Group Assignment

Construction Technology 1 (QSB 1514)

Dixon Cheong ( Adrian Ng Erving Tiong Jun Keat ( ( (

) ) ) )

Introduction
Construction technology refers to the study of the methods and equipment used for building structures. Construction technology allows you to learn about construction management and acquire skills in the engineering of construction. It can also mean the sum total of processes for product and procedural improvement in the industry of construction.

Research Location

The building that we are using as a reference is a terrace house, which is located at Kelana Jaya near to St. Ignatius Church.

Criteria of a typical Terrace House -1 2-storey building -Kitchen -3bedrooms -2bathrooms -Dining room -Living room, fully furnished

Criteria of the Terrace House that we used as reference -2-storey building -5 bedrooms, all 5 rooms are air-conditioned, 3 rooms contains a ceiling fan -3 bathrooms -Kitchen, anti slip flooring -Living Room with marble flooring -Pitched roof, bright red -Car porch -Garden

The pictures below are pictures of terrace house

This is the front view of my house

The roof is pitched roof, including the top of the house

This is the Dining Area with marble flooring

This is the slab for the upper floor

This is the first floor ground slab, with the stairs on the left

This is the kitchen which is located at the back of the house

Foundation The residential area that were doing a research on is a terrace home that is located at. Based on research it state that normally terrace homes in Malaysia is build with a pad footing or you can call it a pad foundation . But the situation is different now based on some research and interview with a contractor that is living in that area. It has said that due to the housing area was once a hill it needs to be cut down to builds the terrace houses. With that, the condition of the soil is not good already so it is not appropriate to use pad foundation because the soft soil cant withstand the load of the building so we have assume that the terrace house is using a pile foundation which is good for areas that has bad condition of soil. What is a pile foundation? A pile foundation is a system of end-bearing or friction piles, piles caps, and tie beams for transferring building loads down to a suitable bearing stratum. A pile foundation is counted as a deep foundation which are employed when the soil underlying a foundation is unstable or of inadequate bearing capacity. End bearing piles depend principally on the bearing resistance of soil or rock beneath their feet for support while for friction piles depend principally on the frictional resistance of a surrounding earth mass for support.

Example of a pile foundation

Comparison of Pile and Pad foundation

Pile Foundation

Pad foundation(pad footing)

Advantages

Pile foundations have a large surface area on the soil which creates friction to support the structure. This means that they can be used in weaker soils

Not much excavation or landfill activities are required as leveling a site is not a requirement. Hence more suitable on a slopy site.

More suitable for building of timber framed flooring as it is lighter than concrete which provide fewer stress hence less chance of failure due to puncture through earth.

They are often driven (or bored) right down to the bedrock, which is a lot stronger than the soil

Require about 1-2 working days to complete.

Pile foundations do not require extensive excavation

Shallow form of foundation needs little excavation

It is better resist lateral loading that may come from earth pressure (at retaining walls) or seismic activity (earthquakes)

Shape can be design to accommodate tight sites Economic due to control of size Cheaper compare to piles foundation

Pile Foundation

Pad foundation(pad footing)

disadvantages

for areas that are within a small alley, workmanship difficult because of transport factors

aren't for high structures no basements can be build If the ground gets wet and expands / contracts unevenly, it always cracks. Which lets water enter the sub-flooring,

New usage in urban and surrounding areas

When used outside urban areas, usually the volume a bit so the price will be much more expensive.

causing mold, and causes cracks in the rest of the structure. Can become very large if used for high point loads. Limited to dealing with point loads

Erection process will cause vibration and noise so very disturbing environment.

Comparison of Pile and Strip foundation

Pile Foundation

Strip Foundation

Advantages

Pile foundations have a large surface area on the soil which creates friction to support the structure. This means that they can be used in weaker soils

Commonly used in buildings with a brick wall as the footing can spread higher stress evenly along its reinforced footing strip.

Can be used with isolated footing to gain the features of the two as well as to cut

They are often driven (or bored) right down to the bedrock, which is a lot stronger than the soil

cost. Leveling of site not required but excavation of trenches would be great. Require about 2-3 working days to complete.

Pile foundations do not require extensive excavation

It is better resist lateral loading that may come from earth pressure (at retaining walls) or seismic activity (earthquakes)

Pile Foundation

Strip foundation

disadvantages

for areas that are within a small alley, workmanship difficult because of transport factors

Needs more concrete and reinforcement steel

If compare to pad footing. Bending moments, has to be designed

New usage in urban and surrounding areas

When used outside urban areas, usually the volume a bit so the price will be much more expensive.

Erection process will cause vibration and noise so very disturbing environment.

Conclusion In conclusion, I will have to choose Pad foundation because it is normally used for housing area and terrace houses one of the example but due to special cases only pile foundation are used in terrace house. Pad foundation is also cheaper compare to pile foundation which is much more expensive and the period is longer for a pile foundation to build compared with pad foundation which only takes 1-2 days to finish the job.

