THE BUILDING TEAM

Building is essentially a team effort in which each member has an

important role to play.

The figure below shows the organization structure of a typical team and the
role of each member is defined below:

1. Building owner. This is the client; the person who commissions the work
and directly or indirectly employs everybody.
2. Architect. This is the person engaged by the building owner as his agent
to design, advise and ensure that the project is kept within cost and
complies with the design.
3. The clerk of works. This person is employed on large contracts as the
architect’s on-site representative. He has only liaison powers and cannot
issue instructions on his own behalf; he can only offer advice.
4. Quantity surveyor. This is the person engaged to prepare bills of
quantities, check tenders, prepare interim variations and advise the
architect on the cost of variations.
5. Engineers. These are specialists such as a structural engineer employed
to work with the architect on that particular aspect of design.
6. Site agent. This is the person who on large contracts acts as the engineer’s
on-site representative.
7. Contractor. This is a person or a company employed by the building owner,
 on the architect’s advice to carry out the constructional works. He takes
his instructions from the architect.
8. Surveyor. This is the person employed by the contractor to check and assist
the quantity surveyor in preparation of interim valuations and final accounts.
He may also measure work done for bonus and sub- contractor payments.
9. Estimator. This is the person who prepares unit rates for the pricing of tenders
and carries out pretender investigations in to the cost of the proposed
contract.
10. Buyer. This is the person who orders materials, obtains quotations
for the supply of materials and services.
11. Accountant. This is the person who prepares and submits accounts
to clients and makes payments to suppliers and sub-contractors. He may
also have a costing department, which would allocate the labour and
material costs to each contract to assist with the preparation of future
tenders and with the preparation of accounts.
12. Administrator. This is the person who organizes the general clerical
duties of the contractor’s office for the payment of wages, insurances and all
necessary correspondence.
13. Contracts manager. This is the person who liaises between the office
and the site and has overall responsibility for site operations.
14. General foreman. This is the contractor’s on-site representative,
responsible for the day- to- day running of the site.
15. Traders foreman. This is the person who is in-charge of a trade gang.
16. Operatives. These are the main work force on the site, including
tradesmen, apprentices and labourers.
SITE AND TEMPORARY WORKS

SITE WORKS
A construction site is an area or piece of land on which construction works are being
carried out.

Factors that should be considered when selecting a building site

1. The cost of the land where the site is located.
2. The climate of the area.
3. The aspect of the site; which helps to determine the amount of sunlight
received on the various elevations of the building that in turn helps in
the planning and location of the habitable rooms.
4. The elevation of the site is also important since an elevated site is
preferable due to it’s being drier and easier to drain as compared to the
low-lying ones that are likely to be cold and damp.
5. The prospect of the site. The site should be able to command a
pleasant view and the adjoining land uses should be compatible.
6. Availability of facilities. The site should ideally have access to schools,
shops, parks, sports facilities, swimming pools, community centers
and good public transport facilities.
7. The site should have access to adequate services like electricity, water
mains and sewers.
8. The site subsoil’s should merit special consideration because of their
effect on the building work especially when it comes to choice of a
foundation.
9. Site contamination should be taken into consideration. One should
avoid former industrial sites that could involve expensive site works to
remove potential hazards.
10. The water table of the site should be known. It’s important that the
building is erected well above the highest ground water level.
11. Subsidence of the site especially in mining areas should also be
taken into consideration.
SITE INVESTIGATIONS
This is the process of investigating a proposed construction site for the purpose of
collecting, assessing and reporting information and data regarding the site. All
potential building sites need to be investigated to determine their suitability for
building and the nature and context of preliminary work that will be needed.

