Plan Gedung
Plan Gedung
Plan Gedung
It is precisely because history should be continued that it is so important to consider how the
new should be and how it should relate to what already exists.* Karl Friedrich Schinkel
Site facilities
The on-site facilities for construction projects on vacant sites have different
requirements and organisational arrangements to those for projects involv-
ing existing buildings. The improvement and development of existing build-
ings involves not only ensuring that contractors work with great care, but
also that the existing building fabric is not damaged or demolished through
carelessness or ignorance. The transport of materials, their storage, the
entrances, access routes and common areas all need careful planning and
organisation. Furthermore, from day one of building works, built elements
already exist on site, items that may be valuable and therefore liable to theft.
The building site has to be secured appropriately and kept locked when
building works are not in progress. By observing these few basic principles,
many unnecessary problems during the building works can be avoided.
The complete enclosure of the building site is the only way to ensure
that works can progress independently of the weather. 183
Stone restoration work on a fountain in Trient,
Switzerland, is open for public viewing every afternoon.
Descriptive panels explain the building works.
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The workshop principle
Well-ordered, conservation-oriented and
sustainable site management can only suc-
ceed if all participating workmen are aware
that building works in existing buildings
have more in common with a workshop
environment than a construction site. This
can sometimes literally mean that an entire
building is enclosed in a temporary cover
for the duration of the building works – that
the building is brought into the workshop,
in a manner of speaking. This principle has
proven effective over decades of conservation
work, and is now often used also for com-
paratively ordinary buildings. It affords pro-
tection from wind and rain, protecting fin-
ished work from damage through sudden
showers, and allowing work to progress
unhindered. Temporary on-site heating
measures can enable work to continue
Temporary air conditioning protects extensive areas of
regardless of outdoor temperatures. exposed decorated walls and ceilings from damage
during the building works.
A well-ordered building site is an essential
aspect of the workshop principle. Chaotic conditions where building
materials are stacked messily, building rubble is not removed and works
progress haphazardly will impede the work of even the best workmen, and
may result in unintentional or thoughtless damage to intact parts of the
existing building. The site supervisor should ensure that the building site
is kept orderly and cleared regularly, just as a workshop would be.
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The uncontrolled dropping of rubble A tidy building site motivates tradesmen to work
throws an entire building site into exactingly and with respect for the existing building fabric,
disarray. in Villa Mosler by Mies van der Rohe.
supervisor. The building industry is used to working from the building shell
to fitting out, and contractors will need to be made aware that when work-
ing within existing buildings large parts of the building fabric are already
in a usable or near-usable condition, and should stay that way.
Nonetheless, all too often intact rooms do end up being damaged during
the building process and for this reason, it can often be advisable to close
off entire sections of buildings, and to ensure and check that they remain
closed off. This will only be effective if closed-off areas are designated as
such and are clearly marked.
Protection measures range from shielding areas where materials are trans-
ported in the building and where accidental damage is to be expected to pro-
tecting especially sensitive areas that may suffer damage from vibrations or
moisture ingress. Experience shows that architects are invariably over-opti-
mistic about the care that can be expected from contractors in their attempt to
fulfil their quotas quickly and efficiently. Among the areas most vulnerable
to damage are the routes into and through the building along which mater-
ials and equipment will be transported. Protective sheathing should be pro-
vided around doors and entrances and protective floor panelling laid on vul-
nerable floor surfaces, taking care to ensure that they do not rub or impact
on the surface beneath. It is not uncommon to cover all floors until all
major works have been completed. Where structural members are to be
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The building site as workshop
The best way for the architect to ensure that a project design will be rea-
lised as intended is by being available on site. It is important to know this
in advance and to account for it in fee negotiations. In addition, protect-
ive measures will only be effective if they are regularly checked and main-
tained.
Coordinating contractors
The fact that both major construction works and finishing trades often take
place alongside one another during work on existing buildings necessitates
a tighter coordination of building measures than is the case with new con-
struction projects. Works must not impinge on or damage one another. To
achieve this, it is necessary first to determine what is valuable and what is not
– and it is just as essential to brief the contractors on site as it is to describe
all works in detail in the specification. Realistically, one cannot assume that
the detailed descriptions given in the specification have been communicated
fully to each and every workman on site. This is why it is so important to
protect vulnerable areas from damage, as described above. Because it is
not possible to physically protect everything that is of value, it is equally
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Areas of particular value should be clearly marked on A conspicuous sign marks an area with paint dating
site. back to the 15th century.
important to mark any items at risk clearly and conspicuously. Any sign
will do, as long as it is understandable, clearly visible and remains in place.
