UPPER FLOORS

Outline
General
Choice of Construction
Construction of Upper Floors
References
 General
• In a multi-storeyed building, floor made at level with the plinth of the building
is known as ground floor.
• If building is provided with basement or underground storey, its floor is known
as basement floor.
• Top-most horizontal or sloped structure, covering the rooms from the top is
known as roof.
• All the intermediate floors are known as upper floors.
• An upper floor is basically a principal structural element and the general
structural design of a building will greatly influence the choice of the type of
floor.
• Upper floors are supported either on the walls or on columns ; they have,
therefore, the major problems of strength and stability.
• The structural design of upper floor has to be such as to support the loads set up
by the use of building, in addition to the self weight and the weight of partition
etc…
 Choice of Construction
The upper floors, in addition to having a good wearing surface, should be more
stronger to sustain heavier loads and should provide adequate sound insulation and
fire resistance in buildings.
To perform these functions effectively, the following factors require due
consideration in the selection of type of construction for upper floors in a building.
1. General types of building construction
2. Amount and type of floor loading or flooring loads
3. Plan of building
4. Initial cost
5. Fire resistance
6. Sound insulation
7. Weight and position of floor
8. Function or use of building
9. Type of ceiling
10. Wearing surface
 Choice of Construction (cont.…)
1. General types of building construction
For a given building, several alternatives are analysed in view of building code
requirements, intended functions a building is to perform and economy.
On the basis of analysis, the following combination are generally suggested:
i. If columns, beams and girders are made of wood, then a timber or wood floor
system should be used.
ii. If building is made of steel framed type, then the floor system can be of plain
concrete type, R.C.C. type or R.C.C ribbed floor type.
iii. If building is made of R.C.C framed type, then the floor system will be either of
plain concrete or R.C.C slab or R.C.C ribbed floor.
iv. If building consists of masonry bearing walls then the various floor system such
as timber floor, concrete floor, steel joist or I beams, R.C.C beams and
slabs, precast concrete, etc. can be used.
 Choice of Construction (cont.…)
2. Amount and type of floor loading or flooring loads
The intensity of loading and type of loading are important consideration
from viewpoint of safety, functional performance and economy of building.
Generally, any type of floor can be selected for light loads, but for medium
and heavy loads the following floor system are suggested;
i. Steel joists with R.C.C slabs
ii. R.C.C flat slabs
iii. R.C.C slabs and beams
iv. R.C.C ribbed slab
v. Steel joist with timber decks
vi. Double joist timber floors
 Choice of Construction (cont.…)
3. Plan of building
The floor system sometimes is fixed by the plan requirements of a building. The
economic range of various types of floor systems are given in below table.
Loading
Span Range
Up to 200 kg/m2 200-400 kg/m2 Over 400 kg/m2
Timber Timber
Up to 3 m R.C.C slab floor
floor(single joist) floor(single joist)
Between 3 to 6 Timber
R.C.C slab floor R.C.C beams and slabs
m floor(single joist)
Special floors such or
Between 6 to Timber R.C.C beams and
R.C.C ribbed slabs,
10m floor(double joist) slabs
Precast R.C.C floors
 Choice of Construction (cont.…)
4. Initial cost
For cost analysis of different floor system, three costs, namely, directly cost,
indirect costs and annual cost of maintenance and operations, should be considered.

