UNIT-III

ALTERNATIVE AND INNOVATIVE CONSTRUCTION SYSTEMS

Conventional Construction Systems
The ubiquitous construction systems around the globe are:

Load bearing Structure

In this system, walls are constructed using bricks/stone/block masonry and floor/roof slabs are of RCC/stone/composite
or truss. It is cast in-place system commonly known as load bearing system as load of structure is transferred to
foundation and then to ground through load bearing walls.

RCC Framed Structure

In this cast in-situ system, the skeleton of a structure is of RCC column and beam with RCC slab. The infill walls can be
of bricks/blocks/stone /panels. The load of the structure is transferred through beam and column to the foundation.

Steel framed Structure

Here RCC beam and column are replaced by hot rolled steel sections.
Emerging Construction Systems
The conventional construction systems are primarily cast in-situ slow paced construction systems and can not meet the
present requirement of housing shortage. Therefore, it is judicious to adopt new construction systems which ensure quick
delivery of quality houses without compromising functional and structural requirements.

These new systems are precast concrete construction, hot and cold form steel construction, formwork systems, sandwich panel
construction, factory made prefabricated systems etc. These systems are being practiced world over and some of the
developing countries have successfully met the huge housing demand using them.
Difference between conventional & alternate construction system
 Formwork Systems
(Engineered Formwork Systems)
Formwork for Monolithic Concrete Construction
The conventional mode of construction is cast-™
in place RCC framed structure with infill masonry walls using
formwork for beam, column & slabs separately, whereas in this system, all walls, floors/slabs, stairs together with
door & window openings are cast in situ monolithically using specifically custom designed modular formwork made
up of aluminum/plastics/steel/ composite, for the entire modular unit. ™

The appropriate grade of concrete and reinforcement is used as per design and the entire casting of a modular unit is
done in a single pour.™

Being modular predesigned formwork system, it acts as a assembly line production and enables rapid construction of
multiple/mass scale units of repetitive type.
MODULAR TUNNEL FORM
Tunnel formwork is a mechanized system for ™ or cellular structures. It is based on two half shells which are placed
together to form a room or cell. Several cells make an apartment. With tunnel forms, walls and slab are cast together.

The formwork is set up for the day’s pour in the morning. The reinforcement and services are positioned and concrete
is poured in the afternoon. Once reinforcement is placed, concrete for walls and Slabs shall be poured in one single
operation.

The formwork is stripped the early morning and positioned for the subsequent phase. Here the walls and slabs are
cast in a form of a tunnel leaving two sides open whereas in monolithic concrete construction the entire room is cast
in a single pour.
 Formwork Systems
(Stay-in-Place Formwork Systems)
Sismo Building Technology
Sismo (patented) Building Technology is an insulating shuttering kit for whole building unit based on a three-
dimensional lattice made of galvanized steel wire and EPS panels. The lattice is filled with materials of different
nature to serve as formwork. ™ . The basic structure of the Sismo building module is steel wire lattice. At the
exterior sides of the lattice, infill panels (EPS) are inserted, which transform the lattice into a closed structure that
can be filled with concrete.

The steel wire also acts as armature and anchoring for the finished material and it holds reinforcement bars in
place during concrete filling. The various components of the system are 3D lattice, infill panels, structural filler
and finishing.
Structural Stay-in-Place Formwork System
(Coffor)
It is a patented structural stay in place formwork sys™ tem to build load bearing monolithic concrete wall
structures based on shear wall concept. ™ . The formwork is composed of two filtering grids comprising of rib
meshes which are made up of galvanized plain steel (GP) sheets with a herringbone mesh pattern (rib lath)
reinforced by C profile GP sheet vertical stiffeners. These grids are further connected by articulated
horizontal MS rebar loops in one direction and Cold Rolled Close Annealed (CRCA) plate/GP horizontal
connectors in other direction. ™ . After the erection of formwork panels in alignment,corners, edges of door
and window frames are closed with rebar positioning & concrete of required Grade
is poured in the panels. The concreting may be done with a pump, bucket or with a shovel loader. The inside
and outside walls are finished with cement plaster of suitable grade.
Insulating Concrete Forms (ICF)

These are formwork systems which are left ™ . ft in the structure

after concreting and act as insulation. ™
Insulating concrete
Forms (ICF) System is a patented system of M/S Reliable
Insupacks (P) Ltd and comprises of a panel of two walls of
Expandable Polystyrene (EPS) separated by a nominal distance
of 150mm by hard plastic ties.

These are assembled on site to hold reinforced concrete.. The

forms are open ended hollow polystyrene blocks which are fit
tightly together through tongue-and groove to form a
shuttering system when joined together.

