Building Purpose and Performance,

Common Forms,
Construction Specifications
Building Purpose and Performance

Functionality:

The purpose of the building is to support the activity to be carried out in the building using
both physical and social criteria
Both physical and social functions of the building lead to physical performance requirements
covering environmental, structural and reliability aspects of the construction lead to performance
expectations and hence definitions of failure

Other factors to be considered include production resources and know-how, cost, legislation and
the need to consider the whole life of the building and its environmental impact
Building Purpose and Performance

Thermal Comfort and Sustainability

Thermal Comfort: The physical condition that determines the feeling of warmth or cold by
the human body is a combination of air temperature, mean radiant temperature, relative
humidity and air velocity.
Thermal Environment Within a Building: The effect upon the building of the outdoor
climatic conditions viz. air temperature, solar radiation intensity, humidity (precipitation or
evaporation), wind velocity and direction and clearness of sky, determines the internal
environment.
Control of Solar Radiation: The movement of sun and the variations in solar azimuth and
altitude, diurnal and seasonal, are comprehensively depicted in the form of solar charts
specified for each latitude. Through proper design of a building having due regard to solar
geometry, the radiation intercepted by the building can be greatly reduced.
Solar Radiation and Building Form
Sun Protection (Shading): Surface shading can be provided as an integral part of the
building element or it could be provided by a separate cover.
Control of Outer Surface Temperature
Control of Internal Heat Gain of the Building
Common Forms of Buildings
Framed Structures
Generic Type and Constructed Form

Generic Type and Constructed Form are two distinct ways of identifying the
construction that is adopted for a building
Generic Type
Characterised by its arrangements of components and action in achieving performance
Common Forms of Structural Systems: Loadbearing walls, Skeletal frames and Long-span roofs

Physical Constructed Solution

Has defined materials, size and shape of components, joints and fixings
Specific to an individual building

Choice of construction is based on an understanding of the action of the

generic form and the performance of the detailed design and availability of
resources to construct the specific solution
Generic Type and Constructed Form
 Type of Construction: General Buildings
Institutional and Commercial Construction
Schools and universities
Medical clinics and hospitals
Recreational facilities and sports stadiums
Retail stores and shopping centers
Warehouses and light manufacturing
Office buildings (single story to sky scrappers)
Hotels, convention centers, and theaters
Religious Buildings
Prisons
Courthouses and other government buildings
35-40 % of construction market
Larger and more complex than residential
Various owners (mostly private)
Designed by architects and engineers
 Type of Construction: Residential

30-35 % of the industry

Low capital and technology requirements
Largely private
Often speculative
Developers = surrogate owners
Designed by architects, builders/developers

Types
Single family houses
Multi family dwellings
High-rise apartments & condominiums
 Type of Construction: Heavy Construction

Horizontal Construction TYPES

(Infrastructure Projects) Pipelines
20-25% of the construction Sewer Systems
industry Water treatment & distribution systems
Mostly public financing or large Power & communication networks
consortium Landfills
Mass quantities of basic Highway & Bridges
materials: earth, rock, steel, Railroads & Urban Transit Systems
and concrete Tunnels and Dams
Constructors need knowledge
Airports
of engineering and geology
Canals
Engineers and builders are
often specialized Port & harbor structures
 Type of Construction: Industrial Construction

Very large scale projects TYPE

High degree of technological Petroleum refineries
complexity Steel mills & aluminum plants
Designed and built by the largest Chemical processing plants
firms with the highest level of Fossil fuel & nuclear power plants
technical sophistication Other heavy manufacturing facilities
Represent 5-10% of the market
Complex mechanical systems,
process piping, and instrumentation
Civil, but also mechanical, chemical,
and electrical engineering disciplines
involved
Mostly private ownership (in western
countries)
 Construction Specifications
SPECIFICATIONS COVER ALL ASPECTS RELATED TO MATERIALS, METHODS & TECHNOLOGY REQUIRED TO
BE EMBEDED IN THE CONTRACT : Some examples of construction specifications are stated below:
(1) Detailed floor plans, detail elevations, detail sections and other miscellaneous architectural details such as finish
schedule(internal & external), colour schemes (both internal and external), doors and windows, flooring details &
pattern, north/sky light in the roof, false flooring, false ceiling, etc., architectural facia and projections,
miscellaneous stair details & architectural details like, coping, flashing, khurras, water proofing, fillet, roof
decking, wall cladding, surface drains, rain water down comers, sanitary, plumbing, etc.

(2) Design criteria and design calculations including dynamic analysis and drawings for all foundations subjected to
dynamic loads.

(3) Write-up on various statutory requirements and their compliance for various buildings, facilities, structures and
systems, etc.

