Location via proxy:   [ UP ]  
[Report a bug]   [Manage cookies]                

Week 1

Download as doc, pdf, or txt
Download as doc, pdf, or txt
You are on page 1of 8

WEEK 1: BUILDING COMPONENTS

(1.1) Building Components


A building acts as an enclosure for the activities that of on within, it building will protect the
occupants, equipment or goods housed within from the various of he external climate (rain,
wind, sun etc). For a building to act as enclosure, it must have external walls and be covered by a
roof. The roof will normally rest on the walls and be support by them. The walls in turn, will
need a firm base or foundation to be built upon, which will transfer their weight and that of the
roof to the ground beneath.
To make the building usable, the internal space enclosed by the external walls and roof may need
to be sub-divided into room by the introduction of horizontal dividers between storey’s, the
floors, and vertical dividers between rooms, the internal walls. Stairs or lift can provide access
between storeys. Doors can provide access to the building and to each room within the building.
Daylight and ventilation can be introduced into the building by the provision of windows in the
external walls or roof. All these part of the building are referred to as building component or
elements

(1.2) Major Building Components


The major building components are as listed below.
 Foundation
 Floor
 Wall
 Door
 Window
 Fenestration (Other openings)
 Roof
 Ceiling

Foundation
The function of the foundation is to transmit the load from the building finally to the soil. This, it
must do without excessive settlement and compression of the supporting soil layer.

1
Functional Requirements of Foundation
 Ability to carry loads with a minimum movement
 Adequate width to safely transmit the loads on it to the supporting soil layer

Functions of Foundations
 Foundation provides suitable support and stability for building
 Transmits to the ground all the loads that come on the building over a sufficient area of
subsoil
 Prevents the failure of the building or uneven settlement.

The selection of foundation types is influenced by


 The type of building
 The nature of the loading
 The site condition
Foundations are of many types but the more common ones include
 Strip foundation
 Pad foundation
 Pile foundation
 Raft foundation

Fig.1.1. Strip foundation

2
Floor
Floor can be defined as the horizontal structure which carries imposed and live loads in a
building and divides a building into storeys. It plays an important role in a building.

The most common material used for the construction of floors that will meet the requirement of
building regulations and local bye-laws are concrete and wood.

Functional Requirements of Floor


 Adequate strength and stability to support the loads that comes on it.
 Resistance to sound penetration
 Resistance to moisture penetration
 Thermal resistance
 Fire resistance
 Durability
 Hard wearing

Wall
This is usually the vertical continuous part of a building which encloses or protects the building
or divides the building into rooms and compartments. It is made up of blocks, concrete, mortar,
stones, metals etc. types of walls include: Internal, External, Buttress, Sleeper, party, parapet
partition and cavity walls.

3
Fig 1.2 Internal and external walls

Functional Requirements of Walls


 Openings for daylight and ventilation
 Fire resistance to provide security and stability in the event of fire
 Adequate strength to resist being crushed by the loads from floors and roofs they support
 Durability to withstand the condition under which it will function
 Adequate stability to resist other forces such as wind pressure and roof loads.

Door
A door is a movable barrier placed across an opening in a building that provides access into the
building or between spaces within the building.

Functional Requirements of Door


 Weather resistance
 Durability
 Fire resistance
 It must be easy to slide open and close

4
Fig 1.3 Example of a Paneled door

Windows
Windows provide natural light and ventilation to the interior of a building while excluding rain
and insects.
Windows are usually made of timber, steel. But other materials such as plastics (uPVC) and
aluminium are also popular. Each material has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Functional Requirements of Window


 The minimum area of window in a habitable room should be 10 percent of the floor area
 The minimum opening area of the window in a habitable room should be 5 percent of the
floor area.
 Adequate security against intruders

 Adequate resistance to external weather elements

 Provide privacy.

5
Fig. 1.4 Parts of a window

Roof
This is the topmost covering in a building. It is done during the finishing of a building. It
prevents a lot of sound (minimizing incoming sound), dust, wind and rain and also it helps the
occupants cover their privacy.

Fig. 1.5 The main parts of the structure of a pitched roof.

6
Functional Requirements of Roof
Strength: of roof depends on the characteristics of the materials from which it is constructed and
the way in which they are put together in the form of a flat or some form of triangular frame.

Stability: a roof is constructed to support the dead load of the roof structure and its covering,
insulation and internal finishes, snow loads and pressure of suction due to wind without undue
deflection or distortion. The dead load can be calculated from the unit weight of materials with
which it is covered, varying from the continuous impermeable layer of asphalt covering that can
be laid horizontal to exclude rain, to the small units of clay tiles that are laid overlapping down
slopes so that rain runs rapidly to the covers.

Weather Resistance: A roof excludes rain through the materials with which it is covered;
varying from the continuous impermeable layer of asphalt converging that can be horizontal to
exclude rain to the small units of clay titles that are laid overlapping down slop so that rain runs
rapidly to the covers.

Durability: The durability of a roof is dependant largely on the ability of the roof covering to
exclude rain and snow. Persistent penetration of water into the roof structure may cause or
encourage decay of timber, corrosion of steel or disintegration of concrete.

Fire Safety: The requirements for control of spread of fire in schedule of the building
regulations for dwelling houses limit roof construction relative to the proximity of boundaries of
the site of the building by reference to the materials of roof covering.

Thermal Resistance: The materials of roof structures and roof covering are generally poor
insulators against the transfer of heat. It is usually necessary to use some materials which are
good insulator. Examples of such materials include light weight boards, mats or loose materials.
This is to provide insulation requirements to meet the building regulation for the insulation of
roofs of dwellings is a standard value of 0.25 where the SAP ceiling is over 60.

Sound Insulation: The resistance of a roof to the penetration of airborne sound is not generally
considered unless the building is close to a busy airport. The mass of the materials of a roof is the

7
main constructions in the reduction of airborne sound.

Test Questions
i. List the basic building components.
ii. State the functional requirements of four building components.

You might also like