Building Construction I

LECTURE: INTRODUCTION & HISTORY

PREPARED BY: AR. SABITA GURAGAIN
Building Terminologies and Building Classification
Basic Building Components
Building: A Building is any structure that is constructed to meet the needs and purpose of users.
Residential / commercial / institution / educational / Assembly / Industrial / Storage etc. are some of types
of building which are designed by an Architect / Structural designer and executed or constructed by Civil
Engineer.
A building is combination of various components. Basic components are given below:

Basic Building
Components

Super
Sub Structure
Structure
Sub structure consists the parts of building below ground level. Function of sub structure is to transmit the
load of the super structure to the soil.
The portion of the building above ground level is known as super structure.
Sub structure includes:
Foundation
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.
Super structure includes:
Plinth
The portion of the building above ground up to the top of the
floor immediately and is a rectangular block below the
structure 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.
Walls
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.
Thickness of wall may vary as per requirement of user and as
per material used.
Columns
The vertical isolated members along which beams and
slab/roof is supported.
They are square, rectangular and circular in shape and varies in
size too as per requirements.

Doors, windows and ventilator

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
Steps and stairs meant to provide access between different
levels. Stairs should be properly located to provide easy access
and fast services to the building.
It may be made of timber, stone, bricks, steel or reinforced
concrete, etc.
In one flight maximum 8 steps should be provided. For more
than 8 steps landing should be provided.
Beams
Beams are the horizontal members above which the slabs are
provided. The beams are instead supported on walls and
columns.
Sizes of beams varies as per span.
Generally, they are in square or rectangular shape but efficient
cross section of metal beams are I or H section.
Chajjas
Chajjas are provided on external wall opening to
get protection from rain, snow and heat. They are
weather sheds.
They are generally made of cement, concrete,
woods, fiber sheets 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, painting, white color
washing, varnishing, distempering, cladding etc.

Building services
The building services include services like water supply,
drainage, sanitation, lighting and electricity, acoustics,
heating, ventilation, air conditioning, fire protection , etc.
Other Building Components
Basement/Cellar : the lowest storey of a building either entirely or partly below the ground level.
Plot/Site : is a parcel or pieces of land enclosed by definite boundaries.
Open space : It is the area, forming an integral part of the plot, left open to the sky.
Set Back Line : It is a line usually parallel to the plot boundaries, marked by the Authority, beyond which
nothing can be constructed.
Building Line : This is the line to which the plinth of a building adjoining a street or extension of a street or
on a future street may lawfully extend.
Covered Area : It is the ground area covered immediately above the plinth level by the building. It does not
include the spaces covered by garden, wall structures, platforms, swimming pool, tank, foundation, drains,
compound walls, uncovered portico/porch/enterance, gate, uncovered staircases, etc.
Orientation of Building : Orientation is defined as a method of fixing the direction of the building in such a
way that it derives maximum benefit from sun, air and nature.
Storey : It is the portion of a building included between the surface of any and the surface of the floor next
above it, or if there be no floor above it, then the space between any floor and the ceiling next above it.
Room Height: It is the vertical distance measured from the finished floor surface to the finished ceiling
surface.
Balcony : It is a horizontal projection, including a handrail, or a balustrade to serve as passage or sitting out
place.
Porch : A roof supported on pillars in front of a veranda or in front of a building to park a car for a short
while.
Water-Closet (W.C.) : This is a privy/toilet with arrangement for flushing the pan with water.
Bath Room : This is the place for bathing purposes whose size shall not be less than 2.5 mx1.2 m or 1.8m2
and height shall not be less than 2.2 m.
Corridor : It is a narrow veranda or a gallery or open communication to different parts of building.
Floors : These are the horizontal elements of building structure which divide a building into different levels
for the purpose of creating more accommodation within a restricted space one above the other and provide
support for the occupants, furniture and equipment of a building.
Parapet : a low wall or railing built along the edge of a floor or roof.
Domes : a dome is a special type of shell roof of semi- spherical or semi-elliptical shape which is used over
large circular areas for assembly halls, gymnasiums, field houses and other monumental structures.
Ramps : These are the sloping structures either straight or curved for negotiating the changes in different
floors or levels by vehicles or passengers.
Types of Buildings according to their function/occupancy
Residential
buildings

Hazardous Educational
buildings buildings

Storage Institutional
buildings buildings
Types of
buildings

Industrial Assembly
buildings buildings

Mercantile Business
buildings 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 multi-family
dwelling, apartment or flats,
dormitories, hostels etc.

Educational Building
This refers to buildings used for school,
college or day-care purposes. It includes
any building used for educational
instruction.
For example school, college, libraries etc.
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, aged persons and for 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 group of peoples meet or
gather for amusement, recreation, social, religious, political,
travel and other similar purposes. Eg: Theatres, assembly halls,
Exhibition halls, marriage halls, gymnasiums, auditorium,
Places of Worship, Public Transport Terminals etc.
Business Building
These buildings are used for transaction of business, for
taking or giving professional services and for keeping of
accounts and records and for similar purposes.
The principal function of these buildings is transaction of
public business and keeping of books and records. eg.: City
Halls, Court Houses, Banks, offices, Garages, Shops etc.
Mercantile Building
Places where goods are displayed and sold.
This include buildings used for shops, department stores,
market, and 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 corrosive, toxic or noxious alkalis, acid
or other liquids or chemical producing flames, fumes and
explosive, etc.
Types of Loads
Anything which exerts pressure or thrust
on a structure is termed as load.
The structure components of the building
should be strong enough to withstand all
possible loads coming over it.
The types of loads acting on structures for
buildings and other structures can be
broadly classified as vertical loads,
horizontal loads and longitudinal loads.
The various types of loads are as follows:
1. Dead loads
2. Live loads
3. Wind loads
4. Earthquake loads
5. Snow loads
Dead Load
It is permanent, immovable &
untransferable load of a structure.
This is the load of the materials used for
various components of a building such as
walls, floors, roofs, partitions, ceilings,
water tanks, and shall include the weight of
all other permanent construction or
structures and fixtures.
All permanent loads are thus included in
the dead load.
The dead load of floors, roofs, beams,
ceilings, etc. is proportionately transmitted
on the surrounding walls.
Live Load
This is the movable, temporary and
transferable load on the floor and hence it
is variable.
In a building the weight of inhabitants,
furniture or any other stored material, is
the live load for that building.
For the purpose of design an equipment of
dead load is taken into account.
The live load are assumed to be acting
uniformly over the whole floor area and the
total live load is proportionately distributed
on the wall foundations for the purpose of
design.
The live load is assumed to act on all the
floors of a building.
Wind Load
In case of tall building, the effect due to wind should be considered.
Tall buildings are subjected to wind pressure on their exposed faces and
inclined or sloppy roof surfaces.
The effect of wind pressure is to reduce the pressure on the foundation on
the windward side and to increase the pressure on the foundation on the
leeward side.
For the purpose of design, it is assumed that the wind load is acting
horizontally at a uniform rate over the entire exposed surface on the
windward side.
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