Computer Aided Design

CE-388
Components of Building

Lec. Afaq Khattak

MS Transportation Engineering – NUST Islamabad
BE Civil Engineering – UET Peshawar

National Institute of Transportation (NIT), School of Civil and Environmental Engineering (SCEE),
NUST 1
 Components of Building

 A building, whether residential or non residential, can be broadly divided

into two parts

Super Structure

 The portion of the structure which is visible or which is above the ground
level is called super-structure.

Sub Structure

 The portion of the structure present underground is called sub-structure

including the foundations and the basements, if present.
Ceiling Height (C.H)

Bottom of roof slab is called ceiling. Height of the ceiling from the finished
floor level is called ceiling height normally varies from 8 to 12 ft.

Finished floor level (F.F.L)

Top level of floor in any part of the building is called finished floor level. It
may be different for rooms verandahs and open areas of a building.

Sill Level (S.L.)

It is the level of bottom of main windows generally 3 ft. higher than the
floor level.
Plinth Level (P.L)

 The part of super-structure, located between the ground level and the
floor level is know as plinth.
 The plinth is therefore defined as the portion of structure between the
surface of surrounding ground and surface of the floor, immediately
above the ground.
 The level of the floor is usually known as plinth level.

Ground Level
 It is the level of ground in or near the building which may be natural or
developed ground level.
Lintels

 Lintels are small beams, which are of reinforced cement concrete

provided over small opening like door, window, etc.

 Generally 150 mm thick and width equal to wall width are provided.

Parapet

 Small wall provided on periphery of the roof for safety and privacy
purposes is called parapet wall.

 Having a height of 1’-0” to about 5’-0” from top of the roof slab.
Boundary Wall

 It is the outermost wall of a building marking the boundary of the area

used to provide safety and privacy inside the building. Its height varies
from 5 to 7 ft.

Riser and Tread

 The height covered in one step of a stair is called riser and width of
horizontal platform required for one step of stair is tread.

 For Public buildings, riser is usually made equal to 6-in.

Flight of Stairs

 A series of stair-steps arranged together usually in a single line is called a

flight.

 Maximum number of steps in a single flight must not exceed 12 to 14.

 Longer flight may be uneasy for the person using it.

 Further it requires a longer space which is generally not available inside

the building.

 Number of treads in a flight of stair is always one lesser than the

number of risers.

 Number of risers =
Landing in stairs

 The horizontal platform provided between two flights of a stair is called

landing.

 It enables us to change the direction of stairs so that these may be

accommodated in lengthwise smaller space.

Sunshade

 Sunshade is sloping or horizontal R.C.C. cantilever slab provided over

openings on external walls to provide protection from sun and rain.
Balcony

 A horizontal platform that projects from the wall of a building and is

surrounded by a railing, balustrade, or parapet.

Portico

 Portico is a porch leading to the entrance of building is a covered surface

supported by pillars or otherwise for the purpose of pedestrian or
vehicular approach.
Foundation

 The portion of a structure under columns and walls which transfer s load of a structure to the soil
underneath in a safe way without excessive settlement is called foundation.

 The function of a foundation is to re-distribute the load over a larger area reducing the load per
unit area.

 In case of stepped foundation, brick wall is expanded below ground level in different steps. The
increase in thickness of the wall in one step should be 2.25-inch on either side with a total of 4.5-
inch.

 At the bottom of each foundation, lean concrete or a compacted mixture of brick-ballast with 25%
sand is to be provided.

 Depth of foundation from the G.L. must be sufficient so that foundation reach to hard and durable
strata within the minimum of 2-ft to take care of possible erosion by the rain and for stability.
The depth of the foundation depends upon

 Bearing capacity.

 Shrinkage and swelling properties of soil .

 Depth of water-table .

 Depth of frost penetration

 Terminology for different Views

Plan

 In architectural or building drawing, top view is always drawn as a

sectional top view formed by assuming an imaginary horizontal cutting
plane just above the sill level.

