CRITERIA FOR FLOOR FINISH MATERIALS

        The materials, which are attached to the surface of the buildings to decorate and beautify the environment, are defined as finishing materials. The overall effects and functions of the decorative construction engineering are all realized through the use of finishing materials and the form and structure, texture, colour, function of other equipment. In the average buildings, the finishing materials occupy about 50% of the total construction material cost; while in the splendid buildings, this figure soars up to more than 80%.

FLOOR FINISHES

        A floor finish is a material which is applied to a floor and dries to a hard, durable and smooth film. This film is about the thickness of waxed paper and is expected to protect and extend the life of the floor while providing an attractive appearance and slip resistant surface.

       Most people know which floor finishes they want in their space. The most common choices are carpet, ceramic tiles, timber and sheet materials such as vinyl. People generally select one finish in preference to another based on:

•                     the construction method and materials of the underlying floor

•                     the function of the room or space

•                     Aesthetics.

•                     Budget.

     Before installing a particular floor finish it is useful to ascertain:

·         The most appropriate method of  laying or fixing

·         The need for a seamless finish

·         How easy the surface is for the occupant to move across

·          The need to finish special shapes, nosing’s or covings

·         The most appropriate colour for the room or space

·          The concept that colour selection and contrast can assist people with vision impairment to locate and navigate

·         The preferred acoustic qualities the possibility of the finish being subject to water, food or urine spills

·         The need for the finish to be stain · resistant or easily cleaned

·         The need for the finish to be slip-resistant

·         The suitability of the finish to passage by people with limited mobility and those in wheelchairs.

Where there are junctions between different types of floor finish ensure that the junctions are level and secure to avoid creating a trip hazard.

FACTORS AFFECTING CONSTRUCTION COST PERFORMANCE IN NIGERIAN CONSTRUCTION SITES.

These factors as the major ones that result in cost overrun on construction sites.

 (i)  Inadequate planning: People ask me how much time it takes to complete the project planning. The answer is "sufficient". You need to spend the time to define the work, create a schedule, estimate the costs and set up the project management processes. If your project is small, this should not take much time. If your project is large the planning may take a longer time. In other words, planning is scalable based on the size of the project.

(ii) Contactors project inexperience: contractor plays a very vital role in the success or failure of any turnaround. In fact, contractor not causes safety, quality and schedule problem to client, but incur losses to their own organization in terms of financial losses and damage to its reputation. In fact, in one of the shutdowns, I handled, the followings were the shortcomings
1. Inexperience or little experience as organization.
2. Incompetent and inexperienced manpower, mainly Project manager and key personnel
3. The contractor doesn't have minimum permanent staff (99% persons were hired after award of contract.
4. Wrong understanding and estimation of scope of work and Safety / Quality requirements.

(iii) Inflation: Inflation is defined as a sustained increase in the general level of prices for goods and services. It is measured as an annual percentage increase. As inflation rises, every naira you own buys a smaller percentage of a good or service.

The value of a naira does not stay constant when there is inflation. The value of a naira is observed in terms of purchasing power, which is the real, tangible goods that money can buy. When inflation goes up, there is a decline in the purchasing power of money

(IV) Change in project design: where there is constant change in the design it will cause fluctuation or valuation which will affect the over run.

(V) Fraudulent practices: The quality of contractors assigned to your building projects, will definitely affect the cost of building. Unqualified contractors are definitely cheaper at the beginning of the project but will cost you a lot more in the long run. Think of the cost of maintenance after moving in, or the architectural and structural disposition of the building a professional contractor would provide, the difference might be a few extra cash, but you have the confidence of standard and properly executed construction without compromise.

Friedrich Gilly. Berlin. Project for a monument to Frederick the Great of Prussia Floor Plan

       

 Schinkel, Karl Friedrich (1781–1841). Prussian architect, the greatest in Germany in the first half of C19. He was not only an architect of genius, but a civil servant, intellectual, painter, stage-designer, producer of panoramas, and gifted draughtsman. His output was prodigious, and his stylistically eclectic work was lyrical and logical. He designed many buildings that became paradigms of excellence in the period during which he served his country and King as Prussian State Architect, and he established standards that influenced generations of architects throughout Germany.

