Construction Technology 1 Report on IKEA Damansara

Construction Technology 1 (March Intake)
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SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING AND DESIGN
BACHELOR OF QUANTITY SURVEYING (HONOURS)
Construction Technology 1 (BLD60104)
Investigating Buildings
Andrew Mah Koon Yan 0318798
Hwang Wei Li 0319756
Chuang Jing 0322934
Chong Hui Xin 0319363
Wang Kai-Chian 1001AH77314
Lee Ren Jet 0319058

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CONTENT
Title Page
Cover page 1
Content 2
Introduction 3
Objectives 4
Roofs 9
Windows 17
Doors 23
Stairs 30
Alternative : Roof 41
Alternative : Window 42
Alternative : Door 43
Alternative : Stairs 44
Conclusion 45

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Introduction
For this assignment, we were required to choose a shopping mall around
Klang Valley as our building of study. Our lecturer, Miss Azrina Md Yaakob, also
mentioned that the category we have to search for was commercial building, also
known as shopping malls.
The assignment is separated into three parts. The first part of the assignment
requires us to illustrate the type of building with plans, sketches, photos or diagrams,
whichever available. But obtaining the floor plan will be a big problem when it comes
to big commercial buildings. In the end, we are only required to just take photos of
our chosen place. Second part of the report is to identify and explain the type of roof,
windows, doors and stairs of our chosen building with either sketches, photos or
diagrams. Third part required us to compare and contrast with one other type as an
alternative to replace the existing elements for the three categories which are stated
above.
We formed a group of 6 while remaining with the same people from the
previous assignments, which were Andrew Mah Koon Yan, Wang Kai-Chian, Lee
Ren Jet, Chong Hui Xin, Chuang Jing, and Hwang Wei Li. We discussed and in the
end, we nominated IKEA Damansara as our building of study for this assignment
due to its simple yet unique design interiorly as well as exteriorly that attracts many
visitors daily.
Setting the date of visitation was challenging as most of us were quite busy at
that moment but we managed to allocate time on the 14th of May 2015 to go survey
IKEA Damansara after our classes. We went back to IKEA Damansara on the 26th of
May 2015 to gather more information and take more photos. Everyone did the report
together which is faster and more complete.

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Objectives
This assignment is to help the students to develop the skills in research for
the information required. The information gathered will be further analysed,
explained, and presented into the report. Planning the layout and sequence of
reports will also be part of the assignment. This experience will help students to do a
research with a clear and concise report.
Other than that, by doing this assignment we are given the chance to study in
depth about the construction technology of commercial buildings. When we survey
the building thoroughly, as stated in the brief, we will need to further analyse the
characteristics, advantages and disadvantages, and an alternative suitable to be
used in the building and this helps to improve our knowledge on construction.
Not forgetting that this assignment helps to improve each and everybody’s
teamwork capability by surveying together, discussing together, analysing together
and putting it all together to make the report. Whenever problem arises, we will
gather and discuss to solve it.

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IKEA
IKEA is a multinational group of companies that has the famous designers
to design and create the furniture which satisfied the consumers’ requirements
and provides the best comfort home furniture other than the normal home
accessories and appliances which made IKEA the leading group of companies
worldwide by becoming the largest furniture retailer. It is founded at Sweden in
1943 by the 17 years old Ingvar Kamprad (currently retired), and thus the
name IKEA consist the initials of Ingvar Kamprad, Elmtaryd (the farm where
he grew up) and Agunnaryd (his hometown in Småland, south of Sweden)
Now, IKEA has 351 stores in 46 countries worldwide. The main point to a
good furniture is from a good designer which is innovative, cost-effective and
creativity to produce good quality, not only large quantity products. IKEA’s
vision is “to create a better everyday life for the many people” which by
offering wide range of well-designed, functional home furnishing products at
an affordable price.
IKEA in Malaysia is located at Mutiara Damansara, Selangor Darul Ehsan,
opposite of The Curve Shopping Mall, connected to IPC Shopping Centre.
People around Malaysia travels to IKEA Damansara to get products of IKEA
as it is the only one in Malaysia, for now. With plans of expanding IKEA in
Malaysia, soon there will be one at Cheras and another one at Penang.
The reason we chose IKEA Is because of the unique feature of
appearance. The roof is different from the usual buildings which uses the
aluminium metal for its ceilings and the external walls alongside with the flat
roof concept made of concrete, making it look like a shipping container. The
windows and doors used is the combination of fixed windows and sliding
doors which is what shopping malls usually uses. The stairs that we managed
to observe is rather unique when compared with stairs in other places.

