Report Writing & Research Technical Report Writing

Methodology Assignment 2

Introduction
The designated building/structure for this technical report writing is located in the compound
of Addis Ababa Institute of Technology (AAIT). AAIT is one of the elite teaching organizations
in our nation. The AAIT complex has many buildings/structures. The main building
incorporating classes, laboratories, and offices was built by Germans except for the third wing of
the building which is built by Ethiopians. Moreover the complex has structures which are
independent of the main building; for instance the structure which embodied the Hydraulics
Laboratory, Geotechnical Laboratory, Mechanical Engineering Laboratory etc… another
example of an independent structure is the one which has the cashiers office, the class N o 4 and
Chemical Engineering Laboratory etc….

The structure under scrutiny is commonly known as “New Library” or “Tech. Hall”. These
references to this structure/building arise due to the fact that the Library and the Hall are the ones
most people are allowed into (used repeatedly). But the truth of the matter is the designated
structure serves many purposes: among these are class rooms, toilets, offices etc… The Institute
had this structure/building erected/built before it became an Institution (i.e. when it was a
Faculty). Major reasons for the erection of this structure were to accommodate more Students,
Academic Staff, and Members of the engineering community at large (reason why an assembly
Hall was incorporated in the design).

The structure we are technically evaluating was completed and became operational in 2006
Gregorian Calendar. The building will be commented from different perspectives; Architectural
perspective, Functional perspective and Structural perspective. For instance, the structure has
two major components structural wise; i.e. the Sub Structure and Super Structure. Sub Structure
refers to structures below ground level, in most buildings/structures refers to the foundation. But
in the building/structure of interest the term Sub Structure entails a basement, for different
purposes. Super Structure refers to the structure above ground. In accordance with the above
instance the building/structure will be described or analyzed in detail under the above mentioned
perspectives.

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Background
For it is an elite academic institute, Addis Ababa Institute of Technology (AAIT) had
enrolled only a handful of students at a time. But in due time the demand for Engineers escalated
and as a repercussion of that demand, many other Universities were established throughout the
nation. However, the above measure by itself couldn’t remedy the scarcity of Engineers.
Therefore AAIT was forced to enroll a large number of students. And to accommodate this
sudden surge of students two major structures were built. One was the Third Wing of the Main
Building and the other is the structure we are technically evaluating also known as (New Library
Building). While selecting the Architectural design the Third Wing was made as to completely
look identical to the other wings.

For the “New Library” project there were multiple Architectural designs. Competition from
what we gathered was fierce. From the various model forwarded two of them were chosen
eligible. From the remaining architectural designs the one that is erected has been selected for
various reasons. Among the reasons one was that it wasn’t harmonious with the surrounding
structures. This was seen as an advantage to the model forwarded.

Runner up Model Winning Model

The winning model was constructed with some modifications to its architectural design. For
instance, curtain walls on the ground floor were replaced with painted Hollow block walls and
clear windows, also some modifications were made to the canopy of the wing which embodies
the classrooms, the library and the offices.

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Architectural Perspective
The building under discussion is the new building located in AAiT containing facilities like
Hall, office, computer laboratory, video conference rooms, toilets and library. The main purpose
of this building is to solve the library problem in the institute. The building complex, with the
main function of serving as a library contain with itself different functions mentioned above. Our
main attention is to examine the library.

Libraries, in general, can be seen as a hub to any educational institute, for the sole reason of
being the place where everyone and anyone can go and have a peace of mind with his/her study
material. As the place of reference, the library, serves many students in providing educational
support and a quite work place. It is impossible to find anyone who would say they had never
been to the library. How every carless or an interested one is to his/her studies, at least once or
twice in his/her educational year have passed through a library. So, the question is, as being a
place that serve so many students, is the building appealing enough to the eye? Can it give a
sense of serenity and refugee to the student? Does the building flow harmoniously with the
surrounding? Can it manage the number of students using it?