Friedrich Gilly's Graeco-Roman Egyptian design for a monument to King Friedrich II (the ‘Great’—reigned 1740–86), exhibited in Berlin in 1797, fuelled the young Schinkel's ambition to become an architect, and in 1798 he entered the studio and household of Gilly's father, David Gilly, enrolling at the Bauakademie (Building Academy or School of Architecture), where he received a rigorous training in practical matters as well as absorbing the theoretical bases of Classicism as expounded by Alois Hirt (1759–1834). Other teachers included Gentz and Langhans, and the ethos of the Bauakademie included much derived from the teachings of Blondel and the École Polytechnique in Paris, so the young Schinkel absorbed the elements of a rational approach to architecture from which Franco-Prussian Neo-Classicism evolved.

Barry and Pugin. Houses of Parliament, London.

    The 1835 competition to redesign the Palace was won by the Westminster-born architect Charles Barry. By then, the 40-year-old Barry was already quite a famous architect, having built several churches and won competitions for his work. However, Barry's own architectural style was more classical than Gothic.      

Barry and Pugin

Barry turned for assistance in his drawings for the competition to Augustus Welby Pugin, a gifted 23-year-old Catholic architect and draughtsman who had devoted himself entirely to the pursuit of Gothic architecture. Pugin was in fact paid £400 by Barry for assisting him with these drawings.
During the construction of the Palace, Barry came to rely heavily on Pugin in the execution of these plans, and particularly in the matter of detail, fittings and furnishings. Indeed, it was Pugin who designed most of the Palace's sumptuous Gothic interiors, such as various carvings, gilt work, panelling and furniture in the rooms, and even the doorknobs and spill trays.

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EFFECTS OF AGGREGATE PROPERTIES ON CONCRETE

               Concrete is a mixture of cementious material, aggregate, and water. Aggregate is commonly considered inert filler, which accounts for 60 to 80 percent of the volume and 70 to 85 percent of the weight of concrete. Although aggregate is considered inert filler, it is a necessary component that defines the concrete’s thermal and elastic properties and dimensional stability. Aggregate is classified as two different types, coarse and fine. Coarse aggregate is usually greater than 4.75 mm (retained on a No. 4 sieve), while fine aggregate is less than 4.75 mm (passing the No. 4 sieve). The compressive aggregate strength is an important factor in the selection of aggregate. When determining the strength of normal concrete, most concrete aggregates are several times stronger than the other components in concrete and therefore not a factor in the strength of normal strength concrete. Lightweight aggregate concrete may be more influenced by the compressive strength of the aggregates.       Other physical and mineralogical properties of aggregate must be known before mixing concrete to obtain a desirable mixture. These properties include shape and texture, size gradation, moisture content, specific gravity, reactivity, soundness and bulk unit weight. These properties along with the water/cementitious material ratio determine the strength, workability, and durability of concrete.           The shape and texture of aggregate affects the properties of fresh concrete more than hardened concrete. Concrete is more workable when smooth and rounded aggregate is used instead of rough angular or elongated aggregate. Most natural sands and gravel from riverbeds or seashores are smooth and rounded and are excellent aggregates. Crushed stone produces much more angular and elongated aggregates, which have a higher surface-to-volume ratio, better bond characteristics but require more cement paste to produce a workable mixture......

Easily Way on How To Estimate Numbers Of Blocks Required For Your Building Project From A Simple Plan Layout

              It’s natural for one to wonder how many blocks are in a wall. The simplest and surest way to obtain that number is to count them all, but that could take a long time, and it isn’t of any help for someone who wants to know how many blocks are needed to build a wall.
Fortunately, basic arithmetic can be used to calculate a fairly reliable estimate to satisfy curiosity as well as practicality. Does this Spark an idea?

In this article, I will unveil to you the secret on how to estimate on your own from a building plan layout, the number of blocks that would be consumed in a building construction.
For this particular lesson, we are going to use the plan layout above (fig 1.1) as our case study.
NOTE:
• The nature of the soil for this project is a very good and stable soil.
• The type of foundation used is a strip foundation.
• 9 inches blocks will be used in the foundation since its stable.
• 6 inches blocks will be used after the floor slab (DPC) to roof level.
• The length of a block ( 6inches or 9inches is 450mm ) = 0.450m
• The width of 6 inches blocks is 150mm = 0.150m
• The width of 9 inches block is 225mm = 0.225m
mm = millimeters
m = meters
m3 = cubic meter

Generally the blocks laid from foundation to DPC level is 4 courses/levels, from DPC to the base of window is another 4 courses, from base of window to lintel is 5 courses, after your lintel, there will be another 2 courses followed by your roof beam. This will make a total of 15 courses.