• The direct costs include the cost of floor system including the wearing surface,
the supporting beams, and curing surfaces whether directly applied or
suspended.
• The indirect costs are the cost of girder, the columns and their foundation, and
sometimes the increased height also which may be needed for thicker or heavier
flooring.
 Choice of Construction (cont.…)
5. Fire resistance
• Floors should act as horizontal barriers
against the passage of fire and hence should
beresistance
constructed
is desired.
of fire-resistive materials.
iii.i. Fire-resistant
Ordinary wooden joist floors
construction, can constructed
and floors be economically used forsteel joists
of open-web
residential
and concrete slabs protected with suspended ceiling of metal lath or gypsum
•plaster, are recommended for multi-storeyed and fire-hazardous building in
congested cities. where fire resistance is not a
building,
decisive factor.
ii. Heavy timber construction can be economically used for buildings,
such as warehouses and other industrial
building, where sufficient degree of
 Choice of Construction (cont.…)
6. Sound insulation
The degree of sound insulation required is different for different types of building.
i. A solid concrete floor, of sufficient thickness and weight offers sufficient
insulation against air-borne sound. It should be noted that greater the weight
of structure, greater will be the insulation against air-borne sound.
ii. The use of light-weight concrete or cellular concrete, is also common for floor
construction against air-borne sound. The use of fibrous and resilient materials
in floor construction also offers good sound insulation.
iii. The blocked timber floors offer little insulation which is generally acceptable
in the first floor of the building.
Note- Sound insulation should be effectively provided in case of film studios of
the radio stations, hospitals, educational institutes, hotels, offices, apartment houses
etc.
 Choice of Construction (cont.…)
7. Weight and position of floor
The weight of a floor system to carry a given load is an important factor, because
it affects the cost of super-structure and foundations. Timber floors are suitable
where its use is permissible. Floor system with thin light weight slabs with closely
spaced joists are preferred. The use of light weight and cellular concrete can also
help in reduction of weight.
8. Function or use of building
The use to which a building is to be put determines the general type of
construction. This is turn in interrelated to the floor system, as discussed in under
factor 1. Moreover, the floor type depends upon loading, degree of fire resistance,
degree of sound insulation, etc. required for specific use of building.
 Choice of Construction (cont.…)
9. Type of ceiling
• Ordinary timber joist floors, flat-slab floors, ribbed floor, etc., provided flat
ceiling, whereas concrete floors, supported by beams and girders etc., require
suspended ceiling, if flat ceiling are to be obtained.
• Different type of ceilings are provided for different floor system. Plastered
ceilings are generally provided to the underside of ribbed slab or steel beams.
• Monolithic concrete ceiling surface are often finished by painting directly
rather than on plaster
 Choice of Construction (cont.…)
10. Wearing surfaces
The following combination of wearing surface and base or sub-floor are considered
suitable from economic point of view.
i. Wood flooring as wearing surface is provided for light wood joist and heavy
timber floors.
ii. The flooring of linoleum, cork, magnesite, asphalt tile, cork carpet, rubber,
ceramic tile, etc., is provided as wearing surface for any type of floor system
with concrete top surface.
iii. The flooring of ceramic tile, marble, slate, terrazzo, etc. as wearing surface also
requires a concrete foundation and hence a concrete base.
 Construction of Upper Floors
The upper floors are generally classified on the basis of arrangement of beams and
girders, or the framework, for supporting the flooring and the material used in the
entire floor construction. The various types of upper floors commonly used are as
follows:

1. Timber floors
single joist timber floor
double joist timber floor
framed or triple joist floor
2. Timber floors supported on rolled steel joists
3. Steel joists and flag stones, or precast concrete slabs
4. Steel joists and jack arches of brick or concrete
 Construction of Upper Floors(cont.
5. R.C.C slab floor
6. Steel girder and R.C.C slab floor
7. R.C.C beam and slab floor
8. Flat slab floor Beamless slab floor
9. R.C.C ribbed floor or hollow block and rib floor or hollow tiled ribbed
floor
10. Filler joist floor
11. Pre-cast concrete floor
12. Grid/ Waffle Slab
 Construction of Upper
Floors(cont.)
• 3. Floors of Steel Joists and Flagstones or
Precast Concrete Slabs
• Flag stone is available in abundance in many
parts of the country and hence this flooring is
used for economy and ease in construction.
• In this type if the span between the walls is less
than 4 meters, then rolled steel joists of suitable
section are placed on the walls at a suitable
spacing, usually about 25 cm c/c. If the span is
more than 4 meters, rolled steel beams of the
 Construction of Upper
Floors(cont.)
The portions above the flag stones are then
filled with light weight concrete, lime
concrete, muram or mud up to about 2 cm
above the top of joists. Finally, a floor
finishing of materials, viz., flag-stones,
tiles, cement concrete or any other
material, is laid over the muram filling or
concrete base.

