GTA Civils

After leaving HOP I joined GTA Civils. This company specializes in roads, drainage desing and flood risk assessment.

I did not stay here for a long time since we relocated to Philippines by January of 2009.

MSc Civil Engineering

How do you build a house without foundation?

How do you build a house without foundation?

Answer: Let it float on the sea.

Demolition

Here's a video of an eco-friendly demolition

Level Invert Connection

Level Invert

In drainage the typical manhole connection is level soffit or stepped connection. That is the invert level of the main run is relatively lower than the incoming laterals.

This point is practically important to note because when your design has some degree of gradient or fall restriction then 50mm can make a difference.

For example if you are connecting a 100 diameter into a 150 diameter main run pipe then your computed invert level taken from the origin of the 100 diameter pipe should be 50mm lower. If you fail to add this additional 50mm into your design and if the invert level of the connection point does not have enough depth then this can be an issue in actual construction.

ICE - Academic Assessment

ICE is a globar organizations that promotes civil engineering all over the world.

To become a member you must have an educational base that is acceptable to them. If you took your civil engineering in UK universities you can be admitted easily or you might like to be a student member whilst you are studying.

However if you studied somewhere else, you have to apply first for academic assessment and once you satisfy their requirements you will be admitted as a Graduate member. Afterwards you can apply for a professional review so that you can upgrade your membership to that of a Chartered grade.

Planning Notice

It is a must for every desig engineer to take time to read the Planning Notice for every project they are working on.

This is particularly important when there are several parties working in one project specially if the Planning Architect is different from the Construction Architect.

There could be some very important requirements in the planning notice which may not be highlighted by the client and the planning arcitect but if they are not fulfilled they could result into massive claims and project delays.

One classic example is a required 'free zone' in front of a development which was only called up by the planning architect in a form of a very vague note while the other required easements were dimentioned accordingly. It's very unfortunate that such note had been overlooked and the consequence was a tremendous loss in time and money.

Planning notices are mostly available on line. Just log-in ot UK Planning website and browse around to access the property of your interest.

Falmer Stadium

This football stadium will soon be the home court for Brighton And Hove Albion football club. It has 23,000 seating capacity but later on this can accomodate to up to 30000 seats.

It will be built in a greenfield site however drainage wise it will have no significant impact to the environment for effectively the site will still be greenfield. In other words there will be no additional surface water (rain) outflow to the existing public drainage system and foul water discahrge will be kept to very minimum.

Parmiter Street

East Park Terrace

Big Bigger Biggest

Fascinating sky scrapers videos. Very interesting.

CBR

California Bearing Ratio or CBR is a soil parameter that is very important in road design.

Roads are normally designed in accordance to their category or traffic loading. The first 3 componets of which do not change a lot, i.e. in terms of thickness and grade but the sub-base and the capping layer are dependant on the soil CBR.

Below is a typical tarmac access road construction and a table for sub-base and capping layer with respect to CBR percentage. (just double click to see an enlarged version)

PinoySites.org

Malilipot Builders is now listed in PinoySites.org. This website is a directory of Philipine related websites.

You can find Malilipot Builders in Personal Blog, Engineering and Technololgy, Civil And Construction page.

Mater Salutis College Seminary

After passing the Philippine licensure exam for civil engineers I entered the seminary. I studied here for about 3 years and then I moved to LST to study MA Theology.

City and Guilds

The above is my grade in Structural Design in City and Guilds.

When I had my qualification assessed by IStructE, they advised me to take 4 modules from City and Guilds. In addition to that I have to finish an MSc in Civil Engineering.

I only took one module and then I applied in Brighton University for my MSc. Luckily they accepted even though I did not complete the other three modules required by IStructE.

60 Gordon Road

A typical end of terrace house with duo-pitch sloping roof. It has 3 bedrooms plus room in a roof.

It belongs to a friend of mine, Alex Alfonso. I am not allowed to do private practice but I am only giving my friend a favor.

Target start of construction is April this year.

Loyola School of Theology

I studied at LST while I was working at MIESCOR. I completed about 45 units in MA Theology.

I was thinking then of becoming a priest but God had a different plan for me.

To complete my degree I must take a comprehensive examination yet.

Why Malilipot Builders?

Why Malilipot?

Once in Manila I was riding on a bus when I happened to see a taxi bearing the name, Malilipot Taxi. As a Malilipotenyo, seing that taxi gave me a sense of pride.

When we found ourselves outside our home town, it wouold be nice if someone asks you, Taga sain ka? and you answered, Malilipot and then he or she could easily locate where Malilipot is.




Why Builders?

Apart from being the nature of the our business, Builders will re-live an organization founded by Arch Jesus Binaday called The Builders. If you are old as I am maybe you would still remember seeing sign posts (concrete three-sided post) bearing the name of the streets. It's their project as far as I remember.

In a sense it's my way of paying tribute to a dear mentor who gave me the chance to practice my engineering skill by letting me design the structure of the cantilever choir loft of our church.

My Skill List

Civil Engineering

Can design road in accordance with local highway authority specifications and site’s soils properties.

Can design a drainage scheme for a new development with regards to foul and storm waters sewage.