Now with these parameters above let’s calculate the 9 inches blocks that will be laid in the foundation

• From the building plan above (fig. 1.1 ) The total length of the foundation trench is :
4.8m+3.9m+4.8m+3.9m =17.4m
Calculating the required number of standard construction blocks:
Below provides a very fast, simple way to find the answer.
From the table above the number of 9 inches blocks needed for the foundation wall will be:
17.4m / 0.45 = 38.67 » 39 blocks
Since the foundation would be 4 courses, we will have:
39 blocks x 4 courses = 156 blocks.
So therefore, the foundation will take 156 blocks (9 inches).

PREVENTING BUILDINGS AGAINST DAMPNESS

        One of the requirements of the building is that it should be dry. Dampness in a building may occur due to bad design, faulty construction and use of poor quality of materials. Dampness not only affects the life of the building but also creates unhygienic conditions of the important items of work in the construction of a building. The treatment given to prevent leakage of water from roof is generally termed as water proofing whereas the treatment given to keep the walls, floors and basement dry is termed as damp proofing.

DEFECTS OF DAMPNESS IN BUILDINGS:

The various defects caused by dampness to building may be summarized as under:

1. It causes efflorescence which may ultimately result in disintegration of bricks, stones, tiles etc.
2. It may result in softening and crumbling of plaster.
3. It may cause bleaching and flaking of paint with the formation of coloured patches.
4. It may result in the warping, buckling and rotting of timber.
5. It may lead to the corrosion of metals.
6. It may cause deterioration to electrical fittings.

SOURCES OF DAMPNESS IN BUILDINGS

The important sources of dampness may be summarized as below:

1. Dampness rising through the foundation walling. Moisture from wet ground may rise well above the ground level on account of capillary action.
2. Splashing rain water which rebounds after hitting the wall surface may also cause dampness.
3. Penetration of rain water through unprotected tops of walls, parapet, compound walls, etc may cause dampness.
4. In case of sloped roofs, rain water may percolate through defective roof covering. In addition faulty eaves course and eave or valley gutters may allow the rain water to descend through the top supporting wall and cause dampness.
5. In case of flat roofs, inadequate roof slopes, improper rain water pipe connections, and defective junction between roof slab and parapet wall may prove to be the source of dampness.

METHODS OF DAMP PROOFING

Following methods are generally adopted to prevent the defect of dampness in a structure:

1. Membrane damp proofing
2. Integral damp proofing
3. Surface treatment
4. Guniting
5. Cavity wall construction

CONCRETE MIX AND FACTORS TO BE CONSIDERED

         

         The process of selecting suitable ingredients of concrete and determining their relative amounts with the objective of producing a concrete of the required, strength, durability, and workability as economically as possible, is termed the concrete mix design. The proportioning of ingredient of concrete is governed by the required performance of concrete in 2 states, namely the plastic and the hardened states. If the plastic concrete is not workable, it cannot be properly placed and compacted. The property of workability, therefore, becomes of vital importance.

         The compressive strength of hardened concrete which is generally considered to be an index of its other properties, depends upon many factors, e.g. quality and quantity of cement, water and aggregates; batching and mixing; placing, compaction and curing. The cost of concrete is made up of the cost of materials, plant and labour. The variations in the cost of materials arise from the fact that the cement is several times costly than the aggregate, thus the aim is to produce as lean a mix as possible. From technical point of view the rich mixes may lead to high shrinkage and cracking in the structural concrete, and to evolution of high heat of hydration in mass concrete which may cause cracking.

Concrete mix design is of two types:

1. Nominal concrete mix
2. Designed concrete mix
Nominal concrete mixes are those specified by standard codes for common construction works. These mix takes into consideration the margin for quality control, material quality and workmanship in concrete construction.
Designed mix concrete suggests proportions of cement, sand, aggregates and water (and sometimes admixtures) based on actual material quality, degree of quality control, quality of materials and their moisture content for given concrete compressive strength required for the project. Designed mix concrete are carried out in laboratory and based on various tests and revisions in mix designs, the final mix proportions are suggested.
Properties desired from concrete in plastic stage: –
• Workability – Suitable workability for proper placement of concrete in structural member.
• Cohesiveness – better cohesiveness between cement and aggregates to prevent segregation of concrete.
• Initial set retardation – to control the initial setting time of concrete based on requirements.
Properties desired from concrete in hardened stage:-
• Strength – Strength of concrete is the main objective of the concrete mix design.
• Imperviousness – Better mix proportions to improve imperviousness for protection of reinforcement form corrosion and enhanced durability of concrete.
• Durability – To increase the durability of concrete.

