Breakdown and systematisation of items for formal supervision of building projects

[EN] Graduates of technical architecture and construction have several work possibilities ahead of them. One is to join firms that carry out supervisory work of construction design projects, and their role in such firms is to perform an in-depth and formal verification of the content of design documents. This paper presents a number of results obtained in practical activities with students, the objective of which was to understand how they would carry out the management of such supervisory tasks by means of a systematic process of item verification. It is thus intended to hold an exercise of how they will eventually organise their professional duties. The results are grouped into five fully systematised checklist tables, one for each of the component elements of design projects (description, attachments, plans, measurements and budgets, and terms and conditions). A total of 108 testing and control checks were envisaged, each of which is well suited to be used, as-is, in a real professional context.[ES] El graduado en arquitectura técnica y edificación tiene multitud de posibilidades laborales diferentes; una de ellas es la de pertenecer a gabinetes u oficinas técnicas de supervisión de proyectos de edificación. En estas tareas es necesario realizar un chequeo del contenido formal y de fondo de dichos documentos. La comunicación expone los resultados obtenidos en las prácticas con alumnos, cuyo objetivo era trasladar cómo llevarían a cabo la gestión de estas labores de supervisión a un proceso sistematizado de ítems de control formal (mediante la creación de tablas ad hoc). De esta forma se pretende hacer un ejercicio de cómo éstos podrían secuenciar sus labores profesionales en este ámbito una vez estuvieran egresados y constatar que es posible gestionar la manera en que se produce esta tarea laboral desglosando y estandarizando el proceso de supervisión. El resultado obtenido son cinco tablas de verificación totalmente sistematizadas, sobre cada una de las partes que conforman conceptualmente los proyectos de ejecución (memoria, anejos, planos, mediciones y presupuestos, así como pliego de condiciones). En total se han implementado un total de 108 checks de testeo o control, que son perfectamente utilizables tal cual están, para ser utilizados directamente en un entorno profesional real.Carretero-Ayuso, MJ. (2021). Desglose y sistematización de ítems para las labores de supervisión formal de proyectos de edificación. En EDIFICATE. I Congreso de Escuelas de Edificación y Arquitectura Técnica de España. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 289-299. https://doi.org/10.4995/EDIFICATE2021.2021.13355OCS28929

Calculation of the Risk of Lawsuits over Construction Flaws in Flat Roofs

In order to achieve sustainability objectives in the use of a building, its elements’ operating problems should be minimized. From this premise, a total of 497 cases related to construction flaws in flat roofs were analyzed in this research. A matrix was developed indicating the risk of lawsuits by owners according to the degree of nuisance resulting from the construction flaws studied, their technical importance, and the type of pathological origin. Based on these factors, it is possible to predict a greater or lesser probability of an owner filing a lawsuit—risk factor (F). A wide range was found for this probability, with the largest value being 865 times greater than the smallest value. The value of F was divided into 5 categories to classify the diverse results obtained and determine the number of cases and interrelations ascribed to each category. Additionally, the level of presence of said cases was calculated through the analysis of 3 different demographic aspects, it being noted that a greater purchasing power and a higher concentration of urban population lead to more stringent requirements and, subsequently, to a greater number of lawsuits. With all these results, building quality can be improved while resulting in greater constructive-financial sustainability and in a reduction of the economic resources required of society (fewer lawsuits and associated human resources)

Cataloguing of the Defects Existing in Aluminium Window Frames and Their Recurrence According to Pluvio-Climatic Zones

The sustainability of building envelopes is affected by its windows, since these establish the connection/separation between the indoor rooms and the external environment. They can also lead to problems if they do not offer sufficient protection against external agents. The data source in this research is unprecedented, as it is based on records of court sentences. There is a significant number of cases (1615), which provides high representativeness for the functional reality of windows. The methodology that was developed classifies the defects and the causes that were found, also analysing correspondence with their recurrence according to aspects of climatological location. In the results, the cases pertaining to water infiltration, air permeability and humidity by condensation are highlighted. This study provides a vision that categorizes problems related to aluminium windows that may be useful for future interventions by agents participating in the construction process

Influence of Climate Conditions on Deficiencies of Building Roofs

Climate conditions affect buildings’ performance and durability. The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of climate conditions on roof deficiencies. 763 cases of such deficiencies were analyzed in this regard. Once the construction deficiencies were quantified, they were characterized from a climatological point of view and their ‘climate location segments’ were studied to obtain ‘ranges of concentration of anomalies’ according to the obtained percentage. A direct relation is shown to exist between the location of the building (latitude, situation, type of climate, precipitation, thermal demands, and average wind speed) and a greater or smaller concentration of deficiencies found in both flat and pitched buildings. It was also found that an annual average wind speed greater than 3 m/s increases the appearance of deficiencies in roofs. A higher prevalence of deficiencies was also found in those geographical zones with a thermal demand of 1800–2800 heating degree days or 450–700 cooling degree days. It was found that a higher percentage of construction deficiencies are concentrated in buildings located in the northern coastal climate segments of Spain. With these results, technicians will be able to take more appropriate precautions during both the building process and the use and maintenance phase