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The road to IKEA Damansara is available on the website of IKEA Malaysia.
IKEA Damansara as seen from Google Maps online. As you can see
that it is connected to IPC Shopping Centre and the Curve Shopping Mall

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IKEA Damansara
The entrace of IKEA from IPC Shopping Centre on a crowded weekend.

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IKEA’s Brochure

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Roof

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Roof
What’s a roof? It is basically defined as a building envelope, a covering on the
uppermost part of a building or a shelter. During the olden days, humans have
utilised various natural resources, technological methods & ways of applications
throughout history to create the environmentally safe, effective roofing, since the 100
BC till now.
The essential point to build a roof is to provide protection. It provides protection not
just the exterior, but also the interior of the house. It protects mainly from heavy
weathering and random objects. A few examples are sunlight, rain, hail, bird’s poo,
etc. Besides that, it also provides space to store appliances such as water tanks and
air ventilator. Thus, the roof is one of the most important structure to be built in in
building construction.

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Roof in IKEA
IKEA is a big shopping mall with only consists 2 floors that are opened to the public.
The pathways inside IKEA looks like a maze making it quite confusing to navigate.
Directory map shown at the entrance of IKEA.
We thought that we could get to the roof just by taking the stairs available.
Surprisingly, access to the roof is prohibited and the only way to access the roof is to
obtain permission from the office with a letter from our university. The first time we
went there on the 14th of May 2015, we failed to gain access. So for the second
visitation, which is on the 26th of May 2015, we got the permission letter from our
university and brought it with us, but turns out that they requires approval from the
higher-ranking officer of IKEA to approve us of our entry to the roof. In the end, it
was too late to wait for the IKEA’s officer reply, so we went ahead without direct
access to the roof.

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We had trouble getting to the roof, so we decided to get to another building beside
IKEA that was high enough, which is Curve NX. And from there, we got the view of
the roof.
Roof of IKEA as seen from Google Maps.
From what we presumed, IKEA Damansara uses flat roof system. The roof is made
of concrete, that’s why we couldn’t really hear the sound of raindrops from the roof
with the thickness of the concrete acting as sound insulation when it rains. The
skylight shows how thick it is. Flat roofs are roofs which are almost level in contrast
to the many types of sloped roofs. That’s why the roof is not entirely flat, it has
around 0° - 11° of pitch with the main reason to avoid collection of rainwater
everywhere.
Roof of IKEA as seen from Curve NX.

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Closer view of the roof of IKEA with a few air-conditioning machines
Skylight that shows the thickness of the roof.

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Since we didn’t get to the roof, we managed to take a few photos of the bottom roof.
Bottom roof as seen from the warehouse area.
With the concept of flat roof, it saves cost in terms of construction for a sloped roof.
This allows fast and easy internal work to be completed such as air vents, wiring
work, and fire sprinkler system. Something about IKEA is that they installed skylights
around the warehouse. This helps in illuminating the area through daylights.
Air vents as seen throughout IKEA. Skylight that illuminates the area.

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One of our group mate, Lee Ren Jet, illuminated by the skylight, creating a spotlight effect.
The first thing when we look up, we will see the ceiling. Right above the ceiling, we
will be able to see the roof. Meaning that the space between the ceiling to the roof is
very little. The ceilings are built with aluminium sheet that are painted with silver
coating which gives us a fresh and aesthetic look. Besides that, the roofs matches
well with the wall of IKEA which gives the look of a cabin!
The view of the ceiling which was taken at the 2nd
floor.

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Secondary Roof
There exist a secondary roof just outside of IKEA long-stretched from the entrance to
the further end of IKEA. With a combination of aluminium roofing and glass roofing,
this serves as a visitor’s waiting area for pickup or drop off. The aluminium protects
people in the walkway from direct sunlight or rain.
Secondary roof as seen from a flight of stairs.
The part with glass roof is constructed in a way to promote natural daylighting
instead of the shelter becoming dark.
Glass roof that is tinted to prevent direct sunlight.

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Window

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Windows
What is a window? A window is an opening formed in a wall or roof primarily to admit
daylight through some transparent or translucent material. Windows serve an
important function in providing natural ventilation to buildings and also make a major
contribution to the aesthetic appeal of buildings. Olden day window uses stones as
the frame, but now, the most common material that can be found is aluminium.
As the window is part of the wall, other than allowing daylight to illuminate the room,
it also should serve to exclude wind and rain, and act as a barrier to heat, sound,
and spread of fire as the walls or roof does.

