INTRODUCTION


Every Construction Studies teacher is familiar with the constant pressure to spend time on projects and practical work, at the expense of time spent teaching the theory side of the subject. This would be hard enough to manage if the subject matter was static; however, this subject is linked to an industry that has undergone a huge transformation over the past fifteen years. We have seen boom followed by bust during a time in which the agenda has completely changed.


Now, and into the future, the need for energy efficiency will drive the design and construction of buildings. This is evident in the way the industry in Ireland is moving and in the way Leaving Certificate Construction Studies is being assessed.


The European Union Directive (2010/31/EU) on the energy performance of buildings will change the way homes are built in Ireland in the short term. The directive requires that by 2021, all new buildings are ‘nearly zero-energy buildings’. A nearly zero-energy building is defined in the directive as ‘a building that has a very high energy performance’ and states that ‘the very low amount of energy required should be covered to a very significant extent by energy from renewable sources, including energy from renewable sources produced on-site or nearby’.


The way we teach this subject must respond to these changes in the industry and in how the subject is being examined. One thing we can be sure of is that the examination of this subject will keep pace with the changes introduced through new building regulations and best practice. We, as teachers, must also keep pace. I have written this textbook with this challenge in mind.


This completely new textbook provides a novel approach to the teaching of Construction Studies. The book is built around three houses which have been designed to demonstrate the design principles explored in each chapter: single storey designed to suit a rural setting and to meet the building regulations standard, two storey designed to suit a suburban setting and to meet the Passivhaus standard and three storey designed to suit an urban setting and to meet the Passivhaus standard.


Detailed design drawings are included for each house type showing how each house could be built using both concrete and timber frame systems: six structural systems in total. A whole chapter (Ch.19) is dedicated to sectional drawings – question one is well covered. As well as elevations, plans and sectional drawings, a three-dimensional model (Sketchup) of each house is available for use in class.


While the approach is new, most of the usual content is still there. New material has been added where relevant but the overall word count has been reduced by over 40% compared to Construction Studies Today. You will recognise these new topics because many of them have appeared on the Leaving Certificate Higher Level paper in recent years.


This sample chapter on foundations will give you a good sense of the approach taken. The early part of the chapter looks at traditional foundation types, including, strip, raft, piled and pad foundations. The latter part of the chapter looks at newer insulated foundation systems and provides detailed technical information as well as photos showing these systems being used in Ireland. In every chapter, the approach taken is to convey the concepts and principles first and to then look at their application.


As well as many hand-drawn images, architectural details are also provided throughout the book. These are printed at a scale of 1:20 so students can scale from the page. It is important to realise that these details are part of six full sets of details that appear in Chapter 19. In Chapter 19, every component is labelled and its dimension is given (where appropriate). To avoid visual clutter, these technical details are not labelled in other chapters (e.g. this sample chapter).


In summary, this book has been written with the reality of the Construction Studies classroom in mind. It is forward looking, but realistic. It is completely up-to-date with the building regulations and Passivhaus standard and should allow you to deliver the course to a very high standard in the time available.


4 Trevor Hickey

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