CMA4001 Construction Methods Materials and Technology Essay Sample

Introduction

Construction is a process of building such as supermarkets, stores and so more while using different methods, techniques and materials. The essay will state about building a supermarket as well as the factors that impact human comfort at supermarket buildings. It will explain the design and function of building services to ensure human comfort and solutions to overcome issues regarding thermal, ventilation, sound and others. It will outline standard building services installed in supermarkets. Further, the essay will highlight regulations and the impact on the storage, use and handling of construction materials in supermarket buildings. It will also state how to monitor and control risk regarding the use, control and storing of construction materials.

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Material Selection Regarding Human Comfort Requirements

Factors that affect human comfort

The supermarket is a large store building that sells various items such as food, drinks, home decor, electronic items and so more. At the supermarket, various factors impact human factors. The following are the factors:

• Air temperature: It is important that within the supermarket there should be correct air temperature. The greater temperature leads to making the human more frustrated, anger on the other hand lower temperature gives them a feeling of illness. Thus, supermarkets must consist of normal air temperatures between 20 and 25 degrees Celsius with little wind as well as moderate humidity (Ma et al, 2021). This aids the human to work more efficiently with comfort. In addition, the airspeed, humidity, as well as radiant temperature, also impacts the comfort of the human.
• Visual comfort: Another factor that significantly impacts human comfort is regarding visual factors. It means having enough amount of natural light as well as artificial lighting, effective glare control as well as access to views of the outdoors. For example, if in the supermarket there is a lack of proper lighting then it leads to affect the comfort of humans whether they are working people at the supermarket or customers. Therefore it is important to use the correct material while constructing the building, for natural lighting constructor should use a design strategy and technique that aids in bringing natural light within a building using exterior glazing via the inclusion of windows and skylights.
• Noise: In the supermarket, noise is the one of factors that leads to majorly affects the comfort of the human. A noisy environment leads to a decline in overall quality and leads to increased irritation as well as reduced comfort while shopping at the supermarket. Various human beings do not like to stay in a noisy environment.

Thus at the time of construction, much consideration was given to the discomfort factors at the supermarket.

Function and design of building services for supermarkets to ensure human comfort

It is important that supermarket building is designed in such a manner that furnish better lighting, comfortable space, air quality, temperature, convenient power, high-quality sanitation as well a reliable system for the protection of property and life. Within the supermarket to provide thermal comfort to humans, the building is designed with the help of different techniques. An HVAC system was installed to regulate the temperature inside the supermarket building (Azar et al, 2020). In various sections of the building, personalized temperature controls are also installed, correspondingly individuals change the temperature on their own, resulting in furnishing greater human comfort. Moreover, to avoid noise within the supermarket, the building should be designed using soundproofing materials. For this, stone wool materials are best to absorb excess sound and aid in building an acoustic environment that furnishes more human comfort.

Also, it is important to use sound-insulating construction methods in building designs, for instance, double-paned windows as well as acoustic seals on the doors. In addition, during designing the building services it is important to install an electrical fire control system that consists of smoke or heat detectors that are connected to a local alarm panel or a more distant system with a big area of coverage. The system aids in triggering fire alarms as well as alerts individuals to escape and for firefighters to arrive. Also, fire doors and dampers protect the building from spreading rapidly throughout a building.

Solutions to indoor environmental quality issues

In the supermarket, there are some effective ways to reduce the various indoor environmental quality issues. For instance, to overcome the sound issue within the supermarket, the individual can install acoustic foam panels, it is an easy and cheap way to absorb greater sound as well as decline echo within the supermarket. On the other hand, within supermarkets rugs and carpets are used to absorb sound and overcome echo. It aids in decline the amount of noise disturbance that occurs because of people`s footsteps. In addition, to improve the ventilation issue within the supermarket it is important to plan effectively proper ventilation at the time of construction. It is important to place proper windows and space for the passing of the air naturally (Kallawicha, Wongsasuluk and Chao, 2022). Further, the supermarket can install a window air conditioner that has an outdoor air intake to aid in the movement of the fresh air which leads to help people to take a breath in a safe and quality environment.