Importance of a Site Investigation When Starting a New Construction

1. Minimizes Damage: It is essential to have a site investigation before the
foundation is designed. This helps to identify any risks of constructing at the site,
which can help find the best solution.
2. Saves on Costs: Site investigation helps to determine whether there's a need to
treat the ground. If there is, then several landowners within that may come
together to put resources into the treatment.
3. Helps Determine the Construction Materials: A site investigation helps to
determine the most suitable materials to use in construction.
4. Increases the Safety of the Project: Site investigation is essential is to help
determine how safe it is to move forward with your project. Constructing on
certain soils may pose a threat to the workers and the existing buildings nearby

During site investigation particular attention is given to the following;

1. Nature of the soils and its probable load-bearing capacity which is
usually done by means of trial holes or borings since there may be
variations over the site.
2. The level of the water table should also be established since a high
water table may necessitate subsoil drainage and could cause flooding
in winter.
3. Ordinance survey maps, which could show the presence of disused
mines or former ponds.
4. The position and size of main services like sewers should be determined
and it’s advisable to take framework of levels over the site so as to ease
the draining of the site.
5. The environment of the site should also be taken into account. This
includes the mature trees on the site, which ought to be retained, or which
are even subject to tree preservation orders or the site being located within
a conservation area.
6. Investigations should also include approaching local planning
authorities to ascertain whether there are any special or significant
restrictions that could adversely affect the development of the site, and
the position of the building line or base line.

SITE CLEARING
This is the demolition of existing buildings, the grubbing out of bushes
and trees and the removal of soils to reduce levels on the site prior to
construction.
Site clearing is important because it rids the site of any obstruction to the
process of setting-out.

Demolition
This is the partial or complete removal of a structure. Before demolition a
series of steps have to be taken and these are as follows.

1) Remove carefully all saleable items such as copper, lead, steel fittings,
domestic fittings, windows, doors and frames.
2) Examine condition and thickness of walls to be demolished and those
to be retained.
3) Check for the relationship as well as the condition of adjoining
properties that may be affected by the demolition.
4) Check on the nature of support to balconies, heavy cornices and
stairs.
5) Check whether the demolition will cause unbalanced thrusts to occur
in the roof and framed structures.
6) Check whether demolition will extend to public footpath or beyond
boundary of site.
7) The services to the structure should be sealed off, protected or removed
and the service providers should be notified.
8) All flammable or explosive materials such as oil drums and gas
cylinders should be removed before demolition commences.
9) Adequate insurance should be taken out by the contractor to cover all
claims from workmen, any third party and claims for loss or damage to
property including roads, pavings and services.
10) Local authorities have to be notified.

Factors that determine the method of demolition to be used

a) Type of structure. Whether the structure is storied, framed structure,
reinforced concrete, chimney etc.
b) Type of construction. Whether it’s a masonry wall, concrete or of
structural steel construction.
c) Location of site. Whether the site in the middle of a busy town or a
less populated neighborhood.
d) The type of demolition. Whether the structure needs a complete or
partial demolition.

Methods of Demolition

1. Hand demolition. This involves progressive demolition of a structure

by operatives using hand-held tools.
2. Pusher arm demolition. This is progressive demolition using a
machine fitted with a steel pusher arm exerting a horizontal thrust on
to the building fabric.
3. Deliberate collapse demolition. Involves the removal of key structural
members causing complete collapse of the whole or part of the building.
4. Demolition ball techniques. This is carried out by swinging a weight
or demolition ball suspended from a crane against the fabric of the
structure. This can be by vertical drop, swinging in line with the jib or
slewing jib.
5. Wire rope pulling demolition. Involves the use steel wire ropes on
which pulling tension is gradually applied.
6. Demolition by explosives. Involves charges of explosives placed within
the fabric of the structure and detonated to cause partial or complete
collapse. It should be carried out with the advice and supervision of an
expert.

LEVELING SLOPING SITES

Sloping sites should be levelled before commencing any construction work.
There are three methods that can be employed to level slopes and these
include:
I. Cut and fill: This is where soil cut from the higher section of the sloping
site is used to level the lower section there by leveling the site. It’s the most
common method because if properly carried out, the amount of cut will
Original ground
level
Formation or
reduced level Cut

Fill
 equal to the amount of fill.
II. Cut: In this method soil is cut and then ferried away so as to level the
site. This method has the advantage of giving undisturbed soils over
the whole site but also has the disadvantage of the cost of removing
the soil from the site.
Original ground
Formation or

III. Fill: This is where soil is ferried from somewhere else and is filled on the
site so as to level the slope. This method is not recommended because if the
building is sited on the filled area there would be a risk of settlement at a
later stage.

