The Development of the GSK System .for School...

Educational Buildings

Occasional Paper No. 2

The Development of the GSK System .for School Construction; A Case Study from Japan

1983

Printed under the UNESCO-AGFUND Regional

Project Development of Educational Facilities

in Asia and the Pacific

The Development of the GSK System for School Construction; A Case Study from Japan

Nick H. Kajita

Technical Director Research Institute of Educational Facilities

Educational Buildings Occasional Paper No. 2

Unesco

Bangkok

November 1983

Printed under the UNESCO-AGFUND Regional Project Development of Educational Facilities

in Asia and the Pacific

0 C Unesco 1983

Published by the Unesco Regional Office for Education in Asia and the Pacific

P.O. Box 1425, General Post Office Bangkok 10500, Thailand

Second printing May 1987

Printed in Thailand

The designations employed and the presentation of the mater&l in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of Unesco concerning the legal status of any country, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitations of the frontiers of any country or territory. Opinions printed here do not necessarily represent the offickl views of Unesco.

SKE0/07/RM/NS/291-300

CONTENTS

PREFACE

Page

PROLOGUE : The origins of RIEF and the GSK system 1

TECHNICAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE GSK SYSTEM :

- Problems relating to school construction in Japan

- The start of a systems approach to school construction

- Performance specifications

- The call for technical proposals

- Construction of the pilot school building

EPILOGUE : The applications of the GSK system 25

5

6

8

13

18

PREFACE

This Occasional Paper is based on an article written by Mr. Kajita in 1977 and updated through an interview by a member of the Educational Facilities Development Service of the Unesco Regional Office for Education in Asia and the Pacific.

The particular method of constructing school buildings which is described in this paper is presently feasible in only a limited number of countries in Asia and the Pacific. But as industrial development becomes increasingly important in the economies of different countries throughout the region, this approach will find wider application.

The process which was used to develop the construction method is of almost universal interest. Any country which is undertaking a sizable school construction programme has something to learn from the way in which this project was planned and the process which was used to find an appropriate school building design.

Mr. Kuriyama, Director of the Research Institute for Educational Facilities has been very helpful in giving his permission for publishing the materials included in this report. To him we express our gratitude.

PROLOGUE : The origins of RIEF and the GSK system

The Research Institute for Educational Facilities, known as RIEF was created in September 1971 as a public service corporation authorized by the Ministry of Education. Its functions, which relate exclusively to educational facilities, include:

1) fundamental research;

2) carrying out research on standardization and industrialization;

3) development of building systems;

4) promotion of research in co-operation with local public bodies (down to village level);

. 5) encouraging and subsidizing research by other bodies; and

6) collection and dissemination of information.

Since its creation, the RIEF has taken up several major activities including the development of an industrialized building system which has been especially created to meet the demands of educators, and research on energy efficient buildings.

Perhaps the most impressive feature of the RIEF secretariat is its size: a director, an architect and one secretary - only three people! The organization has been very shrewdly conceived so that with a very small nucleus of personnel, it can mobilize and direct many more people, in the Ministry of Education, local education authorities, industry, private design practices and in universities.

The first major undertaking by RIEF was the research and development work for the industrialized educational building system mentioned above. This system is known as the 'GSK', and acronym coined from the Japanese words meaning 'educational facilities buildings'.

The lineage of the GSK system is international. It can be traced back to 1957 to Hertfordshire in the U.K. It was there that the first industrialized building system for schools (Consortium of Local Authorities Special Programme, CLASP) was developed in response to the need for the speedy construction of a large number of educational buildings. This system was based on a light weight steel frame and industrially produced wall panels. The second generation of steel system buildings for education was developed in the USA (School Construction Systems Development, SCSD) during the early 1960's and was followed by a Canadian project in 1967 (System for Educational Facilities, SEF).

GSK system

In May 1972, Dr. John Boice, then Director of the Building Systems Information Clearing House, visited RIEF. The Clearing House had been created by the Educational Facilities Laboratories of New York City to develop and use industrialized building systems. Dr. Boice gave two lectures and reported on experiences in the USA and Canada. According to Mr. Kuriyama, Director of RIEF, it was these lectures which provided the basic inspiration for the development of GSK.

Taking advantage of its organizational structure, the RIEF secretariat enlisted the support of Japanese industry in the development of the GSK system. Figure 1 shows the working relationships which were established to bring together the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Construction, local authorities, designers and industry. The sequence in which the GSK system was developed can be studied by reading the chronological list of events given below.

