Howdy from London Ags!
Monday
We continued our lecture of British Life and Culture with Professor Hertz. He talked about how the British culture is like an… amoeba? Yes, an amoeba or a virus, because of the many different people to come to London from all around the world. Therefore, London has a way of absorbing different cultures, then transforming them into their own. We also learned about the many inventions London was responsible for inventing, i.e. the flushing toilet, the community bus (omnibus), and the origins of the term “red tape”. The term earned its clever name from UK Lawyers and how they use red ribbons to tie up and keep their legal documents organized. It’s important to note that another term commonly used to refer to ribbons is tape. So, when your legal matters are taking long to resolve, it’s because it’s all tied up in “red tape”!
After our class lecture, we took to the chilly and windy streets of London to continue our learning. The sites we were about to see included; Queens Larder Pub, Charles Dickens’s Contributions to the First Pediatric hospital for children with his Royalties from his creation of Peter Pan, then just across the square we have Mary Ward Centre (the first children’s daycare that allowed woman to join the workforce and pursue careers), Christ Church Greyfriars Garden – the only unimproved bomb crater that was created by the Nazi bombings in 1940 -1941 targeted to destroy British Culture, then we headed over to Paternoster Square to see the very first Protestant Cathedral- Saint Paul’s the original burnt down when scaffolding caught fire, Cutlers Hall when one learns the skills of Knife use, Lastly, “Old Bailey” the New Gate Prison, and The Elms where William Wallace was hung, drawn, and quartered.
Tuesday
We visited two sites with Sisks. Both sites used a slip form system to construct the building cores, and after the elevator and stair shafts were completed, they would begin contructing the floor slabs and tie them into the cores. The first one was a 22 story housing building that had been topped out and they had begun finishing out the interiors. Sisk was under a Construction Management contract with the owner. We learned how the fire protection in the building worked. Up to the 12th story they have a dry riser pipe (has no water until a pump is hooked to it) that the fire department can hook their trucks to supply water for firefighters. Above the 12th story, they must use a wet riser system. In this system the pipe in the building is precharged with water and connected to a massive pump in the basement, instead of using their own truck to pump water to the hose connections. The building is also sitting just a few meters from a train track, and they have to use several extra precautions to prevent any type of debris reaching the tracks and closing them until the debris is removed. They have used wider scaffolding and used double netting to prevent such a mishap, that if it were to happen would cost the offending contractor £800,000 per minute.
The second site was the E05 Quebec Project – Wembley with 1200 units, £30 million structural value, 30 – 50 managers for this project, 4 yr job Design/build, and £1.2 Billion total on was still in the process of building the cores and the main foundation of 3 structures on the same site. We were able to see the slip form system at work. This is a self-climbing form that allows the workers to tie the rebar, place the concrete, and finish the surface. This system allows them to finish about 6.5 feet of the core each day.
Wednesday
We continued our class with Professor Rodgers. We discussed unforeseen site conditions & risk management. We learned that due to the Great Fire of London, only people that were licensed by the city could have a fire. Most neighborhoods only had one or two licensed members and every one would take their dinner to those locations to have it warmed up. These were referred to as a “public house” which over time has been shortened to “pub”. We also learned the meaning of the song “Electric Ave” by Eddy Grant (the song is based on a street in Brixton) a possibly interpretation of the song would be a retelling of the Brixton Riots.
Thursday
We visited two law firms, White & Case and Charles, Russell & Speechly. White & Case was originally a banking firm based in New York City, but they have expanded to a global practice that specializes in contracts, awards, and procurement. They also handle contentious issues (not in court) for construction dispute. We learned the pro and cons to the different types of construction contracts including the classic style of DBB and Design Build as well as newer methods like Management Contracting and EPC contracting. There is no right answer to what the one best contract is. You need to analyze what the owner wants and decide what is best for you and the owner.
Charles, Russell & Speechly is an international construction law firm that handles disputes all over the globe. We heard from David Savage about how technology is changing the industry and causing disruptions in the way projects are procured and constructed. We talked about how a 57-level building was constructed in 19 days using off site prefabrication and extensively planned scheduling before construction ever began. Major hurdles with technology in the construction industry includes legal battles for intellectual property, developing and using “block chain” technology, and getting the industry to actually accept new and efficient ideas. Following our meeting, Mr. Savage hosted our group at a social hour at the historic Old Bank of London.
Friday
We traveled to Portsmouth, UK to visit the historic shipyards. The countryside scenery on the trip out was beautiful after we left London. It was nice to get out and see some of the other types of terrain that England has to offer. First we saw the historic Seaside sea wall, and then went down to the Channel and just enjoyed the water and fresh air, while we all took the opportunity to skip some rocks. Lunch was a “Feed’s Burger and Fries” and they did not disappoint; the burgers were fresh, big, and tasty. We then went to the naval exhibits and museums at the shipyard. During our boat tour of the shipyard, we were able to see a plethora of old and new Royal Navy ships. Ranging from the historic “Victory” of Admiral, Nelson, some destroyers, to a stealth ship, and their latest Royal Navy aircraft carrier that is still under the final stages of completion. At the end of the class time a few students went back to London, but most stayed in Portsmouth to explore more of the shipyard the next day.
Weekend
Several of us grabbed an Air-B-N-B and stayed in Portsmouth on Friday evening. We visited the Boathouse 4 where they re-construct and restore wooden ships and boats using only the tools from the era when the boat was originally built. We were able to enjoy walking through the HMS Victory and HMS Warrior and were able to see the conditions in which sailors of those eras had to live. There is a whole museum built around the salvaged remains of Henry the VIII’s flagship, “Mary Rose”. This ship sank in 1545 and the recovery started in the early 1980’s. The remaining portion of the ship is the center piece of the museum. Lastly, we were able to take a walk through the HMS Alliance, a submarine that was built in 1947. It was one of 16 “A” Class Subs designed during the 2nd World War and intended for use in the Far East, she was commissioned for 28 years. Then we boarded the train and made our way back to London.
Gig ‘Em Aggies! Whoooop!
Isaac DeLeon ’20
Jason Cunningham ’19
The Angel Adventure 