building design in the sub arctic presented in partial

BUILDING IN SUB

PRESENTED OF

IN

PARTIAL

BATCHELOR

OF

OF

THE ARCTIC

FULFILMENT ARCHITECTURE

DEPARTMENT FACULTY

DESIGN

OF

WITH

THE

OF

by

DOUGLAS A CAWTHORNE

1988

STUDIES

DUNDEE

DEGREE

HONOURS

ARCHITECTURE

ENVIRONMENTAL

UNIVERSITY

FOR

p

BUILDING

DESIGN

IN THE SUB

DOUGLAS

ARCTIC

A

CAWTHORNE

ACK1lOWLEOOEMENTS The author would like to thank Mr R Y :MacDonald - Senior Lecturer for his constructive comments and guidance in the

structuring and

Docherty - Librarian,

development

of

the

paper,

Ks J

for extensive help in obtaining

reference material, Mr and Mrs C Cawthorne - my parents for typing,

proof correction and innumerable cups of

coffee, and Mr G Atkinson - Chemist, for translations of the French, German and Romanian research papers.

CONTENTS Chapter

Page number

1

INTRODUCTION

1

2

DEFINING THE PROBLEM

4

3

PLANNING OBJECTIVES

9

4

PLANNING PROPOSALS

12

5

GENERAL DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

26

6

DESIGNING FOR RAPID CONSTRUCTION

28

7

DESIGNING FOR MINIMAL MAINTENANCE

36

8

DESIGNING FOR SNOW LOADING

39

9

ROOF DESIGN

49

10

MATERIALS AND DETAILING

55

11

FOUNDATION DESIGN

62

12

INSULATION

63

13

SUMMARY

70

14

BIBLIOGRAPHY

72

1

CHAPTER

1

INTRODUCTION

DEFINITION OF THE SCOPE OF THE STUDY This study is concerned with building design in the Sub Arctic.

It has by

necessity been restricted to the analysis of climatic factors affecting the planning and fabric of buildings.

From

field

identified

visits by

the

to

northern

author

as

Sweden

the

single

in

1985,

most

severe

influential

building design and construction in the northern lattitudes.

climate factor

has

been

affecting

Other influences

such as isolation, fuel poverty, lack of vegetation and ethnography, al though important, are considered outwith the scope of this study and have not been dealt with in any great detail.

The study uses climate as the design generator and yardstick by which the planning principles and building envelope may be judged.

The planning and the building envelope have been identified as the two main design elements in any building's function as a climate modifier.

Since the

whole problem of designing for the Sub Arctic hinges around the modification of a severe external climate, these two factors have been the logical choice about which to base this study.

1

2

iHY THE STUDY HAS BEEN UIDERIAKEI For economic and socio-political reasons the Sub Arctic regions of the world have been populated by various peoples predominantly involved in recent years in

scientific

research

and

the

exploitation

of

mineral

and

other

natural

resources.

Indigenous populations have been largely supplanted by an influx of southern peoples involved in this economic development and whose aspirations for living environments are firmly rooted in more temperate climates. S Fl'XEt:>\O CONC. PAPS Wiit-\ M ·S . -:s.\-\Oas . Q\.AAL.ITY l'>L.Y\NOO't:> P\l\~\....\N'5 AT 2.4'' C/C MA1--. ~ LA'l'E'gS .A6BE.STOS ESA5t=:D '6\T\AIMIN ROOF IN'"- ON 112.. 11 FIE!>R\::.lSOA~D . ALV\M\NIV\VV... FOi\... \NS\/\lAT\C>N l"-aTWptiN P'v\~L\N.S :.L-A~t::> ••MSEg. oc-u1N~, Ho12.1zoNT~L.. ~OA~ oN ~NPE\2. ~E.T e.ETwe.E..1-i- pv.g.wN~

?/8 l::XTEIC:.NAL

WALb? Ab\P FQL/1NQAJlON$ -SEAU::t::> DOlllS.1-E GL.A2.lN6 JN Tl.1\.o\&ER. WIN'DOW Fl2.ANES

g" Tt-11CK AND 2 16" t-1'\GH CON~ETE ~~IATTE\2.

tv\AR"-.EP oN 0\/\1:::.\\.:>E

V\JAl-L- 'D. 'P. c. CAl2..R.1t:t:> V\P INS\t:>E: -n\V\16ER IN\E.t2.NAL L\NlN& .

