The Members of a Typical Building Team and Their Roles - Report Example

Buildings, Materials Student’s name: Course title: Lecturer: Institution: Date: Part 2 - Building Components and Types The Members of a Typical Building Team and their Roles A typical building team consists of the design team, owner or owner’s representative, financial advisors, contractor (builder), public, and government regulators. The design team comes out with drawings, and specifications about the building. Financial advisors come up with a concrete plan with enough safeguards and contingency plans before the project starts and ensure proper project execution throughout its lifecycle (Culshaw et al 2009 p. 45). The owner provides the project funding, and other requirements for both design and construction. A contractor does the work of building the structure according to the given constraints while the government agencies provide the general regulations that regulate construction of buildings. The Design Process from Start to Finish Step 1: Defining your Wishes and Dreams This encompasses analyzing your needs and listing requirements like room sizes, styles, lot size, and any other condition that is applicable. The designer makes a list of priorities and reviews it to ensure that all it contains is feasible and within the scope of property, neighborhood, and applicable codes that govern building. Step 2: Initial Space Design One must see that everything in Step 1 “fits” within the property space. It enables one to see the flow of ideas on paper. The positioning of rooms, however, may be affected by environmental conditions like orientation, and terrain. In addition, to consider here is the circulation through the spaces. Step 3: Creating Floor Plans Designers develop floor plans and elevations according to space requirements prepared in Step 2. Such plans show walls arrangement and location of windows and doors, and the shape of the roof. Step 4: Developing of Construction Plans The construction plans have more details than floor plans and include electrical outlets, plumbing, HVAC, ceiling, wall height, design elements, among other details (Hugo 2012, p. 175). This material is helpful in coming up with final budget with which to move into permits and construction. Step 5: Approval of Project Budget and Launch Relevant experts set the budget, and the construction phase is now ready to begin. Step 6: Selecting of Design Elements As construction is in progress, designer introduces a gallery of beautiful design for customization purposes. This includes paint colors, flooring options, fixtures, and finishes. Main Principle Requirements of a Project A project should have the specific timing requirements-showing crucial stages of the project, time of completion, budgetary restrictions, financial sources, available resources, the project plan, and method of project delivery, construction documents, and the construction contract. Different Types of Site Investigation and the Purpose of each (a) Studying the topography of the site. This affects the design of the foundation and helps find the available access for the construction plants and vehicles. (b) Studying location of buried services like electric power cables, telephone cables, sewers, and water mains. (c) Studying general geology of the areas. This helps find information of main geological features underlying the site, and the subsidence of the areas due to mining. (d) Studying the previous history on use of the site. This helps get information on failures and defects of former or existing building. (e) Investigating distinctive features such as soil erosion, flooding and seasoning shrinkage and swelling (f) Investigating the soil and the rock strata, and the ground conditions of the areas bearing the foundation (g) Laboratory tests to investigate soil and rock samples. Common Types of Shallow and Deep Foundations in use Common types of shallow foundations include pad, strip, or raft foundations and the most common types of deep foundations in use are pile foundations such as impact driven piles, helical piles, earth stabilized columns, and drilled shafts. Most Common Type of Foundation failure The most common foundation failure is foundation cracking. It occurs due to poor initial construction, differential settlement of the footings of the walls, water, or nearby blasting operations. Measures to Prevent Foundation Cracking The measures taken include proper initial construction, ensuring proper settlement of the wall bases, and proper draining of the site. A Drawing of a Shallow Foundation A shallow foundation is usually appropriate for building works that have little weight that can be supported by the upper surface of the earth. A Drawing Showing a Deep Foundation (Pile Foundation) A piled foundation is appropriate for heavy structures. It helps in transferring the weight from the weak upper soil layer to the stronger subsoil soil layer. Purpose of Ventilation Ventilation provides fresh air to occupants, dilutes and disperses residual water vapour and pollutants, and minimizes spread of pollutants and water vapour to the rest of the building. Different Types of Ventilation The different types of ventilation include Infiltration, and Purpose-provided ventilation Ventilation Requirements for Domestic Buildings The guidance on domestic buildings requires that all domestic dwellings must cover all design air permeabilities Performance Based Ventilation This is Appendix ‘A’ of the Approved Documents. It sets out moisture levels and the levels of other pollutants that the Approved Documents controls. Part 3 – Loads and Forces on Buildings Types of loads that act on a building include concentrated load, distributed load, and impact load. A concentrated load affects a small area, for example, load heating, ventilation, and HVAC units on a roof. A distributed load is a uniform load applied over a broad area, for example, snow on a roof or a hoist on several roof supports. In addition, impact load is a load in motion when applied, for example, fire steams, and wind gusts. The types of forces on a building are majorly compression, tension and shear forces. Compression forces are those that tend to push the materials together. Bending forces tend to start bending deformation, tension forces tend to pull the materials apart, whereas shear forces are those that tend to “tear” a material apart, and make the molecules of the material slide past each other. On structures, compression forces can be found acting on the upper side of a bridge, roof beams, struts in buildings, whereas tension force occurs on the lower part of the bridge, and also for buildings it is on ties. Part 4 - Failure Modes Main