This year’s higher-level construction studies paper was particularly accessible compared to previous years, according to an expert teacher.
James Howley, ASTI subject representative and a teacher at St Nathy’s College in Ballaghaderreen, Co Roscommon, said that question one, on walls and roofs, contained a useful diagram to help students.
“The paper also contained questions on household extensions and adapting them for lifetime use for disabled or elderly people,” he said.
“Again, there were useful diagrams to help the student.”
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Howley said that there was a nice question which reminded him of home improvement shows.
“This was about built heritage, and students were asked about a 130-year-old railway keeper’s cottage, which needed to be upgraded while still respecting the original character of the building.”
A question on the u-value of a wall was perhaps more challenging, as it required students to consider maths, physics and construction, he said.
“But students were well prepared for it, and as the paper had plenty of choices – they had to answer five out of ten questions – they could have skipped over it.”
Howley particularly liked the final question, number 10, on the paper.
“This was about insulation and air quality, which has become a more pressing concern in construction in recent years,” he said.
On the ordinary level paper, Howley said that it contained similar themes.
“There were questions on planning permission and house layouts, and these were nice questions for the students.
“There was no vocabulary or terminology that would throw the students, and the paper was accessible,” Howley said.
Try this one: Leaving Cert construction studies, question 10
“It would be reasonable to assume that ensuring good indoor air quality would be a key factor when designing and constructing buildings.
The term sick building syndrome became well known in the 1980s and still lingers today, though largely associated with poorly air-conditioned offices. However, the health impacts of buildings are still poorly understood and rarely taken into account as a key priority when buildings are designed or renovated.
Architects, when specifying building materials, are mainly concerned with cost, availability, robustness and aesthetics, not their impacts on health.”
Adapted from: Building Materials, Health and Indoor Air Quality: No Breathing Space by Tom Wooley
Published by: Routledge. ISDN: 978-1138934498
(a) (b) Discuss the above statement in detail.
Propose three best practice guidelines that would ensure a healthy indoor environment in our homes.
