Is an air brick not required when having solid concrete floors?

[u587162]

My architect's rear elevation plans for our extension mentions "Air brick and cranked ducts from floor void and ex-A.B.S. left unobstructed".

1.What is a cranked duct and ex-ABS?
2. Rather than going with block and beam for the floor construction, we have now gone with concrete slabs as building regs guy said block and beam was not necessary.

Is my builder correct in not putting an air bricks in? We have a flush threshold between the patio opening and the patio.

Thx.

 

[daza1001]

A cranked duct fits to an air brick & drops down cavity to provide air to under the floor.
If you have an existing suspended floor in your existing house with air bricks that are getting blocked by the extension you need to maintain air flow usually by putting pipes from new ducts under the concrete floor to the existing air bricks. (we usually use downpipe from guttering)

ex-ABS probably means Existing Air Bricks

Your builder probably does need to install them unless he is maintaining air flow to existing floor in a different way.

 

[u587162]

I should also have mentioned that the existing suspended floor will be backfilled and made into a solid concrete floor too. There is no suspended floor at all on the ground floor following this rebuild.

Does that now mean the builder was right to not install the air bricks?

 

[^woody^]

Don't you speak to your Architect any more?

If there is air under the floor, then it needs airbricks, if not, then it don't

 

[u587162]

No air under the floor, the whole thing is concrete. Architect doesn't want to help any more because I didn't commission him to project manage the thing. After paying him £7k, I couldn't pay for more of his services.

Thx for confirming.

 

[u587162]

Don't you speak to your Architect any more?

If there is air under the floor, then it needs airbricks, if not, then it don't

Woody - someone else this morning has said that air bricks will still be required to ensure no damp in the cavity arises. Is this true in your view?

 

[jeds]

...someone else this morning has said that air bricks will still be required to ensure no damp in the cavity arises. Is this true in your view?

Not true. If all floors are solid no airbrick is needed. Cavities are not ventilated.