BLDG1003 Structures – Assessment 1 Brief
BLDG1003 Structures
Semester 1, 2023
Assessment 1 – Case Study (50%)
Due date: 30 April 2023, 11:59 PM Standard Time (UTC+8)
Mark: 50%
Introduction:
This assignment has been designed to assess your ability to apply the knowledge, skills and tools you are
learning about structures to a practical example. Precisely, this assessment unfolds in two main stages. First, you
must study a building of choice and address the points below (stage 1). Then, in the second stage, we ask you to
solve two statics and structural analysis exercises based on the data gathered in stage 1, step 4 (more on below).
Stage 1
First, you must complete the following guided steps and present the results in the same order, preceded by a
short executive summary. Please use the titles below for each step as the headings in your submission.
Instructions to students:
Step
Title
Knowledge/Skill Assessed
Mark
1
Selected Building - Introduction
Reporting site visit findings
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• Identify a multi-storey (at least one floor above the ground floor) public building in Perth or any of its
suburbs. You should select a building that you can access easily for as many visits as required without
affecting the users and causing any disruptions to the normal operations inside the building.
• You should identify the building location and its use and provide any other information relevant to the
following sections of this assignment.
• Provide at least two clear photos of the building. Google map aerial and street view images or pictures
downloaded from online websites are unacceptable.
Step
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Step
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Step
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Step
Title
Building vs Structure
Knowledge/Skill Assessed
Mark
The ability to differentiate a
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building from a structure
Describe in your own words how “building” and “structure” are different.
You could research this topic. However, a direct copy of relevant references must be strictly avoided
Title
Building Importance Level
Knowledge/Skill Assessed
Mark
Understanding building
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importance level as defined by
the NCC
Identify the importance level for the building you introduced in step 1 as defined by the National
Construction Code (NCC).
The importance level must be from a structural safety point of view.
You must justify your answer by providing relevant details.
Title
Structural Elements
Knowledge/Skill Assessed
Mark
Understanding structural
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elements in a building
Identify and describe at least three visible structural elements in the building introduced above.
Provide a photo of each element and explain the role of that element in the structure.
Ensure that one of these structural elements is a floor. Please measure the length of the floor and report
its length and depth in meters. Let’s call these measures X and Y. For example, you might find that a
room has X = 4 m and Y = 3.4 m. This is essential for stage 2 of this assessment.
Title
Knowledge/Skill Assessed
1
Mark
BLDG1003 Structures – Assessment 1 Brief
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Step
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Step
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Step
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Step
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Structural Material
Understanding various
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materials that could be used in
structural elements
Identify and describe the material for the structural elements you identified in the previous step.
Specify the unit weight of the material (mention the source where you find these values).
Title
Permanent Actions
Knowledge/Skill Assessed
Mark
Understanding various sources
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of permanent loads in buildings
Identify and describe at least three sources of permanent (dead) actions in the above building.
Provide a photo of each source.
Justify why these loads are classified as permanent concerning relevant Australian standards.
Title
Imposed Actions
Knowledge/Skill Assessed
Mark
Understanding various sources
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of live loads in buildings
Identify and describe at least three sources of imposed (live) actions in the above building.
Justify why these loads are classified as imposed concerning relevant Australian standards.
Specify the minimum load that must be considered for each source regarding the relevant Australian
standard.
Title
Load Tracing
Knowledge/Skill Assessed
Mark
- Literature study and
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referencing
- Understanding structural
systems
- Structural analysis
Carry out a literature study on “load tracing” in structures.
Present the results of your literature study within a maximum of 200 words.
Identify a load on the floors above the ground level.
Using the concepts you have learned about structures and the results of your literature study, trace a
diagram to show how the above load is channelled through structural elements from its point of action
to the ground.
Explain the diagram in your own words.
Title
Applicable Design Code
Knowledge/Skill Assessed
Mark
Understanding structural design 5
Requirements
Identify the Australian standard(s) that must be used to design the three structural elements identified in
step 4.
Justify your answer by providing evidence from the standard(s) you have identified.
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BLDG1003 Structures – Assessment 1 Brief
Stage 2
This stage starts with the measures X and Y collected in step 4 above. You must now use these measures to
solve the following two exercises.
1) Exercise 1 (10 marks)
Apply the measures X and Y to the figure below. This figure represents the floor of a communal
kitchen of a hotel. The floor has a 25 cm concrete slab (concrete density: 2,400 kg/m3) and a 3 cm layer
of tiles (tile density: 3,200 kg/m3). Also, the structure supports an overhanging permanent ceiling (G =
220 N/m2). To solve this exercise, you must calculate the total load on the central beam as prescribed
by the standards.
The answer should be given in kN.
2) Exercise 2 (15 marks)
Use the X dimension to solve the problem below, addressing the following points:
a. Draw the free-body diagram
b. Apply the conditions of equilibrium to calculate the external and internal reactions
c. Reapply the reactions to the free-body diagram
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BLDG1003 Structures – Assessment 1 Brief
Formatting Requirements:
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Word count for step 1: 1200 – 1600
Page size: A4
Margins: Standard (2.54 cm on all sides)
Line spacing: 1.5
Font size: 11
Font style: Calibri
File format: MS Word or PDF
Referencing style: Chicago 16th B
Your report must be presented professionally to receive 5 marks allocated to a professional presentation.
Submission
Submission through Turnitin in Blackboard
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