 The view is drawn after removing the upper part and is termed as plan.

 Plan shows the position and the size of different elements of a building
like wall thicknesses, position of beams, doors windows, and ventilators,
etc.
Elevation

 Simple orthographic view used to show the appearance of the finished

building is called as elevation which is equivalent to front view in the
model drawing.

 Elevation is only drawn for the super-structure. A thick line is drawn at the
bottom showing ground level.

 This view is used only to communicate the appearance; hence,

dimensioning is avoided in it.

 More than one elevation may also be drawn for the building namely front
elevation, rear elevation, left elevation and right elevation.
Section
 Section, in building drawing, is a term used for the sectional front view or
end view of a building drawn to a suitable scale showing both the super-
structure and sub-structure.
 Maximum details and all the dimensions are given in it.
 Vertical cutting is assumed starting from the top of the parapet wall right
up to the bottom of the foundation exposing all the hidden details like
wall thicknesses, floor layers, roof layers, beams and lintels.
 Further heights of doors, windows, and ventilators as well as ceiling
heights for various parts of building are also shown.
 If the details are more complicated, more than one section may be drawn.

 Plan and section are completely dimensioned for each and every part.

 Before starting with a particular section, its path of cutting must be

shown in plan otherwise it will become meaningless.

 Direction of vision to obtain a sectional view is also shown on the cutting

plane by arrows, triangles or some other suitable means.

 Each cutting plane and its associated section may be denoted by different
letters or numbers.
Dashed lines in Building drawing

 Dash line is used to show certain important features in plan like beams,
sunshades, lintels, etc., which are above the horizontal cutting plane and
are removed with the upper part during the sectioning.

 These features which are removed with the upper part are not hidden
features because these are not present inside the remaining part of the
object after cutting.
 Typical Features Present in a Building

Windows
 When window is cut horizontally, as in plan of the building, an empty
space is obtained between two ends of the solid wall. Symbol of
brickwork in section will come in the solid wall but not in the space for
the window.
 Windows is always shown in closed position meaning that two lines
representing the thickness of the window itself are to be drawn.
 These lines may be drawn any where in the thickness of the wall with any
suitable spacing in-between, not according to the scale.
 These four lines will serve the purpose of symbol for window in section.
 If sun shade is to be added on top of the window, as in external walls to
protect the window from rain and sun, it must be shown by dashed line in
plan, because it is actually removed with the upper part of the building
during cutting assumed.

 Each type and size of the window is denoted by different numbers like
W1, W2, W3, etc.
Ventilator

 Ventilator is denoted by letter “V” and is shown in vertical section, plan and
elevation just like a window except that it would be shown by dashed lines.
Door
 Door is denoted by letter D and is shown in vertical section in closed position like a
window.
 At the bottom of the door, the top floor finish layer will be continuous over the brick
wall underneath.
 D.P.C. is not provided under the doors and all such openings which start from the
floor level like verandah opening, etc.
 The space between two ends of the solid wall is left exactly according to the
dimensions of the door.
 Frame of the door is then drawn symbolically without the actual dimensions.
 Double-leaf door is preferred for wide door and for the doors present away from
the corners of the rooms.
 Single leaf door should preferably be accommodated near the corner of the building
leaving a gap of about 4.5” from the other wall.
Damp Proof Course (D.P.C)

 Damp-proof courses are built in masonry walls to prevent dampness

penetrating through the wall either from the foundation upward or from
roof downward or from other exposed surfaces inward in the building.

 D.P.C consist of continuous layer without a joint at the plinth level or( in
some case at the intersection of roof with wall ) of any impermeable
material.

 In the past metals such as lead, copper, etc in sheet forms were used over
plinth, nowadays bitumen as paint or membrane laid on rigid cement
concrete or dense waterproof mortar is used.
At Plinth level At parapet wall
Assignment -1

Search and draw the following on A-4 size Sheets.

 Conventional Representation of Doors and Windows in Plan.

 Symbols for sanitary and plumbing Installation.

 Symbols for electrical Installations