Slabs
In every building must be built on a structural system known as foundation. Foundation is the lowest and supporting layer of a building. It is a system that supports and anchors the superstructure of the building and transmits its load directly into the earth. There are many different types of foundations, and slabs are considered as a foundation. This is a foundation that is flat, uniform and at ground level. The common material used to construct a slab is by using concrete. Without this concrete slab, the house/ building would not be able to be as stable. With the use of this concrete slab, it can prevent any greens from growing in the building or to prevent water from entering the building by capillary action.

ONE WAY SLAB One way slab is a slab that is supported by two beams along the long edges. The beams also have four columns supporting it at each corner. Its ratio of the longer to the shorter side of the slab is more than 2. There are two beams along the long edge and no beams along the short edge, thus the slab will just span along the shorter direction. Therefore, reinforcements are placed in the slab to help distribute the weight evenly to the earth and increase the possibility of the slab to fracture.

TWO WAY SLAB Two way slab is a slab where it supported by four beams with 4 columns at every corner. It has a ratio of lengths of the slab is less than 2. From this, the weight will be distributed to all 4 sides. It is able to carry a heavy amount of loads.

GRID SLAB Grid slab consists of regular spaced intervals in perpendicular directions. Its advantages are being able to carry heavy loads and it has an attractive exposed ceiling. They are generally

employed for architectural reasons for large rooms such as auditoriums, vestibules, theatre halls, show rooms of shops where column free space is often the main requirement.

FLAT SLAB Flat slabs are similar to the two way slabs but without beams only columns. Flat slabs are reinforced in two or more directions. It is appropriate for most floor situations and also for irregular column layouts, curved floor shapes, ramps. The advantages of using flat slabs are that they have a low cost for formwork and it has an exposed flat ceiling so there is no need for extra materials like the asbestos ceiling tiles to cover up the soffit.

Conclusion From the house that my group has chosen happens to be a terrace house. Since we couldnt managed to identify the type of slab the house was built on, so we decided to do some research on it. Unfortunately, after many researches, there was nothing that could help us find what type of slab was used to build terraced houses. So after reading up on the various types of slabs, from my point of view, I think that the two way slab would be appropriate for this house. This is so because, before the terraced houses were constructed, it used to be a hill side. In order to turn it into a residential area, the land has to be even out. After excavating the area, the soil might be still loose. Therefore by using the two way slab, it is able to spread the load of the building to all directions so that it wont cause any settlement easily.

Roofs What is a pitched roof? A pitched roof is a roof made up of two angled pieces which meet in the middle, with gables at either end. The pitch of both sides of the roof is generally the same, although sometimes they may be pitched at different angles. It is also possible to make what is known as a single pitch roof, in which the entire roof is made of one flat segment installed at an angle. This method of construction is extremely common all over the world; ask almost any child to draw a picture of a house, and he or she will probably sketch a structure with a pitched roof. The angle of the pitch varies considerably, depending on the size of the building and the size of the segments. In some regions, people traditionally build with a very deep pitch so that snow cannot accumulate on the roof. In other areas, the pitch may be more shallow, with the roof angled just enough to allow water to drain from the roof. In addition to climate concerns, people may also be concerned with the look and feel of the roof, as the angle of the pitch can considerably change the way the house looks. The house we are doing is a terraced house. In Malaysia, most of the houses are construct with pitch roof mostly is because of the weather. Malaysia is a tropical country therefore there will be a lots of rain. Pitch roof is designed so that the rain will not be stored on it as it will caused leakage and damage to the structure.

Pitch roof members

Ridge Act as a spine of a roof To support the rafters so it would not fall.

Hip rafters Frame the external angles at the intersection of roof slopes.

Valley rafters Used at internal angles. Extends diagonally at a 45 angle from the inside corner of intersecting wall plates to the ridge. Jack rafters The shortened rafters running from hip rafters to plate & from ridge to valley rafters. One of the pieces simulating extended rafters under the eaves.

Common rafters Main members of a roof. Span between a wall plate at eaves & ridge. A rafter which extends from the plate of the roof to the ridge board at right angles to both members, and to which roofing is attached.

Plates Verge Purlin Horizontal roof members which give intermediate support to rafters. It supports the loads from the roof deck. Act as beam, reducing the span of rafters & enabling economic section to be used. Roof covering overhangs the gable end. Is the open edge of a roof that meets a gable wall. It is attached to the wall. Divide the loads evenly over the supporting walls. Bedded in cement mortar on top of load-bearing wall

