Articles related to building construction technology and other aspects of civil engineering
We have recently proposed a design for a G+1.5 house on a plot size of 45′ x 37′ 6″. The ground floor has a large living room, one guest bedroom, kitchen and dining room. We also have a combined store + washing machine room. The staircase is 3′ 6″ wide. Slab top per floor is 12′ 3″, with a total of 21 steps of 7″ height each.
The advantage of using a C-type staircase is that it can fit in a squarish area. We can also install an elevator the central area of the staircase if necessary. This practice is generally frowned upon, as fire safety regulations advice to keep staircase and lift locations separately, but sometimes we have to use this layout in case of space constraints.
Urban design is complex but fascinating. At least I find it to be exciting and challenging since urban designers get to shape the lifestyles of the people. I would like to discuss one of the urban design projects I did in Architecture college in a group. We were a group of 12 students, all of us skilled in different areas. When we began, we felt the project work was intimidating and that it was too early for us to be working on one. I am going to be writing a series of articles of how we dealt with this project, the design process that we followed and all the survey methods that we used. It was a great experience.
Conservation of the original market character by restricting to various patterns, colours, to create a scenario that invites tourists without disturbing the old and traditional built forms to relate to the original concepts. We are aiming at Sustainability…Sustaining and improving the living standards and reviving the importance of the commercial hub in terms of commercial activity.
We listed out the target issues in terms of Sustainable Development. Listing aims of the project is the first and most important thing to do before beginning any kind of project. This gave us a clear understanding of the direction in which we should be progressing.
Stage One: Case study of 1,000,000 sq m of area in the centre of commercial hub (studied land use pattern)
Stage Two: Detailed Study and Analysis of the Critical Zone for Redesign
Selection Criteria
Abids is one of the oldest commercial hub in the Hyderabad city. Abids constitutes the dwellings of Upper middle class families. People from all over the city came to shop jewellery and textiles at Abids. With the decentralisation of the commercial markets, the crowd coming to Abids has lessened as compared to what it was earlier. The good thing about Abids is that it still has a unique shopping market which other places don’t have. This is what we identified as the unique selling point for the regeneration of Abids. To regenerate, it is essential to identify issues and come up with solutions that could enhance the functioning of the commercial hub and help restoring it to its original character.
Stage Three: Major focused area selected for redesign
Main parts of Retaining Wall
The stem and base are the main parts of a cantilever type of retaining wall. The toe is the front portion and heel is the back portion. The stem is supported at the base and the wall tapers towards the top.
Wall Dimensions
Generally the height of the wall known and approximate dimensions are required to be assumed.
The length of the base is between 0.4 to 0.7 times the height of the wall. Toe to base ratio is 1:4. The thickness of the base slab shall be assumed to be little more than the thickness of the stem at the bottom. The minimum thickness of the stem shall be 200mm for construction purposes.
Earth pressure on wall
A length of one metre of the wall is considered for design.
Earth levelled up to the top of wall:
From Rankine’s theory of earth pressure
where,
P = total pressure on wall acting at H/3 from the base
H = total height in metres
W = weight or density of earth in kN/m3
Φ = angle of repose of earth
Stability of retaining wall
The assumed trial section of the wall shall be checked for stability. Stability check is required for (i) overturning and (ii) sliding. In both the cases the factor of safety shall not be less than 1.5.
1. Factor of safety for overturning
(Moment due to load of wall)/(Moment due to force P) ≥ 1.5
2. Factor of safety for sliding
(Total load of wall x μ)/Force P ≥ 1.5
I took quite some time to write this article. I am really troubled with the idea of people wanting to design their own homes without the help of a Architects or Engineers. It has been really tough telling people that every project is different and needs to be designed accordingly. Every site has different characteristics and hence the design differs.
People are more focused on saving a few thousands that they would have to pay to the experts for getting all the drawings right and in perfect order. They want to do it themselves. For some reason, they believe that they could do a better job than the experts themselves.
I am a professional and I truly appreciate people wanting to participate in the design of their homes, but the participation is limited to suggestions and discussions. The participation of people involves telling the architect about what they imagine their dream house to be. It should be borne in mind that people might have an idea of what they want their dream house to look like but they will never be able to create it. Describe what you want your house to look like and leave it to me and I will come up with something that will fill your heart with joy.
