INTRODUCTION

THE NEED OF BUILDING

What Is Building ?
Building acts as a container or envelope, which buffers or filters external conditions for internal needs Building represents various levels of action and interaction between people and their surrounding. The functional need of building response to people, place and environment as indicated in Figure 1

What Is Building (contd)

Figure 1 Buildings in context

Needs Of Building

Buildings, together with their contents, present a complex assembly of materials and parts. Each material, whether it forms an identifiable element or component of the construction or part of the internal fabric, has its own characteristic and requirements. Differences between Traditional building and Modern Building ?

Needs of The Building Users

The use and function of buildings change over time, and with each change comes a different, often conflicting, set of requirements. These user requirements will typically leave evidence in the form of physical changes to the structure, fabric and services of the building; personal recollections and remembrances; and associated documentation

Perceptions of Building

These personal, and often intimate, perceptions and sensations may include the following;
Light and dark Hot and cold Dry and humid Sunshine and shadow Colour and texture Smells and odours (e.g musty cellar) Sound and silence (e.g music) Location and situation Size and scale Context and use Character and association (e.g haunted house)

Perceptions of Building (contd)

Feelings that might be experienced when in and around buildings may thus indicate a latent awareness of what is good and bad.
Good feelings

Bad feelings

Homely Peaceful Spiritual Restful Atmospheric Inspiring

Welcoming Comfortable Spacious Uplifting Exciting Breathtaking

Claustrophobic Intimidating Overwhelming Demoralising Cramped Oppressive

Lonely Morbid Isolated Uncomfortabl e Impoverished Squalid

Table 1.1 Various feelings generated by architecture

Requirements of buildings
In order to be successful, the design and construction of a building has to consider a variety issues These may be considered as being:

Functional requirements Performance requirements Statutory requirements User requirements

Functional Requirement
Every building, regardless of its original, intermediate or ultimate use, can be expected to fulfil certain basic functional requirements. These requirements are primarily concerned with protection from the external environment, human comfort, and organisation of activity and space.

Performance requirements
For a building to be successful, it must satisfy the basic functional requirements. The way in which it meets these demands, both as a building and as a collection of related and interrelated parts, may be determined by how it performs in relation to a number of defined performance measures or standards. Figure below shown the performance requirement for buildings

Cost

Security Lighting & ventilation

Access and egress

Fire Protection
Appearance PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENT Durability Thermal comfort

Sound control

Dimensional Stability Strength and Stability

Weather exclusion Sanitation

Performance requirements

Statutory Requirements

There are various statutory and nonstatutory requirements that make demands on those who design, build, manage repair, maintain, occupy or demolish buildings. In practice, many of these demands are made in relation to the health, safety and well-being of such persons.

User Requirements

The user of a building can expect to live or work in a space that satisfies basic human requirements and, in addition, certain needs that are specific to the activities being performed. To identify purpose in terms of activities (the things people do) and human needs (physical, psychological, physiological and social). Building to be fit for its purpose it must allow its occupants to carry out their activities economically and conveniently, and have a satisfactory environment to suit the user

Classification of user e.g task orientation

Cost (e.g improvements)

Analysis of activities (e.g social interaction) Requirements of space (e.g circulation in and around buildings)

User Requirements

Structural implications (e.g compatibility)

Environmental conditions (e.g sensory stimulation)

Our Expectations of buildings

The use and type of a particular building evident in how it looks and performs:
Agriculture

barn Commerce shop, office Defence castle Education school Entertainment cinema, theatre Habitation house, flat Health surgery, hospital Horticulture glasshouse

Manufacture

factory Navigation lighthouse Security prison Social interaction restaurant Travel airport, railway station Worship mosque, church

Argricultural

Commerce

Defence

Education

Entertainment

Habitation - Residential

Health - Hospital

Horticulture - Glasshouse

Manufacture - factory

Navigation Light House

Social Interaction - Restaurant

Travel - Airport

Worship

Conclusion
The various aspects of design and construction that will have influenced how it was built and how it has performed Consideration of functional, performance, statutory and user requirements, will provide much information to be assess but there are other level investigation that also need to considered.