Comparison of Pitch and Flat Roof Pitch Roof Flat Roof

Advantages Have at least two slopes that rise to meet at a peak, are constructed in such a way as to afford plenty of usable space in the loft area, can be used as a storage or an extra room. In the process of designing the roof, any planned usage of this area can be incorporated into the plans so this type of roof offers an unmatched flexibility that a flat roof cannot. Have much longer lifespan than a flat roof because it is built with materials that are more durable and weather resistant. The internal accommodation will be more efficiently insulated and will not suffer from the extremes of temperature that tend to afflict rooms under flat roofs. (" types of roofing," ) Provides more structure and stability, as well as excellent drainage in areas that receive large amounts of rain. The design is for smaller structure. Consist of a horizontal base which is fixed to the ceiling joists underneath with a waterproof membrane applied on top. (Morgan , 2013) Flat roofing is considered to be more affordable at the point of construction and involves less materials and labour than a pitched roof. Full replacement of the roof, when the time comes, can usually be completed in a single day. Flat roofs are easier to install because of their flat structure. This saves not only money, but installation time as well. Flat roofs are also considered low maintenance. Because there are no slopes or valleys, they are easier to clean and maintain than a pitched roof. Flat roofs are more suitable for complex buildings or structures with various levels. (Nicole)

Pitch Roof

Flat Roof

Disadvantages

It is expensive, as the more complex design, additional building materials and extra manhours cost significantly more than a flat roof. (Morgan , 2013) Pitched roofs also place a greater burden on the foundations of the building and this may have implications for the depth of the footings. If the roof is constructed with iron sheets, rusting problem may arise.

The larger the area that the roof is covering, the less stable it becomes. Drainage problem occurs during winter, when snow sits until it melts. Water will stay on top of the roof which can damage the roof The design does not suit some of the structure. Flat roof maintenance is more demanding because every now and then rain and sun directly affecting the roof cause its life to reduce and to maintain the roof extra costs are to be beard. (Nicole)

Pitch Roof

Shed Roof

Advantages

Have at least two slopes that rise to meet at a peak, are constructed in such a way as to afford plenty of usable space in the loft area, can be used as a storage or an extra room. In the process of designing the roof, any planned usage of this area can be incorporated into the plans so this type of roof offers an unmatched flexibility that a flat roof cannot. Have much longer lifespan than a flat roof because it is built with materials that are more durable and weather resistant. The internal accommodation will be more efficiently insulated and will not suffer from the extremes of temperature that tend to afflict rooms under flat roofs. Provides more structure and stability, as well as excellent drainage in areas that receive large amounts of rain.

It is cheap to build. The shed style roof has the fewest components, and, therefore, it is the most inexpensive roof to build. It is easy to construct. Shed style roofs generally rest on a beam that raises one side of the roof to a higher level. The single surface slopes gently downward to rest on the opposite side. Shed roofs may attach to other buildings with a different type of roof or may be freestanding on separate buildings. (J) Water or snow will not be stored on the roof since it is a slope

Comparison of Pitch and Shed Roof

Pitch Roof

Shed Roof

Disadvantages It is expensive, as the more complex design, additional building materials and extra manhours cost significantly more than a flat roof. (Morgan , 2013) Pitched roofs also place a greater burden on the foundations of the building and this may have implications for the depth of the footings. If the roof is constructed with iron sheets, rusting problem may arise. It does not make the structure appearance. If build in housing area, it will not blend nicely with other house. It cost is cheaper compare to pitch roof because it does not need much labour works and is easy to construct. Shed style roofs can develop drainage problems because of the structure of the design.

Conclusion In conclusion, I suggest that pitched roof is the better choice. Pitch roof has a good appearance and it is suitable for housing area. Although, the labour cost is higher than flat roof and shed roof but it can last longer compare to flat roof and shed roof. Pitch roof also provide better drainage system and better stability to the structure because the load is shared to whole of the structure. Flat roof is not that suitable because of the weather in Malaysia. Shed roof is also not that suitable because the design is not that appearance.

Overall Conclusion
In conclusion, from this project, we managed to learn more about how a building is being constructed. Besides that, we learned more new terms, structures, and so on from all the research that we had done. We learned what we should use to improve the condition of the building, like which type of foundation is the most suitable to prevent from ground settlement or which slab to use to optimize the usage of the structures.

Reference list
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N.d. Photograph. n.p. Web. 14 Nov 2013 http://www.recampus.com/documents/book15_c01.pdf N.d. Photograph. n.p. Web. 14 Nov 2013 https://eprints.usq.edu.au/635/1/Leow_Jia_Hui2005.pdf N.d. Photograph. n.p. Web. 14 Nov 2013 https://environment7.uwe.ac.uk/resources/constructionsample/cd_hybrid_mini/topic_foundati ons/foundationtest.pdf N.d. Photograph. n.p. Web. 14 Nov 2013 http://members.tripod.com/ho_k/const-footing.html Morgan , A. (2013, 05 29). Advantages & disadvantages of pitched & flat roofing. Retrieved from http://www.morganasphalte.co.uk/news/advantages-disadvantages-pitched-flat-roofing/ Nicole, C. (n.d.). The pros & cons of flat vs. pitched roofing. Retrieved from http://homeguides.sfgate.com/pros-cons-flat-vs-pitched-roofing-6931.html J, L. W. (n.d.). Shed style roof advantages. Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/info_12116675_shed-style-roof-advantages.html types of roofing. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.gharexpert.com/articles/Roofing-Ceiling933/Types-Roofing_0.aspx16675_shed-style-roof-advantages.html