This is only because I have studied for 7 long years which has helped me develop my design skills. I create what my clients dream and feel. When you describe your ideas to an Architect, he knows exactly what you are looking at and what you want. He is a technical person and a designer and knows how he could turn your dream into a reality.
Refer: Important theory and formula derivation for Circular Water Tank
We will now move on with the stepwise design procedure for Water tank design.
Determine the design constants such as σcbc, σct, m, σst
Where,
σcbc = permissible compressive stress in concrete
σct = permissible tensile stress in concrete
m = modular ratio
σst = permissible compressive stress in steel
Determine:
Circular water tanks have the properties of the cylinder. Cylinder stress is exerted on the circular water tank. It is distributed with rotational symmetry. The stress distribution remains unchanged if the object is rotated about a fixed axis.
There are three different patterns of cylinder stress namely;
The base of the circular water tank has a flexible joint. The tank rests on the ground. The wall of the tank is designed for hoop tension.
Formula for Hoop tension (Ht)
The formula for calculating hoop tension is,
Ht = PD/2 ———————————— equation 1
Where,
P = water pressure on wall
D = diameter of tank in metres
The formula for pressure is given by,
P = d x h —————————————equation 2
Where,
d = density of water = 10kN/m3
h = depth of water in metres
Types of construction methods
When you purchase a home, more thought is put into the location and layout of the property than the methods of construction that were used to build it. That is something that becomes incredibly important when you decide that you want to build your own home from scratch. You quickly learn how different structural methods and materials used in the construction can affect the bottom line. With a definite budget in place, you really need to pay attention to all of these details, which usually means that such things as amenities and house features take second place to the actual build.
In our earlier articles, we have discussed an entire guide for RCC construction. The guide includes the detailed procedures for carrying out various different calculations for designing different parts of the building. Foundation design is the most important and first step in the design of RCC structures.
One of the most commonly used methods of construction is one that basically dates back centuries, and that is masonry. Brick and stone are durable materials that can withstand the elements better than most. Building a brick home on a stone slab means that you will have a solid home with a strong foundation, but it is also a little more labor intensive than most of the modern methods that are available today. That additional labour can drive build costs up, but money can also be saved by using re-purposed bricks, which can also add a very unique look to the home.
There are two major drivers of change that are responsible for shaping our towns and cities.
This has changed the way people connect with each other across the globe. It has given rise to new businesses and has also resulted in the increase in urban population.
Technological impact also has positive benefits. It has opened up ways and means by which we could attain sustainable living by use of clean technologies. It is time we take charge of our towns and cities and develop them in a way beneficial to mankind in long run. People prefer to live in the heart of the city for important reasons such as close proximity to offices, leisure areas etc.
To bring about sustainable development, we have to focus on connecting places or linking homes, offices and leisure places in close proximity to each other. This would also help in reducing ecological footprint by reduction in energy consumption.
Our global population has been on the rise from the past 100 years. It grew from under 1 billion inhabitant to 6 billion inhabitants. It is estimated that if the population continues to grow at the current rate, it will reach 8.5 billion inhabitants by 2025.
Urbanisation is taking place rapidly. At the start of the century, around 10% people lived in cities but now the number of people moving into the cities is growing at an alarming rate. 50% of urban population now lives in cities. This growing population and urbanisation is adding a lot of pressure on the use of resources and the environment.
Students are always curious and nervous about site visits since this is never taught in any of the colleges in the world. Students have absolutely no idea as to what is to be done when an engineer or Architect is expected to inspect the site. By site, I mean construction site.
Check out his biography: Architect Javed Kachchhi
He is an Architect, Structural Engineer and an Interior Designer. That is the reason why I was so hung up on trying to get in touch with him and write about his experiences about site inspection.
Here we go….
Ar. Javed Kachchhi: Well, let me be very specific. I am sure your readers would like that.
On a site inspection, an Architect/Engineer has to take a complete survey of the site. He has to inspect each and every element that is constructed on site and make sure that the construction is being carried on as per the drawings given by the Architect.
Ar. Javed Kachchhi: Monitoring the site is the work of Site Engineers. Site Engineers have to have a degree in Civil Engineering in order to qualify for the job.