers which are popular within the Californian region, with Google, Yahoo and Wal-Mart using them, too.

The building’s design also prioritised the use of natural heating, ventilation, and air control (HVAC).To achieve this, air is allowed to flow freely between the inside and outside of the building, which can help assist for nine months of the entire year — highlighting the importance of such features in the DNA of design.

 

The Burj Khalifa

At 2,722 ft, the Burj Khalifa (also known as the Burj Dubai) is a sight to behold as the tallest structure in the world. Starting construction in 2004 and finalising the project in 2008, many decisions had to be made to ensure that this neo-futurism structure was able to serve its purpose, acknowledging that it would be a free-standing building and understanding the hot climate it would be situated in.

 

A series of underground water networks delivers fresh water, which has been processed be desalination plants from sea water, to the whole city of Dubai, the skyscrapers included. When the water hits the Burj, it is distributed to every corner of every floor on every level. However, with 163 floors, this can become a complicated process, which shows us just how special the Burj Khalifa actually is in terms of design.

The group of architects who planned the structure realised that using one pump for the skyscraper’s water supply could prove dangerous, due to the need for high pressure to send the water higher up. This pressure could lead to the pipes exploding. To counter this problem, they came up with a plan to help the water flow up the building in different stages.

The water supply starts in the basement, then flows up to a 40th floor reservoir station. This station then pushes the water on to a series of 200,000-gallon tanks all the way to the top of the building. As the water reaches the top, the water then travels back down under its own weight — it is said that 946,000 litres of water are supplied per day which also helps the building stay cool in the hot climate.

As a desert city, keeping buildings cool in Dubai is vital. Therefore, another water supply — an ice-chilled water system which is the first of its kind to be used in the Middle East — has also been implemented to enable substantial energy savings.

The Taipei 101

The previous title-holder for the tallest building in the world, the Taipei 101 is a platinum certified Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) build. Up until 2016, the structure had the fastest elevator on the planet, which could travel from the 5th to 89th floor in 37 seconds!

 

Taiwan has a multitude of different structures to its name, from the traditional Fort Provintia, to the super-modern Tuntex Sky Tower. But what makes it so spectacular? Starting construction in 1999 and ending in 2004, the Taipei has 101 floors (if the name had not given it away) and is 1,666 ft in height — but the environmental factors that took over its design has changed the way we build for good.

 

Just as the Burj Khalifa’s architects had to consider the building’s need to be kept cool, the architects of the Taipei 101 had to consider Taiwan’s affinity for natural disasters, such as earthquakes and typhoons. When it comes to Taipei 101, the structure can withstand high winds of 134 mph, which is due to the model prioritising resistance through the use of curtain walls, protected glass and high-performance steel. The walls can provide heat and ultraviolet protection by blocking external heat by 50%.

The Taipei 101 has a structure that includes 36 steel columns. Eight of these are known as mega columns, and they have 10,000 pounds of concrete per inch. Within Taipei 101, there are outrigger trusses every eight floors which connect to the columns within the exterior to ensure secure resistance from probable natural disasters in and around Taiwan.

Technology will only continue to grow, so we are set to see even more projects come to fruition that balance a design aesthetic with vital survival features. For example, London is set to have 13 new skyscrapers by 2026 — we know that these will be designed to uphold the ethical requirements for a modern-day structure.

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How access control panels will continue to change

As one device evolves, the devices it interacts with also finds scope to improve and change. Access control panels have adapted to technological advancements, both in the physical and digital domain. 2020 Vision, providers of IP CCTV systems, present this guide to past changes to access control panels, and potential future developments.

Security advancements

Keypads

Technology has enjoyed some substantial improvement upon the old lock and key. The way we entered restricted areas has changed over time — and it all started with the famous keypad. Similar to what we now see on ATMs, these were used to access locked areas and would require an individual to type in a specific numerical code to enter. The passcode would usually be around four to six digits long. But was this a viable method to protect a business? At the time, it was a revolutionary idea — but as times progressed, anyone could obtain the code and enter even if they weren’t authorised to do so. This was classed as a non-intelligent reader.

Card Readers

Keypads began to lose their effectiveness when compared to the next stage in security development: card readers. Usually, a magnetic strip would be attached to the card which a staff member could then swipe through a narrow slot in order to gain access. However, such cards are now available with a bar code reader, a proximity reader, smart card readers, and biometric readers — tailoring each to specific business requirements.

IP Door Readers

Card readers were further advanced upon with the introduction of IP readers: these could be accessed via card or by Bluetooth. Biometrics are now also common in IP readers — unlike card readers and keypads, IP readers can operate independently as they hold an internal memory and if the details you provide do not match what the IP reader has knowledge of, you will not gain access.

These leaps in development took place within 50 years. At this pace, what will the next stage be?

Access control panels for smartphones

There are a few different ways to lock the internal features of a smartphone. The use of passcodes is still common amongst most devices and are similar to keypads in terms of security. Biometric access, through the use of the fingerprint, is something that is relatively new and has revolutionised the way we get into our phones. However, in 2017, the iPhone X was released which saw tech-mogul company, Apple, introduce facial recognition as the main route to gaining access using a 3D sensor that can recognise the phone owner’s facial features. We suspect that this will be implemented across more smartphone devices in order to compete for the title of being the most accessible and the easiest. However, convenience and simplicity whether facial recognition, fingerprint scanning Bluetooth, and even a short PIN code come at a price they simplify access not only for the authorised user, but also for a potential attacker. So when it comes to implementing an Access Control System always seek the advice of an experienced security integrator.

The next stage of access control panels

We predict that the next advancement will come in the form of ‘eyeball recognition’, a technology still in its early stages. As no two people are the same, DNA ensures that access is being granted to the right person. Even in extreme and unlikely circumstances, if someone was to obtain your eyeball, they would still be unable to gain access.

We’re already starting to see advancements in technology shown to us in movies start to creep into the real world. But the movies were unaware of how secure they would actually be. In “Diamonds are Forever” in the James Bond franchise, 007 tries to gain access through a ‘copy’ of the required fingerprint. Realistically, if this was to occur, there would be smudges on the fingerprint which would lead to alerts being made and a fail in gaining access.

In “Demolition Man”, a criminal group attempt to escape prison using a warden’s eye. In reality, this would not get past any sort of IRIS scan, as there is a detection process which determines whether the person is alive or not and a dead person’s pupil would not be responding to any light that is around.

What do you think will be the next stage in access control panels? Will movies this year predict even greater possibilities? And the bigger question is: will they be brought to life? With the evolution of access control happening frequently, and becoming more intelligent, we are sure to see new additions soon.

 

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