CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION TO BUILDING CONSTRUCTION

1.1General
A construction is a process of constructing something by man for one purpose or another. It
may be a road, bridge, a dam, a dwelling place, an airport, a commercial building, etc.

A building can be generally considered as a structure consisting of floors, walls and roofs erected
to provide covered space for different uses such as residence, business, entertainment, workshop,
etc. Buildings come in a wide amount of shapes and functions, and have been adapted
throughout history of human being.

Buildings serve several needs of society:

As shelter to prevent from weather (sun, rain ,wind , snow)

As general living working space ( convenient )
To provide privacy
To store belongings

The initial causes which forced man to look for shelter were:

Fear of wild animals

Seeking protection against the cold and the heat
Seeking shelter against the rain and wind
The desire for a place where everything belonging to the family could be gathered

Requirements which must be satisfied for the construction of a modern house are:

A plot of land ,
Permission from local authorities,
Materials for building,
Skilled laborers for the erection,
Finance , and
Professionals, such as architects and engineers

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1.2building classification
 Buildings can be generally classified in different groups depending upon their occupancy of
use or types of construction.

1. Classification Based On Occupancy:

Residential buildings,
Educational buildings,
Assembly buildings,
Business buildings,
Mercantile buildings,
Industrial buildings,
Institutional buildings,
Storage buildings,
Hazardous buildings.
Building Classifications

1. Residential buildings:

 Include houses occupied by persons where living accommodations are provided. Examples:
private residences, apartments, dormitories, hotels, etc

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2. Educational buildings:

 Include any building used for educational instructions. Example: Schools, TVET, Collages,
University, etc

3. Assembly buildings:

 Include any building where group of people gather for amusement, recreation, social,
political, religious and similar purposes. Examples: theatres, halls, places of worship, etc.

4. Business buildings:

 Any building which is used for the transaction of business, for professional services and for
keeping accounts and records for similar purpose. Examples: Garages, barbershops, city
halls, court houses, libraries, etc

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5. Mercantile buildings:

 Any building which is used as shops, stores, market, and for display and sale of merchandise.
Examples: Shopping malls

6. Industrial buildings:
 Any building or structure, in which products or materials of all kinds are fabricated,
assembled, finished or processed. Examples: Assembly plants, Industry parks etc.

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7. Institutional buildings:

 Any building which is used for purposes such as medical or other treatment or care or for
penal or correctional detention. Examples: hospitals, prisons, etc

8. Storage buildings:

 Any building which is used for storage or sheltering of goods, merchandise, agricultural
products, raw materials etc. Examples: ware houses, barns, etc

9. Hazardous buildings:

 Any building used for storage, handling, manufacturing or processing of highly inflammable
(flammable), combustible or explosive materials. Example, explosive storage

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2. Classification Based On Types of Construction

Buildings are classified on the basis of resistance to fire of the elements of the buildings.

Type1: Fire-resisting construction,

Type 2: Non-combustible construction,
Type 3: Heavy timber construction,
Type 4: Ordinary construction,
Type 5: Wood frame construction.

Type1: Fire-resisting construction

 Type of construction in which the elements of the building, which include the floors, walls,
columns and the roof itself, are non-combustible. The building is sufficiently fire resistance
that it with stands the effect of fire and prevents its spread to other rooms.

Type 2: Non-combustible construction

 Construction in which the walls, partitions, structural elements etc. are non-combustible with
less fire resistance than Type 1.

Type-3: Heavy timber construction

 Exterior walls are out of masonry or other non-combustible material. Interior structural
members, floors and roofs are constructed out of timber either in solid or laminated forms.

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Type-4: Ordinary construction

 Exterior walls are out of masonry or other non-combustible material. Interior structural
members could be partially or wholly out of wood of relatively smaller sections unlike Type 3.

Type-5: Wood frame construction

 Type of construction in which practically the whole of the building is out of wood or other
combustible materials.

1.3 Components of a Building

A building has two basic parts:
Sub-structure
Super structure
Sub-structure: is the lower portion of the building, usually located below the ground level,
which transmits the loads of the super-structure to the supporting soil.
Super-structure: is that part of the structure which is above the ground level, and which serves
the purpose of its intended use.
The basic component of a building includes:
Foundations
Floors
Walls
Roof structures
Building finishes
Doors, windows and other openings
Vertical transportation

1.4 Building design

 It is the process of providing all information necessary for construction of a building that will
meet its owner’s requirements and also satisfy public health, welfare, and safety
requirements.
 Main considerations in architectural design of buildings for all purpose are:
Climate and its effect

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 People and their requirements
Materials for construction and method of construction
Regulations and building codes

 Design and performance requirements

 A building structure should satisfy the following basic design and performance
requirements;
A. The structure should have adequate margin of safety (factor of safety) in addition to that
necessary to support its normal loading.
B. It must have sufficient stiffness so that its distortion does not offend the eye or reduce the
efficiency of the structure for its normal purpose.
C. The building should be planned to provide sufficient comfort and convenience to the
occupants of the building.