These above questions are small part of what needs to be asked when a library is being
erected; or are points that need to be meticulously examined when criticizing a given library.
Addis Ababa Institute of Technology, as being an educational center has a library of it’s on
located in the left far end corner from the main gate. This library building can be considered as
new since it is only a short time since it was built. But, does it look new or not, is another
question. To be under the scope of this technical report, we will consider some architectural
aspects of the library and try to see them in detailed manner. Some architectural features are
listed and discussed below.

 Aesthetics
 Circulation
 Lighting
 Harmony

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Aesthetics

Aesthetics in its simple term is beauty. Any building, however small or large its budget is,
must have an attractive appearance. Its beauty is the first impression for a building and it is then
that we would decide to go in or not. For the sake of simplicity most of the buildings these days
have rectangular shapes and this gives unattractive look not only to the building but also to the
surrounding.

The AAiT library has a pleasing shape integrating curtain wall, curved shapes and circular
pillars in the entrance. The outer paint goes hand in hand with the surrounding buildings with its
yellow color and the inner paint is a mix of yellow color in the bottom and white color in the rest
of the walls. The floor finish inside the library build is mostly PVC tile with the exception of the
stairs which is covered by marble tile. The same floor finish method goes for the Offices and
Computer laboratories in the building.

There is always a ‘but’ at the end of a statement and the but for the library building is, it is
poorly maintained that it’s now losing its beauty. It is simple to spot a dirty and broken window,
a scoured paint in the building, cracks around the walls or small life forms breading in corners of
the building. These, now small defects will grow to be a big problems in the future in terms of
leading to a structural problem. Cracks by their nature, are small openings found on structural
and non-structural parts of a building. These cracks, if left untreated, will grow in size and shape
and through time it will show the reinforcement in the structure. These reinforcements, if left
uncovered will start to corrode and time by time will reduce the load carrying capacity of the
structure. So, if the above problem is needed to be avoided we should we need to solve the
problem form the start.

All in all, it should be noted that for a structure to serve for its intended life period as
beautifully as possible it must be cared for and looked after.

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Harmony

In its direct sense, Harmony is defined by the oxford dictionary as the combination of
simultaneously sound musical notes to produce chords and chord progressions having a pleasing
effect. In our context harmony is the process of being integrated with the surrounding to give a
pleasing effect. This harmony gives a sense of serenity to the surrounding and gives a peace of
mind to the by passer.

For a person who has given attention to the new library building in Addis Ababa Institute of
Technology (AAIT) campus the library looks like “the odd person out”. The building stands out
from the surrounding (in our defense, in a good way) because if you get a chance to stop and
look around to the other buildings, they seem to give out a same vibe. May be, it’s because most
of the building were built at a similar time that they all looked alike.

As mentioned above the library has a different architecture than its surrounding building.
Some pundits can argue that the building stands out alone and this doesn’t give harmony to the
university complex. But to those people I would say this “get in front of car and drive a straight
highway with no views for 2 hours and then consider yourself finding a curve after the long
drive” now tell me how it feels. As the curve is not ‘harmonies’ to the road at the end of the day
it gives a sense of refreshment to the mind. The same is true for a standing out building from a
group of similar once. I believe a building should have something to stand out from the rest just
for the sake of being different.

During the design selection phase there were two designs which made it to the end, one is
the building we see erected now and the other is a building that looked similar to the other
buildings in the compound. The engineers, who went with the decision to go with a new design,
must have surly known that the new building will not go hand in hand with the other buildings
but I’m sure they wanted something NEW and DIFFERENT.

To conclude, as the building not following its harmony and for standing out form the other
building, it tells us it’s a building with high importance and a place to broaden our mind. For
some students who are not as keen and active in going to the library, it’s a constant reminder that
they need to go back to their studies.

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Circulation

Circulation in its direct sense means, the easy of movement to and from or around something
(can be people or air). The AAIT library, as being the only one in the campus, provides service
to over 3000 students. Even though all 3000 students don’t come and use it, significant amount
use it every day. The library is a ground plus one building

As we set foot into the library, we are welcomed to choose which direction we would like
to go from ‘Darfur’ to the west to the tension boxes on the first floor. The stairs which are few
steps from the door and the clear space at the entrance provides us with the easy for maneuver.
As we go in into the library we would find chairs and tables that limit our movement to some
extinct but there is still space for movement.