Details of flag-stone flooring on steel joists.

 Construction of Upper
Floors(cont.)
4. Floors of Jack Arches of Brick or Concrete
These floors are formed by constructing brick or concrete arches, called 'Jack
Arches', on the lower flanges of mild steel joists. The joists provided, in turn, are
made to rest either on wall or on beam. The floors bear the anticipated loads either
from reinforcement or by arch action. The joists are spaced at 80 to 120 cm. The
floor is finished on the top with any kind of paving, such as stone, cement concrete,
tile, etc., and the underside of the floor is plastered and white-washed.
This type of floor suffers from the following drawbacks:
(i) The ceiling of the floor is not plain from below.
(ii)The rolled steel joists, if embedded in lime concrete, are liable to rust due to
the action of lime.
(iii) The arch action of the floor exerts thrust on the side walls, which require
extra tie rods of mild steel in the end spans at intervals.
 Construction of Upper
Floors(cont.)
A. Construction of Brick jack Arch Floors

Detail of brick jack arch floor

First of all, a timber centering is made to the required size and shape (usually made
segmental in shape, having about 4 cm thickness), and is laid on edge with the
circular part (known as intrados) upwards on the lower flanges of the rolled steel
joists at a distance of 7.5 cm from the wall,
 Construction of Upper
Floors(cont.)
well burnt and saturated bricks are then laid on the centering board from both the
ends or joists of the arch and the work is closed at the centre. The end bricks are
suitably cut to the required shape to enable them to fit into the joists properly and
the joint next to the joist is filled with cement mortar to prevent contact with lime
(as it results in rusting of joists). The first ring should consist of alternate bricks, 20
cm and 10 cm, long respectively, so as to maintain a continuous bond between the
first and successive rings.
The central brick known as the key is laid in stiff mortar and the joints on either
side of the 'key‘ brick should be filled tight. The centering board is then removed
and rest of the arches in series are constructed as described above.

Note. Hollow concrete or clay blocks or clay tiles can also be used instead of
bricks for constructing jack arches.
 Construction of Upper
Floors(cont.)
B. Construction of Concrete Jack Arch Floors
The construction of concrete jack arch floors
is comparatively simple. The centering
consists of 3 mm thick mild steel plate bent
to the exact shape of intrados and having
holes at the two ends, at 75 cm c/c
longitudinally (i.e., along the length of the
plate). To support this mild steel centering,
two iron rods, about 12 mm in diameter and
of suitable length, are hooked at the ends so as
to form eyes large enough to pass a 12 mm
rod ; and each iron rod is passed through the
eyes of the other in such a way that by sliding
the eyes, the total length of the two iron rods R.C.C jack arch floor construction-details

can be increased or decreased.

 Construction of Upper
Floors(cont.)
These iron rods are made to pass through the
hole made in the mild steel plate, and are
supported on the lower flanges of the floor
joists.
This centering is formed over the R.S. joists
already placed on the walls at intervals of 75
cm. Concrete of specified mix is now laid on
the top of the centering to the required
thickness and well consolidated by means of Details of concrete jack arch floor

rammers. The flooring is then completes with

desired type of flooring.
The entire floor work is well watered for atleast 10 days, and the centering is
removed by removing the wooden packing piece and then hammering the eyes in the
rods towards each other. The underside of the arches is finished with plastering.
 Construction of Upper
Floors(cont.)
5. R.C.C. Slab Floor

Details of one-way R.C.C. slab floor (for span <4 meters)

R.C.C. slabs are becoming very popular in the construction of floors for modem
buildings, because R.C.C. is a combination of two materials, cement concrete and
steel. Concrete is weak in tension and to overcome this, steel which is strong in
tension, is introduced to form a composite material. In R.C.C. the steel reinforces or
strengthens the concrete, and hence R.C.C. is equally strong both in compression and
tension.
Construction of Upper
Floors(cont.)