FIGURE 1. The working relationships behind the development and implementation of 'GSK' system

RIEF Board

- Chairman - Vice Chairman - Members from

Industry Ministry of Education / I

/ /

’ A’ Ministry of Construction

Consultants

Local Authorities

General Construction Contractors

Component Designers

h line of legal or contractual responsibility

---- + advisory relationship

2

Prologue

Chronological list of events related to the GSK system

22.9.1971

19.1.1972

18-23.5.1972

5-26.6.1972

18.6.1972

-.7.1972

15.8.1972

-.9.1972

-.4.1973

-.6.1973

15.10.1973

-.2.1974

26.4.1974

19-20.8.1974

5.11.1974

10.1.1975

10.3.1975

13.5.1975

18.6.1975

29.6.1975

-.7.1975

20.9.1975

Establishment of RIEF was authorized by Ministry of Education.

Preparation Committee for Sub-system Development was set up.

Dr. J.R. Boice, Director BSIC/EFL, gave lectures on ‘Education and its Facilities’ in U.S. and Canada.

Educational Facility Observation Tour to U.S. and Canada sponsored by MOE.

A researcher was sent to attend a meeting on the Unesco School Building Research Programme in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Introduction of RIEF projects to 195 heads of Education sections of villages, towns, cities where a sudden increase in population had occurred, and request, for their requirements on educational facilities.

RIEF projects were explained and a proposal for school building construction was made to the Minister of Education.

MOE entrusted RIEF to develop, systematize and industrialize school building construction.

Original proposals on building system specifications and sub-systems (performance specifications) completed.

MOE entrusted RIEF to undertake investigation on standardization of school facilities.

Meeting held to report on ‘Systematization and Industriahzation of School Facilities’ (80 section chiefs in charge of school facilities in Tokyo and 3 other prefectures attended).

‘A Guide Book on School Building Systems’ and ‘Sub-systems-Performance Specifications’ were published.

A national conference on school construction methods held for those in- charge of school facilities. RIEF projects presented.

A meeting held to discuss ‘Promotion on Systematization and Industrial- ization of School Facilities’ (attended by those in charge of school facilities nationwide). The meeting agreed to support RIEF projects.

A meeting was held by heads of Education sections to discuss the sudden increase in child population. At this meeting, the GSK System Committee was established by section chiefs involved with educational facilities from Tokyo, three prefectures and 27 cities. The secretariat was set up in the RIEF office.

A competition for technical proposals on the GSK system announced.

Ninety-nine enterprises responded and 36 proposals presented for this competition.

Thirteen enterprises chosen to build a Pilot School using the GSK system.

Public presentation of the winning proposal.

Construction of pilot school started.

MOE entrusted RIEF to undertake research on ‘School facility standardization in cold areas’.

A pilot school completed.

GSK system

-.10.1975

-.6.1976

-.6.1976

-.7.1976

20.9.1976

-.10.1976

15.12.1976

18.3.1977

20.3.1977

-.4.1977

-.8.1978

-.3.1983

Publication of ‘School Building System-an enforcement plan’.

Director of Education, Chiba Prefecture requested Japan Housing Co-operation, Tokyo Bureau, to build Yachiyo Kita Prefecture High School.

Japan Housing Corporation decided to use GSK system.

Publication of ‘A catalogue of the GSK system’ (collections of winning designs from the competition of technical proposals on the GSK system).

Construction started on Chiba Prefecture Yachiyo Hagashi High School.

Training on the GSK system (Tokyo, Nagoya, Hiroshima, Osaka).

Announcement of winners of the competition for a GSK system in cold regions.

Construction of Chiba’s Yachiyo Higashi High School completed.

MOE published pamphlets on ‘School building by the GSK system’.

‘A guide on maintenance and management of the GSK system’ published.

Educational Committee of Chiba Prefecture requested RIEF to co-operate in management of school building construction by the GSK system.

131,320 m2 floor area built by the GSK system (27 schools, 47 construction sites).

4

TECHNICAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE GSK SYSTEM

Problems relating to school facilities construction in Japan

The increase in the population of urban areas in Japan and the resulting sudden increase of school children are causing local governments to build quite a number of schools each year. Conventional construction processes have not been able to cope adequately with this demand for the following reasons.

1) Because of the shortage of skilled workers, the quality of work is falling and there is a lack of uniformity in the work.

2) As the normal processes require large numbers of workers whose wages are rising rapidly, the cost of construction is going up very quickly.

3) Since the normal processes require relatively long construction time, unexpected situations such as general price hikes, shortages of materials and bad weather, frequently give rise to unforeseen problems.

4) The long construction time has an impact not only on the construction cost but also on the function of the school itself. For example the school may be deprived of the use of the playground while it is used for storage of construction materials.

5) Communities wish to have better school buildings as living standards improve, yet the financing to achieve such high standards is not necessarily provided.

6) Even though it is not easy to secure the land for schools, school sites are not necessarily efficiently utilized.

In keeping with the changes taking place in society, there are also changes in the field of education. Both teaching methods and theories are under review. Some of the changes that are being discussed in intellectural circles are the following:

1) llore emphasis is being placed on how to learn rather than on how to teach;

2) Individual pupils and students are more concerned with their education as individuals than with mass education or memorization;

3) New styles of teaching such as small group education or one-to-one instruction are becoming more popular; and

4) Improved technology is bringing more audio-visual machines into use.