 Functional Requirements of building

To accommodate the basic functional requirements, a building should satisfy the following
requirements in its design and construction works:

1. Strength and stability

 Any structural component of a building should be strong enough to carry or support all
possible types of loads to which it is likely to be subjected.

The Loads in a building are commonly classified as: dead loads, super imposed or live loads and
wind loads.

Dead loads: are static loads due to the weight of the respective structural members, i.e. the wall

Partitions, roofs, slabs and all other permanent fixtures in the building.

Live loads: also called as super-imposed loads, consist of moving or variable loads, due to

People or occupants, their furniture, temporary stores, machinery, etc.

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Wind loads: are loads, which can cause uplift on a building and reduce the pressure on the
foundation on the wind ward side and increase pressure on the leeward side. The effect of wind
pressure increases with the height of the building.

2. Dimensional stability

Refers to the resistance to dimensional changes in building materials and structures caused due
to:

Elastic and plastic deformations as a result of applied loads

Expansion and contraction due to changes in temperature and moisture content.

3. Comfort and convenience

Should be satisfied by proper planning of the buildings and its units like;

Optimum utilization of space,

Lighting considerations ,
Orientation.

4. Resistance to moisture penetration

The presence of moisture in any building structure deteriorates the materials strength, reduces
durability and could cause partial or total failure of the structure.

5. Fire protection

A building structure should not catch fire easily, a building should provide means of fire escape,
and a building should be designed to reduce the spread of fire.

6. Heat insulation
The building should be designed in such a way to maintain fairly constant temperature of the
internal environment independently of the varying climatic conditions externally.
7. Day light and ventilation

Day lighting is essential to promote the activities carried in the building and to create pleasant
inside environment.

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Ventilation is essential to prevent undue concentration of odors, fumes, dust, etc and maintain
suitable condition for the user of the building.

8. Sound insulation

The insulation of noise is a very important requirement for buildings such as hospitals,
educational institutions, offices and residential building located in noisy areas.

9. Durability

The durability of a building is defined as the time over which a building remains serviceable and
depends mainly on:

Type of building materials,

Environmental exposure,
Quality of workmanship,
Degree of maintenance, etc.

10. Security

Due considerations should be given in designing and constructing external walls and openings to
protect a building against burglary or theft

11. Economy

The designer must exercise economy at every stage of planning, design, construction,
maintenance and operation.

1.5 Main Parties in Building Construction

The practice of planning, designing, constructing, and operating buildings is most usually a
collective effort of different groups of professionals and trades. Depending on the size,
complexity, and purpose of a particular building project, the project team may include:

A client or an owner: Individuals, government, real estate developers etc.

Financial institutions or other investors that provide the funding
Local planning and code authorities

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 Consultants or Licensed architects and engineers who provide building design and
prepare construction documents
Contractors who provide construction services and install building systems
Marketing or leasing agents
Facility managers who are responsible for operating the building.
 Client

The client is the most important party who is active from inception to completion and event to
post-occupancy maintenance. Clients may be classified as Public sector clients and private
sector clients.

A. Public sector clients

Central Government Offices (Ministries)

Local Authorities (Regional or Town)
Public Corporations

B. Private sector clients

These are private individuals & private companies.

Duty of the Client

Demand for the product. For example for the building project:

Availability and cost of land,

Location & accessibility
Price
Required Infrastructure
Legal constraints
Current & future development
Soil characteristics of land
Site preparation (right of way)
Permits

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Consultant

The main role of the consultant is to interpret the client’s project requirement into a specific
design. Consultants’ team shall:

Ascertain, interpret and formulate the client’s requirement into an understandable

project.
Design the project to much requirements and constraints (imposed by legal
obligations, technical feasibility, environmental factors, site conditions, cost, etc)
Assess client’s cost limit to decide on materials & the like.
Prepare contract documents.
Supervise the project and constantly inform the client on the progress
Approve payments
Resolve contractual disputes
Issue provisional and final acceptance certification

Contractor

These are groups established mainly as commercial companies, that contract to construct
development projects. Responsibility of contractors:

Carry out a full site investigation prior to submission of tender,

Submit tender,
Plan, Program, Control the construction process.
Notify the consultant about delays, discrepancies,
Effect all payments to his employees, suppliers, subcontractors,
Provide post occupancy repair and maintenance if required.

