BUILDINGS AND THE
larger
ENVIRONMENT
History of Building Construction
Construction is an ancient human
activity. It
began with the purely functional
need for a
controlled environment to
moderate the effects
of climate.
The history of building is marked
by a number of trends.
 One is the increasing
durability of the materials
used.
 More durable natural
materials—such as clay,
stone, and timber—and,
finally, synthetic materials
—such as brick, concrete,
metals, and plastics—were
used.
 quest for buildings of ever
greater height and span;
 control exercised over the
interior
environment of buildings:
increasingly precise
regulation of air
temperature, light and
sound levels, humidity,
odours, air speed, and
other factors that affect
human comfort
has been possible.
The Building Site: Environmental
Factors
GEOGRAPHIC FACTORS
 SOIL
o the type and size
of a building 's
foundation system
o the drainage of
ground and
surface water
o the types of plant
material able to
grow on site
Classification
COARSED-GRAINED SOIL- Include
gravels and sands which consist of
relatively large particles.
than 75 micron
FINE-GRAINED SOIL- smaller than
75 micron. The individual particles
of fine-grained soil are much
smaller and often cannot be seen
by the eye.
Soil Boring Test Types
· Auger Boring-boring a hole
· Wash Boring-drive a piece of
metal tube
· Hollow Stem Auger Boring- truck
mounted driving rigs turn the
auger into the soil
· Rotary Drilling- rapid method for
penetrating highly resistant
materials
· Percussion Drilling- cable tool
drilling used when wash boring or
auger boring could not penetrate
exceptionally hard strata of soil or
rocks.
· Penetrometer- device used to
investigate and measure the
consistency of cohesive deposit or
relative density of cohesionless
strata without the necessity of
drilling and getting samples.
·Dutch Cone Penetration - 600
cone with a base area of 10 sq.
cm. is attached to the bottom of a
rod protected by a casing, at a rate
of 2 cm. per second, the cone is
pushed by the rod into the
ground, the cone is slightly larger
than the pipe to minimize friction.
· Vane Shear Test -vane apparatus
for shear testing clay soils in place
consist of four vertical rectangular
blades bolted at right angles to a
vertical shaft.
· Standard Load Test -loading an
area not less than .18 sq. m. (2
square ft.) to not less than twice
the maximum bearing capacity
desired for use.