5

GSK system

The users of conventional school facilities found that these learning environments were not meeting their needs. In particular:

1) The building imposes a fixed framework of equal sized classrooms, which makes it difficult to adopt less rigid, new styles of teaching; and

2) Conventional buildings do not always provide adequate natural or artificial illumination, ventilation, or temperature and humidity control. Despite the fact that these factors affect the children's health and their education, they are often ignored.

Some opinions of educationalists regarding the characteristics of modern school buildings are given below.

1) The size of a class or a learning group is essentially fluid, so its size should be changed from time to time to meet specific needs.

2) Fixed walls between classrooms place a permanent limitation on the pattern of instruction.

3) School facilities and environments should serve present educational needs, but be flexible enough to meet changes in the future.

4) Classrooms, equipment, furniture and teaching materials should be designed for a variety of uses, to suit the creative and aesthetic abilities of growing children.

The start of a systems approach to school construction

The general price hike in 1973 caused by the oil shortage had a negative impact on school building construction in Japan. Thus the officials in charge and the members of the local Boards of Education met to discuss the rationalization of school building construction. The systems approach was suggested as a solution. The basic concept was that of developing standardized, industrially produced building elements which could be assembled in a large variety of ways. This would allow any number of individualized school buildings to be constructed from a set of standardized elements. This approach, it was hoped, would make use of the country's industrial capacity to solve the crisis in school construction.

The meeting of National Metropolitan and Local Government Education Superintendents on 9 November 1974, decided that the major cities within the Tokyo Metropolitan area should co-operate in developing a systems approach in school building, in an effort to solve the problems relating to the extreme increase in school population. The School Building System Committee was established consisting of the members of the local Boards of Education of the Tokyo Metropolis, Chiba, Kanagawa and Saitama Prefectures and twenty-seven other cities within the Metropolitan Area,

6

Systems approach

as well as those local government civil servants in charge of education. The function of this committee was to launch the systems building project. As a start the Committee set up sub-committees on administration, financing and technologies so that these matters could be discussed in detail. The Committee had its office at the Research Institute of Educational Facilities. It was decided that the programme for the promotion of building systems developed by the Committee would enjoy the full co-operation and assistance of the Institute.

The overall objective of the resulting building system developed by the Committee and by RIEF, is to provide comfortable educational environments for school children and students.

The specific aims of the GSK building system are as follows:

1) In order to meet any future changes in educational method, the building system should provide enough flexibility for alterations within the constructed surface area;

2) Because of the variety of local conditions and user requirements, the basic planning should permit easy modification;

3) The facilities built with the building system should be of a very high quality and function efficiently; and

4) School buildings and other constructions produced through the building system should have lower costs and shorter construction periods than conventional buildings.

In order to make this building system practical the designers had to break with conventional methods of construction. The GSK buildings, it was decided, would be assembled from modular components manufactured in plants. In this way construction labour would be reduced to the minimum, as workers would merely assemble the manufactured components.

To develop this building system, therefore, it was necessary to identify a number of discrete "parts" of the building according to its functions, the type of on site field construction work required and stages of construction. These parts should then be closely integrated so that they could be assembled in a way that could produce a variety of buildings. These parts are called 'sub-systems', and are the practical units of development.

Thus, in the first stage, the basic conditions and contents of the building system were carefully defined by a committee consisting of school facilities planners and construction related people. This

process became known as the establishment of performance specifications.

In the second stage, a number of enterprises with various specializations were asked to make technical proposals for each of the sub-systems, in accordance with the basic conditions laid down.

7

GSK system

The third stage was to be the construction of a school building system by the enterprises selected to produce the sub-systems. This would be followed by the integration of the sub-systems into a completed building on which various performance tests could be conducted.

Performance specifications

A large number of factors go into the preparation of performance specifications. These vary from general objectives to specific regulations for building design and include technical criteria, speed of erection and cost limits. The sequence of the factors given below moves from the general to the specific.

General conditions incorporated into the performance specifications included:

1) The building system should be suitable for primary, middle and high schools; it should provide flexibility, durability and safety;

2) This building system should be sufficiently versatile to allow for construction of general classrooms, laboratories, gymnasiums, cafeteria, and other school facilities;

3) While in most cases the buildings would be limited to four floors, the system should make possible the construction of a fifth floor as well;

4) The system should allow for creative floor plans free of conventional plan features such as a 'single loaded' corridor on one side with a row of rooms, or 'double loaded' corridor with rooms on either side;

5) The site plan and building design should permit future expansion;

6) The internal partitions in the building (aside from the normally fixed ones) should be movable and interchangeable to accommodate changes in teaching methods, or organization of the school;

7) The ceiling lighting fixtures and other electric and electronic arrangements should allow for expansion and relocation (including relocation together with the partitions);

8) The maintenance and control of the facilities should be reasonably economical.