(4) As Built- Final Shop drawings/fabrication drawings of all structural steel works (only for reference) on CDs and
design calculations for important joints/connections

(5) Construction and erection procedure for all major structures

 Construction Specifications
Some examples of construction specifications are stated below:
(6) In case of piling, scheme for initial pile load tests in vertical, lateral and uplift modes along with supporting
design calculations, scheme of routine load test of piles, High Strain Dynamic Load Test, Pile Integrity Tests and
methodology for installation of working piles.

(7) In case of piling, the design of piles in terms of type, rated capacity, length, diameter and termination criteria
to locate the founding level.

(8) Marking scheme identifying the equipment lay-down areas, with distinctive colour scheme.

(9) Material test certificates.

(10) As built drawings with quantities of various items of work system wise, building wise, structure wise, etc. duly
certified by Site after execution of work for information/record.

(11) One complete set of applicable standards, references, specifications, code of practice along with soft copy
(wherever required with minimum 2 years license fee) to the Engineer for use at site.
Construction Variables

1. Scope of Work,
2. Time and speed of construction,
3. Budget of Project,
4. Availability of Resources
5. Space constraint,
6. Building Design and Layout plan
 Physical and Social Conditions

Physical Conditions : Social Conditions :

1. Geographical features, 1. Locality
2. Geotechnical conditions, 2. Culture
3. Terrain 3. Urban/Rural
4. Climatic Conditions 4. Lifestyle
5. Hydrological
6. Ecology
Resource Efficiency in Construction

Overall resource efficiency

Reducing the environmental impact of the consumption and
production of goods and services over their full life cycle.
Resource efficient construction
Resource efficient construction makes best use of materials, water
and energy over the lifecycle of built assets to minimize embodied
and operational carbon
 Resource Efficiency in Construction

Priorities in consideration of Resource Efficiency:

Reducing materials consumption and wastage;
Increasing reuse and recycled content, and enabling reuse and
recyclability at end of life;
Matching the durability and lifespan of assets to service life;
Using products with lower embodied carbon and embodied water;
Reducing energy and water use during construction; and
Enabling energy efficiency and water efficiency in use.
 Resource Efficiency in Construction

When Resource Efficiency ?

Resource efficient construction is achieved by using resources at their

highest potential throughout the lifecycle in product manufacture,
design, construction, operation, refurbishment, and at the end of life
cycle.
 Resource Efficiency in Construction

Why Resource Efficiency ?

Resource efficient construction can provide strong business benefits leading to :
cost savings;
Risk reduction;
Opportunities for innovation;
Compliance with regulations, standards and planning requirements;
Supporting industry objectives; and
Improved reputation.

Resource efficient construction provides strong environmental benefits, including:

Helping to achieve climate change targets;
Reduction in depletion of natural resources; and
Helping to tackle water scarcity.
 Cost Economics
When we have the opportunity to affect which materials are selected we look at the materials from more than one
perspective. We look at cost, schedule, environmental impact (regional, recycled, reused, life cycle assessment etc),
performance, quality, and past experience. We look at all aspects, not just one. Sometimes our clients dictate which is more
important. Ellisdon Issues Specific to Design Toolkit of Materials Selection
TYPES OF ECONOMIC ANALYSIS METHODS

Life-Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) is a type of cost-effectiveness study common in the comparison of building projects or, for the
evaluation of energy and water conservation measures. Life cycle costs can include all costs of building ownership over its
service life, including construction, maintenance & operation, recapitalization, and disposal. Alternatives can be evaluated on the
basis of discounted total cost, or the net savings relative to a "do nothing" alternative such as the savings-to-investment ratio,
internal rate of return, or time to payback.
Value Engineering is a systematic evaluation procedure directed at analyzing the function of materials, systems, processes, and
building equipment for the purpose of achieving required functions at the lowest total cost of ownership. According to VE
experts Kirk and Dell'Isola, "Value Engineering is a team approach that analyzes a function by systematically
developing the answers to such questions as: what is it?; what does it do?; what must it do?; what does it cost?; what
other material or method could be used to do the same job without sacrificing required performance or degradation
to safety, reliability, or maintainability?" VE is concerned with elimination or modification of anything that adds costs
without contributing to the program functional requirements. Reductions in a project's scope or quality to get it into budget
are not considered VEthose decisions are simply "cost cutting".
Sustainability

Sustainable construction aims to meet present

day needs for housing, working environments and
infrastructure without compromising the ability of
future generations to meet their own needs in
times to come.

It incorporates elements of economic efficiency,

environmental performance and social
responsibility and contributes to the greatest
extent when architectural quality, technical
innovation and transferability are included.