Details of R.C.C bars in one way slab

 Construction of Upper
Floors(cont.)
For small spans of floors up to 4 meter which do
not carry heavy loads, a simple R.C.C. slab may
be used. When the ratio of length of the room to
its breadth is greater than 1.5, slabs are designed
as one-way slab to span along the shorter width.
In this case, main reinforcement is non-parallel to
the shorter walls, while distribution bars are laid
parallel to the length of the room.
When the length to breadth ratio of the room is
less than 1.5, room is nearly square), the floor slab
is designed spanning in both directions and called
two-way slab. In this case, main reinforcement in
the slab is provided in both the directions parallel
to the sides of the room. At comer, suitable mesh Details of reinforcement in two way slab
reinforcement is provided at top and bottom. (when length/breadth, ratio<1.5)
 Construction of Upper
Floors(cont.)
6. Steel Girders and R.C.C Slab Floor
When the spans are larger (more than 4 meter), the use of R.C.C. slab floor
becomes uneconomical. Therefore, under such conditions additional supports of
steel girders are introduced below the slabs to reduce the spans.
The construction procedure is same as for R.C.C. slab except the additional use of
steel girders below the slab.

R.C.C slab and steel beam floor-details

 Construction of Upper
Floors(cont.)
7. R.CC. Beam and Slab Floor
For larger spans and heavy loading conditions or in situations where intermediate
walls are not provided to reduce the span, R.C.C. beam and slab floor
construction is becoming very common for most of the buildings. In this type of
floor, beams and slabs are designed as rectangular sections and the slabs are
supported on beams. In monolithic construction, the beams and slabs are cast
together as shown in below Figure.

R.C.C beam and slab floor

 Construction of Upper
Floors(cont.)
8. Flat Slab Floor (or Beamless Slab Floor).
This floor is made of R.C.C. slab which is directly supported on columns without
the use of beams or girders. The flat slab floors are generally used where heavy
loads are to be carried and head room is limited. These floors are generally used
for buildings such as warehouses, factories, mills, theatres, public building, etc
The columns supporting the flat slabs are usually circular in section and tops of
columns are invariably flared or tapered. This flared or tapered portion is called
capital. The portion of the slab, symmetrical with die column, is sometimes
thickened in order to give additional strength to the capital and in turn to the
slab. This thickened portion is termed as a drop panel.
Flat slabs are generally thicker (12 mm or more) in case of beam and slab floors
but are more economical as when the floor loads are heavy, panels are square or
nearly square and column spacing ranges between 5 to 8 meters.
 Construction of Upper
Floors(cont.)
The reinforcement in flat slab floors
is provided by different systems but
the following two are commonly
used:
(i) The two-way system.
(ii) The four-way system.
In two-way system of reinforcement, the Detail of flat slab floor
reinforcement is carried from column to
column and at right angles to one another. The
area left in this system is regarded as supported
on four sides.
In the four-way system of reinforcement, the
reinforcement is placed in four directions and
consists of two bands of main steel from
column to column and other two bands placed Details of column
diagonally across the panel from column to
column
 Construction of Upper
Floors(cont.)
9. R.C.C. Ribbed Floors or Hollow Filed Ribbed Floors or Hollow Block and
Rib-Floors
In these types of floors, hollow blocks of clay or concrete are used to reduce the
total weight of the solid floor This becomes possible, because the concrete below
the neutral axis is considered as having no tensile value, except to resist shear
stresses. Hence, a certain portion of the concrete is removed, leaving a
sufficient number of ribs or concrete joists at short intervals carrying
reinforcement to take care of shear stresses.
The floor finishing may consist of paving of
cement tiles or simply of a 2 cm thick
cement plaster The thickness of the floor
varies from 15 to 25 cm for spans from 4 to
7 meter respectively. A minimum cover of 8
cm is kept at the top. The blocks generally
having a rough or grooved surface are used Details of hollow blocks and R.C.C rib floor
to develop good bond with concrete.
 Construction of Upper
Floors(cont.)
Hence, the sides of the joists and the bottom of the
slab are cast by placing hollow clay tiles, hollow
gypsum tiles, etc. on a wooden form-work. These
structural clay tiles of specific dimensions, (i.e.,
length = 45 to 90 cm, width = 20 or 25 cm and
height = 7 or 9 cm) and weighting less than 14 kg,
should be of good quality, colour and texture. The
Details of hollow tiled ribbed floor
portion between the tiles is connected
and a slab is laid on it.
In another method, the R.C.C. ribs in ribbed
floor are replaced by rolled steel joists (R.S.J.)
and hollow clay tiles spanning the distance
between R.S. joists as lintels. R.S. beams are
also used to support the joists when the span
between the walls exceeds 5 meter. Hollow tiled floor with R.S joists
 Construction of Upper
Floors(cont.)
A layer of concrete is then laid on the hollow blocks or tiles to provide a base for
floor finishing. The underside of the floor is usually plastered.
Sometimes, steel cores are used between the ribs which are removed if made of
thicker metal, whereas left in place when made of thin sheet
In this floor type, metal lath for the plaster is fixed from the underside of the rib
before the cores are set and is wired to the bars in the ribs.