The next step was to lay down some specific requirements for the buildings. These requirements included:

1) Within one building under one roof, as a rule there should not be a difference of floor levels;

8

Performance specifications

2) The upper floor columns should not be supported by the lower floor beams;

3) As a rule there should not be any cantilevers or overhangs except for balconies, which could be introduced as an options;

4) The outer surrounding wall of the buildings should not have any inclination;

5) There should be a column wherever the building plan has a corner, both going out and coming in;

6) The planning grid (building module) should be 900 x 900 mm; if especially needed, a half-size grid could be adopted;

7) Column centres, partition centres, etc. should, as a rule, be provided on the grid crossing and/or on the grid line;

8) Generally the height of floors should be 3,600 mm for classrooms with + 100 mm for adjustment if necessary, 4,500 mm for large rooms, and 6,900 mm for gymnasiums.

The system then needed to be broken down into clearly defined sub-systems to permit the designers of each sub-system to know exactly what parts of the building were to be included in their work, and how their sub-component would fit (or interface) with the others.

1) The differentiation of one sub-system from another and the definition of each are given in Table 1. This table also lists those building elements which have to be built by conventional means and are thus 'non-system' items.

2) The dimensional tolerance of components between one sub- system and another should be given for each sub-system,

3) For the connections between one sub-system and another, there should be a general rule that the first sub-system to be put in place should have the components and passages on the 'primary side' to receive the sub-system to be installed afterwards.

As regards construction time it was decided that for the construction of a three-storey school with a floor area of about 5,000 m2, the construction time should be 140 days or less. The Standard Construction Schedule given in Figure 2 shows how this was planned.

The developmental work for each of the sub-systems must be carried out with particular care to ensure that all aspects of each sub-system are taken into account, and also that the specific sequence of work between sub-systems is respected. Systematized planning must be enforced for component production, delivery, on-site processing and fabrication.

GSK system

Table 1. Classification of sub-systems

Work included in sub-system Major items included in non-system

-

Structured system, staircase, and fire- proofing, finishing of exposed components

Foundation piles, foundation, first floor slab

Wall surface constituting the building exterior wall surface. Window, entrance (including glass, frame and doors, and hardware), eaves, etc. Includes inner and outer surface finishing

Underfinishing on the roof for waterproof finish, roofing, surfacing and rails, and other accessories on roof

Fixed, relocatable and openable partitions. Door and frame finish, entrances, windows (including glass and interior hardware)

Ceiling suspension and ceiling surface finish Lighting fixtures packed with ceiling units and wall lighting

Floor finishing. Chalkboards, tackboards and fixed furniture, student lockers and shoe boxes. Finishing of concrete-slab on first floor

All electrical equipment and wiring equipment on the building side of the transformer station. Public address, alarm system, telephone, inter-phone-system and others

Separate building for receiving electricity and its foundation

Machines for water supply, drainage and others, piping and sanitation instru- mentation. Heating and ventilation systems. Toilet block (floor, wall finishing, partition, booths, etc.). Gas installation,

*purification tank (or filter tank)

Outdoor piping for water supply and drainage (located at 1.5 m distance from the building)

10

Sub-system

1. Structure

2. Exterior wall

3. Roofing

4. Interior partition

5. Ceiling lighting

6. Floor finishing and furnishings

7. Electric- electronic

8. Mechanical service

Figure 2. The standard construction schedule

Building condition: 3 floors, 5,000 rn2

PHASE 1 Foundations

PHASE 2 Structure, exterior wall

and roofing 45 days

PHASE 3 Ceiling- lighting 20 days

PHASE 4 PHASE 5 Interior Inspection finishing Take-over 25 days

LEAD TIME 5 days

I 0

1st floor 45-.+------

5 days

Mechanical Service (under 1st floor) ------

Site

Foundations 27 days

- Activity

0 Number of working days

/ T Exg;;oraIl 1 Cradin~~~~~~~~~

I

Fixed partitions I

25 days

Mech. Service Mech. fixtures

25 days >.

Roofing Q Ceiling-lig~~~~stallation = _ 1

GSK system

A contest for technical proposals was held with the aim of building a school of about 100,000 m* of floor space. Limits for the unit price of the total building(s) were given and the competitors were asked to present quotations for each sub-system together with their technical proposals. Below are the cost conditions which the competitors were asked to meet.

1) The unit price should include the combined price of each sub-system incorporating the production, delivery and on-site construction costs.

2) The unit price for sub-systems should be a uniform price for buildings with a total of 100,000 m2 floor space in the Metropolitan area, based on the average distance for delivery and differences of production conditions.

3) A target for construction costs for each sub-system was given. The competing enterprises were asked to present quotations on each sub-system separately.