Concrete is poured into the hollow space to form a continuous

wall. When cured, this wall supports the structural loads from
floors/roofs, and the shuttering provides thermal insulation.
Reinforcing steel shall be provided as required from design.
Monolithic Insulated Concrete System
(MICS)
Monolithic Insulated Concrete System (™ . MICS) is a patented system of M/s Maiwir Ecotech Pvt. Ltd.. It
is a formwork system for reinforced concrete made with a rigid thermal insulation that stays in place as
a permanent interior and exterior substrate for walls, floors and roofs. This system consists of two layers of
modules i.e. Expandable Polystyrene (EPS) separated by hard plastic ties. The modules are interlocking modular
units that are dry stacked (without mortar) and filled with cast in place concrete. The units lock together and
create a form for the structural walls or floors of a building.
When cured, the wall supports the structural loads from floors and roofs, and the shuttering provides
thermal insulation. Reinforcing steel shall be as required from design.
 Formwork Systems
(Lost Formwork Systems)
Lost-in-Place Formwork System– Plaswall Panel System

Plaswall Panel System is a lost in place formwork (™

patented
system of M/s FTS Buildtech Pvt. Ltd), where two fiber cement
boards (FCB) of 6mm thickness each are bonded through HIMI
(High Impact Molded Inserts) spacers.
™

These panels are erected in situ to produce straight to-finish

panels. A monolithic structure is then created by filling the entire
structure with suitable grade of concrete to produce panels for
structural applications. Reinforcing steel shall be as required
from.
Lost-in-Place Formwork system – Plasmolite Wall Panels:

Plasmolite Panels are lost in place formwork system (patented system of M/s FTS Buildtech Pvt. Ltd),
where two fibre cement boards (FCB) of 6 mm thickness are bonded together through High Impact Molded
Inserts (HIMI) spacers.

These panels are erected in situ to produce straight to finish panels which are
filled with light weight foam concrete. ™
. The thus finished walls may be used as partition walls
for external and internal applications and can be integrated with conventional RCC/Steel framed structure.

Reinforcing steel shall be as required from design. Presently, the fiber cement board (FCB) are imported
from Malaysia for use in the construction of structures.
 Sandwich Panel Systems (EPS based Systems)

• Advanced Building System – EMMEDUE

• RAPID PANEL
• Reinforced Expanded Polystyrene Core Panel
• Quick Build 3d Panels
• Prefabricated Fiber Reinforced Sandwich Panels
Advanced Building System – EMMEDUE

EMMEDUE Advanced Building System (patented) is based on factory made panels consisting of self extinguishing expanded
polystyrene core (generallycorrugated) sandwiched between two welded wire fabric mesh made of high strength galvanized
wire.

A galvanized steel truss wire is pierced completely through the core at an offset angle for superior strength and welded to
each of outer layer welded wire fabric mesh.

The panels are finished at site using shotcrete of mix of cement and coarse aggregate of required thickness on both sides.
™
The panels are used for load bearing walls and floors
and suitable upto 3 to 4 strorey buildings.
shotcrete
RAPID PANEL

Rapid Panel is Worldhaus Construction Pvt. Ltd, patented EPS Core

Panel System.
It is a prefabricated assembly of high-Strength steel wire forming a
™
panel with core of expanded polystyrene (EPS).

The basic unit of the Rapid Panel is the zig-zag truss. Steel wire is bent
into a zigzag shape to form a continuous chain of web members. This
bent wire is then welded to continuous chord wires at every node to
form the complete truss.

During construction, Rapid Panels are installed as walls and/or slabs.

Specified mixtures of mortar or concrete are applied to the surfaces of
the panels to complete the structure.
Reinforced Expanded Polystyrene Core Panel
Reinforced Expanded Polystyrene Core Panel System is a factory
produced sandwich panel system for the construction of low rise
buildings up to G+3 and as filler walls in high rise RCC and steel
frame buildings. These panels are being produced by Jindal Steel &
Power Ltd., India.

A core of undulated polystyrene is covered with interconnected

zinc coated welded wire mesh on both sided reinforcement and
shotcrete.

The panels are finished on site by spraying concrete to realize the

different structural elements i.e. VerticalStructural Walls,
Horizontal Structural elements (slabs, floors) and non structural
cladding elements.
Single load bearing panel
Single non- load bearing panel
Quick Build 3d Panels

Quik Build panel system (Patented) of Beardsell Lt™d,

consists of a welded wire space frame integrated
with expanded polystyrene insulation core.
™
The wall panel is placed in position and a Wythe of
concrete of required thickness is applied to both
sides. The wall panel receives its strength and
rigidity from the diagonal cross wires welded to the
welded wire fabric on each side.
™
The shell of the structure is built manually by
erecting the panels directly onto the slab with
protruding reinforcement rods and then finished by
plastering with cement using the traditional
method or by shotcreting to create a monolithic
structure.
Prefabricated Fiber Reinforced Sandwich Panels

The Prefabricated Fibre Reinforced Sandwich ™Panels known as Aerocon Panels are patented panels of M/s HIL Ltd. These are
sandwich panels, made of two fibre reinforced cement facing sheets, on either sides of a lightweight concrete core.
™
These panels have a unique tongue and groove jointing system that facilitates rapid construction and are fully cured at the
factory itself. These panels are manufactured by using Flexo Board (FOB)/ Fibre Cement Board (NT).

