Building Structure

Materials

Building

Structure

Forces

Types

Exercices

Materials. Introduction

1. Structureis comprised of pillars, beams and tie-beams made of reinforced

concrete or iron.
The structural system of every house is required to support and transmit various
loads. These Loads can be classed as static or dynamic.
In houses, the structural and enclosure systems ( external and internal walls ) are
sometimes integrated. For example, the external walls of a typical 1920
extremadura house serve as both the structural and enclosure system.
Static Loads:
Loads that are applied slowly to a structure and do not change quickly. Examples
of static loads include:
Live Loads: Any moving or movable loads resulting from people, collected
water and/or snow or movable equipment.
Dead Loads. Loads associated with the building weight and any elements
permanently attached to it
Soil and Hydraulic Loads. Ground pressure loads exerted on a rising wall and
hydraulic loads from groundwater
Dynamic Loads.
Loads that are applied suddenly to a structure, often with rapid changes in
magnitude and point of application
Wind Loads. Forces exerted by the energy of moving air.
Earthquake Loads- Cause lateral movement at the base of a building that can
cause failure or collapse in extreme cases. Flexible buildings such as timberframe structure perform well under earthquake loads
1. Floors and ceiling.
The primary functions of the floor are to support the imposed loads and to
provide a level surface for the activities that are carried out in the home.
Floors must be designed to meet a number of performance requirements,
including:
Strength and stability. Floors experience both dead and live loading
throughout the lifetime of the building. The live loads can vary significantly
depending on the number of people living in a home and activities occurring
there. For example, taking a bath can increase the load on the bathroom floor by
up 150 kg.
Durability. The floors of every house must be hard-wearing if they are to
withstand the demand of everyday use.
Moisture resistance. Ground floors must be designed to withstand moisture
rising from the ground floors. If moisture rises up through the floor, in English
houses, timber floorboards will cup and natural carpets will rot.
Thermal insulator. .Ground floors must protect against the loss of heat
through the floor. Generally, we think of heat as rising, however, all you have to

do is to lie down on the ground during cold weather to realise how it draws heat
out of you body. Uninsulated or poorly insulated floors will lead to cold homes
and higher heating costs.

A typical Spanish Home uses hollow tiles to withstand both live and dead loads.
Made of clay or concrete, they are placed between two tie-beams. It is very easy
to install as you only have to put it between two tie-beams. Later, cover with a
concrete layer which could contain a iron wire netting (see next illustration).

The hollow tile is later coved by a layer of concrete. Floors are finished with floor
tiles or boards.
Exteriors walls
The primary functions of the external walls of a house are to support the loads
generated ( only in case of a no-columns structure ) and to create a
comfortable living space. Walls must be designed to meet a number of
performance requirements including: 1st Strength and Stability The strength
and stability of an external wall depends on: the strength of the components
used (E.g. blocks, mortar)
Slenderness Ratio tall, thin walls are less stable than short, thick walls
Eccentricity of the applied load the force experienced by the wall from
above must be centred.
Bonding is an essential design feature of masonry walls and greatly improves the
strength of a wall by ensuring that it performs as a continual unit. Bonding is
defined as the overlapping of blocks or bricks to ensure that the vertical and
lateral loads are dispersed evenly throughout the wall. See photo below

2 Weather Resistance Designing for weather resistance is mainly about

preventing the penetration of

rain.

wind-driven

The most t common method used for housing is the cavity construction. This
involves building a wall that consists of two separate walls, an inner wall and an
outer wall, with a small gap ( called a cavity ) between them and another bigger
gap for an insulator. The cavity prevents the moisture absorbed by the outer
wall reaching the insulator and the inner wall. The inner and outer walls used in
construction are normally referred to as the inner leaf and the outer leaf.
The function of the outer leaf is to protect the inner leaf from the effects of
weathering. The function of the inner leaf is to support the loads of the house
( Only in traditional houses. Nowadays, in modern houses and buildings, the
columns support the loads ).
3 rd Thermal Insulator. The proper thermal insulation of walls is essential to
ensure that heat is not lost from the home. Poor thermal insulation leads to
greater fuel use which in turn is damaging to the environment and expensive for
the home owner. Masonry cavity walls are usually insulated by placing a
continuous layer of rigid expanded polystyrene foam insulator into the cavity.
This insulation board is held tightly against the inner leaf. This means that
when the house is heated the heat energy is absorbed by the inner leaf. For this
reason it can take some time for a comfortable temperature to be achieved.
However, once warm, concrete cavity-walled homes can remain so for several
hours after the heating is turned off, as the concrete inner leaf acts as a heat
store.
Windows:
The primary functions of a window are to admit light

and fresh air into a building. Light and fresh air are essential to a healthy space.
The big problem of window is the loss of heat. The greater the windows surface
the more money you have to pay. So a proper thermal insulation design is very
important. Poorly insulated, draughty windows are uncomfortable to sit near and
waste heat energy. The thermal insulation of windows is achieved primarily
through the use of double-glazing and weather stripping. Double-glazing is
designed to reduce the amount of heat lost through the glass, while weather
stripping is designed to reduce the amount of heat lost due to air infiltration
(draughts). Double-glazing can significantly reduce the amount of heat lost
through a typical window.

In the photo above this paragraph, a further improvement can be made by

applying a special Low-emissivity (Low-e) coating to the inner pane of glass. Lowe glazing allows the short-wavelength heat energy from the sun to enter the
house but acts as a barrier to the escape of the Long-wavelength energy from
internal heat sources. About 60% of the heat energy lost between the panes of
glass in a double-glazed window is long-wave radiation.
Roofs:
The primary functions of a roof are to protect a building from the weather and to
retain the heat generated inside. Roofs must be designed to meet a number of
performance requirements, including:
1st Strength and Stability The structural stability of a roof is tested every day.
The Loads exerted by the weight of roof tiles, the wind blowing against it and the
additional weight of rain or snow, are considerable. Weather Resistance
Every roof in the world is sloped to some extent. Even so-called flat roofs are
slightly sloped. The reason we slope roofs is to dispel rainwater. Thermal
Insulation To prevent heat loss the attic space of most roofs s insulated with
blanket (quilted) insulation.
Internal walls
The primary functions of internal walls is to divide the overall space within the
house into smaller spaces. The Next photo shows the electrical circuit and
plumbing.

Dictionary:
Failure: an act or instance of failing or proving unsuccessful; lack of success.
Moisture: wetness caused by water
Rot: to deteriorate, disintegrate, fall, or become weak due to decay
Slenderness: thin or slight
Masonry: work constructed by a mason, stonework or brickwork
Mason: a person whose trade is building with units of various construction
products, such as stones, bricks, or tiles, usually with the use of mortar or
cement as a bonding agent.