2. COMPONENTS OF A BUILDING STRUCTURE
A building has two basic parts:
(i) Substructure or foundations, and
(ii) Supers1ructure.
SUB-STRUCTURE OR FOUNDATION
is the lower portion of the building, usually located below the ground level, which
transmits the loads of the super-structure to the supporting soil. A foundation is
therefore that part of the structure which is in direct contact with the ground to
which the loads are transmitted.
3. COMPONENTS OF A BUILDING
STRUCTURE
SUPER-STRUCTURE
is that part of the structure which is above ground level, and which serves the
purpose of its intended use. A part of the super-structure, located between the
ground level and (he floor level is known as plinth.
Plinth is therefore defined as the portion of the structure between the surface of
the surrounding ground and surface of the floor, immediately above the ground.
4. A building has the following components
1. Foundations.
2. Masonry units : wall and columns.
3. Floor structures.
4. Roof structures.
5. Doors, windows and other openings.
6. Vertical transportation structures, such as
stairs, lifis, ramps etc.
7. Building finishes.
5. The basic function of a foundation is to
transmit the dead loads, live loads and
other loads to the subsoil on which it
rests in such a way that
(a) settlements are within permissible
limits, without causing cracks in the
super-structure and
(b) soil does not fail in shear. Since
remains below the ground level, the
signs of failure of foundations are not
notice able till it has already affected the
building. It should therefore be
designed very carefully. Various types of
foundations and their design principles
have been discussed in other parts..
1. Foundations.
7. 2. Masonry units : wall and columns.
Masonry may be defined as the
construction of building units
bonded together with mortar.
These building units, commonly
known as masonry units may be
stones, bricks or precast blocks.
Masonry is used for the
construction of foundation
walls, columns and other
similar structural components.
The construction with stone
units, bonded with mortar is
known as stone masonry, while
the construction with brick
units, bonded with mortar is
known as brick masonry. A
masonry may use different
types of building units for the
construction.
A column is an isolated
vertical load bearing member,
the width of which is neither
less than its thickness nor
more than four times its
thickness. A pier is a member
similar to a column except that
it is bonded into load bearing
wall at the sides to form
integral part and extends to
the full height of the wall. A
pier is used to increase the
stiffness of the wall to carry
additional load or to carry
vertical concentrated load.
8. Walls are the most essential
components of a building. The primary
function of the wall is to endose or
divide space of the building to make it
more functional and useful. Walls
provide privacy, afford security and
give protection against heat, cold, Sun
and ram. Walls may be either load
bearing or non-load bearing. Load
bearing walls are those which are
designed to carry the super-imposed
loads (transferred through roofs), in
addition to their own (self) weight.
Non-load bearing walls carry their own
load only. They generally serve a divide
walls. Wall may be of several types,
such as cavity walls, party walls,
partition walls, dwarf walls, retaining
walls
9. Floors are the horizontal elements which
divide the building into different levels for
the purpose of creating more
accommodation within a restricted space
one aboye the other and provide support
for the occupanis, furniture and equipment
of a building.
The floor of a building immediately above
the ground is known as ground floor. All
other floors which are above the ground
floor are known as the upper floors. The
floors of the first storey is known as the
first floor and that of the second storey is
known as the second floor etc, etc. In case,
part of the building is constructed below
the ground level, or the building has the
basement, the floor is known as basement
floor.
Floors
10. A roof is the upper most part of a building. It
is a covering provided on the top of the
building with a view to keep out ram, snow,
Sun and wind and to protect the building
from their adverse effects. Just as a floor, a
roof consists of two components
(i) The roof decking and
(ii) the roof coverning. Roof decking is a
structural component which supports the roof
coverning. Roof decking may be either flat or
sloping, and may be in the form of flat slab,
dome, truss, portal or shell. The roof covering
is provided on the roof deck to safeguard the
building against weather effects. These may
be in the form of tiles, thatch covering, slates,
flag slone coverníng, and corrugated sheets of
galvanised iron or asbestos cement.
ROOF
11. A door is a movable barrer provided in the
opening of a wall, to provide access to various
spaces of a building. A door is a frame work of
wood, steel etc. secured in the wall opening
for the purpose of providing access to the
users of the building. Simílarly, a window may
be defined as an opening made in ( wall be ¡he
purpose of providing day light, vision and
ventílation. Windows are also made of frame
work of wood, steel, aluminium etc., provided
with shutters.
Sometimes, an arch may be provided to span
the opening, in the place of a lintel. An arch is
a structure consisting of a number of small
wedge-shaped units and jointed together with
moflar, which is constructed to bridge across
any opening in the wall. The arch may also be
constructed in R.C.C.
DOOR , WINDOW & OTHER OPENING
12. These nsists of stairs, ramps, ladders,
lifts and escalators etc, to afford acces
between various floors. Out of these,
stairs are the most ammon. A srair may
be defined as series of steps suitably
arranged for the purpose of connecting
different floors of a building.
Alternatively, a stair may be defined as
an arrangement of treads, risers,
stringers, newel posts, hand rails and
balustrades so designed and constructed
as lo provide an easy, safe and quick
access to the users of diffcrent floors.
Stairs may be constructed of different
materlais such as timber, stone,
reinforced concrete or steel.
VERTICAL TRANSPORTATION STRUCTURES,
SUCH AS STAIRS, LIFIS, RAMPS ETC
13. Building finishes are used to give protective covering lo various building
components, and at the same time, they provide decorative effects. Building
finishes consists of the following items:
(i) Plasterning
(ii) Pointing
(iii) Painting
(iv) Varnishing and polishing
(v) White washing
(vi) Distempering
(vii) Colour washing or colounn .
Plastening consist of providing plastic materials such as cement mortar, lime
mortar etc. on walls, columns and other surfaces. Pointing is the process of
finishing of mortar joins brick or stone manosary. Painting varnishing and
polishing is normally done on doors, windows and other timber and steel
components White washing & distempering and coIour washing etc. are done on
plastered surfaces, to safeguard them against weathering effects and to improve
the appearance.
7. BUILDING FINISHES.