Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Load Bearing Masonry - Assignment Example

Construction Technologies Number Subject Name Lecturer’s Name Management Due date Date Submitted Question 1 a) Advantages of using load bearing masonry The load bearing masonry is solid and durable. The stones or bricks are very strong, making this form of construction strong. There is also the use of reinforced concrete and steel making it extra strong. The design is resistant to fire. The stones or bricks are usually resistant to fire. The whole building will, therefore, be fireproof since the bricks or stones are the materials that are dominant in the building. It is available in many colours and textures. There is, therefore, no need to paint regularly. The cost of regular painting is therefore eradicated. It makes use of simple tools which are low-tech. the brick making or the shaping of the stones does not require much of technology (Syed 2012). It, therefore, makes it easier for the construction to take place. It also makes use of simple tools which have been used over the years. Many other designs require a lot of preparation and fabrication in advance; luckily, load bearing masonry does not require such. The design is very attractive aesthetically It is known to have a very high compressive strength Disadvantages The process is usually slow and very tedious. Masonry is made by human hand, making the work of building such a structure labour intensive. There is no machine developed for such a purpose yet. High level of skills is required in load bearing masonry The load bearing masonry may be affected by earthquakes since it has a low tensile strength. This is mostly because of their weight. Earthquakes will in most cases bring down heavy buildings. Most buildings that have collapsed all over the world are associated with this form of construction. The design needs protection from water since it is porous. It is weighty as a result of its own weight. The bricks and the many materials required for the construction of this type of structure make it very heavy hence vulnerable. Load bearing is usually a poor insulation of heat. This form of construction requires a lot of materials. The construction calls for the use of many bricks. The bricks required for the construction are expensive; this makes this form of construction highly unviable. b) Suitable foundation, walls and floors to be considered Load bearing masonry as earlier stated requires a lot of skills. The weight of the wall requires special mechanisms to try and make sure that a balance is stricken between the weight and the supporting foundation. Raft foundation One of the recommended types of foundations is the raft foundation. Raft foundations are divided into three types which include; cellular raft, soiled slab raft and beam and slab raft. Raft foundations are made to support the walls and columns. The support is made of concrete, covering the whole base on which the wall is to lie on. Raft foundations are preferred because the materials used are easily available. Another reason is because it is very economical, not to mention that it is resistant to soil erosion. Fig1 Raft Foundation Retrieved at http://www.supercivilcd.com/Flat_Raft/Flat_Raft_Foundation_Analysis_Design_and_Drawing_Software.htm There are also other benefits of using raft foundations; the foundation is known to be humid and head resistant (Merritt & Ricketts 2000). The resistance to these elements allows for the foundation to be tamper proof. It can hardly be destroyed by the expansion arising from heat or the contraction that arises from the humidity. Floor The floor is made of reinforced concrete. Many other elements like floor boards may be used in the process. Horizontal wooden beams, planks and joists are also used in some instances. Fig 2 floor of a load bearing masonry Wall A wall is an important aspect of the building. Skills must be applied in the construction to ensure that the weight of the wall can be sustained by the foundation. As was stated earlier, the weight of a load bearing masonry is very heavy. Precise calculations must be made to ensure that there is no problem that may arise from miscalculations which may lead to accidents happening in the future due to imbalance. The proposed type of wall is the solid masonry wall. The wall should be made of stones to ensuring that the wall is strong enough. The stones give a beautiful pattern which does not call for further painting (Davis et al 2010). It has also been stated that the stones are usually fire resistant. This quality makes solid stone walls like the most preferable. Fig 3 load bearing masonry walls Roof There are various types of roofs that can be used in load bearing masonry. The most common being the slanted roof tops. They are important in the drainage system which does not require many modifications. For this project, however, I would recommend flat roofing. The reasons are because there may be a future need to build another floor on it. The construction will be much simpler with flat roofing. Another reason is because it is very safe to construct such a roof. It is also known to regulate the temperature inside the building. The flat roof is made from concrete which is resistant to heat. Modern materials may be used to extend the life of this form of roofing (EGBU & ANUMBA 2004). Fig 4 flat roof c) Materials One of most used materials is brick, block or stones. The stones or brick take most of the part of the construction. Furthermore, other materials are also used for this type of construction including reinforced concrete. Wood and also steel are also used in load bearing masonry construction (Rider 2011). Characteristics Bricks, blocks or stones are fire resistant. This is one of the most important characteristics. Another characteristic is that they have low expansivity. They are also very durable making the structure last longer. Reinforced concrete is the other material used in load bearing masonry. It also has a low expansivity. The reinforced concrete and the brick block or stones will match properly since their expansion is almost the same, making it possible for the two materials. Steel is also one of the materials used in the construction. Steel is used due to its strength. It is very strong, making the building even stronger when used in the construction. It is used in the foundation as well as the corners of the buildings to make strong pillars. Steel is also resistant to wear. It makes the steel very durable, this match with the concrete and stones which are also very durable. d) Quality