Rather than explaining the historic or aesthetic value of the area in question,
the message should indicate what the contractors should or should not do,
e.g. “Leave untouched!”.
Where individual building measures apply to specific areas, the extent of
measures should be marked clearly and unambiguously. At what point
exactly should a structural member be cut and repaired? Which specific
areas of plaster should be removed? Which door (those marked with a
sprayed X) should be disposed of? Which wall (the one with a line sprayed
along its entire length) should be removed? This is the only way to avoid
overzealousness resulting in work exceeding what was originally planned.
It is fundamentally important to coordinate the work undertaken by the
different trades. A good network diagram, such as that produced by project
management software, or other coordinated works schedules, are useful to
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coordinate measures with one another. Without due consideration, the danger
is that one trade will unintentionally damage preceding work undertaken by
another. In particular, the routing of services in historic plaster, all manner
of mortise and demolition works, works that span several storeys or adapta-
tions to fit irregularities in the building are often the cause of drastic and
unwanted damage resulting in entirely unnecessary setbacks.
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Colour trials for the reconstruction of the original colour
scheme, based on finds made by conservators on site.
192
Exact specifications for the restoration of the different A mock-up construction marks the extent of a new
decoration schemes ensure an interesting design appro- building measure (addition of a lift and dormers) to
priate to the historic substance. help assess the impact it has on its surroundings.
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on a stone-for-stone measured survey and include the exact positions and
lengths of masonry pins, the quantities used as given in the specs, then,
providing the works are carried out as planned, discussions and arguments
about quantities should be unnecessary. A further advantage is that the
measured drawings also serve as a record of the work undertaken.
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Element-for-element reconstruction of the badly damaged façade of Neu-Agustusburg
in Weissenfels (1694), based on a digital measured survey.
Pointing
Stabilisation
Complete with render / filler
Splicing / renewal
Repair in-situ
Fill cracks and holes with silicic
acid ester (note: dots do not
denote injection points)
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Unpleasant surprises later can be avoided by agreeing any necessary addition-
al measures with the client immediately, through the continual monitoring
of costs incurred and, more importantly, by verifying that work is actually
planned for in the cost calculation before it is undertaken.
The much discussed issue of whether renovation and modernisation works
on existing buildings are cheaper or more expensive than a corresponding
new building cannot be answered conclusively. Given the varying conditions
of existing buildings, the different standards of fittings and the economics
of planning, there are simply too many variables involved.
Scheduling works
Realistic project scheduling is a particularly challenging aspect of construc-
tion, and the programming of works within existing buildings, where the
works are often interdependent, is without doubt especially so. A common
cause of delays is that traditional materials, as found in the building and
used for its repair, are often unsuitable for use during the cold winter
months. Moisture ingress, for example when filling voids in walling, should
be avoided if there is a danger of frost. Some historic building materials
should not be used under certain temperatures – for example, the use of
lime as a binding agent or coating is severely limited at temperatures below
10°C. Other measures are time-consuming in summer, for instance where
chemical processes take place – the stabilisation of disintegrated stone sur-
faces or their desalination are examples. Good knowledge of the individual
building measures is the best way to avoid unforeseen difficulties.
Architect’s fees
The planning work involved when working with historic buildings is without
doubt far greater than for new buildings. The preliminary investigations are
more extensive, the number of specialists involved is greater, the planning
process is more complex, and the site supervision requires more involvement
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on site. The client should be made aware of this early on. It is a common mis-
conception that a survey requires only slight alterations to become a plan, and
should therefore be an integral part of an architect’s services. Even if some
drawing time can be saved, which is in no way certain, this is more than
cancelled out by the additional work required in the planning and construc-
tion phases. The element-for-element approach when working with existing
buildings results in a large number of bespoke solutions and individual situa-
tions that need to be detailed. By contrast, when planning a new building,
a single standard detail can clarify a whole series of planning questions.
For this reason all but the most basic of surveys and all architectural research
are generally considered to be special services and are often remunerated
additionally. Furthermore, the particular complexity of design projects for
existing buildings can also be reflected by an additional fee surcharge.
Further reading
Very little further reading is available on this topic. König/Mandl bring together an extensive
overview of building costs. Schulz provides information concerning the organisation of the
building site. Petzet/Mader and Thomas also offer insights into aspects of site supervision.
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