Mix Proportion designations

The common method of expressing the proportions of ingredients of a concrete mix is in the terms of parts or ratios of cement, fine and coarse aggregates. For e.g., a concrete mix of proportions 1:2:4 means that cement, fine and coarse aggregate are in the ratio 1:2:4 or the mix contains one part of cement, two parts of fine aggregate and four parts of coarse aggregate. The proportions are either by volume or by mass. The water-cement ratio is usually expressed in mass

Factors to be considered for mix design

The grade designation giving the characteristic strength requirement of concrete.

 The type of cement influences the rate of development of compressive strength of concrete.

 Maximum nominal size of aggregates to be used in concrete may be as large as possible within the limits prescribed by IS 456:2000.

 The cement content is to be limited from shrinkage, cracking and creep.

 The workability of concrete for satisfactory placing and compaction is related to the size and shape of section, quantity and spacing of reinforcement and technique used for transportation, placing and compaction.

 

CALCULATE QUANTITIES OF MATERIALS FOR CONCRETE

         Quantities of materials for the production of required quantity of concrete of given mix proportions can be calculated by absolute with this simply method. This method is based on the principle that the volume of fully compacted concrete is equal to the absolute volume of all the materials of concrete, i.e. cement, sand, coarse aggregates and water.
Mix Ratio 1:2:4 - - (1:2:4)=1+2+4=7

7 is mixing propotion

Volume of wet cement concrete - 1.54 to 1.57

unit weight of cement is 1440kg/cum

1 bag of cement – 50kg/bag - =50/1440=0.034722 cum

Cement = 1.54/7=0.22

0.22/0.03472=6.33 bags

1bag of cement = 50kgs

=6.33*50kgs=316.82 kgs

sand = 0.22*2=0.44cum

2 is the mixing of proportion

 Granite = 0.22*4=0.88cum

4 is the mixing of proportion 
 note 3.8m3=5 tonnes

CEMENT = 6.33 NOS BAGS SAND = 0.46 M3       GRANITE  = 0.88 M3

QUANTITY OF CEMENT & SAND CALCULATION IN MORTAR

         Quantity of cement mortar is required for rate analysis of blockwork.. Cement mortar is used in various proportions, i.e. 1:1, 1:2, 1:3, 1:4, 1:6, 1:8 etc but we are going to base our calculations on  1:6 means one portion of cement is mixed with an equivalent volume or ratio of six of same portion of volume of cement in sharpsand.That is, if I have a cement of 1m3, then I will need to mix it with 6m3 of sharpsand.
For the calculation of cement mortar, let us assume that we use 1m³ of cement mortar. Procedure for calculation is:
1. Calculate the dry volume of materials required for 1m³ cement mortar. Considering voids in sands, we assume that materials consists of 60% voids. That is, for 1m³ of wet cement mortar, 1.6m³ of materials are required.
2. Now we calculate the volume of materials used in cement mortar based on its proportions.
Let’s say, the proportion of cement and sand in mortar is 1:X, where X is the volume of sand required.
Then, the volume of sand required for 1:X proportion of 1m³ cement mortar will be

3. Volume of cement will be calculated as:

Since the volume of 1 bag of cement is 0.0347 m³, so the number of bag of cement will be calculated as:

Example:

Ville Radieuse / Le Corbusier (Contemporary city for 3 million, Plan voisin for Paris)

Add caption

The Plan Voisin is a solution for the center of Paris, drawn between 1922 and 1925 by Le Corbusier. The plan for 1925 seems to be a direct transposition of the diagram of Contemporary City for three million drawn in 1922. Included are buildings available in a regular orthogonal grid occupying a very important part of the right bank of the Seine. The space is highly structured with two new traffic arteries pierced through the city, one on the east-west, the other on a north-south. Their role is not limited to the organization of Paris, as were the advances of Haussmann: they pass through the fortifications and the suburban area. They have the ambition to link the capital to the four corners of the country, the major French and European cities. The crossroads at the intersection of these two avenues is the center of the plan, the center of the city in central France.