In addition, thermal issue in supermarkets leads to an increase the heating problem in the building. The lack of use of correct material leads to an increase in the heat within the building leads to an impact quality of air. It leads to increased humidity at the supermarket. To overcome the thermal issue it is important to use the correct material at the time of construction such as concrete, brick, tile and thick plaster aids in absorbing the large quantity of heat and releasing it slowly as a result aids in overcoming thermal issues within the building. On the other hand, to mitigate the illumination issue, it is important to emphasise providing enough natural lighting within the supermarket building. For this, it is important to design a building structure in such a manner that window positioning aids in entering the sunlight within the building. It aids in clear vision as well as less use of electricity to use different artificial lighting (Veerasilp and Sansena, 2022). Also, for proper visuals, supermarkets can use LED lighting as it is sustainable and less produce IR and UV radiation.

Standard building services are installed in supermarkets to meet appropriate human comfort levels.

To meet greater human comfort, effectively standard building services are installed within the supermarket. It is effective in the supermarket to install radiant cooling or heating systems to measure as well as monitor the MRT (Rashid et al, 2024). Sensors, and controllers like thermostats, mechanized blinds, humid stars, ventilation openings as well as other building automation systems aid in keeping occupied spaces within better and more comfortable temperature and humidity values.

On the other hand, for better air quality within the supermarket to escape people from suffocation and frustration, it is important to install a mechanical ventilation system that aids in providing sufficient quantity of fresh air while enough circulation throughout the space (Osaro, Cookey-Gam and Iyerefa, 2022). The system aids in the removal of smells, pollutants, and airborne containments as a result aids in providing a healthy and clean interior environment. In addition, during construction, a filtration system should also added to remove dangerous particles as well as allergens from the environment, leading to enhanced quality of air. Thus, the installation of an appropriate system aids in providing better human comfort.

Health And Safety Regualtions

Regulations and impacts on the use, handling and storage of the construction materials

According to the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, it is important for construction contractors to effectively plan and control their work in a manner that construction performs with safety and without any health risks to others and themselves (Khalid, Sagoo and Benachir, 2021). At the time of constructing the supermarket, the constructor needs to follow the regulation of Control of Substance Hazardous of Health 2002. In the construction industry, there is the use of substances that harm the health of employees. The regulation guides employers to prevent or decline employee exposure to substances like fumes, dust and chemicals as these are harmful to health (COSHH: A brief guide to the Regulations, 2024). For instance, concrete is one of the hazardous materials as it harms humans internally and externally. Thus, the regulation positively impacts in protection health of employees by making it necessary to use personal protective equipment, glass, boots and gloves while in contact with this kind of substance. In addition, at the construction site, incorrect handling of material can cause serious injury. Therefore, it is crucial to adhere Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 as it furnishes guidance on how to evaluate, avoid and risks related to injury from manual handling (Ayoub, 2020).

Further, CDM law 2015 plays a crucial role in ensuring the safe storage, use and management of the building materials. The law declines the risk of harm for individuals who build use as well as maintain the structure. The law sensibly aids in planning work so that the involved risks are managed from start to end (Ndekugri, Ankrah and Adaku, 2022). It provides valuable information, and strategy to ensure that all stakeholders remain aware of the risks as well as the needed management actions. Therefore, it is important to coordinate the operations to avoid conflicts as well as to ensure safe working conditions, particularly when hazardous construction materials are used and handled. Also, effective controlling and training aids in maintaining and promoting a safe working environment as well as in declining the number of on-the-job accidents.

Use of risk assessment to monitor and control risk of handling, use and storage of construction material.