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Windows in IKEA
The moment we stepped in IKEA, we realised that there are no windows around.
Except for the window wall that acted as a wall. But that isn’t really classified as a
window. So we went searching throughout IKEA for an actual window, and we finally
found it.
Windows above the exit of IKEA.
But then, we went searching to get a closer view from the inside, and we failed to do
so. We found out that it’s actually the administration office of IKEA. Hence, the
reason why it can’t access to anywhere nearby it.
The windows are tinted to reduce direct sunlight from penetrating.

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Nevertheless, we still managed to get close to the windows from the outside. With
the help of one of the emergency stairs that is close to the windows, we went up and
took photos and started to look deeper a little. And turns out, the windows are not all
fixed, also known as dead light. It is a mixture of dead light and opening light. An
opening light can be opened. We presumed that the windows are partially opening
light and partially dead light.
The windows at the office that are tinted with some being able to opened and some can’t.
A closer view of the window that can be opened from the inside through awning.

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There is also another view from IKEA’s restaurant that has windows, the same row
as the office’s windows. The frame and the casements of these windows are made
of aluminium metal
The outer view of the windows that are located at the restaurant.
The view from the inside of the cleaning area of the restaurant that we couldn’t enter.

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One special window that we saw when we were requesting permission to enter the
roof was this sliding window. It is a horizontally sliding window with a dead light
window on top of it. Security guards sit inside the room for security reasons. This
also acts as a barrier from the outside and the inside.
The window as seen from the office area located at the basement parking.

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Door

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Doors
What is a door? A door is a screen used to seal an opening into a building or closed
area and between rooms, compartments, and corridors in a building which allows
access and egress. As a component part of a wall, the door and its frame are
important towards a functional building. The earliest in records are those represented
in the paintings of the Egyptian tombs, in which they are shown as single or double
doors, each in a single piece of wood. All ancient doors were hung by pivots at
the top and bottom of the hanging stile.
Doors are a common sight in our everyday life. From our house, school, workplace,
every building needs a door for it to be functional, not forgetting for security and
privacy reasons too. There are a few materials available in the market such as
timber, steel, glass, or plastic. All in all, doors are necessary component in a
building.

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Doors in IKEA
During our visit to IKEA on the 14th of May 2015 and the 26th of May 2015, we indeed
noticed a few types of doors. But the very first one that we noticed is the main
entrance’s door. In a glimpse of an eye, we knew that it was a sliding door.
Specifically, a double-leaf straight sliding door.
The sliding panel glazed door at the side entrance of IKEA, the same as the main entrance.
The door is very easily spotted because it’s at the main entrance of IKEA. After all
the looking and checking around, we noticed that the other exits uses the same type
of door as the main entrance which is a sliding door. Sliding doors provide a clear
opening for visitors to easily access and egress into the mall. Besides that, IKEA
uses doors with panels of glass, also known as fully glazed doors. It provides
daylight into spaces or to allow visitors to see through the door. IKEA optimises
daylight very efficiently with the many full-glazed doors and windows.

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As stated above that the panels of the doors are made of glass, it is important that
glazed doors are easily recognisable due to its transparency which may pose
problems for visitors with impaired sight or failed to notice the door. This is especially
important in a commercial building that people usually goes to. As required by
buildings nowadays, fully glazed doors are defined with ‘manifestations’ on the glass.
Manifestation on the glass must be able to be seen from both inside and outside. A
manifestation may take the form of a logo, sign, image, or decorative feature. With
height of at least 150mm, IKEA uses it as a way to promote their feature with a
contrasting strip.
The exit of IKEA the same as the entrance with a manifestation on glass.

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Inside IKEA, there are multiple emergency exit doors all around, as required in a
building. This is because IKEA is an enclosed space and when anything happens,
it’ll be more convenient if everybody can easily spot the exit no matter where in the
building. And then again, we presumed that IKEA uses a fire-rated fully glazed
hinged door with a push-to-open style for the emergency exit door.
One of the emergency exit door we found that leads to the outdoors.
It says “Push to open during emergencies only.”

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With a deeper search around, there are actually a lot of doors that are fully glazed in
IKEA. We didn’t really noticed other doors beside the main entrance and the
emergency exit door during our first visit. But during our second visit, we found other
similar doors.
A side hung double-leaf single-swing panel glazed door that allows personnel only.
The stiles and rails of the doors are made of aluminium metals, hence the reason
why the doors are light. Except for the emergency exit door for safety purposes.
An outdoor door that can be found at the side of IKEA, meant for coming out only.