Control procedure Quality assurance usually makes use of set policies which must be adhered to, ensuring that the end result of the construction is one of impeccable quality. The quality control is ensured by testing the materials or inspection. Sometimes it is usually both procedures. Buildings are supposed to be sustainable. The sustainability of buildings will depend on the level of quality control on each of the materials used in construction (Kibert 2008). The durability of the materials must be established, more so, the quality of those materials must be established. The durability of materials is ensured by the careful selection of materials used in the construction. Quality control also ensures that there is limited maintenance to the structure. The steel used should be of the best quality, the wood should be from trees known to produce the longest lasting wood. Stones should be used instead of blocks or bricks. The stones should ensure that the building lasts long as opposed to the use of blocks. The stones used should be of the best quality (Hendry et al 2004). The mixing of materials to make the concrete should be done in a precise way (ASTM C 2006). The proper use of ratios would go a long way in avoiding cracks that may develop in the future. Proper calculations should be done on the vertical wall loading. It ensures that the wall does not have a weight that is too much to be borne by the wall. The calculations are meant to eliminate any form of weakness on the wall. It eliminates dangers that might arise from earthquake vibrations and another form of interference. In the long run, the safety of the building is ensured. Question 2 Some derelict industrial site may be reclaimed and redeveloped into residential areas (Bowman & Pagano 2004). There are, however, many issues that need to be considered. The first issue is acquiring a permit (Wong et al 2010). For a site to be changed from an industrial site to a residential site, there may be many requirements as to the environmental concerns. Therefore, a permit is essential. The second issue is the environmental concern. The land may have been affected to a great extent by industrial use. The first concern, in this case, is on waste materials. Most industrial companies have the tendency to dump waste in the surrounding areas. The waste may pose a great danger to any residential buildings that may be constructed around that area. There is a need, therefore, to conduct an environmental assessment to ensure that the land has not been much affected (Umar et al 2013). The third step after the environmental assessment is the reclamation of the land. The removal of the waste from the surface of the earth on the surrounding should be conducted. Proper neutralisation of chemicals that nay have been deposited in the area should be done. The effort here is directed towards ensuring that the safety of the people to live in the residential area is guaranteed. Another issue to be considered is the soil testing exercise. Before any structure can be mounted on the land, proper soil testing should be done. The soil around industrial areas may tend to have characteristics different from other areas hence calling for special measures to be taken during construction. The difference is mostly due to emissions of waste in terms of solid waste and also in terms of liquid waste which might alter the properties of the soil. Where the structures are to be converted to residential areas rather than making new establishments, there should be a further assessment to ensure that the old structures can be converted to the residential area safely. Such would include a proper assessment of the properties of the structure which was in place as well as the further environmental assessment is to be done to ensure safety (Uwe &Detlef 2002). Further planning permits should be attained from the relevant authority after the above assessment (Government of Ireland 2009). The same is meant to verify if, with the given findings that residential structure may be safely established. The issues that surround the brownfield project are meant to ensure the sustainable establishment of the industrial areas (Christopher & De Sousa 2002). The major issue being to establish whether there has been any contamination and how to address such an issue by removing the contamination (Brooks 2006). References ASTM C 2006, “Standard Guide for Quality Assurance for Mortars,” Annual Book of Standards, Vol. 04.05, ASTM International, West Conshohocken, PA Hendry ,W, Sinha , P , & Davies, R 2004, Design of Masonry Structures , E & FN Spon, London. Bowman & Pagano 2004, Vacant Land as Opportunity and Challenge, chapter in Recycling the City: The Use and Reuse of Urban Land, Lincoln Institute of Land Polly, Cambridge Brooks, N 2006, “A model for redeveloping complex, highly contaminated sites the Industri-plex Site in Woburn, Massachusetts,” WIT Transactions on Ecology and the Environment, 94: 229-238. Wong, C & Schulze, B June 2010, Brownfield residential redevelopment in England: What happens to the most deprived neighbourhoods?, Joseph Rowntree Foundation: London available from www.jrf.org.uk Christopher, A & De Sousa 2002, Turning brownfields into green space in the City of Toronto, Milwaukee, Toronto. Davis, C , McLean, I , & Ingham, M 2010, “Evaluation of Design Provisions for In-Plane Shear in Masonry Walls,” The Masonry Society Journal, Vol. 28, No.2, Dec, 2010, pp. 41-59. Government of Ireland 2009, Guidelines for Planning Authorities on Sustainable Residential Development in Urban Areas (Cities, Towns & Villages),The Stationery Office, Dublin. Egbu, C, O, & Anumba, C 2004, Innovation in architecture, engineering and construction, Emerald Group Pub, Bradford. Uwe ,F & Grimski, D 2002, Brownfields and Redevelopment of Urban Areas, CLARINET, Contaminated Land Rehabilitation Network for Environmental Technologies. Kibert, C 2008, Sustainable construction: green building design and delivery, John Wiley & Sons ,Hoboken, N.J. Merritt, F & Ricketts, J 2000, Building design and construction handbook, McGraw-Hill, New York. Narayanan, R & Beeby, W 2002, Introduction to design for civil engineers, E & FN Spon, London. Rider, R, Glass, S, Mcnaughton, J & Levine, K 2011, Understanding green building materials, W.W. Norton & Co, New York. SYED, A 2012, advanced building technologies for sustainability, John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken. Umar, UsmanAminu et al. 2013, Impact of Environmental Assessment of Green Building Materials on Sustainable Rating System, AMR 689. Read More