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Making an entrance

Editorial Type: Case Study     Date: 05-2016    Views: 1651      








SketchUp was used to design and present a new entrance for Bradford University's Sport and Fitness Centre - just one of the projects featured in new SketchUp guidebooks from RS Research

Bradford University's Sport and Fitness Centre was perhaps initially designed as part of a fitness regime in itself, as access to each of the activity centres on the 6 floor levels was only possible by climbing flights of stairs, and even the reception area was approached by steps. Wheelchair access was therefore out of the question.

A solution was at hand, though, which involved building a separate entrance at the opposite end of the complex, which included ramps for access to all levels, and a new lift. The most efficient, and pleasing, shape to integrate the various buildings was felt to be a semicircle, which had to include a new climbing wall, originally housed in the part of the sports hall that had been commandeered for the extension.

Architects Saunders Boston of Cambridge were tasked with the design with input from Bradford University itself. The project makes a fascinating case study as it focuses on a number of interesting design solutions within SketchUp, but it also features several training manuals which, accompanied by model files, guide SketchUp users through the different tools used to both model and present the extension.

EXTENSION DESIGN FEATURES
Elements included in the design include a welded steel hollow section framework to support the double glazed wall units and a conventional low-pitched roof, glazing and panel units attached to the steel framework, and a semicircular walkway linking the sports hall and the new fitness centre. The extension also included solar shading units at the walkway and eaves heights, and a new glazed entry door and porch system leading to the new reception area.

Setting out the construction lines for the semicircular extension area, using the protractor tool, and positioning the column bases is straightforward using SketchUp. The 6 rectangular structural columns that supported the roof need a bit more attention as the outermost ones will have different upper endings to the others.

Modelling these requires a base section - either a simple rectangle or structural hollow section - which is rotated in an anti-clockwise direction by 15 degrees to create the profile that will be projected to form the column/joist unit.

Creating a separate layer to isolate the structural elements of the extension for future reference, or hiding them when inclusion is unnecessary, the profile of the structure was drawn on the adjacent wall, and the steel frame components created, subsequently copied to produce another five copies around the centre point, keying in *5 in the Measurements/VCB.

This actually produced an 'impossible to fabricate' detail where the 6 ribs join, which was easily solved by providing a ring beam that picks up the end of each rib section and which could then be bolted or welded to each of the radial ribs. I say easily, but then I have the training sample in front of me - and the model on screen - that describes precisely how this is done.

Some useful functions were used here. The ring beams were created by trimming the steel frames, drawing an arc to represent a cutting line, then creating a rectangle on an inner face of an outside frame and using the Follow Me tool to create the trimmer joist as it follows the cutting arc. Using the lines and arcs to trim an inner frame allows the other inner frames to be trimmed by inheritance - a SketchUp tool which leaves the two outer frames as unique elements, while at the same time stopping them from being trimmed.

Lateral support to the mullions and steel frame members was provided by an eaves ring beam using the same tools as the inner ring beam. Additional bracing was provided by lateral bracing to the columns at the mid-point of the steel columns and at the same height as a suspended walkway. This provided access to the first floor and acts as a viewing gallery for the climbing wall.

The walkway used standard SketchUp tools to create the first section, which was then rotated round the curtain wall, similar to the ring beams. Moving on to the glazing elements of the curtain wall, the manual prompts users to add a couple of extra layers to the project - the walkway, glazing and sunshades - to manage the design more easily.

CURTAIN AND GLAZING UNITS
To create a glass curtain wall on the South West side of a building, it is first advisable to conduct a SketchUp daylight study. This helps the placement of solid panels amongst the glazed panels to reduce solar gain, and balances the aesthetic aspects of the structure. The glazed units used are double glazed for thermal and sound insulation, with each row a different size to the one above and below.

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