May be in the long run as the number of user’s increase the library will be forced to add
additional chairs and tables which will start to affect the easy in movement. But, us being a
developing country it’s not easy to just say “let’s build another building” so it is advisable to
have a well-managed circulation inside the building.

Air circulation can be of another issue, the elevated heights in each floor looks like it is
made for the purpose of providing good air circulation and to some extent it is providing the
intended purpose. But, in afternoons the library gets quite hot and can be considered as problem
for the user as it makes it difficult to concentrate.

As a recommendation, in the short term the windows should be open to facilitate the
circulation and in the long term air conditioners should be considered.

Lighting

Lighting, apart from its main function, is something that added to the beauty of a build.
Library is a place of reading and it must be provided with the appropriate amount of lighting to
satisfy the users. Even if, light cannot be promised 100% of the time but, for the time it is
available it must be utilized in the right way.

The lighting system in AAIT library is sufficient for the intended users, if not even more.
Light can be found in every corner in the library. Maintenance is required when a lot of light

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bulbs are used but, this is not the case because some portion of the light in the library is not
working and it doesn’t seem to be fixed.

Generally the lighting system seems to be functioning well and serving its intended purpose.
Moreover, the openings which light comes through are oriented so that the natural light coming
will not disturb the users and staff. The change from the intended curtain wall to the plastered &
painted wall and windows has proven to be adequate and appropriate. The change from curtain
wall to the plastered and painted wall with clear glass has also proven to insulate heat.

Functional Perspective
The essence of functional perspective is to evaluate whether the structure/building is serving
the intended purpose. Moreover, whether every entity in the structure is serving its purpose and
if it is serving its purpose as well as it should. Although the Library and the Hall are given much
attention as mentioned above the building serves many functions. Among its functional entities
are classrooms, library, hall, computer laboratory, video conference rooms, offices last but not
least toilets. These entities must complement each other while serving their purpose, below is a
discussion on how each entity (rooms) is functioning.

Classrooms:- the classrooms are located on the second floor of the library wing (east
wing) of the building/structure. The classrooms are currently serving their
purpose well.

Library:- the library is the most widely used, for it gives service around the clock and
works everyday of the week. The library gives service not only for the students
and staff of the AAIT but to other students from other universities in Addis
Ababa. As far as libraries go it is probably the second most widely used library
from the libraries under Addis Ababa University.

Computer Lab:- the computer lab on this structure mainly serve as a training facility for a
computer program called C++. But it also serves to teach different softwares,
give trainings to the academic staff etc…

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Video Conference Rooms:- these rooms are located on the top most floor of the east
wing of the building. Moreover, these rooms are only for very important
people. These rooms has a list of names on their doors. Only these people are
allowed into these rooms and these people are only allowed at their designated
time to enter.

Offices:- offices in the building are located on various floors of the structure. Offices in the
building/structural are of different versions. That is some offices are common
offices (i.e. shared by multiple people) and some are offices for a certain
individuals.

Hall:- the hall serves many different purposes. The hall serves as a lecture hall, assembly
hall and it even functions as a set for ETV’s Questions & Answers program.

Toilets:- the toilets are located underground. They serve only as a wash room. Though they
are located (Underground) so as the smell not to disturb the library users, due to
maintenance and misuse of the facilities the toilets are not functioning as they are
supposed to.

These functional units by themselves will only accomplish so much. As discussed in the
architectural perspective above the circulation between these units is vital. Circulation as
mentioned is very good but it could be better. Circulation affects the functionality of the entities.
Therefore adding the facts together the structure is serving its function rather well.

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Structural Perspective
This perspective is the most technical of all perspectives. The structure has two major
components structural wise; i.e. the Sub Structure and Super Structure. Sub Structure refers to
structures below ground level, in most buildings/structures refers to the foundation. But in the
building/structure of interest the term Sub Structure entails a basement, for different purposes.
Super Structure refers to the structure above ground.