These panels can be used for variety of applications such as for partitions, cladding, mezzanine floors, boundary walls, etc.
Precast Concrete Construction Systems
Waffle-crete Building System

Waffle-Crete Building system consists of large structural

ribbed panels of reinforced precast concrete, bolted
together and the joints between the panels are caulked to
form the walls, floor and pitched or flat roofs of buildings.
™
The surface of each panel consists of 51 mm thick slab or
skin, stiffened with the ribs around the perimeter and
across the panel, giving an overall panel thickness of 152
mm or 203 mm.

The floors are constructed using precast reinforced

concrete floor panels supported on precast concrete
beams.

The window & door frames are incorporated into the

wall panels during casting or fitted after erection into
openings that are formed in the panels during casting.
Precast Large Concrete Panel System

Precast Large Construction Panel (PLCP) system is a structural

system comprising of various precast elements such as walls,
beams, slabs, columns, staircase, landing and customized
elements.
™
There are two types of precast concrete elements,
Namely
precast reinforced concrete elements and
precast pre-stressed concrete elements, prefabricated in a
precast yard or site.
™
The precast elements are installed on site and supported
by temporary jacks. Shims are used to carefully align the
elements and grouted after the final adjustments.
™
A typical construction involves design, strategic yard
planning, lifting, handling, transportation and assembly
of precast elements.
Industrialized 3-S system using RCC precast with or
without shear walls, columns, beams, Cellular Light Weight
Concrete Slabs/Semi-Precast Solid Slab

The industrialized total open prefab construction technology is

based on factory mass manufactured structural prefab
components conforming to norms of IS standards and BIS
Certification mark.

I™n this Patented system, precast dense concrete hollow

column shell of appropriate size are used in combination with
precast dense concrete rectangular TShape/L shape beams
and lightweight reinforced cellular concrete slabs for floors
and roofs/semi-precast solid slab with or without shear wall.
The hollow columns are grouted with appropriate grade of in–
situ concrete.
™
All the connections and jointing of various structures are
accomplished through in situ concreting along with secured
embedded reinforcement of appropriate size, length and
configuration to ensure monolithic continuous resilient ductile
behaviour.
Light Gauge Steel Framed Structures (LGSF)

Light Gauge Steel Framed Structures (LGSF) which is currently gaining popularity is
based on factory made galvanized light gauge steel components, designed as per codal 214 Alternate &
Innovative Construction Systems for Housing requirements, produced by cold forming method and
assembled as panels at site forming structural steel framework of a building of varying sizes of wall and
floor.

The basic building elements of light gauge steel framing are cold formed sections which can be
prefabricated on site using various methods of connection. The assembly is done using special types of
screws and bolts.

Cold formed sections are widely used in construction including residential floors,
industrial buildings, commercial buildings, hotels and are gaining greater acceptance in the residential
sector. LGSF is already well established in residential construction in North America, Australia and Japan
and is gaining ground in India.
Light Gauge Steel Framed Structures (LGSF)

LGSF is based on established system of light gauge steel structures and designed as percodal provisions
with loading requirements as per Indian Standards. LGSF is typically ideal for one to three storey high buildings,
especially in residential homes, apartments and commercial buildings. Due to its flexibility fast construction
and durability, this technology has great potential for counties like India.

LGSF can be combined with composite steel / concrete deck resting on light steel framing stud walls. Apart from
having potential for mass housing, LGSF can be used for long term temporary or permanent structures such as
schools and classroom, military and civil housing needs, post – disaster relief structures and industrial
buildings. Advisable span for LGSF buildings should be 7.5 m.

