Building
Construction I
LECT. AR. PRADIP POKHAREL
LECTURE: IC INTRODUCTION
A building has two basic components :
1. Foundation or Substructure
2. Superstructure
The portion of the building below the
surrounding is termed as substructure
and the portion of the building above the ground
is known as superstructure.
Foundations or Sub Structures
Foundation is the lowest part of a building or a
structure below the ground level, which is in
direct contact with the ground and transmits the
load coming from the superstructure on the
subsoil below it.
The foundation may consist of concrete, stone
and brick footings above the base concrete.
Depending upon the type of soil, its safe bearing
capacity and the type of building to be
constructed, a structure may be provided with
shallow or deep foundations.
Plinth
The portion of the building above ground up to
the top of the floor immediately above the
ground is known as plinth.
The plinth height should be such that after
levelling of the ground adjoining the building,
the rainwater may not enter the ground floor.
Flooring
The purpose of a floor is to provide a level
surface for the occupants of a building,
furniture, equipment, etc.
The flooring may consist of plain cement
concrete base (PCC) 1:4:8 of 100 mm, finished
with cement mortar (1:3) of 20 mm thick or of
mosaic tiles or tiles or marble or polished
stones, etc.
Masonry Walls, Columns etc.
The walls are constructed using building units,
such as bricks, stones, concrete blocks, etc.
bonded together with mortar is termed as
masonry.
The walls are provided to enclose or to divide
the floor space into rooms as per requirement
and provide privacy, security and protection
against sun, wind, rain.
The column is an isolated vertical load bearing
member of small section of concrete or stone or
brick masonry.
Doors, Windows and Ventilators
A door provides access into the room, offers
privacy of sight and sound. The width and height
of the door should be such as to provide
comfortable entry and exit to the users.
A window is an opening made in the wall for
providing light and ventilation.
A ventilator is a small opening made in the wall,
provided at lintel for the removal of exhaust air
or foul gases.
Stairs
The stair is series of steps arranged to connect
the different floors of a building. The stair
should so locate as to provide easy , safe and
comfortable mode of communication. It may
be made of timber, stone, bricks, steel or
reinforced concrete, etc.
Roofs
A roof is the uppermost part of a building to
cover the space below and protect it from sun,
wind, rain and snow, etc.
A roof may be flat, pitched or curved in shape.
The flat roof may be of RCC slab and pitched
roof may be trussed structure covering material
or curved roof may be a shell or dome.
Building Finishes
The building finishes are used to give protective
covering to the various building components
against natural agencies and, they provide
decorative effects.
The building finishes are plastering, pointing,
painting, white color washing, varnishing,
distempering, etc.
Building Services
The building services include services like water
supply, drainage, sanitation, lighting and
electricity, acoustics, heating, ventilation, air
conditioning, fire protection , etc.
Types of Building
The buildings are classified according to use or
character of occupancy as below :
1. Residential buildings
2. Educational buildings
3. Institutional buildings
4. Assembly buildings
5. Business building
6. Mercantile buildings
7. Industrial buildings
8. Storage buildings
9. Hazardous buildings
Residential Building
These buildings include any buildings used for
normal residential purposes, such as sleeping,
cooking and dining facilities, etc.
It includes single or twin-unit dwellings,
apartments or flats, restaurants or hotels, etc.
Educational Building
These include any building used for school,
college or daycare purposes involving assembly
for instruction, education or recreation.
Institutional Building
These buildings are used for the purposes, such
as medical or care of persons suffering from
physical or mental illness or disease, care of
infants, convalescents or aged persons and for
penal or correctional detention in which the
liberty of the inmates is restricted.
The institutional buildings ordinarily provide
sleeping accommodation for the occupants.
They includes hospitals, sanitoriums, nursing
homes, jails, prisons and mental hospitals, etc.
Assembly Building
These are the buildings, where groups of people
meet for amusements, recreation, social,
religious, political, civil, travel and similar
purposes, such as – theaters, motion picture
house, assembly halls, marriage halls,
museums, skating rings, gymnasiums,
auditoriums, places of worship, dance halls,
clubrooms, passenger, stations and terminals of
air, surface, marine and other public
transportation services.
Business Building
These buildings are used for transaction of
business for keeping of accounts and records
and for similar purpose, offices, banks,
professional establishments, courts, houses,
libraries.
The principal function of these buildings is
transaction of public business and keeping of
books and records.
Mercantile Building
These buildings are used as shops, stores,
market, for display and sale of merchandise
either wholesale or retail.
Industrial Building
These are the buildings where products or
materials of all kinds and properties are
fabricated, assembled, manufactured or
processed, as assembly plants, laboratories, dry
cleaning plants, power plants, refineries,
dairies and sawmills.
Storage Building
These buildings are used primarily for the
storage or sheltering of goods, wares or
merchandise, as warehouses, cold storage
plants, freight depots, transit sheds, stores ,
grain elevators, stables.
Hazardous Building
These buildings are used for the storage,
handling, manufacture or processing of highly
combustible or explosive materials or products,
which are liable to burn with extreme rapidly
and which may produce poisonous elements or
explosives, for storage, handling, manufacturing
or processing highly corrosi8ve, toxic or noxious
alkalis, acid or other liquids or chemical
producing flames, fumes and explosive, etc.
Design Loads
The structure components of the building
should be strong enough to withstand all
possible loads coming over it. The various types
of loads are as follows :
1. Dead loads
2. Live loads
3. Wind loads
4. Earthquake loads
5. Snow loads
