Free Building Construction Class

 

Tim Anderson from Philadelphia Engine 16 sent in these pictures of an interesting building conversion. This structure was originally a old style church and is being converted into a residential structure. As you can see from the pictures this building becomes a mess of different building construction types. These set-ups frequently create a number of different hazards including multiple void spaces in walls and ceilings. Whenever a building is undergoing a renovation like this you owe it to yourself and your crew to go check it out. This should be seen as an open invitation for a free class. It's one of the best times to learn building construction, and works great for an impromptu building construction class for the entire crew. You never know what you will find.

Take another look at the two pictures above. Notice the potential for an autoexposure into the third floor. Fire venting from the second floor has a quick and easy conduit to get into the third floor because of the overhang.

The photo above shows something of particular interest. The roof structure on the left side of the photo is traditional style ridge beam style roof construction with traditional 2x10’s or 2x12’s. The right side of the roof structure is made with engineered wood I beams.

The photo above shows the combination of existing heavy timber construction being covered up by a frame wall.