Welcome!!!

Abdissa G. [Lecturer]

Building Construction

School of Civil Engineering and Architecture

Department of Civil Engineering

2023/2024 G.C.

11/19/2023
 Building Construction
2

Lecture 3

Chapter 3:- Building Site Works

11/19/2023
Sub-Contents
3.1. Site Selection
3.2. Planning
3.3. Design
3.4. Construction:-
3.4.1. Site preparation
3.4.2. Setting out
3.4.3. Earth work

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 3.1. Site Selection
• The site of a building greatly affects its planning, design and
construction.
• The main factors that should be considered while making the selection
of site for a building are:
• Climatic conditions: The intensity of rainfall and sub–soil water
level should be low so as to avoid dampness in the building.
• This factor is to be considered in case the choice is not limited to
any part of the country.
• Sub-soil conditions: A hard stratum should be available at a
reasonable depth so as to construct the foundation of the building
safely and economically.
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 Site Selection Cont’d
• Availability of modern services: The site must be within
municipal limits so that modern amenities like water supply,
electricity, drainage lines, roads, etc. can be made available in
near future if there is no provision at present.

• Local authority regulations: a site which comes within the

limits of an area where the by laws of local authority enforce
restrictions regarding proportion of plot to be built up, vacant
spaces to be left in front and sides, heights of buildings, etc.
should be preferred.

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 Site Selection Cont’d
• Availability of other facilities: The site should provide as easy access
from the nearest road and offer sufficient light and air; there should
be also good and cheap transport facilities available near the site.
• It is always better if pubic services like the fire team, police station,
etc. are also not very far off from the site.

• Surroundings: The situation and surroundings of the site must be

such as to suit the purpose for which the building is to be constructed.

• Level of the site: The level of the site must be higher than that of its
surroundings so as to provide good drainage.
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 3.2. Planning
• The basic objectives of planning of buildings are to arrange all
the units of a building on all floors and levels according to their
functional requirements, making best use of the space available
for a building.

• The shape of such a plan is governed by several factors such as

human factor, climatic conditions, site location, surrounding
environment, local by laws etc.

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 3.3 Design
In building construction works, there are basically five major
types of design:
• Architectural design: is in a sense/intelligence the humanization
of space.
• Structural design centres about the conception, designing and
construction of structural systems.
• Electrical design focus on the provision of adequate electric
power and assembly of associated electrical equipment.
• Sanitary design involves mainly on the supply and distribution of
clean water and waste sewerage disposal system design.
• Mechanical design this design involves the designing of
mechanical equipment like Boiler, Air conditioner, Dust sucker,
elevators and escalators and etc.
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 3.4. Construction
I. Site preparation
• The site will consists of permanent objects existing within the site or
adjoining sites which are used for referencing or identification of the
site called physical site features, e.g. Existing buildings, trees, roads,
fences, etc.
• Before starting the work, permanent bench marks must be established
at a suitable point in the construction site. (like boundary lines)
• Fix position of the storage and stacking of the materials, the site office,
the guard and the labour shed, the access and existing roads for
transport.
• Fix position of health and safety signs/symbols and screw them onto
the fence. Signs outside the fence should read "Danger Construction
Work in Progress" Signs inside the fence should include the site safety
regulations, "No Hats, No Boots, and No Job”. 12
 II. Setting out of the building
Terminology
• Setting out: - is the process of locating of the works to be constructed,
ensuring that they are dimensionally within permissible tolerances and
correctly constructed.
– It is the opposite of levelling that is data transferred from plans
to the ground.
• Pegs: - are short pointed wooden rods driving in to the ground to
mark an excavation, construction, etc .line or a level. A nail driven in
top of the peg usually shows the position of the point.
• Batten boards (profile board):- A horizontal board 150mm by 25mm
cut to varying length.

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 NOTE

 Errors in setting out will in most cases result in remedial

works which will be expensive.

 Whatever lines or levels are provided, they should be checked

to be sure of their accuracy, and should be provided to the

foreman efficiently so that he can have the necessary confidence

in them.

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 Methods of Setting Out
In setting out simple (rectangular) building we can use one of the three method

1. The 3, 4, 5 method
2. The builder’s square method
3. Instruments method (Theodolite).
The followings are equipment /tools used in building setting out
 Theodolite
 Builder’s square
 Measuring Tape
 Pegs
 Strings
 Hammer
 Nail (different size)
 Batten (4x5cm)
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 A. The 3, 4, 5 Method

1. Mark out the building line from the road by measuring the required
distance from the centre of the road, or by stretching a line along an
existing building to the proposed site.
2. Mark out the overall length of the building by driving pegs at A and B
along the ranging line.
3. Obtain two steel tape measures; mark out four equal distances on the
ranging line starting from the corner peg at B. These distances may be
in any unit of measurement. That is mm, cm, m etc.
4. Pull a tape measure from point B to C and ask an assistant to hold it,
ready with hammer and peg.
5. Pull the second tape from fourth mark at D on the ranging line to point
E on the first tape.
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 3, 4, 5 Method Cont’d