-z>.)_"

l=LDOR. FIN\"5+-1 ~E'ED ON ~/I 'R · CDNC...'R.E.IE .SLAB. l=DV\N-CAllON 'PA"bS F0l2.. 12.l"SS GA¢>"T INTO STIZ-lP FOIANt:>ATIONS . NCMINAL.. \'. Z =4· G:>NG\2.E.TE: M\"1. IT-\!K.INE ----

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13

provide

a

number

Buckminster

of

Fuller,

relevant

fifteen

advantages

years earlier

when had

building designed

in cold climates. several

lightweight

geodesic hemispheres for use in Northern Norway, Canada and Iceland by the U.S. Marines.

His well known dymaxion ethic of doing more with less, found favour

in many quarters during the 1950s.

Both Erskine and Fuller were aware of four

basic facts that seemed to make the hemisphere an ideal shape for snow laden, cold and windy climates.

1

OS::. NOT ~AC~ \:tAPPE.NS IN f=ORE6T ~SQ.IONS ANt:> t*IC>.NG JwlOVIN•AINS.

_WI~

f>l"IALL

YG:>'E:TAT!ON

J!>EAK:S

ANIMAL.!> ETC . 1!-l~t:>S (PTA'l2:M'EGEN) ~~W j/ll~N l>"R'f '6 AN E~NT IN?Vll.A~OR WHICA-1 ALL NA-TIVES HfloNN l='lf'E" .

-

- '51::.E.TCHES 'B"I' RALPH sgs\:::INE. 1\...l..V\S>T'IZATJNG ~NOW lNS \t\L.ATION J --'PJ:'.O'SL~~ WIT+-t \YPE:S 01= ~I AND £;.NOW C L.t=: A ~N Cg OF 'R.OA-"'DS . •

- ---

20

SNOW DRIFT CONTROL THROUGH BUILDING LAYOUT. As previosly mentioned buildings erected in the Sub Arctic regions face the unique problem of having to cope with often severe snow drifting on and around the built area.

Whilst detailed design criteria specifically related to the

building envelope will be explored in the section on snow loading and its prediction, we shall now examine some practices that may be employed in an overall planning context to overcome the worst effects of severe drifting. Roots and Swithenbank recommend the following.

1

In Arctic regions, it may be advantageous to elevate structures above the surface,

allowing

the

wind

to

accelerate

beneath

them

to

carry

the

suspended snow through the spaces and to deposit it to leeward.

2

A rectangular object should be placed with its long axis in the direction of the prevailing drift producing wind.

3

The upper surface of objects should be as streamlined as possible.

In

some cases eg when equipment or material is stored in a drift area, it may be worthwhile to erect a flat, smooth roof.

4

The downwind distance between structures should be at least 30 times their height if coalescence of drifts is to be avoided.

When sufficient space

exists, objects should be placed along a line normal to the prevailing wind to avoid the possibility of overlapping drifts

Gardel
S'K.El-EICN

t.1.-A$S

Fl~S::.E

PLAS'TlC

c.LA'PDIN~.

t-\AI N PLAN

Fl-CC g_ I ~TO~E"

E'N'CE~NCE

ANl:> --------HW.X~-? LE"VEL.

~ECT\ON

Fibreglass skin.

·1•1• ., •.

~1

.

,

29

crew provided by the fabricator.

Eight steel core columns twenty-six feet

tall are set in a concrete substructure that allows a two foot six inch space between the slab and the footings to preserve the permafrost.

Eighty-six light-weight steel trusses weighing five hundred pounds each cantilever twenty feet from the circular beams to form the upper floor and roof stuctures.

Vertical steel ties join the two levels at the perimeter,

forming a rigid frame on which the cladding can be fixed. is seventy-two feet in diameter.

The upper level

connections are site welded or fastened by

high tensile steel bolts.

The ground floor is constructed of insulated concrete sandwich slabs.

The

first floor is twenty-two gauge, zinc coated sheet metal decking topped with concrete slabs that are either carpeted or exposed and polished.

In the

labs a full gypsum ceiling is installed for sound and fire insulation.

Fibreglass reinforced plastic was chosen by the architects as a skin for its excellent strength to weight ratio,

its integral rigidity in withstanding

wind loads of up to hurricane force, its ease of erection with no neccessity for

heavy

equipment,

use

maintenance properties.

of

unskilled

labour,

and

its

aesthetic

and

The prefabricated fibreglass panels are stressed

skin sandwich units packed with two inches of polyurethane foam.

The

combined U value is 0.067.

Bolted connections are designed in detail to

ensure

seal.

an

absolute

thermal

integrally coloured and polished.

Interior

and exterior

surfaces are

The panels are self supporting between

the steel truss perimeter rings to which they are fixed.

The windows are

triple glazed and vacuum sealed and inserted in the panels in much the same

29

30

way as windows are inserted in an aircraft. higher

than

more

conventional

materials

Whi 1st the cost of GRP was