Civil Engineering Projects – Page 13 – Construction Technology, Design and Engineering

Importance of time management and Cost effectiveness

October 27, 2011 by Designer

Time Management in Construction

In this day and age of stiff competition and cost-cutting, Time and Cost overruns in any construction project are extremely undesirable. Most of the time, a Project Manager might be able to mitigate emerging problems, but sometimes it cannot be prevented. Time overrun causes delay in completion of the project, and cost overrun might result in an increase in the budget of the owner or stakeholders of that project. This report, based on a landscape project, concludes that the owner / management committee affects the overall completion of the project on scheduled time & estimated cost.

Landscape project could have been completed in time and within the estimated cost, but undue intervention, change in the scope of project midway and late action by owner / management committee led to cost and time overrun.

Time overrun results into increase in the total cost of the project. This extra amount is due to construction waste, which could have been eliminated.

This study concludes that there should be a continuous monitoring of the work. This monitoring system should be integrated with various aspects of planning. This can help in reducing time & cost overrun.

Plane Table Surveying | Methods of Plane Table

October 27, 2011 by Designer

Guide to Plane Table Surveying

It is a graphical method of surveying in which field work and plotting are done simultaneously in the field.
It is very effective method of surveying for preparing small or medium size topographical plans.
It is not as accurate as the other survey methods and results.

Methods of Plane Table

Radiation
Intersection
Traversing
Resection

Radiation

This method is useful in surveying small areas which can be commanded from one station.

From a station, the suitable is selected.

Rays are drawn to various objects.

The distance of the object from the station are measured and marked off on the ray.

Design of Multiplexes – New era of Entertainment

October 27, 2011 by Designer

Design of Multiplexes

Multiplexes are the new areas of entertainment as the people have become more movie loving and comfort savvy. The multiplexes are equipped with state-of-art theatres, multiple screens, technically advanced acoustics, comfortable large seating areas, entertaining leisure spaces like food courts, lounge bars and gaming zones. Multiplexes are usually located in malls as it is more profitable and they also complement each other.

Multiplexes ideally require an average area of about 50,000 to 100000 square feet so that all the requirements are suitably fitted in. A definition of a multiplex actually means, it must have at least 15 or more screens but in some of the Asian countries, multiplexes have no more than 8 screens in a single complex.

A multiplex is mostly preferred in a mall to standalone multiplex. Nowadays, people prefer a one stop destination for the entertainment of the entire family combining shopping, playing games and watching movies, all under one roof. So a multiplex in a mall makes an intelligent choice for the developer. Besides, the design of an Architect, interior designers, services, theatres, acoustics and lighting consultant’s services are indispensible.

Duties of a Surveyor in the field of Surveying | Civil Engineering

October 27, 2011 by Designer

Role of a Surveyor | Surveying and Levelling

Surveying is a subject that is studied by Civil Engineers as well as Architects. Some Civil Engineers take up Surveying as their profession but otherwise, there are surveyors who have the expertise in the field of surveying.

They have certain important duties as a Surveyor to be carried out. In this article, we will briefly discuss their division of work and their duties towards the field of Surveying.

The work of a surveyor can be divided into four parts:

Field work
Computing
Mapping
Setting

Field work

Making and recording measurements in the field.

Computing

Making the necessary calculations to determine areas, location, volume etc.

Various Types of Spotlights | Spot Lighting Techniques

October 27, 2011 by Designer

Spotlighting Techniques

Spotlighting is a type of lighting system usually seen to be used in stage performances… Its main function is to maintain the focus of light on the person on stage.

Depending on the use of the spotlights to be used, they are classified as follows:

Plano Convex
Ellipsoidal
Fresnel
Parabolic Aluminized Reflector [PAR]
PAR Pin
Beam Projector
Followspot

The above mentioned seven types of Spotlights are the most commonly used for the Lighting system in Theatrical performances…

In this article, we are going to discuss in detail the various types of Spotlights and their Lighting Mechanism and Use in detail with relevant informative pictures explaining the spotlight.

Read more

Public Versus Private Participation | General Economics

October 27, 2011 by Designer

Public Sector and Private Sector

Public Sector is controlled by government to manufacture Power, Steel, Aluminium, copper, mining etc to provide employment to common man and control the country’s economy.

The Public Sector Unit tends to overstaff resulting in the increase in cost production.

Due to the lack of modernisation, they do not use their surpluses in the form of Capital.

PSU provides employment to the millions of people around the country.

They monopolise the market.

The PSUs could not survive due to so many controls and overruns.

Navratnas in PSU
IOC
Petrochemical Corp. (IPCL)
ONGC
BP Corporation. Ltd
HPCL
NTPC
SAIL
BHEL
Mahanagar Tele. Nigam Ltd (MTNL)

Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) – A New Green Building System

October 27, 2011 by Designer

Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) | Efficient Building Systems | Green Material

Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) was developed in Sweden in the late 1920s and has been used successfully in a variety of applications in commercial, industrial and residential construction. AAC is a lightweight, high strength building material and is produced in a variety of forms from blocks, to structural floors and wall panels.

AAC is credited by LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) and USGBC (US Green Building Council) as an “green” alternative to traditional construction materials. Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) recommends its use in India.

AAC consists of 80% of air. It is manufactured by combining silica in the form of sand or recycled flyash, cement, lime, water and an expansion agent – aluminium powder and paving it into a mold.

Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) – A New Green Building Material

Structurally reinforced AAC products like lintels or roof panels, steel rebar or mesh are also placed in the mould.

When added to concrete, the aluminium powder reacts with the silica, resulting in the formation of millions of microscopic hydrogen bubbles. The hydrogen bubbles cause the concrete to expand to roughly five times its original volume.

The hydrogen evaporates and leaving a highly closed cell aerated concrete. It is then cut into blocks or panels which are then steam and pressure cured in an autoclaved. Using AAC is very advantageous because it is environmentally friendly qualifies as a ‘green’ building material from manufacturing to recycling.

All the waste material like trimmings, rejected units are all recycled and hence there is zero wastage. All the waste on the sites is crushed and safely used as a fill or buried shallow underground. Spread AAC dust on the lawn serves as a great lime supplement.

AAC is so lightweight, it weighs 1/5th of the weight of the standard concrete, which results in lower transportation costs, faster work-flow lower material handling costs etc. AAC is in ‘ready to build’ material, requiring no onsite curing time. It has unparalleled workability because it can be sown, drilled, nailed, screwed and milled with common hand tools. AAC openings are easily and alternately cut.

Hyderabad International Airport Overview

October 27, 2011 by Designer

Rajiv Gandhi International Airport is India’s first Greenfield Airport under international competitive bidding, has been developed through a Public Private Partnership initiative (PPP).

It is spread over an area of 5,495 acres of Shamshabad. The airport is 25km from the city of Hyderabd. The terminal building spans 105,300 sq.m. designed to handle 12 million passengers per annum and the cargo section has a capacity of 100,000 metric tonnes per annum. In the final phase the airport will reach its full capacity with an additional floor area of 430,000 sqm to be developed, bringing the total built-up area to 900,000sq.m. The master plan has been designed to cater to 50 million passengers a year. To achieve this, the present master plan allows freedom of expansion to both airside and landside facilities within the airport site.

The Plan of the airport is T-shaped. It ensures beautifully landscaped view from all the sides after the person is inside the airport complex.

The design of the passenger terminal building is simple so that the sequences of spaces facilitate easy and comfortable movement and orientation. The passenger terminal will cover 105,300m² of floor space and has systems in place to ensure rapid transit between the domestic and international concourses.

VNIT – Nagpur | Energy Efficient Structures

October 27, 2011 by Designer

Concept

The major concept is that it merges with the design of the city. Embodiment of special characters of Nagpur in the design. Principles of energy efficiency and Green building technology have been incorporated in the design.

As the world reels under the stress of economic recession and Peak oil, efforts are being made to minimize the use of energy, to maximize return on invested resources by recycling and optimum use of natural resources. Such efforts have culminated into the new Green building movement across the planet.

Minimum Standards for Structural Design | RCC Structures

October 9, 2011 by Designer

Thumb rules for Structural Design | RCC Structures

I highly recommend use of advanced structural design software like ETabs or Staad Pro for design of structures. This is very important. There are so many variables in design of a structure that no minimum standards can be accurate. This guide can be used for design of very small structures, maybe up to G+1 floors. But I would still recommend use of professional software. Every structural designer should learn these software. Use of manual methods is outdated. Manual method is only used for checks. Real design is done with the help of computers, with very advanced design concepts like pushover analysis, seismic analysis, wind loads simulation and many advanced methods.

You can hire me for your structural design need. Contact me.

Design of RCC Structural Components

In this article, I will discuss the minimum standards that can be followed for the design of RCC structural components of a structure, such as columns, beams, slab and foundation. We will also discuss the minimum safe standards for the reinforcing bars that are to be used for the design of the above mentioned Structural Components.

Minimum cross-sectional dimension for a Column: is 9″x 12″ (225 MM x 300 MM) which is the minimum recommended size. I have designed hundreds of buildings, and never had the misfortune of any structural component ever failing due to loads. I always use M20 grade concrete for construction, as it is the minimum recommended grade of concrete is IS 456:2000. Please don’t skimp on the quality of concrete. The minimum steel in a 9″ x 9″ column is 4 bars of 12 MM with stirrups of 8 MM steel rings at a distance of 150 MM centre to centre. In a 9″ x 12″ column, I add two more bars, to take the total to 6 bars of 12 MM diameter. This design can be safe for up to G+1 floors. But there are a lot of other factors involved.

Also check out:

Thumb rules for making a Column Layout

Construction on Site | Design of RCC Structures

Construction on Site | Design of RCC Structures[/caption]

Minimum RCC beam size should not be less than 9″x 9″ (225MM X 225MM), with an additional slab thickness of 125 MM. I generally use a minimum of 4 bars, with 2 bars of 12 MM thickness in the bottom of the beam, and 2 bars of 10 MM at the top of the beam. I maintain a concrete cover of 40 MM. I recommend use of M20 grade of concrete (1 part cement : 1.5 parts sand : 3 parts aggregate : 0.5 parts water).

Minimum thickness of RCC slab I recommend is 5″ (125MM) because a slab may contain electrical pipes embedded into them which could be 0.5″ or more for internal wiring, which effectively reduces slab depths at certain places, causing cracking, weakening and water leakage during rains. So, a minimum thickness of 5″ should be maintained.