SIREWALL tagline: Your Future This Is

CONSULTING SERVICE

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HOW WE WORK:

The SIREWALL Consulting team provides consulting services to architects and engineers who wish to use insulated rammed earth for commercial buildings. 

We work in partnership with you during the design, creation and/or building phases of your project so that you can confidently create original buildings without the risks usually associated with using an unknown and unconventional building material.

We have 25 years of experience building with insulated rammed earth and have a proven track record in creating highly unusual buildings and walls around the world, from beautiful curved structures to magnificent 50 foot tall load-bearing walls. We will help you to bring your vision to life and make sure that it meets the most stringent structural and environmental specifications. 

SIREWALL president Meror Krayenhoff on site at the Telenor ‘345’ head office project in Islamabad, Pakistan, 2015. Gain insights on our consultancy for this this project, on our blog.

DESIGN & PRE-CONSTRUCTION
CONSTRUCTION

DESIGN & PRE-CONSTRUCTION

During the design phase we work with you to ensure your vision is feasible and can be built in reality without any loss of performance.

We will review your specifications for height, texture, color palette as well as the desired structural details and together we will make your designs a reality.

SIREWALL is constructed using only locally available soils.

We work with you onsite to create the optimal soil mix, color palette, and finish texture. A mockup wall will show you that what you envision is viable.

We help you with all the design and engineering details and create an implementation plan so you can be confident that your vision is realized. We have worked with teams across the world and we know the kinds of questions and concerns that will be raised by your general contractor and we will help you address those in advance.

CONSTRUCTION

We are also available to consult during the construction phase of your project to make sure the team is properly trained, ensure quality control and help the general contractor create the result you are looking for.

 

OUR PROJECT-BASED CONSULTING SERVICE:

SIREWALLs last a very long time, yet, should they ever be dismantled, all the parts can be reused

SIREWALL’s consulting services can be tailored to the scope and nature of the project.

We can and have consulted on a full spectrum of projects, from a SIREWALL cottage to a SIREWALL baseball stadium – and everything in between!

SIREWALL’s expertise is delivered from start to finish, providing input to all who need to know how best to work with this technology.This includes the architects, engineers, building inspectors, general contractor, site supervisor, safety supervisor, foreman, labourers, electricians, plumbers, concrete subs, formwork designers & builders, soils suppliers, soils lab, equipment suppliers, purchasing agents, artists, and energy modelers

 

 Considering SIREWALL for a new project?

  • Will SIREWALL technology work in a specific new location?
  • Is the local soil capable of producing the strengths necessary for the project?
  • Can the architectural intent be achieved with SIREWALL?
  • Will the engineers be able to work with this system and will the local building inspector approve of the use of SIREWALL?
  • Can the local tradespeople work easily with this technology?
  • How do I ensure a good outcome for the SIREWALL portion of the project?
 

These questions and more are addressed in our consulting services, which are typically delivered in multiple phases:

PHASE 1
PHASE 2
PHASE 3 A
PHASE 3 B
PHASE 4

1 – Feasibility

When complete, there will be confidence that the required strength, colour, and texture for the project can be supplied with local soils.
  • Prospecting – searching near to the building site to find local candidate soils
  • Sieve analysis, fineness modulus, and graphing the particle size distribution of each candidate soil
  • Computerized mix design – establishing the best mix of soils in optimal proportions based on proprietary metrics, taking into consideration the specific project’s textural and forming requirements
  • Creation of 9 compressive test samples of the optimal mix, to be cracked at 3 days, 7 days, and 28 days in order to establish a strength over time characteristic for the optimal blend
  • Creation of 9 colour samples for the architect / client in order to refine the visual presentation
  • Creation of a 4’ x 7’ mockup wall for the architect to further refine the visual presentation and assess how the chosen colours work together. This is also the opportunity to explore the wall’s surface textural possibilities, should they be under consideration
  • Compaction factor of the optimal mix is determined in order to accurately calculate the volume of materials required for the project
  • Initial site analysis with regard to locations of stockpiling, mixing pad, placement of volumetric mixer, crane location(s), delivery routes, sequence of construction, identification of hazards, etc.
  • Presentation to the team as gathered together by the client / architect. This may include approved general contractors prior to tender. It may include subtrades (eg. Electrical, mechanical, HVAC, concrete etc) and site supervisors who are keen to learn how to work with the SIREWALLs. It may include building officials and worksafe officials who have questions and need reassurance. It may include other architects, media, and the general public, in order to raise the profile of the project and project team

2 – Design Ready and Build Ready

When complete the architect, engineer, and general contractor are ready to build.
  • Identifying hard-to-build details and offering alternatives
  • Going over all the details with regard to the SIREWALLs and making comments where useful or necessary. Special attention is paid to buildability and value engineering
  • Providing support with local building code and safety compliance
  • Support for project specific specifications for the SIREWALLs
  • Support GC with formwork selection, mixer selection, tamper selection, delivery selection, and quality control tools. All the above will be project specific
  • Support GC with general preparedness for SIREWALL portion of the project and advise on sequencing / Gantt chart considerations

3 – Train, Quality Control, Quality Assurance programs for uninsulated SIREWALLs

When complete the build team is capable of going ahead independently. Quality metrics have been identified and a system of monitoring implemented.
  • The intention is to first train the workers
  • Then we train the lead hand in what to look for in creating quality with efficiency
  • Then we train the QC person in what to look for inside the QA program we provide
  • Finally we meet with the workers, lead hand and QC person to be sure everyone knows what success looks like and what the measure-ables are

3 B – Train, Quality Control, Quality Assurance programs for insulated SIREWALLs

This is the same as Phase 3 A in content and sequencing, but has the added complexity of having insulation in the SIREWALLs.

4 – Training in repairs and tuning up the walls for the grand opening

It is normal for the walls to experience some damage from when they are completed to when all the other subtrades are done.

Training in:

  • how to remove paint dribbles from SIREWALLs
  • how to remove suspended slab cement dribbles from SIREWALLs
  • how to remove efflorescence if insufficient SIREWALL Base Admixture (SBA) was used
  • how to repair divots, chips or damage to the SIREWALLs
  • patching and colour matching

*Consulting services to architectural firm only

We also provide consulting service for architects, when the architect’s contract runs only to the start of construction and include only drawings and specifications. SIREWALL’s consulting in the build for the general contractor or the client comes later – contact us for details.

Architects we’ve enjoyed working with, around the world

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