Detail of ribbed floor with steel forms

 Construction of Upper
Floors(cont.)
10. Filler Joists Floors
In this type of floor, rolled steel joists of the required section are spaced at a
distance of 45 cm to 90 cm c/c., and the spaces between the joists are filled with
cement concrete. The floor is then finished by one of the usual ways. The filler
joists may either rest on walls or may be joined to main rolled steel beams.

Details of filler joist floor

 Construction of Upper
Floors(cont.)
To construct such a floor, the centering is first erected and then R.S. joists are
laid on the walls at he required spacing. A concrete cover of atleast 2.5 cm
above and below the flanges of joists and 5 cm on the sides and below the
R.S. beams respectively should be provided to envelop fully the Joists beams.
In superior type of floor, the joists may be held m position by means of tie rods
passing through the webs.

Connection details of R.S beams with filler

 Construction of Upper
Floors(cont.)
11. Pre-cast Concrete Floors
With the development of concrete construction, the
R.C.C. pre-cast units such as floor slabs, beams,
girders, etc. are being successfully used for floors
where concrete surfaces are required. Moreover, the
pre-cast concrete floors are very strong and rigid, and
can be completed in lesser time without the use of
form-work or centering.
Hollow precast floor unit

In floor construction, the pre-cast units (i.e., beams or slabs) of about 25 cm in width,
and a depth varying to the requirements of the load and span, are employed. Pre-cast
slabs or beams are available for different spans in the market. These precast slabs are
either supported directly on the walls or placed between the rolled steel joists of the
required section. The sides are grooved to form joggles. Cement mortar is used to
grout the joints and then floor is completed by giving a desired finish. In superior
type of flooring, continuity rods hooked at the ends are placed over the supporting
beams in the joints between the slabs.
Construction of Upper
Floors(cont.)
 Construction of Upper
Floors(cont.)
12. Grid/ Waffle Slab
A grid slab is a type of building material that has two-directional reinforcement
on the outside of the material, giving it the shape of the pockets on a waffle.

View of waffle slab

Reinforcement of waffle slab
 Construction of Upper
Floors(cont.)

Diagrid
Orthogonal

3-way Grids For Triangular & Hexagonal Areas

 Construction of Upper
Floors(cont.)
1. Arranging the 2. Fixing the 3. Fixing the 4. Providing a
Framework Connectors Framework horizontal connector

5. Placing the 6. Fixing pods to 7. Removing

Pods 8. Removing
the connectors framework
connectors

9. Removing pods
 Construction of Upper
Floors(cont.)

Metropol Parasol, Italy Chattrapati Shivaji Terminal, India

It is the world’s largest wooden structure It is recognized for its innovative
which is made up of waffle system. column design which also consists
waffle design.
 References
1. Singh Gurucharan, Building Construction and Material, 2010, Page no-496-
536
2. Punmia B.C, Building Construction,2013, Page no-281-292
3. Arora S.P, Bindra S.P, The text book of building construction, 2015, 12.3-
12.34
4. Standard Method of Detailing Structural Concrete, 2006
5. Frederick S. Merritt, BUILDING DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION
HANDBOOK
6. Manual for the design of reinforced concrete building structures