In high rise commercial and multi-family residential construction, light gauge frames are typically used for interior
partitions and support of exterior walls and cladding. However, in many low-rise & mid-rise applications the entire
structural system can be framed with light gauge steel members

Construction of light gauge structure is very similar to wood framed construction. Being non-combustible in
nature, the structure provides a good alternative to wood and a sustainable solution.
Speed of construction is very fast compared to conventional RCC methods.
Components of LGSF
This section discusses the various components of LGSF.
Stud profiles: These are used in a variety of applications including external curtain
walls, load bearing walls, headers floors & roof joists, soffits and frame components.
Studs serve as a general all purpose framing component used in a variety of
applicationsincluding external curtain walls, load bearing walls, headers floors & roof
joists,soffits and frame components.
Track profiles:
Track is used as closure to stud and joists end as well as head and sill
conditions. It is also used for blocking and bridging conditions. Load bearing steel
framing members shall be cold – formed to shape from structural quality sheet steel
REFERENCE - ASSIGNMNETS
 LIGHT GAUGE STEEL STRUCTURE
• DEFINITION :
Advisable span for LGSF buildings
should be 7.5 m
Light Gauge Framed Steel
Structure (LGFSS) is based on factory made galvanized light
gauge steel components produced by the cold forming
method assembled as panels at site forming structural steel
framework of a building and varying wall and floor
construction

LGSF is typically ideal for one to three storey high buildings,

especially in residential homes, apartments and commercial
buildings. Due to its flexibility fast construction and
durability, this technology has great potential for countries
like India.
 SPECIFICATION OF THE SYSTEM
• Studs : serve as a general all purpose • Load Bearing Walls : C section studs with depth of 90 and 200
framing component used in a variety of mm and thickness between 2.7 mm and 2.0 mm shall be
applications including external curtain provided at a distance of 300 mm / 400 mm / 610 mm to ensure
walls, load bearing walls, headers floors the efficient use of cladding material. Multiple studs are used at
& roof joists, soffits and frame heavily loaded application such as adjacent to openings or in
components braced panels. C section with 94 x 50 mm is used for noggins
• Track : is used as closure to stud and
joists end as well as head and sill • Non Load Bearing Walls : It is similar to that of load bearing walls
conditions. It is also used for blocking and except that noggins and diagonal bracing are not required to
bridging conditions. stabilize the studs.
• Wall cladding : shall be designed to resist wind
load. Sheet has to be screwed to the joist / purlin Bracing and bridging : shall have
with maximum spacing of 300 mm c/c. All the joints configuration and steel thickness
of sheet in longitudinal direction require a
to provide secondary support for
minimum lap of 150 mm in order to make them
leak proof. Following materials are generally used the studs in accordance with the
on wall cladding: relevant specification for the
• Gypsum board conforming to IS 2095 (Pt. 1): 2011 design of Cold – formed steel
• Heavy duty cement particle board conforming to IS structure of members.
14862:2000
 FLOOR FRAME
• For speed of construction, floor joist may be pre-
assembled to form floor cassettes. This works well for
regular floor places but care shall be taken when the
geometry of the building requires the cassettes to vary
in size with location or when non – right angel corners
are required. Resistant may be provided to the top
flange of the joists by the flooring board.

• The construction of a suspended floor comprising cold

formed steel floor joists is similar to that for a floor
using timber joists. The strength to weight ratio of light
steel joist is higher than that of other material. Steel
joists are stable and do not suffer, the long term
problems of drying out, creep and Shrinkage. Joists are
generally positioned at 300, 400 & 600 mm centres,
depending on the spacing capabilities of the floor
materials used.
• ROOF FRAME :
• ROOF TRUSS:
• Flat roof is made up of joists. Where steel
decking form a flat roof, a minimum fall of • Use of Light Steel roof truss is very
1:4 should be introduced to ensure that any economical for larger span building,
moisture runs off. To avoid local ponding to
an attic or open roof truss creates
rain water, the pitch may need to be
increased to overcome the effective usable roof space, uses fewer
reduction in roof angle caused by the components than Fink truss and
deflection of long span roof purlin or provides an economical solution,
decking.
since it utilizes the high strength of
the steel members. The trusses are
placed at 600 mm maximum spacing
and are battened and tiled in a
conventional manner.
 CONSTRUCTION
FOUNDATION

WALL PANELS

FLOOR PANELS

CLADDING
DECKING FINISHING OF
ROOF PANELS WITH GI
SHEETS WALLS
SHEETS
 ADVANTAGES
• Buildability: The use of pre-fabricated • Quality: A better quality finished
and preassembled steel components
reduces site works, reduces material house that is durable and low in
waste and improves quality. maintenance.
• Speed: This system requires a shorter
construction period compared to that • Easy to Remodel: Remodeling can be
for a conventional system.
easily accomplished. Non-load bearing
• Strong but Lightweight: Steel has one walls can be readily relocated,
of the highest strength-to-weight removed or altered.
ratios of any construction material.
This results in savings in the
foundation required and the lightness • Design Flexibility: Because of its
also makes for easier on-site
handling. strength, steel can span longer
lengths, offering larger open spaces
and increased design flexibility
without requiring intermediate
CONSTRUCTION

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CASE EXAMPLES

https://lgsf.co.uk/case-studies/72-hinkley-point-nuclear-power-station

https://www.intrastack.co.uk/project/the-heights-apartments-greenwich/