ARCH 2003 - Building Structures

FALL 2024
August 21, 2024

Dr. Bashir Elmabrouk

AES 300
E-mail: [email protected]
303/229-4121
Evaluation of Student Performance:

1. Architectural drawing 25%

2. Class participation 25%
3. Teamwork/projects 25%
4. Physical model 25%
COURSE OUTLINE Aug 21
Major Topics in This Course
1. Foundations
2. Wall systems
3. Openings
4. Stairs
5. Drawings
6. Curtain wall systems
7. Slabs
8. Roofs
9. Relationship/collaboration between Architects
Civil/Structural Engineers
Structural Design

• The role of structural design is to choose structures

which will transfer the loads satisfactorily.
• However, this is far easier said than done because
there is a wide choice of structural forms and a
range of structural materials which can be used.
• Furthermore, demonstrating that the chosen
structure will perform satisfactorily can often be a
major task.
Structure Design

The successful design of any structure requires a satisfactory answer to the

following questions:

• Is the structure strong enough?

• Is the structure stiff enough?
Furthermore, before attempting to answer these questions, two further
questions must be answered:
• What is the structure?
• What are the loads?
Example
If people want to cross a stream, then a plank could be used as a
bridge. Whilst people are on the bridge their weight (the loads) are
transferred from a point over the water, which cannot directly
support them, to points on the banks which can.
What is the difference between space
frame and plane frame?
 How Houses are Built?
The Components and Materials

• The most common structures that we build are homes.

• There are many components and materials that can be used to construct a house.
• These components create an overall integrated system that create a structurally
sound house, encloses the house to protect it from the weather, and creates the
rooms and spaces.
The Basic Components
of a House:

1. Foundation
2. Support Structure
3. Roof
4. Floors
5. Interior Walls
6. Exterior Insulation
7. Exterior Wall Finishes
8. Roof Finishes
 The Foundation

• The foundation is the system your house sits on,

transferring all the weight of the house to the ground.
Foundation systems can vary depending on the type
of soils and local building traditions, but basically
boils down to the following components:
Footings, foundation wall, concrete slap, Pier-and Beam
and others.
 The Building Foundation
• A building’s foundation is a critical structural component that transfers loads from
the building into the underlying soil or bedrock
• As civil engineers, understanding the principles behind foundation design and the
various types of foundations is key for any construction project.
In this class, we’ll explore what building foundations are, the different types used in
construction, foundation construction methods, and considerations when selecting
foundations for a project.
 Footings

• Footings are the “feet” upon which the house ultimately sits, transferring all loads to
the ground.
• Footings are typically made of concrete and must have a width and a thickness that
can support whatever loads are required.
• Concrete is a material that works great for vertical (gravity) loads counteracting these
compression forces. However, it does not work well for point loads, which cause it to
bend if not counteracted with some other material.
• Concrete footings will have reinforcing steel bars (rebar) in them to assist with this.
Footings
• Footings must sit upon compacted soil that is below what is called the frost line.
The frost line is the depth at which moisture in the soil freezes in winter. Soil
that freezes expands and can cause damage to foundations. This depth can vary
depending on the severity of the cold, but standard frost line depths are
established by local building codes.
• In the U.S. frost depth can range from a few inches in the warmest sections of
the country to many feet deep in the coldest.
Foundation Walls
• The foundation wall is the vertical component of the perimeter foundation. It is the element that
the perimeter structural walls sit on and is the element that holds back the soil for basements.
• They are typically built of either concrete or concrete block, though some historic houses were
built with brick or stone foundation walls.

• Foundation walls must handle vertical loads as well as any horizontal loads from soil pressure,
which increases with soil depth.
• They must handle any horizontal loads carried by the house structure.
• Concrete and block foundation walls have rebar added to them to counteract these horizontal
loads.
Concrete slab
• Concrete poured on the ground between foundation walls or perimeter walls is called a
slab. Slabs are used as the base floor surface in basements as well as for houses without
basements.
Pier-and-Beam
• Some houses without basements are constructed with raised first floors. Some of this has
to do with regional climate, typically in warmer regions, some has to do with
intermittent seasonal flooding, and some has to do with traditions or preferences.
• A raised first floor typically uses what is called a pier-and-beam foundation.
• Plan of a pier and beam addition to a house. Note the
circular piers for the beams that support the floor
framing. The small “x’s” are openings in the framing to
access the crawl spaces.

