SE Civil students visit to South Goa District Hospital and Alcon Green Building Centre and R&D lab

A field trip was organized on 12th January 2019 by the Department of Civil Engineering, Don Bosco College of Engineering for the students of the Second Year to the South Goa District Hospital in Margao followed by a visit to the Alcon Green Building Centre and R&D Lab Centre in Kundaim, Ponda.
South Goa District Hospital, Margao
The students were shown the 5 storey South Goa District Hospital and the key architectural and design elements required in a hospital.
The students were informed that the building structure is resting on piles and grillage foundation and that the land on which the structure is resting on was previously agricultural land where the water table is within the depth of 1.5 m causing a delay in the construction of the foundation work. They were explained that the basement accommodates 100 vehicles and was maximized to accommodate the laundry, disposal room, disinfection closet, pharmacy etc. The students were explained about the Firefighting regulations and also the automatic sprinkler system that is made mandatory in the building and basement also .They were told that running parallel to the water pipelines were also drainage pipes which discharges water into the sewers. They were informed about the centralized cooling ducts in the basement used for ventilation.
They further explained that the hospital has a capacity of 500 beds and the top two stories were dedicated for a nursing college. The hospital has a general, private and an isolated prisoner’s ward for males and females respectively. Ventilation in the wards was carried out using fans along with natural ventilation while the rest of the building used the centralized cooling system.
The top two stories that were dedicated to the nursing college have classrooms of 50 students capacity with different labs available on both the floors. They also have an Auditorium having a capacity of 150 people. The students were accompanied by Asst. Prof. Jeffrey Valadares, Asst. Prof. Madhuraj Naik and Asst. Prof. Oswyn Soares from the Department of Civil Engineering.
Alcon Green Building Centre and R&D Centre in Kundaim, Ponda:
In the latter half of the day the students accompanied by the principal of Don Bosco Engineering college Dr. Neena Panandikar, and the faculty of the Department of Civil Engineering. All visited the Green Building Centre and Alcon Research and development (R&D) Centre in Kundaim, Ponda. It was made known to us that this plant prides itself in the creation of better quality concrete in association with ACC Cement.
Here the students were explained to and shown the various equipment used for concrete testing. The students also got to see Water permeability apparatus, Rapid Chloride Permeability Testing Apparatus used for testing the durability of concrete, Heat Hydration Apparatus etc.
They also got to see the chemical testing lab where various tests are being conducted on the cement to improve the quality of cement and concrete. The students also got an opportunity to see the fully automated plant that supplies concrete bricks, pavers, kerbs etc. They also got an opportunity to see the two separate process of wet and dry that the plant is divided into.