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These flush doors are made of timber, not glass, for hygienic purposes.
A flush door with a circular vision panel, strictly for personnel only,
that can be found at the food counter.
A flush door being used as an office side entrance that can be easily opened.

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Stairs

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Stairs
What are stairs? A stair, or stairway, is the name given to a set of steps formed or
constructed to make it enable to pass to another level on foot by putting one foot
after the other on alternate steps to climb up or down the stair. In the history of stairs
they first emerged as a solution to difficulties presented by terrain, such as valleys or
mountains with a goal to get over these difficulties.
The primary function of a stair, as stated above, is to allow vertical movement,
safely, from one level to another. When it comes to vertical movement, an escalator
or a lift would be a faster choice when compared, but not when there’s an
emergency that has occurred, stairs will be the only choice in a commercial building.
All in all, stairs are a necessary requirement when constructing a building.

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Stairs in IKEA
There are a few stairs in IKEA that are noticeable when we went there to survey on
the 14th of May 2015 and the 26th of May 2015. There is no doubt the stairs inside of
IKEA is a straight stairs with landing in between stair.
The flight of stairs as seen from the first floor with the entrance at the background.
The flight of stairs is very obvious to notice once we entered into IKEA from the main
entrance. IKEA encourages visitors to start from the second floor. This is why there’s
no ground floor market entrance from the main entrance. Other options are available
such as lifts for disabled visitors, or escalators for fast and easy access to the top
floor market right beside the flight of stairs. A few of the steel stairs around IKEA are
straight stairs with landing in between. The stairs at IKEA are all supported by steel
posts, enabling people to walk underneath the stairs, but not always recommended
to do so.

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A few type of materials can be spotted while walking along the stairs up. The tread is
made of timber with an extra metal at the edge of the tread to avoid accidents from
happening. The balustrades as well as the load bearing support I beams are made of
steel. The hand railings are made of stainless steel to prevent corrosion as hand rails
are often held by visitors.
Looking from the top of the stairs.
Strip of bars on the tread to avoid slip.

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Open-riser straight stairs with landing in between.
Flight of stairs supported by a I-Steel post.

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While there are many options, staircases are still required as an alternative means of
escape in the event of a fire or when the lift or escalator is out of use. In every
building there must be an emergency fire escape route with clear floor plan
indications no matter how many storey the building is. A fire escape from a higher
floor must lead to an open space outside the building to an area of lesser harm. This
is where emergency stairs are installed around the building of IKEA which is required
by the Fire Services Act 1988.
Emergency exit door that leads to the emergency stairs outside of IKEA.

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The material that are used to construct the escape stairs must be non-combustible.
The stairs must also be separated from the main floor area by a set(s) of self-closing
fire-resisting doors. Designs such as height of risers, length of treads, as well as the
handrails, are usually based upon the building. But of course, the height of risers
must be the same throughout the stairs. As you notice the stairway is entirely see-
through.
Landing of the stairs from the emergency exit door
Flight of stairs from the emergency exit door that can be seen around IKEA

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These stairs are made of steel. The steel has been galvanised to prevent corrosion.
The design of the stairs are hollow as to enable rainwater to fall right through instead
of being collected. Besides that, the tread is design to withstand load while it remains
light and hollow.
Hollow landing that are able to support tremendous amount of load.
Galvanised steel tread that prevents corrosion yet giving it an aesthetic look.

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But inside IKEA, there exist stairs that are L-shaped stair, also known as quarter turn
stairs, but this area is restricted to unauthorized personnel, so we can’t go venturing
up.
The material of this stairs is the same as the emergency fire escape stairs that can
be found around the building of IKEA.
Hollow tread also allows easy installation and maintenance.

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U-shaped stairs supported by a steel post found outside of IKEA.

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Alternatives

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Roof
Existing
The roof right now uses the flat roof system. But it’s not entirely flat as 0° angle, but it
has a slight pitch. It was too hard to get to the roof. Instead, we got to the higher
building beside IKEA and presumed that it is a flat roof. The concept of flat roof is
that it is easier to construct due to its simplicity and practicality to build. Besides that,
there’s also an extra outdoor living space on the roof which makes it easier for
cleaning and maintenance. Flat roof is a specific design for IKEA around the world,
with visitors being able to recognise it at first glance. But flat roofs aren’t always the
best. It’s easier to accumulate water or ponding due to its flat surfaces. The design is
also not advised for place with high rainfall with less support and bracings. It may be
more expansive in the long term run for maintenance and ongoing repairs.
Alternative
The roof we all decided would be a pitched roof, more specifically a gable end. First
thing’s first is that it has 2 roof plate which has no difficulty to retrofit because of
today’s technology. Walking on the roof will not be possible, but the space below the
roof can be used as an attic, making it possible to add another floor in IKEA. There
won’t be a problem with standing water as rainwater will just flow down to the
drainage system. Thus, lower cost in maintenance in the long-term run. It’s definitely
more stable than a flat roof with its structure being able to resist heavy load. Not
forgetting that solar panels are able to be added onto the roof. Aesthetically it looks
like a traditional feel of a home as IKEA is a ready-to-assemble home retailer.