Section through a pier and

beam foundation system for
a house. The crawl spaces
are highlighted.
Other components

• Gravel Base: Before a concrete slab is poured the soil must be compacted to alleviate future vertical
movement.
• Perimeter Drainage: An additional means of controlling moisture in the soil is the perimeter
drainage system.
• Moisture barriers: Moisture in the soil can often have enough pressure that can allow it to penetrate
through concrete.
• Insulation: In cooler and colder climates rigid insulation is often placed on the
outer face of basement and foundation walls and sometimes beneath portions of
the slabs in order to provide a barrier to cold soil, to provide protection for the
waterproof membranes, and to provide protection from soil pressures.

• Radon system: A large portion of soils have small amounts of radioactive

minerals causing health problems. To counteract this a series of vertical pipes
are placed through the slab which then rise vertically through the house to the
roof to ventilate this gas. A vapor retarder, often as the water membrane, must
be placed under the slab to assist with limiting the radon gas.
Support Structure
• It sits on the foundation system and holds the house up. This typically consists
of a wall framing system made of small-sized wood or steel components that
create panels that are placed around the perimeter of the house.
Other materials such as masonry, structural steel, concrete, or structural panels
can also be used.
• It carries loads from the roof and any upper floors down to the foundation and
is designed to also counteract horizontal forces from wind.
 Support Structure

• The structure integrates other materials to create an enclosure for the house that acts as a barrier from water
and wind. These materials can include:
1. Sheathing: Framing systems use large panels placed across the exterior faces of a house to create the base of
the enclosure. Houses using structural steel have framing panels between the steel columns which are then
covered with sheathing.
2. Moisture barrier: This barrier can consist of tar paper, plastic sheets, or sprayed-on systems, and is installed
over the sheathing or onto the masonry, concrete, or structural panels to prevent water from getting into the
wall system.
 Next Week
• Roof forms, including: Gable, Hip, Gambrel, Shed, Barrel vault.
• Flooring Systems
• Interior Walls
• Exterior Insulation
• Exterior Wall Finishes
• Roof Finishes
• Openings, door, and windows
The Lab Rules

• I have outlined several things for you to know about this semester.
• Materials and Equipment
o Rose Holtzman will be your contact person for all purchases.
o When you want to purchase something, please send me a link to the item and let me know the number of items you
will need.
o Please expect about 2 weeks for the item(s) to arrive.
o You will have $16 per credit per student to spend this semester.
o In the past, the architecture classes have used this foam poster board and balsa wood.
• Workspace
o To work on student projects, you will be able to use AES 120. You should have at a minimum of 1 day a week for
each class that you can use the room.
o You are the responsible person for your safety.
§ The room has safety glasses that the students need to use while cutting or doing anything that could cause
damage to the eyes.
§ The room has a fully stocked first aid kit. If you need anything more than a band aid, Rose needs to be notified.
 o Clean-up
§ Pick up materials
§ Sweep floor
§ Wipe down tables
o ROSE will provide designated areas for you to store materials and student projects.
• Architecture Exhibition
o We have some materials on hand from previous semester that you can look through to see if you want to use any of it
o Let me know if you want to purchase anything for the exhibition. If it is big (plywood, drywall, etc.) please give me as much
lead time as you can since it takes a lot of coordination to get these items.
o We can’t store student projects. Students must pick up their project by the end of the semester or they will get thrown out.
If there are things that need to be kept, please arrange this with Rose so dosen’t accidently throw them away.
• Printing Posters
o We have a large format printer for printing posters up to a 24 inch width.
o Please give her 2 weeks notice before you plan on printing so she can make sure the printer is fully functional and has
enough ink and paper.
o You are welcome to do the prints yourself or she can do them for you. If you want her to do the printing, please give her at
least 2 days to do the printing.