Le Corbusier opposed the idea of building a new administrative city in the periphery (that is La Defense) and proposes to build at the foot of Montmartre, opposite the island of the City's new command center that it considers necessary for the vitality of the country. The density of sky-scraper is 1,200 inhabitants to the acre. This figure is much higher than the average density of Paris in the heart of town (146 inhabitants to the acre) and of London (63) and of the over-crowded quarters of Paris (213), and of London (169). This great density shortens the distances of travelling and ensures rapid intercommunication.
Residential quater

LeCorbusier Villa Savoye, Poissy-sur-Seine, 1929-30

One of the most famous houses of the modern movement in architecture, the Villa Savoye is a masterpiece of LeCorbusier's purist design. It is perhaps the best example of LeCorbusier's goal to create a house which would be a "machine a habiter," a machine for living (in). Located in a suburb near Paris, the house is as beautiful and functional as a machine.
The Villa Savoye was the culmination of many years of design, and the basis for much of LeCorbusier's later architure. Although it looks severe in photographs, it is a complex and visually stimulating structure. As with his church of Notre Dame du Haute, Ronchamp, the building looks different from every angle. After falling into disrepair after the war, the house has been restored and is open to the public.
The design features of the Villa Savoye include:

• modulor design -- the result of Corbu's researches into mathematics, architecture (the golden section), and human proportion
• "pilotis" -- the house is raised on stilts to separate it from the earth, and to use the land efficiently. These also suggest a modernized classicism.
• no historical ornament
• abstract sculptural design
• pure color -- white on the outside, a color with associations of newness, purity, simplicity, and health (LeCorbusier earlier wrote a book entitled, When the Cathedrals were White), and planes of subtle color in the interior living areas
• a very open interior plan
• dynamic , non-traditional transitions between floors -- spiral staircases and ramps
• built-in furniture
• ribbon windows (echoing industrial architecture, but also providing openness and light)
• roof garden, with both plantings and architectural (sculptural) shapes
• integral garage (the curve of the ground floor of the house is based on the turning radius of the 1927 Citroen)..........

FOUNDATION TYPES AND USES

Foundation of a building is that part of the substructure which is in direct contact with and transmits loads to the ground. The substructure is that part of building which is below natural or artificial ground level and which supports the superstructure.

To select a foundation for a particular building some factors are to be considered

1.       The load to carry

2.       Nature of the subsoil

3.       The soil bearing capacity

4.       The soil behaviour under seasonal and ground level water changes.

When these are noted a foundation type can be select

TYPE OF FOUNDATION

The types of foundation are categories into two major classes which are

1.       SHALLOW FOUNDATIONS

2.       DEEP FOUNATIONS

SHALLOW FOUNDATION:   Shallow foundations are those founded near to the finished ground surface; generally where the founding depth is less than the width of the footing and less than 3m. These are not strict rules, but merely guidelines: basically, if surface loading or other surface conditions will affect the bearing capacity of a foundation it is 'shallow'. Shallow foundations (sometimes called 'spread footings') include pads ('isolated footings'), strip footings and rafts.
Shallows foundations are used when surface soils are sufficiently strong and stiff to support the imposed loads; they are generally unsuitable in weak or highly compressible soils, such as poorly-compacted fill, peat, recent lacustrine and alluvial deposits, etc.

·         STRIP FOUNDATION: it is a continuous strip serves as a level base on which the wall is built and is of such a width as in necessary to spread the load on the foundations to an area of subsoil capable of supporting the load without undue compaction. Concrete is the material principally used today for strip foundation as it can readily be placed, spread and levelled in foundation trenches, to provide a base for walls and it develops adequate compressive strength as it hardens to support the load on foundation. .....

Frank Lloyd Wright (carnley house plan and elevation)

    The Charnley House, which has long been recognized internationally as a pivotal work of modern architecture, stands as evidence of the extraordinary power of Sullivan and Wright's creativity in collaboration.

    The exterior of Charnley House is a virtually unadorned brick and limestone facade that commands its corner location. The dramatic interior of the house is dominated by an atrium that soars from the first floor hall to a skylight two floors above. The house is symmetrical in plan, with one room located on either side of the central atrium on each floor. The ornament found throughout the interior and exterior of the building reflects both Sullivan's love of sinuous plant forms intertwined with underlying geometric forms and Wright's variations of these themes.