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Window
Existing
The awning windows can be found in the IKEA’s office that we are unauthorized to
go in. It is tilt open at the bottom with a hinge at the top. For safety reasons it is
allowed for egress, in the window business, egress codes are laws about the size of
operable windows for the purpose of allowing people to escape if there’s a fire in the
room. Besides, it preserves the view that are available outside but still have the
functionality of air ventilation whenever you want to, even when it is raining, therefore
it allows ventilation but also limits the opening of windows to avoid the air
conditioning escape easily. The outside of awning windows also cannot be cleaned
from inside, so keeping them on the first storey of IKEA is recommended.
Alternative
IKEA’s windows are best suited for smaller window openings, as awning window can
be escape from dangerous but also it reduce the opportunity of robbery as the
window is inconvenient to move in and out compare to others windows. The
functionality of it is as well as others window too for example the ventilation,
unobstructed view, and of course, awning windows have a tighter seal than gliding or
double-hung windows. The weather stripping is compression-fit. In conclusion after
every comparison, awning window is the most suitable to be installed in IKEA’s
office. In the end, there is no better alternative that are both good in terms of cost
and construction.

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Door
Existing
In IKEA, automatic sliding door systems provide extensive convenience and flexibility for
effortless access without contact with door to customer. The door used in IKEA is a double
liner sliding doors. Thus, it will big and enough for customer to transport their belonging to
car safety and convenience neither saving their time. The linear sliding door automates
entrances in a very elegant and simple manner. The door leaves slide away from pedestrian,
making a significant contribution to safety. The automatic sliding door provides low-noise,
extremely reliable, refined technology, enhances convenience for customers.
Alternative
The current door used in IKEA is already the most suitable for an entrance into IKEA. A
sliding door is very convenient to be used in a shopping mall. Hence, there won’t be any
alternatives to the existing door.
The technology used at the IKEA’s main door is perfect, but instead, we suggested to use
Low-E glass (low emissivity glass) to replace the current glass. Low-E glass is a type of
reflective glass that appears to be clear while reflecting heat back to its source. It reduces
heat loss while providing maximum light transmittance, and also helps to resist UV rays.
Depending on the viewing angle and sunlight, a slight tint can be seen. Glass from different
runs or with different metal oxide coatings will exhibit differences of hue or colour, making
many options for the Low-E glass.

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Stairs
Existing
The stairs at the main entrance is a L-shaped stairs with landing in the middle. Well,
these stairs can be found in the corner of IKEA’s warehouse. It allows different
direction of entry from the corner. The landing in the middle provides a pause,
assuming that the upper floor is the worker’s destination, workers will be able to
continue going up after pausing. It indeed suits the corner side of IKEA with its space
used up. This type of stairs is commonly used in shopping malls, but in this case, it’s
restricted to personnel only. Due to its quarter-turn design, it is not easy to construct
and require higher cost than straight-fight stairs.
Alternative
We recommend to change it to a straight flight stairs with landing in between as an
alternative. First thing noticeable will be the space used is smaller as the design
doesn’t include turnings. It also saves cost in construction by using one side of
handrail replaced by the corner of the wall. Time is an important factor, so the
simplicity of the design reduces with the time taken to construct.

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Conclusion
After everything that we surveyed in IKEA Damansara, we realised that in the end,
the design and concept of each and every building is unique in a way that it helps in
the looks from the outside. Like how IKEA did it. IKEA maintained the look of a cabin
internationally with its roof and external walls. The only thing that changed is the
interior looks of IKEA. The roof is constructed in a way to withstand our tropical
country’s heat that may not suit other countries. The windows are also tinted to
prevent heat and sunlight from penetrating. Doors for easy access throughout the
building. Stairs, utilising full usage of a steel beam. All these factors are taken into
consideration when a building is built. And so, this assignment made us realised that
it’s not about how a building is built, it’s what’s available after construction ends.
The End

Construction Technology 1 Report on IKEA Damansara

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