Phase 2.5 & Active Buildings
I am two weeks into my self-titled Phase 2.5 – a three week attachment with a privately owned company specialising in offsite modular manufacture and construction. This is as they, Wernick Buildings, are interested in developing a rapid foundation assessment method for low-rise structures i.e. my thesis. Essentially looking at quicker ways of assessing ground bearing capacity and settlement using a Dynamic Probing Light (DPL) (EN ISO 22476-2), a small and man-handle-able SPT (Standard Penetration Test). SPT is the energy required i.e. number of measured blows (N), to penetrate 300mm with a 63.5kg mass. For DPL it is 100mm with a 10kg mass. There is currently no widely accepted method to correlate the two methods. Obviously this has both civilian and military applications, hence the interest. However, after a tour of their factory and look around their main products/modules I was taken to their latest project, the UKs first energy positive building aka…
An Active Building producing Micro Energy
Figure 1 – ‘The Active Building Centre’s vision (centre) is to transform the UK construction and energy sectors, through the deployment of Active buildings powered by the sun, creating energy resilient communities, and significantly contributing to electric vehicle and decarbonisation targets.’
The Active Building Centre at Swansea University, is a new pan-UK university research initiative by SPECIFIC (funded by Innovate UK & EU circa £36m). It is to ‘reduce the cost and commercialise energy generation and storage components in buildings’ i.e. turn buildings into decentralised micro power stations. The ABC stored 29kWh and exported 47kWh back to the grid on the first day it was opened. This is the first building to achieve an A+ negative value on its EPC. It recycles its own energy emissions – what Building Emission Rate (BER)?! (Bld Regs Part L2A).
Figure 2 – The Active Building Centre’s live dashboard and EPC
A very apt concept when international carbon emissions are on the increase again after four years and on the first (actually second) day of the UN climate change conference COP24 in Katowice, Poland. Has Swansea secured a small chapter in the future of climate change?
True or False – Does this sit within the concept presented by Jason for his CI’s Essay on ‘energy storage in a non-fossil fuel national grid’…?
Holdfast Training Services Trial Blog 
Is the intention to try to establish some form of SPT correlation or are you looking at the broader properties that these are being used to derive and trying to establish links between DPL and those properties? I am sure Mr Wernick is treating you well. Please pass on my very best regards.
A good question Rich. Ideally it will be to correlate to SPT as it is the most common and referenced method. I have found numerous companies have tried this with some success in clays and fine sands. I myself have founds silts and clays work well in practically gaining data but anything above sub-angular gravel does not. Some researchers and companies have produced formulas and use them to a point but only when they can corroborate with other locally sourced data (e.g. boreholes, trial pits). So, in reality it is to create a direct relation from soil classification and data collected by DPL to determine soil properties i.e. strength and if possible stiffness.
He certainly is and I will.