The risk assessment aids in evaluating, monitoring and controlling the potential hazards regarding the use, storage and handling of the materials at construction sites. Risk assessment is the process of analyzing the potential risk in the project. One of the risk assessment tools used while constructing a supermarket is the Hazards Identification and Risk Assessment Tool (HIRA). According to this model, the company gather the relevant information regarding hazards present at the workplace regarding the use, storage and handling of the material (Fargnoli et al, 2020). Then, corrective action is taken such as providing safety equipment, and suggestions to employees who are directly involved in the construction process, which leads to control of the risk. The tools aid in listing hazards, rating the risk level and evaluation control measures in table format.

The risk assessment is as under:

Another measure for risk assessment is the preparation of SWMS, which is a document that explains how tasks and activities will be performed with safety. It includes risk, hazards and control measures. When employees are aware of how certain activities perform at the workplace, it leads to a decline in the chances of occurring risks and if certain risks happen then the appropriate measures can aid in controlling the risk related to the use, storage and handling of the construction material.

Conclusion

To sum up, it is articulated that construction methods, techniques and process plays crucial roles in building a supermarket. The essay evaluated that material selection plays a crucial role as it impacts air temperature and visual and noise factors that impact human comfort. The essay outlined that using natural lightening, acoustic foam, and correct material is best to overcome the issues of illumination, sound and thermal. The report highlighted that the installation of HVAC, mechanical ventilation systems, and electric and fire alarm systems aids in furnishing greater and appropriate human comfort. In addition, the report also explained the regulations such as CDM, Control of Substance Hazardous of Health 2002, and Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 as they aid in handling, use and storage of material. Also, it stated some risk assessment tools such as HIRA and SWMS for monitoring and controlling risk related to material handling.

References

Books and Journals

• Ayoub, M.M., 2020.Manual materials handling: Design and injury control through ergonomics. CRC Press.
• Azar, E., O'Brien, W., Carlucci, S., Hong, T., Sonta, A., Kim, J., Andargie, M.S., Abuimara, T., El Asmar, M., Jain, R.K. and Ouf, M.M., 2020. Simulation-aided occupant-centric building design: A critical review of tools, methods, and applications.Energy and Buildings,224, p.110292.
• Fargnoli, M., Lombardi, M., Haber, N. and Guadagno, F., 2020. Hazard function deployment: A QFD-based tool for the assessment of working tasks–A practical study in the construction industry.International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics.
• Kallawicha, K., Wongsasuluk, P. and Chao, H.J., 2022. Modern Solutions for Indoor Air Quality Management in Commercial and Residential Spaces. InIntegrating IoT and AI for Indoor Air Quality Assessment(pp. 73-88). Cham: Springer International Publishing.
• Khalid, U., Sagoo, A. and Benachir, M., 2021. Safety Management System (SMS) framework development–Mitigating the critical safety factors affecting Health and Safety performance in construction projects.Safety Science,143, p.105402.
• Ma, N., Aviv, D., Guo, H. and Braham, W.W., 2021. Measuring the right factors: A review of variables and models for thermal comfort and indoor air quality.Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews,135, p.110436.
• Ndekugri, I., Ankrah, N.A. and Adaku, E., 2022. The design coordination role at the pre-construction stage of construction projects.Building Research & Information,50(4), pp.452-466.
• Osaro, F.O., Cookey-Gam, A. and Iyerefa, S., 2022. The usefulness of building ventilation.International Journal of Innovative Environment,10, pp.25-32.
• Rashid, F.L., Hussein, A.K., Al-Obaidi, M.A., Alshammari, B.M., Ali, B., Hajlaoui, R., Boudabous, M.M. and Kolsi, L., 2024. A review of radiant heating and cooling systems incorporating phase change materials.Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry, pp.1-27.
• Veerasilp, W. and Sansena, N., 2022. A hands-on Recommendation of Artificial Lighting for promoting product appeal in fresh markets.International Journal of Building, Urban, Interior and Landscape Technology (BUILT),19, pp.19-34.

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