The integrity of the structure/building is solely dependent on the frame of the building, i.e.
its beams, columns, foundation, shear walls and all other load bearing elements. The structure we
are discussing has some amazing features. It also has some very plain and ordinary features.
Among the ordinary features are the appropriately sized beams, columns and the slab are worth
mentioning. Though labeled as ordinary and plain analysis and design of these elements is fairly
complex. These elements are the ones that make up the frame; hence extreme care was taken in
the designing process of these “simple” structural elements.

Although the structural integrity depends on the accurate design and precise execution of
work, the structure also relies on the fact that the building is maintained, appropriately used and
isn’t overloaded with burdens.

Among the impressive structural elements are

 The stair case in the library

 The Auditorium
 The arrangement of the sub structure compartments

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The stair case in the library

The stair case in the library for a layman it would seem just a stair case. However, while
evaluating its technical aspects (i.e. supports, evenness, space…). While looking at other aspects
of its pretty ordinary but while looking at its support system we realized the landing is supported
by the flights. This is considered a very daring design and a perfectly executed work.

The Auditorium

The auditorium (hall) is located on the first floor of the west wing of the structure. What is
fascinating about this hall is it location (i.e. first floor). Locating it on the top floor and making it
with stepped seats require extensive knowledge. In addition to being located it on the first floor,
the auditorium has no support columns in b/n walls. Instead of columns shear walls were used.

The arrangement of the sub structure compartments

The sub structure compartments consist of storages and toilets. We said the arrangement is
impressive because the toilets are made very accessible to anyone using the facilities of the
structure. While the location of storage units is not easily accessible, because only authorized
personnel should access the storage units. The arrangement also made it so that the user wouldn’t
feel scared, because the its dark and underground. Lighting made this easy.

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Summary and Discussion

The new library complex, located in AAIT campus is a building built in 2006
Gregorian calendar due to the growing number of students admitted to the university.
Architecture wise the building looks different form the rest of the buildings in the university.
But, its difference is what makes it unique and stand out from the rest. The uniqueness makes the
student give infuses to the building and underlines the value it has in the student’s educational
growth. Aesthetics is the main component in any architectural growth, and the aesthetics of the
building is appealing to the eye with different components comprised in it; like, curtain wall,
curved shapes and circular pillars. Finish of the material is PVC tile for the ground and marble
tile to the stairs. In terms of circulation the library has enough space for movement and is easy
for the users; But, we fear that this is only for a short time because since the university is
growing in the number of students it accepts, the library will reach to its full capacity in a short
time and it would be hard for movement as the number of chairs and tables increase. Even if the
celling of the library are in elevated heights (to facilitate air circulation) in the afternoon, it gets
pretty hot to the point that it will be impossible to study. Therefore, it is highly recommended to
propose measures to mitigate the issue.

Maintenance is a major tool to keep the building as appealing as possible and to serve
its intended life time. Inside the library complex building it is easy to notice scoured paints,
cracks and dirty walls due to lack of cleaning. Even if, these looks like a small problem now as
time goes by these small problems will grow in to large once that will cost a lot of money.
Therefore, as a suggesting these small defects needs to be maintained.

Structurally the building has columns, beams and shear walls in different areas of the
building which supports the live (chair, table, user, books….) and dead (own load, finish,
windows and doors….) load. Structural wise, the stair inside the library can be considered as a
work of art and its simplicity shows the confidence of the structural designer and we recommend
everyone to take the time a see the impressive work.

Functionally, the building has different uses with the library being the main function.
Beside the library the offices which are located above the second floor are used by the university
lecturers. The offices are equipped with internet connection for the use of the instructors. The
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techno hall, which can manage more than 400 participants, is one of the most widely used room
in the building complex. The hall is equipped with different lightings and a stage. In the hall, it
can be easily seen that it has been years since it was last maintained. Scoured paints and cracks
can be noticed in the top corner of the room. Therefore, it is highly advice to give maintenance to
the parts needing it.

The other functional part of the building is the toilets. Toilets are the most sensitive
parts of a building structure and when poorly handled can be hazardous not only to the building
but also to the people using the facility. The toilet is located in the basement of the building and
due to the lack of proper management has a bad smell continuing to the top of the library. This
smell will bring discomfort to the students using the library. Different reasons can be given for
the bad smell of the toilet, one is poor cleaning and the improper use by the students.

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