Alpha hotel, amsterdam

This hotel with 603 bedrooms has a low-rise podium surmounted by two staggered slab blocks connected to an 18-storey central core. Vertical circulation comprises four passenger lifts, two goods lifts and a main staircase in the core, together with two emergency staircases, one at the end of each block.

The slab blocks comprise transverse frames, spaced at 4.0 m intervals, each consisting of two columns interconnected by beams, braced by diagonal members in each storey. Precast prestressed concrete slabs span longitudinally between the beams. As the columns, beams and diagonal bracing are installed in the walls separating the rooms, the construction depth of the floors is merely the thickness of the pre­stressed concrete slabs. Transverse wind forces are transmitted through the rigid frames; longitudinal wind forces are transmitted by the floor slabs to the reinforced concrete core. The columns are spaced at 10.60 m centres in the transverse direction of the building. Joints in columns are welded, with intermediate steel plates. All other structural connections are bolted.

The 13 cm thick prestressed concrete slabs, 4.0 x 1.50 m, are connected to the beams in the transverse frames by welding to the bars left projecting from the concrete. Joints are filled with in-situ concrete with no floor screed.

The transverse frames for the 16-storey slab block were assembled flat on the ground and then successively raised to the vertical position. Floor slabs, spandrel panels and windows were erected in sequence. In this way the structure of one 4 m long section of building was completed every seven days.

Notes:

construction depth строительная высота

goods lift грузовой лифт

Ответьте на вопросы к тексту.

1. How large is the hotel?

2. How is vertical circulation within the building provided?

3. Why is the construction depth of the floors merely the thickness of the pre­stressed concrete slabs?

4. What is the column spacing in the transverse direction?

5. What are the dimensions of the prestressed concrete slabs?

6. How were transverse frames assembled?

Лексические упражнения

Упражнение 1. Найдите перевод слов списка А в списке В.

A	B	A	B
только	as	соединять	joint
стык	assemble	собирать	leave
последовательно	connect	так как	merely
сварка	emergency staircase	пожарная лестница	screed
каждые семь дней	every seven days	монолитная цементная стяжка	separate
промежуточный	flat	устанавливать	welding
разделять	install	плоско	successively
возвышаться над	intermediate	оставлять	surmount

Упражнение 2. Напишите предложения с каждым из перечисленных ниже слов:

thick - thickness

distribute - distribution

Текст C

Buildings for education

Technical college at Brugg-Windisch, Switzerland

The college comprises three interconnected buildings serving different purposes: the four-storey main building, a two-storey building with laboratories and a single-storey building with the assembly hall. The first two buildings are linked by a bridge at first-floor level. There are basements under all three buildings, interconnected by two underground passages.

The same structural system is used in all the buildings. Reinforced concrete basement is surmounted by tubular columns arranged on a square planning grid of 8.80 x 8.80 m. The columns are rigidly interconnected in both directions by floor beams, so as to form one-, two- or four-storey rigid frames to resist the wind forces in the respective buildings. During erection, the steelwork was assembled with the aid of temporary bolted connections and subsequently, after final adjustment, all the joints were welded.

The columns are made of storey height steel tubes 318 mm in diameter. Two horizontal gusset plates for connecting the top and the bottom chords of the floor beams are welded to the upper end of each column. Plastic pipes for taking rainwater from the roof are placed inside the columns.

Curtain wall with storey-height glazing framed in stainless steel sections is used for the facade. They are made of spandrel sandwich panels externally profiled and internally smooth stainless steel with foamed plastic insulation. Demountable in­ternal partitions can be connected to any mullion.

Fire protection is provided by asbestos casing and concrete filling for tubular steel columns. Plate girders are sprayed with asbestos and suspended ceilings comprise fireproof panels for the same reason.

High school in Chicago, USA

This school for 3000 pupils comprises an eight-storey classroom block and a two-storey sports building. The buildings are situated on opposite sides of a street and are interconnected by a footbridge at first-floor level. Both buildings are based on a planning module of 1.53 x 1.53m.

In the transverse direction there is a rigid frame system comprising universal columns and uni­versal beams. The columns are arranged on a 9.14 x 9.14m grid and are spliced every alternate storey. The transverse beams are connected to the columns by means of end plates and high strength friction-grip bolts. Secondary beams spaced at 3.05 m centres support sheet-steel decking and carry a 12.7cm lightweight concrete slab, composite action being ensured by stud shear connectors. Pinned joints are used for the connections between the secondary beams, the internal columns and main beams but rigid joints for wind resistance are used for the connections to the columns in the longitudinal facades. The space on the ground floor is free from internal supports and is spanned in the trans­verse direction by two box girders, on each of which two of the columns from the upper seven floors are supported. These box girders are 21 30 mm deep, span a distance of 27.42 m and are carried by 604 x 604 mm columns. The footbridge connecting the two buildings comprises two lattice girders interconnected at floor and ceiling level by cross beams.

The columns and beams are encased in concrete and sheathed externally with steel plate, stud shear connectors being used to ensure connection between the sheet and the concrete. The spandrel is of cavity construction, the internal space being insulated. The steel framed windows have double glazing.

Both buildings are supported by caissons founded on rock or stable subsoil at 11 m depth.

Notes:

casing n. защитный слой

filling n. наполнение, заполнение

foamed plastic пенопласт

laboratory n. лаборатория

pupil n. учащийся

sheath v. обшивать

universal adj. универсальный