Aspects of Behaviour of Plastics, Steel, Concrete and Wood in Fire Conditions In fire conditions, the thermosetting plastic losses its chemical properties whereas for thermosetting plastics, only their shapes change but they maintain their chemical properties. When steel is under fire, it expands thus becoming weak to withstand immensely strong forces of compression. If one heats concrete, the bonding forces of its structure break up thus making it to chip off (Zhenhai & Xudong 2011, p. 47). For wood, if heated, will catch fire and thus get burn out. The types of failure modes that occur within structures include compressive failures, tension failure, bending failures, fracture, corrosion, creep, fatigue, impact, rupture, thermal shock, wear, and yielding. Tension failures are as a result of stress that goes beyond some level (yield stress) thus causing permanent plastic deformation of the material of the structural member. At higher stresses called ultimate stress, fracture occurs (Dusenberry 2010 p. 197). Compressive failures lead to buckling and snapping. This occurs at stress extents that are considerably lower than the material yield stress. Also, fatigue failures occur due to the cumulative effect in a structural member once under a stress pattern that is alternating from tension to compression through several cycles. Creeps are due to a slow process of deformation of a solid material over time Creep - Rupture failure mode occurs in pressure vessels when the pressure inside the vessel exceeds the strength of a vessel. Overpressure leads to rupture and localized reduction in wall thickness due to wear or corrosion. Thermal shock is due to quick movement of a component from one temperature extreme to another (Stamatis 2003, pp. 189-192). For instance, brittle materials like cast iron undergo thermal shock once suddenly cooling a hot part. The Function of Failure Mode and Effect Analysis Failure mode and effect analysis helps engineers to come up with right designs with little or no defects and failure (Segue 2012, 101). It also helps them achieve safe, reliable and customer-desired designs. Part 5 – Legislation Importance of building Legislation Building regulations ensure building work meets minimum standards of construction and is structurally stable. It also ensures safety in the event of fire, a weather resistant structure, adequate sound insulation, healthy ventilation, safe stairways, ramps and guarding, safe electrical wiring and also and energy efficient structure (Tricker & Alford 2012, 245-256). Approved Documents and the Main Points of Guidance in each Part A - Structural Safety. This regulation requires stability of the building. Part B - Fire Safety Fire safety regulation demands safe means of escape from the building. Both external and internal walls should resist the spread of fire, prevents spreading of fire and smoke to concealed spaces in a buildings structure. Also, the building will be easily accessible by fire fighters and their equipment. Part C - Site Preparation and Damp Proofing There should be nothing growing on the ground under the building. There should be precautions taken to stop gases and dangerous substances from entering the building and endangering the occupants’ heath. Subsoil drainage should be provided to halt the passage of moisture from the ground to the building interior. Part D - Toxic Substances Prevention must be taken to prevent fumes reaching occupants inside a building. Part E - Soundproofing Walls and floors between domestic buildings, individual dwellings, and new schools should have a certain resistance to sound passage. Part F - Ventilation The ventilation of the building should be adequate, and have a provision for prevention of condensation that occurs in the roof structure. Part G - Hygiene The sanitation facility must have either a bath or shower with the ability to heat water. Part H - Drainage and Waste Disposal The system to carry water used for cooking, washing, bath, toilet or shower should be adequate, and settlement tank or sewer cesspool must be in place. It must have means of access for emptying, should not harm any person’s health, and must not contaminate water or water supply. Part J - Heating Appliances The heating appliances must have an adequate supply of air for efficient working of the chimney and also for combustion. The fireplace must minimize the change of a building catching fire. Part K - Stairs, Ramps and Guards Floors, balconies, stairs, ramps and ladders shall ensure safety for people and shall have adequate guard. Part L - Conservation of Fuel and Power Provision must be made available to conserve fuel and power in a building. Part M - Access and Facilities for People with Disabilities. A building should provide means for people with disabilities to get access and use the building. Part N - Glazing Materials and Protection Glazing in a building, if broken, should break in a way unlikely to cause harm. Window should be easily accessible for cleaning. Part P - Electrical Safety A building should ensure electrical safety to occupants. Bibliography Culshaw, M.G. et al (ed), 2009, Engineering Geology for Tomorrow's Cities, London: Geological Society Dusenberry, D. O. 2010, Handbook for Blast Resistant Design of Buildings, New York: John Wiley & Sons Hopper, L. J. 2012, Landscape Architectural Graphic Standards, New York: John Wiley & sons Segue, T. W., 2012, Steel Design, New York: Cengage Learning Lieping Ye, Peng Feng, & Qingrui Yue, 2011, Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Frp Composites in Civil Engineering (Cice 2010), Sep 27-29, 2010, Beijing, China, New York: Springer Zhenhai G. & Xudong S., 2011, Experiment and Calculation of Reinforced Concrete at Elevated Temperatures, New York: Elsevier Stamatis, S. H., 2003, Failure Mode and Effect Analysis: FMEA from Theory to Execution, New York: ASQ Quality Press. Tricker, R. & Alford, S., 2012, Building Regulations in Brief, New York: Taylor and Francis Brennan, T., 2007, Tom Brennan's Random Thoughts, New Jersey: Fire Engineering Books Gere, J. M. & Barry J. G., 2012, Mechanics of Materials, New York: Cengage Learning. Stationery Office, 2006, The Building Regulations 2000: Approved Document, Sydney: The Stationery Office Hugo S. L., 2012, Applied Building Physics, New York: John Wiley & Sons Bowles J.E., 1992, Engineering Properties of Soils and Their Measurement, New York: McGraw-Hill, Robb A.D., 1982, Site Investigation, London: T. Telford Clayton C.R., Matthews M. C., & Simons N.E., 1995, Site Investigation, Oxford: Blackwell Science Forsyth, M. & White L., 2011, Interior Finishes and Fittings for Historic Building Conservation, New York: John Wiley & Sons. Read More