Della Pearlman

www.dellapearlman.co.uk

Busy professionals may think that they don’t need information professionals,
librarians or researchers any more – they have Google! – but Google can be
a sledge hammer, when what you need is a nutcracker!

If you find that it is taking hours to find something on the internet, then you
might be better to spend a short amount of time briefing an expert in
research and Internet searching, than wasting your own much more
expensive and fee-earning time.

My clients have realised that their time is too valuable to spend surfing the net –
they need targeted and valuable answers to technical questions, and they ask me
to produce relevant information for them, in a fraction of the time that it would
take them, and to do it cheaper!

Challenge me to do the same for you …. You get the benefit of any previous
research, and your research is added to the databank – so you share the
resources of many different constructional professionals …….

CURRENT AWARENESS AND KNOWLEDGE SHARING

What is KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT?

INTERNET SEARCHING – efficient web searching, especially for the construction,
architectural, engineering industry

Monthly information bulletins on changes in legislation, regulations, guides and

general construction information, for architects and engineers – example attached.

Monthly Innovations bulletins – of new products and processes

BOOK RESEARCH

I have experience in carrying out research for technical authors, including Picture
research. This involves finding images to suit the text, and then ascertaining
copyright, price, availability etc.

I can also create a bibliography based on the text and the notes etc., and produce this
in publisher friendly format for final publication (e.g. Harvard indexing).

As part of my work for authors, I carry out proof reading of the text to make sure all
technical terms, names, buildings etc. are correctly spelt and referenced.

Books have I have contributed to have included works on:

• Skyscrapers, high rise buildings
• Footbridges
• The history of engineering
 • Bridges

RESEARCH ON PRODUCTS AND MATERIALS – MANUFACTURERS’

AND SUPPLIERS

Cladding:

Having been asked to investigate the different systems of cladding, I researched all
types of cladding and façade panels systems, finding manufacturers and suppliers,
with their websites, and continue to add to this as I see new and different products
added to the market.

Rainscsreen cladding, insulated sandwich wall panels, and honeycombe systems, with
and without secret fixing
- in steel
- aluminium panels
- aluminium weatherboarding
- natural stone and coloured glass, laminated onto a lightweight concrete panels,
- rock fibre panels
- natural wood veneers
- mineral wool
- Perforated panels and mesh
- Fibre cement
- Resins
- Laminates

and Coloured metal finishes –

- bronze and copper metallic finishes
- zinc
- in perforated panels, and mesh
- Patinated finishes
- Powder coatings

Other pieces of research have included finding manufacturers and suppliers of:

• Metal Copings:

• Sliding and Folding Doors:

• Open fronted pigeon hole units – for storage, sports equipment, and use in
changing rooms

• Louvre systems, with circular openings – both standard ranges, and bespoke
ranges

• Interstitial Blinds in Curtain Walling

TECHNICAL PROBLEMS – these pieces of research were commissioned to
provide information on current design problems and issues – here are a few
examples:

• River wall impact loading – the standards, and articles which advise on how
to make calculations

• Stairs: bibliography of articles on:

o Cantilever stone stairs
o Palladian stairs

• Facades: bibliography of references on modern façade construction and

façade engineering

• Post-tensioned brick piers – bibliography of references on brick piers, brick

piers, post-tensioned masonry

• Stone and masonry design – bibliography on stone design, masonry design,

structural fixings in stone, concrete and masonry

• In-Situ Suspended Concrete Floors: Vibration - Bibliograpy of standards,

guides, reports.

• Underground architecture: bibliographies, and examples

o Underground swimming pools
o Repair of underwater masonry
o Underground architecture and underground buildings
o Gulleys and petrol interceptors for use in underground car parks

• Tall buildings, high rise buildings, skyscrapers: bibliographies, examples

o Cold rolled steel modular buildings.
o Tall buildings - architecture bibliography
o Tall buildings - engineering bibliography

Ecological Public Toilets

o descriptions of ecological methods of disposing of human waste,
o reed beds,
o rainwater harvesting
o greywater

• Plus the sanitaryware involved:

o Compositing toilets
o Waterless or almost waterless toilets
o Electrically incinerating toilets
o Vacuum toilets
o Air flushing toilets
o Urine diverting toilets
 o Low flush toilets
o Waterless urinals
o Limited flushing urinals
o Flush-per-use urinals

o Water Control:
o Supply restrictor valves
o Proximity and sensor controls
o Self-closing and spray taps
o Wash room controls
o Heating and cooling systems

• Cold bridging: Cold bridges are sections through the fabric of significantly
lower thermal resistance than the rest of the construction: definitions of cold
bridges, how to prevent them, products and details which minimise cold
bridging

• Bibliography of references on the historic use of Wood Wool Slabs and

wood wool permanent shuttering

PROJECTS: research on various building types, and specific buildings and

structures:

Thames Gateway – reports and analysis, planning guides, surveys etc.

Petronas Towers, IFC2 Hong Kong – articles on this

Pont de Normandie Bridge – articles

Sports projects – bibliographies, examples, standards, guides –

“the best stadiums are….”
o Tennis stadiums, national tennis stadiums
o Cricket pavilions
o Stadiums and Arenas & capacity

Schools design
o All DCSF Building Bulletins and guides
o Sports Ceiling heights
o Nursery classes net areas and temporary accommodation
o Urinals in infant schools – standards, regulations
o Toilet provision for pupils – standards, regulations
o Drinking fountains – standards, regulations

HEALTH AND SAFETY

 • Risks of falling from windows – Health and Safety regulations, British
Standards, safeguards to prevent injury

• Doors: risk of injury from doors and windows – Health and Safety
regulations, British Standards, safeguards to prevent injury:
o The risk of injury from power operated doors
o The risk of injury from manually operated pedestrian doors
o The risk of injury from power operated pedestrian doors
o The risk of injury from automatic powered revolving doors
o Industrial doors and shutters
o Door safety checklist

• Door safety – fingertraps and the risk to children - Health and Safety
regulations, British Standards, safeguards to prevent injury
o Doors
o Gates
o Internal doors
o Powered doors

• Demolition – bibliography and booklist

HISTORY

Building Regulations – history

o From the earliest Building Control legislation in 1780 BC
o Public Health Acts
o London Building Acts
o Building Regulations
o The Building Act

Historic Brickwork
Books and articles on:
o analysis of historic brick structures
o conservation of historic brick structures
o masonry arch bridges

Historic Steel and steelwork standards

Books and articles on old and withdrawn steel standards, 1894 to 1930’s

History of construction standards

A chronological list of all UK and British construction standards, from 1792 to
current day.

STANDARDS AND REGULATIONS: bibliographies, research

Housing standards and guides:

A list of the codes and standards applicable to housing, from the Code for Sustainable
Homes, to Lifetime Homes, space standards, Essex and Kent Design Guides etc.

The new 17th edition Wiring Regulations (BS7671:2008), - plus details on

Concealed cables in walls or partitions – changes in the regulations from the 16th
edition.

CASE LAW: Concurrent Events – Extensions of Time and commentaries

Car parking standards –numbers of car parking spaces required, and sizes of car
park spaces.

Signage and wayfinding for disabled people: from various sections from: BS 8300:
2001 Design of buildings and their approaches to meet the needs of disabled people

Party Wall and Rights to light

o legislation, British standards, and BRE guides
o daylight calculations in rights to light
o guides to calculations etc