Difference in the construction methods.
Since I started working in USA I have been seeing the difference ways how at least this American company I am working for design buildings and use construction system in ways I am not use to, what is pretty cool how architecture change based in our view of the world, were we are at and the natural disasters we can face in the area.
My country is the beautiful Chile, in South America a beautiful, thing and long land that is famous for having earthquakes and Tsunamis what makes my country a unique place.
For this reason, in Chile you will always see construction with more then 3 floors build in concrete, because a building with concrete and steel make the structure able to swing without collapsing.
The ductility of the materials is very important in this, that they are capable of deforming without breaking.
So what have been amazing for me over here is that this state, New Jersey doesn’t deal with earthquakes so is normal seeing building of 6 floors build in wood, having just the ground floor and subterranean in concrete so the building has a good foundation to structure the floors above and will help in case of fire. So this for me and my experience is so different!
I am use to too seeing over sizing in the structures as beans and pillars to protect the building in case of Earthquakes that are pretty common in my country. So when I see the beans and pillars here sometimes they feel to small comparing back to my home land.
Other interesting difference is that a lot of this buildings are build with prefabricated beans and structures so the time of construction and management of the building goes really fast, and that is so important because here in New Jersey rains often, doesn’t matter in what season we are at, it will rain, so because the construction system is general in wood, is important that the structure don’t take much humidity or this will mess with the Wood.
Some technology that they use is more advance, like all the isolation doesn’t come in in packages to be install, instead they use a machine that has a special liquid that when this is applied it will expand and will fill or the spaces were the insolation needs to be, what makes the process fast and clean.
To learn nos just about the design area that I love, but being able to be in the construction site have been a really good experience for me, to be able to understand the whole process of design and construction putted together.
I am sure I still have so much more to learn and discover and I am Still exiting for what is in store for me and this adventure of architecture in New Jersey
