How To Study Building Construction

(A) Preparing Assignments In Technology

1. Present constructional information both in words and

graphically. All graphical presentation should be fully
annotated and supplemented with descriptive essay.

2. Proficiency in sketching is important and achieved through

practice and confidence. The course, Building
Communication, will help you a lot in this area.

3. Drawings are generally made to recognised scales.

4. Scales should be stated on every drawing and use a drawn

scale to help interpretation.

5. A scale for design or construction drawing is influenced by

(a) Standard size sheets for the whole project;

(b) Character and size of the subject being considered;
(c) Time involved in the preparation of drawing;
(d) Adequate and accurate communication of the
information to those for whom the drawing is
intended.
(e) Refer to BS 3429 & BS 1192.

6. Sense of correct size of things and provide accurate

freehand sketches without a scale.

7. Ability to draw proportionally

8. Ability to sketch rapidly and clearly is a valuable assets for

examination purposes.
9 No drawing should be presented unless it is well
arranged, the various parts being properly balanced
and distributed and, if a number of answers are
incorporated on one sheet, thought should be given to
their disposition. If this advice is not carefully followed,
it will be found that the work is unnecessarily cramped
or crowded into one corner.

10. (a) For some drawings, give dimensions, the names of

all members and as many descriptive notes as
possible.

(b) For others, only to show relationship or general

layout is sufficient, in which case few notes need be
developed.

11. Not to break dimension lines for inserting the actual

figures, the figures should be written above and along the
lines, preferably near the centre and generally to read from
the bottom or right hand side of the drawing.

12. Good style of lettering:

(a) For examination, office work, building details and so

on, usually use capitals throughout, and write with
speed and without mechanical aids (other than ruled
guide lines).This type is suitable for notes on
drawings, titles and headings.

(b) Hand-writing lettering should be legible, clean

looking and rapid in execution.

(c) Italics are satisfactory for small lettering when neatly

executed.
 (d) All letters must be either truly vertical or to a regular
slope, same height except for projecting tops and
tails in some styles, at regular intervals, equal spaces
between letters, varying the shape of a letter slightly
according to those adjacent also desirable.

13. Notes should

(a) be full enough to be understandable later;

(b) have references and sources clearly stated;

(c) be in a suitable form (eg loose-leaf, card index,

special note-book etc).

14. Refer to the following sheets as a guideline for providing

proper sketches or drawings.
(B) Study Method

1. Avoid hard memory, but try to understand the function(s)

of each component or element appeared in the construction
details. Based on the drawings or sketches you have
provided, write in your own words a short essay to
supplement and strengthen the information conveyed from
the drawings or sketches.

2. Pay more attention on the TV programmes or news related

to building construction or architecture and try to analyse
and provide critical comments based on the knowledge
you have learnt from the lectures. In case of query,
actively discuss with your lecturers.

(C) Collecting Information

1. Sources include the records of text readings for materials

through published reports, journals, articles, text and
reference book information.

2. Necessary to collect and present information for several

purposes and assemble it as efficiently as possible or at
least within the time allowed. Therefore it is important to
be able to

(a) select appropriately from the information

available;

(b) relate and compare information;

 (c) identify appropriate performance etc when a
range of alternatives are available;

(d) appreciate the influence of one consideration on

another;

(e) rank in a priority when a context is given.

3. Selection of information by the method of elimination i.e.

the isolation of the factor or factors which you have
decided to concentrate on. This decision may have been
your own or it may have been established by the context of
the question being answered.

4. Note taking is an important aid to the selection of

information, which helps assimilation of the information
and will certainly help recall when questions are being
answered without source material.

Prepared by Anthony Lai, based on and extracted from CEM notes.