6. The distance 5m if using meters on tape DE should coincide with

point 3m on tape BEC. Then the angle B is 90 degree (from
Pythagoras theorem). If the points do not coincide, the tape BC is
either shifted out wards or in wards until 5m on the second tape
coincide with the 3m marks on the first tape.
7. Repeat the same procedure to obtain the right angle for BAF and mark
out the overall width of the building.
8. Establish corner pegs and erect profiles.
9. Mark the position of partition wall on the profile with either nails or
saw cut. Ranging lines are stretched through these nails and the corner
pegs to mark the ground to indicate the line of excavation for the
foundation trench.
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 B. Builder’s square method
1. Set out the front or building line in the usual manner with pegs or marks
at the required distance.
2. Place the builder’s square so that front line touch one side if the square
right through its length.
3. Stretch a line from the peg so that it is parallel to second side of the
square and establish the third peg. A corner of angle 90 degree is thus
obtained.
4. With the aid of a tape measure mark out the length and breadth of the
proposed building.
5. Transferring the builder’s square to the remaining corners and repeating
the above operations; a simple rectangular building can be set out.
6. After establishing the four corner pegs, profiles (separate or continuous)
may be erected in the same way. 19
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 C. Theodolite Method
Theodolite is a tripod mounted instrument designed to measure angles in
the horizontal or vertical plane.
1. Read the distance from the drawing and measure with same distance on
the ground
2. Place the Theodolite at the measured point and adjust it with 00 00’ 00”
3. Measure the second point with reference to the Theodolite which line
up with the original point 00 00’ 00” and dig a peg in to the ground at
the point
4. Rotate the Theodolite to 450 00’ 00” with reference to the original
point and measure the third point and place another peg in to the
ground
5. Again, rotate the Theodolite to 900 00’ 00” with reference to the
original point and measure the fourth point and place another peg in to
the ground
6. Check the angle of each corners has made 900 00’ 00” by measuring the
diagonals which should be equal in distance. 21
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 Setting out circular buildings
STEP ACTION
1 Find out the radius of the building from the working drawings.
2 Mark out this measurement on the ground.
3 Place a stake securely on the ground at the end of the radius in the centre of the building.
4 Drill a 12mm hole in the stake.
5 Place a 12mm reinforcing bar in the hole in the stake.
6 Check the top of the bar is level.
7 Cement the stake in position.
8 Loop a piece of rope, which is the length of the radius of the building over the
reinforcing bar. Measure the distance to the inner and outer sides of the foundation from
the working drawings.
9 Use the rope to measure the same distance on the ground.
10 Mark the distances ground the out line of the building.

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 III. Earth work
Site clearing

Foundation excavation

o Top soil excavation

o Bulk excavation

o Trench excavation

o Pit excavation

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 I. Site Clearing
 All vegetation such as bushes and scrub; should be removed; the roots of
trees and bushes must be dug out and cleared away.
 If the new building is to be built on an area of already existing, the old
building has to be demolished, the debris cleared away and existing
services disconnected and removed.
 Site clearing will be carried out using manual labours(with pickaxes and
spades) or Machineries.
 The building site should be inspected for termites as part of the process
of clearing the site.
 The ground a termite nest is usually treated with toxic chemicals and
powders should be mixed in the open air.

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 II. Foundation Excavation
A. The Top soil Excavation

Top soil should be removed because;

 The topsoil contains vegetations, which can damage foundations.

 The topsoil is not firm enough to support a building.

The topsoil should be removed at least 200-300 mm depth.

Note: Do not use the soil to backfill holes that are created by excavating
roots in the topsoil.

 The soil may settle to a different level in the over site concrete.

 You should pack hard core tightly in the holes or use a weak
concrete mixture or filler. 29
 B. Bulk Excavation

After the removal of the topsoil, there should be a firm sub soil that is
strong enough to support the over site concrete and building loads.

I. Use working drawing (section drawing) to see how deep

the bulk excavation should be.

II. Dig down part the topsoil to the recommended level in the
sub soil.

III. Inspect the ground to check that the sub soil is firm and
continue digging if the ground is not firm.

IV. Fill the extra depth with selected fill materials.

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 Bulk Excavation Cont’d
The working can be done manually with:
Spades;
Shovels;
Pick axes;
Wheel barrows.

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 C. Trench Excavations
 When to dig deeper into the sub soil to excavate trenches for
foundation, the depth of excavation for the trenches will be
indicated on the working drawings.

 Excavation by hand, using pickaxe, spades and shovels are good

method for excavating trenches for the foundations of small
buildings.

 If you want to achieve more speed than you can use a back actor.
It is very important if the trenches are quit deeper.

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 D. Pit excavation
• It is a deep hole in the ground that gives access for
foundation placement.

• It is important for isolated types of footing .

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