Components of a Building.

All buildings have the same components such as

foundation, walls, floors, and roof. In addition, we have to
decorate them with plaster, paint, etc., to make them
aesthetically beautiful.

These items of building works are called civil works.

Water and electricity have also to be supplied to the
buildings to make them habitable.

These items are called building services.

In this article, we will briefly examine the various
components of civil works and building services.

Parts of a Building: CIVIL WORKS.

The important parts of an ordinary building are shown
in Figures 1.1 and 1.2.
They are as follows:

1. Foundation
2. Plinth
3. Walls and columns
4. Floors
5. Lintels and chajjas
6. Roof
7. Doors and windows
8. Stairs and lifts
9. Finishing work (plastering and painting)
10. Building services
11. Fencing and external works.

A building can be divided into substructure (foundation) and

superstructure, the plinth level being the dividing line
between them.

In building construction, we study how the civil works are

carried out in the field after they have been planned by an
architect and structurally designed by an engineer.

We should be aware that many aspects are involved in the

preliminary planning and design of buildings.

For example, an architect specializes in the following

works:
1. Planning the orientation, layout, and dimension of the
rooms of the building
2. The preparation of the features to make the building
attractive.
Work of this nature for small buildings may be taken by non-
architects also. However, the construction of a building
should always be carried out under the supervision of a
qualified person.

We will now briefly examine the construction of the different

components of a building.

1. Foundation.
Foundation is a very important part of a building. All the
loads of superstructure are transmitted to the foundation.

A foundation engineer should know how to examine the soil

profile and arrive at a suitable foundation.
The following are some of the different types of foundation
generally used:

1. Strip foundation (shallow foundations)

2. Footing foundation (shallow foundations)
3. Raft foundation (shallow foundations)
4. Pile foundation (deep foundations)
5. Pier foundation (deep foundations).
In framed construction, we use footings as the foundation
for the column and the brickwork for walls starts from grade
beams connecting columns. (Grade beams on under-
reamed piles are also called capping beams).

Read Also: Direct Shear Test; To Determine Shear Strength of Soil.

2. Plinth
The plinth is a dividing line between the substructure and
superstructure. Thus, the projecting part of the wall above
the ground level to the floor level is the plinth.

The plinth is usually kept at least 45 cm (1.5 ft) above the

general ground level of the building.

3. Plinth Beam.
It is capped by a beam called plinth beam. The provision of
a plinth beam and damp-proof course at plinth level are very
important in building construction.

4. Damp Proof Course (D.P.C).

The damp proof course is a layer provided in building to
prevent the entering of dampness from the ground to the
building components.
5. Walls and Columns.
Walls are mostly made of masonry. It may be of brick, block-
work, stonework, etc.

Buildings may also be constructed as a framed structure

with columns and footings and
then Walled.

Most of the flats and high-rise buildings are built this way. In
many places in the masonry, we use arches and lintels.

6.Floors.
Floor is an important part of a building. It is the place where
the inhabitants perform their most activities.

It is constructed on the filling and laid over the plinth level.

Floors are usually made from different types of materials,
such as, timber, brick, R.C.C.

Top floors are nowadays usually made of reinforced

concrete.

Read Also: Resilient Flooring – Its Types and Methods of

Construction.

7. Roof.
A roof is an important part of all buildings. The most
important item in housing is to have a “roof over one’s
head.”

A roof is a layer which covers the structure from the top. It

also prevents the building and inhabitants from the ill effects
of the environment.
Depending on the finances available and also the climatic
conditions, we can have different kinds of roofs.

Roofs can be sloped or flat. Many types of roofs and roofing

materials are available nowadays.

Watch the video below for better understanding.

8. Fabrication of Doors and Windows.

Openings are necessary in buildings for passages inside
and outside the buildings. We also need windows for lighting
and ventilation.

A detailed study of doors and windows is an important part

of building construction as the expenditure on this item
alone can go up to 15 to 20 percent of the total cost of civil
works.

Traditionally, doors and windows were made of wood and

hence, this work is sometimes referred to as woodwork in
buildings.

Other woodworks like provision of cupboards are also

important, but it comes under the subject of interior
decoration.

Read Also: What is Lintel? Uses and Types of Lintel in Building.

9. Stairs and Lifts.

Nowadays most buildings are made more than one storey
high. Which means there should be a way to go from one
storey of the building to another.
Knowledge of various elements of a staircase and the
construction of a simple staircase is essential to all those
involved in building construction.
Study of the layout and design of ornamental staircases is a
special subject. Usually, vertical transportation devices like
electric lifts are to be provided in buildings having more than
four floors including the ground floor.