Public Sector Agencies

A. Legal Authorities; These bodies offer technical advice during design and construction in
their respective areas.

B. Municipalities and Government Authorities; these bodies offer the basic Land permit and
building permit.

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1.6 Resource for Building Construction

The following resources are vital for construction industry:

Human Resources (Labor or Workmen)

Financial Resources ( Fund)
Information Resources
Physical Resources ( Materials, Equipment and Other Assets)
Services and Management39

A. Human resource (Labor or Workmen); these include professional, skilled, semi skilled and
unskilled laborers. Human resources can be understood in two values: Capacity and Capability.

Capacity - refers to the quantity of labor for the scope defined.

Capability - refers to knowledge, technology know-how and skill as per the demands of the
scopes ability.

Construction Managers need to be capable of:

Communication- Inter-personal, group interaction-skills

Problem solving / Conflict resolution / Negotiation Skills
Facilitating / Decision- making Skills
Writing skills for Proposals / Reports / ToR
Hard Skills- Planning, Implementing, Leading and Monitoring tools.

B. Financial Resources (Fund)

Usually funds are available from among Governmental institution, Private institutions and
Donors in the form of loan or assistance.

C. Information Resources

Information can be understood in two terms: data whether processed or not; and its technology.

D. Physical Resources

i. Materials

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Material covers 55-70% of the total construction cost.

ii. Equipment

Though their initial cost is high using equipment are far better than using labor.

iii. Other assets

Physical Infrastructures and Owned Land are assets which can be collaterals for capital base
enhancement and credit facilities and are useful to develop the scarce financial resources and
getting into business access.

E. Service and Management

I. Service; Services such as acquisition of land, provisions of water supply, electric power,
communication systems, etc., are very much necessary in the construction industry.

ii. Management; Management has come to employ a disciplined approach to the use of
available resources.

1.7 Life cycle of construction project

 Project life cycle is the term used to describe the series of phases a project

passes through from its start to its completion.

 A construction Project entails 5 important stages: 5 Life cycle of construction

project

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Phase 1-Initiation
 Build a strong case for it (Why are we doing this and what are the benefits?)
 Feasibility study/analysis (Can we do it? How much time and resources will it require?
 Identify key stakeholders.
 Define the project purpose, key objectives and expected benefits.
 PM (Project management) Book suggests that the final document should
clearly specify the following:
 Project purpose;
 Measurable project objectives and related success criteria;
 High-level project description, boundaries, and key deliverables;
 Overall project risk;
 Summary milestone schedule;
 Pre-approved financial resources;
 Key stakeholder list;
 Project approval requirements
 Assigned project manager, responsibility, and authority level; and
 Name and authority of the sponsor or another person (s) authorizing the project charter.
Phase 2: Project Planning and design
 The purpose of this phase is to lay down a detailed strategy of how the project has to be
performed and how-to make it a success.
 Once all the key stakeholders have approved initial project outline, it’s time to prepare a
more formal set of plans, indicating how the project will be executed.
Here are the key documents you will need to develop:
 Human resources requirements
 Project schedule and key milestones.
 Design the project based on the possible constraint and the owner requirement.
 Budget/cost estimates
 Constraints- limited human resources, known bottlenecks, short timeline, risk
management plan.

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Phase 3: Project Execution
 At this point, the actual work on the project begins. All those requirements, resources and
tools outlined in the plan are leveraged to meet the project goals.
The tasks you are expected to complete at this stage are as follows:
 Assemble a team
 Assign resources
 Start executing the project management plan
 Proactive control and manage project execution
 Distribute and assign tasks.
 Schedule status meetings
 Update project schedule
 Modify project plans as needed.
Phase 4: Project Performance & Project Controlling
 To ensure that your project remains on track at all times, you will want to establish key
performance indicators (KPIs).
 Control the project overall health in regards to performance, budgets, timelines and
objectives.
 Monitor and respond to changes in the project. Assess the team effectiveness, proactively
identify and prevent project bottlenecks and ensure that all the project ‘cogs’ are moving
without any friction. This also includes sharing project status reports with key stakeholders
upon reached milestones.

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