Investigation of Construction Materials - Report Example

Investigation of the Uses and application of Construction materials for an office building. Construction can be termed as a process in which the assembling of the infrastructure of a building is performed. A construction mainly requires a lot of planning and investigation as it is a multi- task event. It involves a process a in which a design is made by the architect and it is directed to construction by a project engineer with help pf skilled workers. For the successful construction of a building a proper planning is very much required. Construction only takes place if there is adequate availability of building material for the purpose of building the structure. Building material are of many types, like concrete, timber, plastic, steel etc.The material needed depends upon the design and architectural requirement of a particular building. When it comes to an office building, its primary objective is to provide a work place or a working environment for the managerial and administrative staff. Office building is a form of commercial building where the day to day activities of the business take place .An office building can be large, medium or small depending upon the business conducted. It usually consists of some rooms, an open space where in the staff conducts their day to day official activities and kitchen and washroom. An office should have enough space for mobility and also should project a great appearance. The construction of an office building requires the same basic materials as any normal building but depending on the purpose and size of the business the requirement can change. Lamb(2003) and Johnson(2003) both states that “Building and construction is the art, the work, job, or business of combining, forming, or putting together materials to make a structure”. A strong building is one where in the best construction materials have been used. It is the foremost duty of the engineer to plan and utilize the best available materials according to the provided budget. The properties of different material cater to the different structural need of the building. An engineer has to investigate well in advance of the quality and standard of every material used in the construction of the building. An office building would definitely have its own requirement and need a particular material as to the demand of the customer. If an office building has to be constructed with fewer budgets and within limited time frame steel can be used dominatingly in the construction. If the customer requires more decorative aspect in the building more wooden structuring or timber can be used. It gives more opportunity to give an aesthetic and grand look to the office .Timber structuring is also eco friendly .When it comes to more lighting and spacious look an architect can incorporate the use Of more of glass in the infrastructure of the office buiding.In further reading we can see more detailing of three building materials namely timber, Steel and Glass in the construction of office building. Timber In UK most of the wood used for construction is soft wood. About 95% of the wood used for construction in the UK is European soft wood. Dinwoodie (2000,p.2) states in his book that “ In the UK ,timber and timber products are consumed by a large range of industries, but the bulk of the materials continues to be used in construction ,either structurally, such as roof trusses or floor joists (about 43% of total consumption),or non structurally, such as doors and window frames, skirting boards and external cladding(about 9% of total consumption)”.Wood is a unique and a versatile material and a very natural source for construction. As a construction material, timber is available in vast range of products. For an office building timber used can come in different forms like timber frame walls, material for roofing and flooring. It is also used in the construction of doors and windows to floors and staircases. One of the advantage of wood is that it is very thermal efficient. Unlike much other construction material wood has no transfer of heat from outside face to inside. So it is used in place of steel to conduct cold from outside to inside. It is very efficient as doors, as it is very durable and strong. Wooden frame for windows which is used for office can be strong and very appealing as compared to other materials. Timber is also very predictable in fire. Unlike metals it does not sag in contact with fire. Wood is also very healthy as it has the power to combat bacteria and micro Organisms. Wood or timber is excellent when it is used as flooring as it cost less and has an eco friendly outlook. Also timber framed wall panels can be used on wall which gives the office very aesthetic appeal. The outer cladding of such panels gives decorative look and also gives weather protection. When it comes to the timber flooring nothing can be compared to its beauty and luster.The use of timber frame in construction of office gives the designer flexibility both in lay out and external appearance.In comparison with other building materials using timber is very energy saving. Steel Steel as an alloy of iron and carbon is the most versatile and crucial engineering and construction material in the world.Steel is one material which is used majorly world wide in construction of all sorts.The main advantage of steel building parts are it is highly reliable and very strong. Unlike other materials steel is cheaper, firm, non-combustible, aesthetic and do not require further treatment and is environmental friendly.The strength to the weight ratio of the steel is very high. As it is light weighted, it is an advantage to the builders because it gives less effort for them to carry it. Steel also has a greater ability to withstand natural disasters like hurricane and earthquakes.In office buidings steel can be used as stair case railings as it gives more space for artistic expression because of its bending and curving ability. As Steel structure is light in weight than other framing materials it only requires a smaller and simpler foundation.So the time spent on construction is lessened along with time. Steel is also fire resistant. Warren (2001,p.9) narrates that “Steel was finished in wide variety of forms : bars of a range of sizes and shapes for further processing, plate, sheet, tinplate, wires, tubes, structural shapes, rails and other items as well as castings and forgings”. As the steel can be welded to small length there is less wastage as compared to other materials. Steel is also recyclable which makes it more attractive as a construction material .One great advantage of using steel is that all components of steel are available pre welded, pre-drilled and pre- punched at the factory prior to shipping to the job site. This allows rapid assembly of the components at the construction site and also lower the overhead cost and save time. Time consumed to construct a steel based building system is far less than other Construction system. In this process even the wall and roof components are also pre- fabricated prior to shipment which ease the construction process. Steel structuring also reduce the need for a large labor force and skilled workers as all are pre structured. Last, but not the least steel construction also gives the possibility of expanding the building either during construction or in future as the end walls can be removed easily and new matching roof panels ands sidewalls can be added. Glass Glass is a building material which is made from the mixture of sand and silicate. The use of glass in modern architecture has become very popular due to the change brought to it by modern technology. Glass occupies a special place in the construction of buildings. Glass has the quality of transparency, chemical resistance and adequate mechanical strength. Glass allows the formation of various structured materials including pipes, thermal and sound insulating materials, and goods used for decorative and architectural finishes on buildings and constructional works. For this reason, glass is extensively used in world wide construction. In office buildings glass is mainly used in windows and it always come in various Forms which give an additional appeal to windows. Glass also allows flow of natural light into the rooms and seems to make rooms to look bigger which in case of office is much needed. Glass is relatively less expensive and fully recyclable. The use of Glass in construction has dramatically increased due to the rapid progress in the glass production technology. In the past glass was seldom used in construction as it was thought to be quite fragile building material. But modern glass has proved to be safer, stronger and energy efficient. Colored flat glass can be used on office building to give decorative out look. It can be used on external walls and for glazing when there is partition in the interior of the office infrastructure. It can be used on the stairways as barriers and also on elevator shafts. Glass can be widely utilized in the interior and exterior layout of the office building According to Fountain(2009)“Engineers, architects and fabricators, aided by materials scientists and software designers, are building soaring facades, arching canopies and delicate cubes, footbridges and staircases, almost entirely of glass”. Nowadays glasses with spectrally – treated qualities allow light in to the office without harming the occupants and belongings. This would be very effective if used for office windows as it allows complete sunshine into the office premises and also keep the staff informed about the weather conditions. There are also glasses which are hurricane resistant, with bullet proof quality which gives more security to the building. Glass can also be used as a flooring material which gives a very great appeal to the office. Glass tiles can be used extensively in the washrooms of the office and also on the shower cubicle if the office has one. Work Cited Dinwoodie, J.M, 2000. Timber:Its nature and behaviour. 2nd ed. London: Van Nostrand Reinhold Co. ltd. Fountain,H. (2009). As Unbreakable as ... Glass?. Available: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/07/science/07glass.html?_r=1. Last accessed 29 July 2009 Lamb,A.Johnson,L., (2003). Building & Construction . Available: http://42explore.com/construct.htm. Last accessed 29 July 2010. Warren, K, 2001. Big Steel. 1st ed. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press Read More