...with a note on drainage
Budget is a fundamental aspect of architectural projects. Architects must skillfully navigate financial constraints to deliver designs that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also practical, feasible, and within the financial parameters set by the client.
Sometimes, the design choices that lead to cost savings for the client are not purely aesthetic, since there are costs associated with elements in a building that are not visible or immediately apparent. In fact, a significant portion of the total building cost is associated with hidden components, such as elements that go below the ground, behind the walls and under the floors. Thus, reducing the number of features or using fewer materials in a building project can have a positive impact on the overall cost.
In practice, the relationship between cost and materials is complex, so less is not always more. Take floor buildup for example.
A shallower screed finish in concrete frame buildings can bring a saving to the client, but careful consideration should be given to the impact this has on other aspects of the building, such as say, drainage. Although this may sound unrelated, all the components of a building are like a set of parameters and constraints, so changing one setting may have a knock on effect on the other. For this reason, coordination is the key when fine-tuning of all the parameters that compose the building, ensuring their compatibility.
New homes in England must meet mandatory regulations of Part M4(2), which calls, among other things, for future level access showers.
New homes in England must meet mandatory regulations of Part M4(2), which calls, among other things, for future level access showers. This means that the shower drains need to be sunk into the floor buildup to ensure an accessible shower for future adaption. After totting up the shower tray and drainage falls into the SVP, together with a shower waste that can achieve a minimum of 50mm water seal, the screed thickness is suddenly at a premium. Since the screed can go as low as 35mm, this quickly becomes an issue accommodating the level access showers. As in life, nothing is impossible and there is always a solution, but something must give – is it time, cost, or quality?
Seeking alternatives and agreeing on a different course of action often takes time, stretching the timescale of the project, and thus incurring more design fees.
Fitting a shower gully into thinly laid screed is possible by providing shower recesses into the concrete slabs or choosing non-standard shower drainage solutions. Forming a recess in the slab to run the drainage while obtaining a curbless shower tray may increase the price and impact on the project programme, as additional structural calculations and support are required to account for the reduced slab depth. This often calls for further design coordination and more work on-site to form the local drops.
As a general rule, in construction, everything that is not a standard, off-the-shelf, is more expensive. A shower waste that cannot achieve the minimum water seal can be replaced with a low, dry waste shower gully - waterless trap; if there is not enough clearance for a gravity waste, manual and digital shower waste pumps can be the answer. Yet, these may be more expensive, as falling under the non-standard category, on the one hand, and being at the risk of not being accepted by Building Control or the building warranty provider, on the other hand.
Bluetooth-controlled Whale® pump installed in accessible shower - before and after
Reducing features or using fewer materials can result in immediate cost savings. However, it is essential to carefully evaluate the impact on functionality and long-term costs. Whilst something may seem obvious, there is always a layer of complexity attached to it, which needs to be assessed when looking at the overall building cost and savings in architecture projects. Fortunately, through their design expertise, coordination skills, technical knowledge, and ability to manage various aspects of the design process, architects are best at considering the whole picture and advising their clients accordingly.
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