Requirements for production of components were set out as follows:

1) The parts for each sub-system should be plant-processed so as to minimize the amount of work on site;

2) Within each sub-system, the components should be thoroughly standardized so that production equipment can be utilized efficiently;

3) The manufactured components should be delivered as directly as-possible from plant to site in order to simplify distribution;

4) The assembly of components for on-site construction should be as simple as possible;

5) The on-site work should be mechanized in a rational way (which does not necessarily mean the use of large machines).

It was necessary that special care be taken with regard to the following points in order to encourage a variety of solutions. This would permit the broadest possible application of the GSK system.

1) The design of each sub-system was left open to the designer's unrestricted choice. Sufficient varieties within each sub-system were required so that individual school designs could meet local conditions.

2) The tasks of preparing the basic plans for each individual school building, planning of execution, cost estimation, placing construction orders and construction supervision were expected to be as easy and rational as possible and to be carried out in the shortest possible time.

12

3)

4)

5)

6)

7)

Technical proposals

It was required that construction using the building system could also be carried out by conventional processes.

The whole process from the production of components through to the on-site construction was required to be carried out in linear sequence as much as possible, in order to reduce costs.

It was required that local general construction firms be able to execute the individual buildings, to provide them with business and aid their technical growth.

In all stages of the system engineered part production, delivery and site construction, public hazards such as air and water pollution, vibration and noise should be strictly taken care of.

During the on-site construction of each sub-system, the safety of workers as well as of third parties and the improvement of labour conditions had to be ensured.

The call for technical proposals

The contest for technical proposals was announced in January 1975. Entitled 'The Competition for Systematized and Industrialized School Building Construction', it was sponsored by the School Building System Committee and supported by the Ministries of Education and Construction.

The potential competitors were provided with the objectives of the building system and performance specifications. Meetings were also held to provide orientation for the competitors and to respond to their questions; thus the principles were thoroughly understood by all participants.

The proposers who answered the call were encouraged to use their most outstanding staff members and engage specialist consultants (including architects) as well as legally authorized personnel in fields in which such licenses are necessary. The call for proposals was concluded on 10 March, and resulted in responses from building contractors, manufacturers, sales agencies and many other related industries in the field. The total number of proposals was 36 and the total number of enterprises involved was 99 (see Table 2). Table 3 summarizes the proposals and quotations.

13

GSK system _

Table 2. Proposals received

1. Structure

2. Exterior wall

3. Roofing


5. Ceiling and lighting

6. Floor finishing and furnishing

7. Electric and electronic


Total

No. of proposals No. of submitted enterprises

9

8

2

11

2

1

2

1

36

23

18

8

23

8

6

5

8

99

Table 3. Summary of sub-system technical proposals

Proposal Proposal description Quotation No. Wm2)

1. Structure sub-system

104 Precast concrete (PC), module: 600 mm

Reference

Module not qualified for given standard

128 Columns, beams and floor panels consisting of PC materials

20,640

176.146 Columns and beams made of PC material by centrifugal molding process

115 and others

Columns and beams of PC material (to be built with the exterior wall)

121 Steel pipe and H-steel combined

14

Technical proposals

Proposal No.

110

107.111

122

115 and others

221

208

228

224.225

217.264

204

256

201 and others

361

301 and others

Proposal description

Column and beam made of H-steel; floor, PC material

Column and beam, H-steel; connector, cast metal; floor slab, reinforced concrete (RC)

Column and beam, H-steel

Column and beam, H-steel; floor slab, RC; fire proofing; rock wool coating

2. Exterior wall sub-system

Recessed and plain panels of LPC (Light weight pre-cast concrete)

Plain panel with ribs, of LPC material and of foamed polystyrene

Plain panel of LPC material

Plain panel of LPC material

PC panel

PC, spandrel-type and PC plain panels

Transversely cut panel of ALC (autoclave light-weight concrete)

PC spandrel and sash system, metal wood system, etc.

3. Roofing sub-system

Proposal for roof (not for walking on: containing water-proof construction

Asphalt water-proof, and four other proposals

15

Quotation

Wm2)

21,645

9,265

8,823

8,827

10,898

10,903

9,285

2,986

Reference

Not qualified

GSK system

Proposal No.

402

413

423

427

444

460

440

403

456

415 and others

514 and others

552

630 and others

775

758 and others

806 and others

Proposal description

4. Interior partition sub-system

Combination of ALC, steel panel, steel panel aluminum stud

Sheet steel stud

Sheet steel panel

Sheet steel panel

Steel cube incorporated system

Steel stud, honeycomb core panel

Aluminum stud, laminated panel

Steel stud, aluminum panel, steel panel

Aluminum injection-molded panel, aluminum stud, ALC for fixed partition

Steel stud

5. Ceiling-lighting sub-system

Aluminum/steel ceiling runners, asbestos sound-proof plate

Ceiling runners by jointed pipes

6. Floor finishing and furnishing sub-system

PVC flooring sheet, natural wood block, carpet, chalkboard, and tag board

7. Electric-electronic sub-system

Service panel, inside-ceiling distributor and others

Separate electric panel for each ridges

8. Mechanical service sub-system

Toilet unit: two types, shower, Sink : stainless steel, plumbing

16

Quotation

Wm2)

9,747

10,440

10,779

5,870

8,935

9,552

5,000

3,689

4,448

4,364

6,367

Reference

Technical proposals

The Committee asked for the opinions of its consulting members, and called upon specialists in different fields (known as Evaluation Members of the Committee) to co-operate in the examination of the proposals. Twenty-three sub-system proposals were qualified as 'tentatively passing'. Those enterprises which were chosen were informed of the decision of the Committee. A hearing was then held to ask for corrections of some aspects of their proposals and to give a second orientation on the building system.