Methodologies to Determine Geometrical Similarity Patterns as Experimental Models for Shapes in Architectural Heritage

Today, plans to protect historic buildings focus on managing architectural heritage sustainably. Technical teams, such as architects and restorers, use massive data acquisition techniques, so an identification mechanism is required to select geometrical similarity patters to support hypothesis that guarantee historical data. Moreover, computational methods are required to understand the role of organic shapes in historic buildings. This paper first describes an extensive review of the literature and then the algorithms and methods to compare and to detect similar geometrical elements and complex patterns in architecture and archaeology. For this purpose, two key aspects are considered: the metric standpoint and historical-graphical features of the 3D models, i.e., composition, techniques, styles, and historical-graphical documentary sources. Research implies testing several methodological lines to know the similarity degree of complex organic shapes in architectural details through statistical analysis, software to assess point clouds, and complex curve analysis. The results have shown that the three procedures can be compared and that the bases of the pillars of both the Cathedral of Seville and the churches in Carmona, Jerez, and Morón are very similar; however, the base of the pillar of the church in Carmona presents scalability variations

Defectos frecuentes en la instalación de capas de impermeabilización en terrazas de azoteas = Frequent flaws in the installation of waterproofing layers in roof terraces

Las cubiertas son la parte más vulnerable de un edificio porque que están expuestas continuamente a las acciones climáticas externas y a su constante variabilidad, ya sea en lo relacionado con la lluvia, nieve, viento, temperatura, agentes biológicos o radiación solar. Por esta razón, dado su gran exposición a todos estos factores, los fallos que pudieran existir en una pequeña área de cubierta son, en la mayoría situaciones, más serios que en otros lugares, dado la velocidad de avance que tienen, así como su repercusión en la habitabilidad. Hace algunos años, una investigación realizada en Australia (en el estado de Victoria) determinó que las cubiertas son el segundo elemento de construcción más afectado por el número de fallos en ese país. En España, las cubiertas son también el segundo capítulo de obra más afectado por patologías, según un estudio de investigación sobre reclamaciones de usuarios. Para averiguar qué irregularidades y mala praxis constructiva se comete durante la ejecución (especialmente filtraciones y humedades, se ha querido analizar cuáles son los fallos más frecuentes en la instalación en obra de la impermeabilización. Para proceder a estudiar los fallos durante la ejecución ha sido necesario recurrir a algún tipo de fuente escrita que pudiera contener esta información. Hay que tener en cuenta que las constructoras en España, salvo casos muy excepcionales, no llevan un registro por escrito de cada una de las deficiencias de puesta en obra o de los incumplimientos normativos que acontezcan. Por tanto, hay que recurrir a las anotaciones que hace la dirección facultativa en el ‘libro de órdenes y visitas’. La investigación llevada a cabo se ha realizado en obras de la provincia de Badajoz, todas de tipo residencial entre 2012 y 2018, sobre las que se ha constatado cuáles son los fallos más frecuentes, haciendo un estudio comparativo entre las promociones que eran de viviendas unifamiliares y las que eran de viviendas en bloque. De esta manera, se pudo constatar que había 10 tipos de fallos que se daban en más del 30% de las ocasiones estudiadas. Especialmente reseñables son los fallos denominados ‘La altura de coronación de la impermeabilización es menor a lo que indica el CTE’ y ‘La cota del umbral está por debajo del nivel de protección de la cubierta’ que tuvieron una presencia superior al 75% de los casos.AbstractThe roofs are the most vulnerable part of the building because they are continually exposed to external climatic actions and their constant variability, whether related to rain, snow, wind, temperature, biological agents or solar radiation. For this reason, given their great exposure to all these factors, the faults that may exist in a small cover area are, in most situations, more serious than in other places given the speed of progress they have, as well as their impact on habitability. A few years ago, an investigation carried out in Australia (in the state of Victoria) determined that the roofs are the second building element most affected by the number of failures in that country. In Spain, the covers are also the second chapter of work most affected by pathologies, according to a research study on user complaints. To find out what irregularities and constructive malpractice are committed during the execution (especially filtrations and dampness, it has been wanted to analyze specifically are the most frequent failures in the installation in waterproofing work. To proceed to study the errors during the execution it has been necessary to resort to some type of written source that may contain this information. It must be borne in mind that construction companies in Spain, except for very exceptional cases, do not keep a written record of each of the deficiencies in the implementation or the regulatory breaches that occur. Therefore, the annotations made by the optional address in the "book of orders and visits" must be repeated. The investigation carried out has been carried out in works of the province of Badajoz, all of residential type between 2012 and 2018, on which frequent failures have been found, making a comparative study between the promotions that were of single-family homes and those of block houses. In this way, it was found that there were 10 types of failures that occurred in more than 30% of the studied occasions. Especially noteworthy are the failures called 'The crowning height of the waterproofing is less than what the CTE indicates' and 'The threshold level is below the level of protection of the roof' that had a presence greater than 75% of the cases