Formation or reduced level

Retaining wall

Original ground level

STORAGE OF BUILDING MATERIALS

The type of storage facilities required for any particular material will
depend upon the following factors:
1. Durability
2. Vulnerability to damage
3. Vulnerability to theft

The following are some of the building materials and how they can be
stored on a building site.

a) Cement and lime

These require a dry store free of draughts, which can bring in moist air.
These should not be stored for long periods on site; therefore provision
should be for rotational use so that the material being used comes from
the old stock.
b) Aggregates (sand)
These require a clean firm base to ensure that foreign matter is not
included when extracting materials from the base of the stockpile.
Different materials and grades must be kept separately so that the
ultimate mix batches are consistent in quality and texture.
c) Brick and blocks
Should be stacked in stable piles on a level and well-drained surface.
Facing bricks and light-coloured bricks should be covered with tarpaulin
or polythene sheeting to prevent them from discolouring by atmospheric
pollution and adverse weather conditions.
d) Roof tiles
These should be stacked on edge and in pairs, head to tail, to give
protection to the nibs. This is because tiles have a greater resistance to
load when it is imposed on the edge.
e) Timber
This should be stored on a rack of tubular scaffold with a sheet roof
covering to enable its moisture content remain constant. This is
because timber is hygroscopic.
f) Ironmongery, hand tools and paints.
These are the most vulnerable items on a building site and therefore
should be kept in a locked hut/store and only issued against an
authorized stores requisition.
Setting-out
This is the process of positioning a building on site.
The stages involved in the above process are as follows;
1. The first task is to establish the baseline or building line from which
the rest of the building can be setout. This line is determined by the
highway authorities and in urban areas it’s approximately 8meters from
the back of the public path.

2. The next step is to position the front of the building on the baseline by
checking the dimensions between of the new building and the side
boundaries.
3. Flank walls are then set-out at right angles to the baseline often using
the large builder’s timber square or the 3:4:5 triangle (Pythagoras
theorem).The builder’s square is a right-angled triangular timber frame
with sides varying in length which is used by placing it against the
baseline while two pegs are driven in on the return side. By sighting
across the two pegs, a third peg can be driven in the same straight
line and thereafter a bricklayer’s line can be stretched between them.
If the builder’s square is not available, a right angle can be set out
based on the right-angled triangle whose sides are in the ratio of 3:4:5
(derived from the Pythagoras theorem). A peg is first driven in at the
corner of the building and a distance of 3m is measured back along
the baseline. A peg is driven in at this point and the ring of the
measuring tape is placed over a nail driven into the top of the peg. The
 tape is held at the 12m mark (3+4+5=12) against the ring on the first
peg and with the tape around the corner peg, the tape is stretched out
to give the position of the third peg at the 7m mark. The line extended
through the third peg is at right angle to the baseline.
4. A check should now be made of the setting-out lines for right angles
and correct lengths. This can be done by using the site square or
diagonal checks as shown in
5. To secure permanent line markers, profile boards are established at
corners of the building and at wall intersections. Nails or saw cuts on
the profile boards demarcate the width of walls and also locate the
position of the foundation trench.

The relevant tools for the work of clearing out are;

1. A steel tape for measuring
2. A large timber builder’s square used in corners
3. A saw for cutting profile boards
4. A hammer for nailing.
 Establishing a datum level
A datum level is a fixed point of known level on site that is used to
determine floor and drain invert levels. There are two ways of establishing
a datum level and these are;
I. It can be established by transferring levels from the ordnance bench
mark (ODM) to the building site using the dumpy tilting or automatic
level and leveling stuff. Ordnance bench marks are levels indicated on an
ordinance survey map that are found cut or let into the sides of walls
and near by buildings.
II. Where there are no benchmarks on or near the site a suitable
permanent datum must be established and this could be a post set in
concrete or a concrete plinth set up on site.