Generally speaking, very few of the proposals rigorously pursued the building system idea from the design stage through to construction.

In the examination of proposals, the following three items were considered to be most important:

a) The sub-system components must be produced with excellent technologies in the manufacturers' plants, to ensure that the products are of high quality and low cost;

b) The on-site construction work should be easy to do and all parts should fit well; and

c) 'Qte maintenance of the buildings after completion should be easy, and the buildings should be adjustable to accommodate future changes.

After further examination, the Committee selected the 13 best proposals and 8 of the second rank. At the same time the Committee appointed the thirteen sub-system manufacturing enterprises to undertake the pilot school building.

The applications which passed the standard as classified by sub-

Sub-system

1. Structure

2. Exterior skin

3. Roofing


5. Ceiling/lighting

6. Floor finishing furnishing

7. Electric/electronic


Total

system are shown in Table 4.

Table 4. Results of examination of

Tentative passing’

Number of ( Number of propw3ls en1 crpriscs )

4 (11)

7 (17)

1 ( 7)

6 ( 8)

1 ( 7)

1 ( f-3

2 ( 5)

1 ( 8)

23 (79)

roposals

First rank1 _____--.--

2 ( 9)

4 (13)

1 ( 7)

4 (16)

1 ( 7)

1 ( 6)

13 (58)

-

Secod rank*

1 (1)

2 (3)

2 (2)

2 (5) 1 (8)

s (19) 1. The first number indicates the number of proposals submitted, and the number in parenthesis indicates

the number of firms involved. 17

GSK system

Construction of the pilot school building

After the winners of the competition were announced, it was decided to build a pilot school building.

The pilot building was constructed through co-operation with the Tokyo Gakugei University on the site of the high school attached to the University (315 Higashi Oizumi, Nerima-ku, Tokyo). This two-storey building has a total floor area of 494 m2 and a height of 7,975 mm. The construction period was from 1'July 1975 to 20 Sept. 1975.

In the design of this pilot school, as many variations as possible were tested. For example, four sub-systems for the outer wall were tried, with a different sub-system on the east, west, south and north sides. Also three ceiling-lighting sub-systems and two interior partition sub- systems were used in the pilot school.

Two activities accompanied the building of this pilot school. First, an overall examination was conducted in order to confirm whether or not the sub-systems satisfied the performance requirements; second, a movie was made to present the pilot school to the public and invite people to visit it.

Below is a brief general description of the sub-systems used in the pilot school building.

1) Structure sub-system (Figure 3)

The structural calculations have been made for earthquakes of force 0.3. The structural frame employs a moment frame between beams for resistance to earthquakes, the joints being made of high split high base material. The frame is fire-proofed with rock wool molded plates and the floor is constructed on-site using reinforced concrete poured on the steel deck.

2) Exterior wall sub-system (Figure 4)

Plant-manufactured concrete panels were used which were fixed in place on site , with acrylic resin blown on after caulking of the joints. The design was based on a thermal transmittance factor of 2, sound prevention 25dB for the panels with windows and 30dB for the solid panels. In this pilot school building, four types of panels using different materials, styles, and connectors were used on the east, west, south and north sides.

3) Roofing sub-system (Figure 5)

The sub-system was a special water-proof construction with a heat insulating material incorporated in asphalt. Since this

18

Pilot buildhg

school does not use the roof as a school facility, the roof- top was sand-treated. The edge panels of the roof were provided with a precast concrete top cover 90 cm in length. This cover fits over both the exterior cladding and the roof edge panels.

4) Interior partition sub-system (Figure 6)

The partitions used were of three types: one was a permanently fixed type used for stairway rooms and toilets; another was designed to be demounted and relocated by the maintenance staff at any time for different uses; and the last was a so-called accordian-type partition which can be opened or shut by the teachers when necessary. The relocatable partition was plant-manufactured and fixed on runners which ran in a 1.8 m grid on the ceiling and the floor. Two types were employed. The first floor used sheet steel panels backed with plaster board of 12 mm thickness, which were laid over studs. Partitions used on the second floor used panels with one piece of steel sheet on either face on the separation filled with rock wool.