Can produce drainage, road layouts and details using Autocad program.

Able to produce drainage design calculations (using Micro-Drainage program) which computes relevant drainage parameters like foul and surface water outflow, storm water storage volume, etc.

Can propose drainage solution where drainage issues such as limited available drainage capacity, poor site’s condition, and other drainage related problems.

Can design soakway, compute storage volume, soakage rate, design head, etc.

Structural Engineering

Can design structural elements for all type of materials, viz. RC concrete, steel, timber and masonry.

Can produce structural calculations using Pro-Beam and Pro-Steel program.

Can design both using plastic and elastic limit design.

Can design mass concrete, rc concrete foundations.

Can design and analyze pile foundations.

Can design gravity, RC concrete, and mechanically stabilised retaining walls.

Autocad Drafting

Can produce quality digital drawings using Autocad program. Can use Autocad basic and advance commands with ease and mastery.

Can produce drawing at an appropriate scale and ‘layers’. Can make use of block and external reference as necessary. Can use relevant and available ‘autolisp’ coomands.

Can assign appropriate pen assignments to layers and colors.

Aquinas University, Legaspi City

I completed my BS in Civil Engineering in Aquinas University, Legaspi City Philippines.

I finished my academics in 1989 but due to 'technicalities' issues I got my BS degree in 1991.

I toook the May 1991 board exam and passed it first time.

Brighton University

I am carrently taking up MSc Civil Engineering at Brighton University in Brighton UK.

I am only studying on a part time basis because I am working full time at the same time.

I have already completed 5 modules (20 Cats Units each). I need 1 more plus thesis and if I am lucky I can get my degree this year. Fingers crossed.

My current employer, John Orrell and my previous employer, tom Bedford both graduated from this universisty.

Hobart Homes Quezon City

Hobart Homes Subdivision

Quezon City

Soon to rise in Hobart Homes subdivision, Old Balara QC. A 3-units apartment with one of which is disable-friendly.

Alan Hutton Associates

Allan Hutton Associates is a Consulting Structural Engineers firm bassed in Cowfold West Sussex.

I applied in this company as a freelance structural designer.

I had done 3 jobs with them but eventually I have to give up the job because when I started work at HOP I signed contract which does not allow me for work another company

Meralco Industrial Engineering Services Corporation

I worked in MIESCOR for about 9 months in1996 as Civil Engineer 1.

Here I learned to operate autocad and MS Office program.

Hemsley Orrell Partnership

This is where I am currently working. After about six years at BEP I moved to Hemsley Orrel Partnership. I am assigned at the Civil Engineering Department.

My workload consists mainly of drainage and road designs.

Hop is one of the leading firms in the field of Civil and Structural Consulting Engineering in South East England.

We are currently designing structures and civil works for the proposed Falmer Football Stadium in Brighton.

HOP is a compamny with certification as Inverstor In People. They are currently sponsoring my MSc Civil Engineering in Brighton University.

BEP Engineers

I work at BEP from June 2001 to August 2006.

When I came to UK I was not expecting that I can work as an Engineer. There were others like me who are married to nurses working in UK but work on a job which is not related to their professions.

My wife encouraged me to keep on trying, In fact I was already accepted to work as a clerk in the x-ray department at Royal Sussex County, but then I found BEP which was then called Bedford Eccles Partnership.

Tom Bedford one the founder and managing directors interviewed me and offered me the position of Assistant Engineer but I was told that I had to start from scratch, since I didn't have muc experience and my training in the Philippines is far different from the practice in UK.

After 6 years with them I decided to leave (with the directors blessings and support) and moved to a different company, similar in nature but my responsibility is much more compare to that at BEP.

Our Lady of Salvation Dormitory

A three storey L-Shape building, constructed of typical RC concrete frames.

Due to slenderness of the building about 20% of the building weight has been applied as lateral load to account for seismic loading.

This building has been completed early last year (2007) and is now housing about 40 boarders as of this time.

Angeles Building, Dr. Amando Cope College of Nursing

This is a three storey building constructed out of reinforced concrete frames.

The roof is made of galvanized iron sheet on a pitch sloping steel truss.

The entire building sits on reinforced concrete pad foundations.

This was erected sometime in 2004. I made the structural analysis and drawings in UK and then when I came home for a home visit the construction begun. It took about 9 months before this project was completed.

My First Project

This is my first ever project. I was in my 5th year as a Civil Engineering student at Aquinas University when the late Arch. Jesus Binaday asked me to design the structure of a proposed cantilever choir loft.

Designing cantilever sturcture involves risk. If you commit an error, there is a great chance the structure will collapse. Imagine a table with only two legs, you would note that it's not easy to make it stand up. On the other hand a table with four legs, even weak ones, can still stand up.

The main loft is only supported with two columns concealed within the exsiting wall. As far as I remember this has been built sometime in early month of 1989, making it about 20 years old now.

Malilipot Builders

Soon to open in Barangay 4, Malilipot, Albay. . .

Malilipot Builders

From Inception to Completion, Malilipot Builders will help you build the house of your dream.

Quality does not always equal high cost.

Service takes more priority than profit.

Thanks for dropping by. Please come back for more details.