We must also be familiar with these devices.

10. Building Finishes.

The final appearance of a building depends very much on its
finishing. We have to deal with the following:

1. Plastering and pointing

2. Painting of walls, woodwork, grillwork, etc.
It is essential that we have a knowledge of the finishing to
be used on the various materials of construction such as
plaster, wood, metals, etc.

11. Building Services.

Water supply, drainage, sanitation, electric supply lifts,
external works, construction of cupboard, etc. are
considered as items outside of civil works and are called
building services.
Water supply, drainage, and sanitation
(building service).
These works are considered separate from civil works and
are also estimated separately. Design and details of these
will be studied in public health engineering under building
services.
However, an elementary treatment of the subject is always
included in basic building construction.

Electrical works (building service).

Lighting and supply of electricity for various pieces of
equipment used in buildings also come under building
services.

The supply and distribution of electricity in a building is a

specialized work to be carried out by an electrical engineer.

However, the basics of these works are also usually dealt

with in elementary building construction.

Usually, a lump sum equal to 25 to 30 percent of civil works

is estimated as the probable expense for the above two
items taken together.

FOUNDATIONS & FOUNDATION

ENGINEERING
The foundations of the building transfer the weight of the building to the ground. While
'foundation' is a general word, normally, every building has a number of individual
foundations. Most buildings have some kind of foundation structure directly below every
major column, so as to transfer the column loads directly to the ground.

There are many different kinds of foundations, see our page on types of foundations for
more information.

Since the weight of the building rests on the soil (or rock), engineers have to study the
properties of the soil very carefully to ensure that it can carry the loads imposed by the
building. It is common for engineers to determine the safe bearing capacity of the soil
after such study. As the name suggests, this is the amount of weight per unit area the soil
can bear. For example, the safe bearing capacity(SBC) at a location could be 20 T/m2, or
tonnes per square metre. This figure is the maximum the soil can bear, so an engineer will
take pains to see that her design does not exceed this figure in any part of the building.

This capacity also changes at different depths of soil. In general, the deeper one digs, the
greater the SBC, unless there are pockets of weak soil in the earth. To properly support a
building, the soil must be very firm and strong. It is common for the soil near the surface of
the earth to be loose and weak. If a building is rested on this soil, it will sink into the earth
like a ship in water. Building contractors will usually dig until they reach very firm, strong,
soil that cannot be dug up easily before constructing a foundation.
To study the properties of the soil before designing foundations, engineers
will ask for a soil investigation to be done. A soil investigation engineer will
drill a 4" or 6" hollow pipe into the ground, and will remove samples of the
earth while doing so. He will then send these samples to a lab to find out the
detailed properties of the soil at every depth. Soil is usually composed
of strata, or different layers, each with its own set of properties. Drilling
technology today makes it easy and economical to drill to great depths,
easily several hundred metres or more, even in hard rock.

The soil investigation team will then prepare a soil investigation report that
lists the engineering properties of the soil at regular intervals, say every 2
meters. Based on this deport, engineers designing the structure can decide
at what depth of soil to provide the foundations, the type of foundations
they should provide, and the size of the foundations.

Every once in a while, engineers will find fill at a site. This occurs when
humans have previously dug up the earth there, and then filled it back
in. This happens if a quarry was dug or a building built there
previously. Since fill is loose and soft and cannot support weight, engineers
will dig to a depth below that of the fill, where strong soil is found, and
construct foundations there.

The study of soil, and its properties and behavior, is called soil mechanics.

Once the foundations have been built, the loose soil that has been excavated
must be put back over and around the foundations. This is called backfilling.
Backfilling must be done carefully, as the soil there must support the weight
of the floor slab at ground level (called the first floor in the US). Backfilling is
done by putting back the soil in horizontal layers about a foot thick, and then
compacting the earth, or squeezing it under pressure in a wet condition. This
causes the soil particles to be squished together and removes air voids, there
by making the layers strong. Good backfilling also improves the performance
of the foundations, as the earth holds them firmly in place, and weighs down
on the foundations to anchor them in position.

UNDERPINNING
The act of strengthening a foundation is called underpinning. It can also be called
foundation repair. While it is difficult to conceive of how foundations (that are underground
in an occupied building) can be repaired or strengthened, there are techniques that can
achieve this. In a sense, these methods can be likened to surgery performed on a patient.