5) Ceiling and lighting sub-systems (Figure 7)

One of the characteristics of this system was that the ceiling and illumination fixtures were done in one process so that the labour for installation was minimized. The ceiling grid of 1.8 m2 was fixed on the ceiling together with the illumination fixtures, etc. using hangers located on 90 cm centres. The ceiling grid on the first floor was of steel, while that of the second floor was of aluminium.

6) Flooring and furnishing sub-system (Figure 8)

The major part of this sub-system was the flooring and the minor additions included the chalkboards and instruction panels. After installation of the fixed partitions, but before fixing the relocatable ones, the flooring was laid down uniformly throughout the open spaces. This simplified installation and will permit future relocation of partitions without having to patch the floor. The first floor and the staircases were covered with vinyl chloride sheets, except for the music room which was carpeted; the second floor was covered with synthetic blocks which had surfaces made of natural wood.

7) Electric and electronic sub-system (Figure 9)

This sub-system used a main distributor which was installed in the internal space of the ceiling, and to which the main electric wiring was connected, including illumination wires, switches and plugs. This sub-system features an integrated service panel unit which includes all switches, receptacles, intercom telephones, and public address speakers for a given room. This service panel was made so that it could be relocated along with the partitions.

19

Test and investigation

Illumination test

Soundproof test of To determine the degree of sound attenuation by the exterior the exterior wall wall of the building including the sash doors

Floor impact sound test

To investigate how sounds from a higher floor due to walking or moving of desks, etc. are transmitted to the floor below

Sound absorption test

To determine whether ethos are created in each room by measuring sound absorption at each frequency zone in each room

Calculation for thermal properties

To forecast the thermal conditions of the building in actual use by calculating the factors such as heat transmission of the exterior wall, the average heat transmission rate of the exterior wall, thermal loss from each room, surface condensation, internal condensation and floor temperature

Vibration test

Usage test

Field work investigation

GSK system

8) Mechanical service and sanitation sub-systems (Figure 10)

The areas for penetration of pipes and tubes through different parts of the construction, including exterior walls, were all standardized so that the plumbing could also be standardized.

During the construction and after the completion of the pilot school building, tests of various kinds were conducted on it by the project team, the Japan Testing Centre for Construction Materials (JTCCM) and other agencies. The tests are enumerated in Table 5.

Table 5. Tests conducted on pilot school building

Contents of test and investigation

To determine the degree of light and its distribution within a room

To determine the vibration characteristics and behaviour of floors during earthquakes and in normal use

To determine whether all the windows, doors, staircases, etc. of the building are safe, convenient and comfortable

The construction schedule, number of tasks, etc. were investigated by using instruments, memos, motion pictures and investigation cards. Data for determining smoothness of work, efficiency, safety and precision of finishing were also obtained as materials for evaluation. Problems were identified and areas for improvement indicated.

20

Pilot buildin;

Figure 4. Exterior Wall Sub-system

Figure 3. Structure Sub-system

1. “Hisplit” connector, 5. Column X-B type 6. Beam

2. “Hisplit” connector, Y-B type

7. Deck plate

3. Moment frame 8. Floor covering

4. Fire-proofing 9. “Hibase” connector

21

GSK system

Figure 5. Roofing Sub-system

1 Roofing floor deck

2 Cant and corner

3 Vinyl sheets and coating

4 Asphalt waterproofing

5 End finishing: PC cover

6 Surface concrete

7 Drain

8 Hand rail

9 PCend cover

10 Corking for bolts and holes

Figure 6. Interior Partition Sub-system

Interior partitions when it is opened

Demountable partitions

Interior partitions when it is closed Operable partitions

Pilot building

Figure 7. Ceiling and Lighting Sub-systems

Figure 8. Flooring and Furnishing Sub-systems

1 Flooring materials 2 Interior furnishing

PCV Tile Chalkboard and Tagboard

Carpet Furniture and furnishing Parquet Signs

23

GSK system

Figure 9. Electric and Electronic Sub-system

Audio Visual Unit

Transformer

I I ID

I r Ill Wiring Unit

1. 3 i

Service Panel

Components and Wiring System

Figure 10. Mechanical Service and Sanitation Sub-systems

-

- Panel set case

- II L’ I

Flow of Sanitary System

c 24

EPILOGUE : The applications of the GSK system

From 1975 to 1982 a total floor area of 131,320 mz of educational space was built using the GSK system. In all 47 different construction programmes have been carried out for 27 schools. (Some schools have been built in several phases and thus account for 2 or 3 'programmes'). This includes classrooms, science rooms and gymnasiums used in primary and secondary schools. The list of schools is given in Table 6.

Many of the schools have been built in the Chiba prefecture - a rapidly growing suburban area on the outskirts of Tokyo. It was in this district that the first prototype was constructed in 1975.

The GSK system is uniquely adapted to this kind of environment since construction is usually very rapid. For a school of 5,000 to 8,000 m2 normally construction takes only four to five months using the GSK system, as compared to 8 or 10 months with conventional construction methods. This short construction time is particularly valuable in the case of extensions to existing schools where enrolments are rapidly increasing.

