RCC Construction

Consequences of Wrong Structural Design | RCC Structures

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A lesson for all the Civil Engineers and Designers to learn

I got a project of designing (Architectural Design) a Hostel in Lucknow, India. The Structural design that is, column positions and wall construction was already done. The client wanted me to design a Hostel keeping the column positions and exterior wall construction intact. I have written this article to address all the Civil engineering students as well as Civil Engineers to avoid making such blunders while they design. Please do read this article because understanding the intensity of the job of a Civil Engineer is must for every student and professional. I guess this realization has been washed away and forgotten in the wave of commercialism.

Hostel Design, Lucknow, India

The client mailed me the layout of the existing construction. After I studied the layout, I figured out that the Column layout was pathetic. I wonder what kind of Civil Engineer must have made the layout or if at all any Civil Engineer has done it.

Errors in Construction

Wrong size of the Columns

The size of the columns was 9”x9” and the building is supposed to be constructed upto G+2 floors which is really disastrous for the structure.

It could lead to structural failure and ultimately structural collapse.

(The duty of the Civil Engineer is to understand and not make such dramatic blunders. The consequences of this kind of structural design could be disastrous.)

Column layout and Exterior wall Construction
Column layout and Exterior wall Construction

9”x9” size columns are only preferred if you were to construct only a ground floor structure using M15 grade concrete. If you are to construct another floor that is (G+1), the minimum size of the column should not be less than 9”x12” using M15 grade concrete.

If the client insists on using smaller columns (9”x9”); in that case, use of M20 grade concrete should be done mandatorily and the construction should not be initiated before the client agrees to do so.

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Guide to the Construction of Sunken Slabs | RCC Construction

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Construction of Sunken Slabs | Building Construction

Sunken slabs are used in the toilets, bathrooms and washing place where we have our washing machines. The purpose of having a sunken slab is to conceal all the pipes below the floor. Since the pipes that carry water are concealed below the floor, care has to be taken to avoid leakage problems.

It is seen that people are not much aware of the idea of waterproofing the Sunken slab before the floor finish is done. In this article, we will discuss the method of the construction of Sunken slab and waterproofing technique.

Method of construction of a Sunken Slab

  • The concrete of the R.C.C. (floor and sunken slab) should mixed with a waterproofing material to get a denser, watertight concrete.
  • Then cement and waterproofing material should be diluted in water and splashed onto the RCC sunken slab. Over that a layer of plaster should be provided using a mortar plasticizer with the cement mortar.
  • Brick laying of walls and plastering (prior to tiling) of the walls and floor should be done with cement mortar mixed with a mortar plasticizer.
  • Tile fixing for the floor and walls tiles should be done with non-shrink, waterproof tile adhesives to make the tiled area waterproof.
  • Sanitary pipe joints should be sealed with sealants specially manufactured for Sealing Sanitary joints firmly so that no water can leak through.

Guide to Construction of Terrace Garden | RCC Construction

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Construction of Terrace Gardens

People living in Bungalows usually fancy having a Terrace Garden. Some people have their terrace Garden idea incorporated into the design in the construction phase, which is the right time to go for it; whereas some people initiate the construction of a Terrace Garden on a normal flat roof which was not meant to take moisture and weight of the garden.

Construction of a Terrace Garden
Construction of a Terrace Garden

Two major problems arise because of the unmonitored construction of Terrace Gardens:

  1. Development of Cracks in the roof
  2. Leakage of water

Usually, people tend to ignore the fact that the weight imposed on the roof by the Terrace Garden has to be properly waterproofed and taken care of if they wish to avoid further construction problems.

In this article, we will briefly go through the steps for the construction of a Terrace Garden and also the waterproofing technique.

How to construct a Terrace Garden?

Here are the few simple steps for the construction of a terrace garden:

Step one:

After the RCC slab for the terrace garden is laid, take cement and waterproofing material and splash it on the entire slab inorder to cover every corner of the slab with the water-proofing material.

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