The average cost per square metre of recent GSK buildings has been around Y 135,000 ($519) for buildings with elevators and heating systems, or around Y 120,000 ($461) without. This is about a 50 per cent increase in quality and lo-20 per cent increase in price compared to conventional reinforced concrete buildings normally used for schools in Japan.

The consistancy and overall high quality of construction of GSK buildings is greatly appreciated by the users. The use of movable and demountable partitions provides teachers with the possibility of changing the size and shapes of interior spaces to suit different learning needs. To date, the teachers have failed to take full advantage of this feature of the GSK buildings, though it is expected that the increasing use of modern teaching methods will lead to increased experimentation.

Though the RIEF is spending relatively little time these days in monitoring the GSK, prospects for the use of the building system seem quite bright. It is hoped that an increasing number of prefectures will begin to use the system and especially that it will find increased use in the so-called 'national schools' which are spread throughout the country.

. Plans and photographs of some completed schools can be found in

the following pages.

25

GSK system

Table 6. School building by GSK system

1975 (494 m2)

1. High school attached to Faculty of Education, 494 m2 Tokyo Gakugei University, Oizumi Campus

1976 (15,854 m2)

2. Chiba Prefectural Yachiyo Higashi High School

3. Chiba Prefectural Funahashi Asahi High School

4. Chiba Prefectural Chishirodai High School

5. Matsudo City Matsudo No. 3 Middle School

6. Tomizato Village Koyo Primary School

7. Tokyo, Adachi Ward Kahei Primary School

1977 (3,576 m2)

8. Tomizato Village Tomizato Primary School

9. Tomizato Village Senshin Primary School

1978 (21,821 m2)

10. Chiba Prefectural Yachiyo Higashi High School

11. Chiba Prefectural Senjodai High School

12. Chiba Prefectural Nagareyama Higashi High School

13. A school for the handicapped attached to Faculty of Education, Niigata University

14. Gunma Prefectural Hokubu School for the Handicapped

1979 (31,666 m2)

15. Chiba Prefectural Ichikawa Kita High School

16. Chiba Prefectural Izumi High School

17. Chiba Prefectural Matsudo Yagiri High School


19. Tateyama City No. 3 Junior High School

20. Yotsukaido Town Chuo Primary School

26

4,859 m2

4,064 m2

3,688 m2

1,174 m2

1,563 m2

486 m2

2,095 m2

1,481 m2

5,841 m2

5,927 m2

3,236 m2

2,511 m2

4,306 m2

4,428 m2

4,596 m2

4,540 m2

4,154 m2

5,604 m2

4,791 m2

GSK system Pilot school

Classroom block

Classroom block

Classroom block (phase I) Extension

Special classroom

Extension

Extension

Special classroom

Special classroom (phase II, III)

Classroom block

Primary, Middle, High School 3 classrooms each

Classroom block Gymnasium

Classroom block

Classroom block

Classroom block

Special classroom

Classroom block, special classroom

Classroom block, special classroom

Epilogue

2 1. Chiba Prefectural Kashiwa Kita High School

1980 (31,001 m2)

22. Junior High School attached to Faculty of Education, Gunma University

23. Nagano Junior High School attached to Faculty of Education, Shinshu University

24. Nagoya City Showabashi Junior High School

25. Hyogo Teacher Training College Primary School attached to Faculty of Education


27. Chiba Prefectural Ichikawa Kita High School

28. Chiba Prefectural Izumi High School

29. Chiba Prefectural Matsudo Yagiri High School

1981 (9,739 m2)

30. Chiba Prefectural Kashiwa Kita High School

3 1. Shibaura Engineering University High School

32. Tateyama City No. 3 Junior High School

1982 (17,187 m2)

33. Primary School attached to Kumamoto University

34. Setagaya Primary School attached to Tokyo Gakuzei University

35. Primary School attached to Ibaragi University

36. Junior High and High School attached to Tokyo University

3,553 m2 Classroom block

4,490 m2 Classroom block special classroom

4,460 m2 Classroom block, special classroom

1,789 m2 Special classroom

2,834 m2 Classroom block





336 m2 Classroom block

8,696 m2 Classroom block Gymnasium

707 m2 Classroom

3,833 m2

1,696 m2

2,640 m2

9,018 m2

27

GSK system

SHIBAURA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

JUNIOR AND SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

SITE PLAN

28

Epilogue

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FLOOR PLANS OF SHIBAURA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY,

JUNIOR AND SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

29

GSK system

YACHIYO HlGASHl HIGH SCHOOL CHIBA PREFECTURE

SITE PLAN

CORRIDOR CLASSROOM

30

Epilogue

1F

3F

FLOOR PLANS AND ELEVATIONS OF YACHIYO HIGASHI HIGH SCHOOL

CHIBA PREFECTURE .

31

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