A Scenario for a Triangular House Development Background (Case Study Sample)

A CASE STUDY REPORT ON VARIOUS ASPECTS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF A BUILDING.
by NAME OF STUDENT
COURSE
Tutor: NAME OF TUTOR
UNIVERSITY
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26th February 2017
ADVICE TO THE CLIENT UPON THE CHOICE OF A SUITABLE BUILDING FRAME FOR THE DEVELOPMENT AND A DISCUSSION OF THE TECHNOLOGICAL FACTORS THE MAIN CONTRACTOR HAS TO ADDRESS WITHIN A QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
Concrete and steel are the most preferred building frames. Concrete provides a solid support for the weight of the building while steel can hold taller structures up. Choosing a frame material for a building is a dilemma for any designer. The choice between concrete and steel for building frames is dependent on several factors like Time, cost, quality management, safety, environmental consideration, material availability aesthetics and construction technology. Construction using steel frames is faster compared to construction using concrete frames. Steel elements are fabricated and delivered on site ready for use, unlike the concrete frame elements that are mostly cast on site. This leads to reduced construction time. This means less overhead costs during project construction. For high-rise buildings, the time gain can be considerable. Although the construction is faster, steel structures have a higher lead time of 6 to 10 months for procurement, fabrication and delivery of steel to the site. However, by integration of design and steel fabrication using Building Integration Modeling, the use of steel saves considerable time. Quality is another key aspect of comparison between steel and concrete. For manufacture and production, steel quality is more controlled as it is produced in factories that have better quality control. Most of the concrete used in construction is prepared on site and is subject to labour intensive systems that may affect quality. However, the fixing of steel on site calls for precision and specialised workmanship, unlike placing of concrete.
The cost of concrete has remained stable over time. However, since most concrete structures contain reinforcing steel, the cost of reinforced concrete is significantly affected by increasing steel prices. Cast-in-place, reinforced concrete structures can be more quickly started on the job site but over time it will take a larger crew longer to complete than steel, meaning higher labour bills. Although the price of still is high, most of the construction today uses recycled steel, which is less expensive than virgin steel. Prefabrication off-site reduces labour costs since the crew won't be needed as long. The building arrives ready to erect and there is little to no on-site metal work or waste. To get an accurate reading on which material is most cost effective, one should analyse the current steel and concrete framing prices on a project-by-project basis after an actual structural design has been carried out. The building's core (where elevators, stairs, and power systems are located) will be encased in 2-foot-thick concrete for protection in the event of a fire or terrorist attack. Concrete frames do not require additional measure for fire proofing. Due to the inherent heaviness, mass, and strength, of the cast in place concrete, there is increased resistance against winds. Although the performance of a structure in seismic activity is more dependent on the design, Steel's strength and ductility, combined with solid engineering and design, make it a safe choice in seismic zones. Steel frames are preferred when open space is a key factor. Structural steel frames can provide longer spans, thus offering column-free spaces and flexibility in space planning. However, concrete provides higher floor steel frames require to floor space. This is because steel framing requires decking that rests on joists, joists on beams, then beams on girders. This can mean a very thick floor. The key to sustainability in steel construction lies in its design. It should be readily dismantled.  Bolted connections are preferable to welded connections. There could be needed to dismantle this building in future to build a higher structure and therefore a steel structure could be more economical. For concrete, the design possibilities are almost limitless. It can take on many unique shapes and forms. This can mean a very thick floor.  Concrete requires only 8 inches where utilities can run. Steel is considered to be more environmentally friendly compared to steel. According to the BRE index, Reinforced concrete has 12.57 Eco points per tonne while steel 11 Eco points per tonne, lower and better than concrete. In the early 2000s, there was a shortage of cement, the binding ingredient in concrete. The supply of cement continues to suffer shortages in times of natural disaster. There has been no shortage of steel even with the increase in construction activity. The U.S. produced 86 million tonnes in 2014, 1.6 billion tonnes were produced worldwide (Designing Buildings, 2016).In the end, it’s the building’s function and requirements that will determine whether to choose concrete or steel. Considering the shape of the plot, there is need to maximise open space. In addition, the building is to be used for a warehouse and open space for office space letting. There is, therefore, need for longer open spans. In addition, steel is more available and there is better quality control in steel frames. The steel frame is also safer compared to concrete frame and results in a lighter structure which is suitable for the poor soil conditions in the area. The client should choose to use a steel frame for this particular building.
The quality control in construction runs from the control of the quality of materials to the control of the quality of the finished products. Regardless of the materials being used, there are shared technological factors that affect the quality management by the main contractor. The effectiveness of quality management could depend highly on the methods used by the contractor to control the quality from materials to final product. Proper and timely record keeping could improve the quality control by the main contractor on site. This is assured by dedicated software and tools. Workmanship, the availability of machines and up to date technology for execution of the works helps to maintain the expected quality. The use of machines to bolt steel connection together ensures adequately and evenly bolted connections. The more advanced the technology, the higher the precision. By use of technology, there is the integration between design, production and construction. This integration and communication between the different aspects of the construction may produce a seamless process for the main contractor and enable quality control throughout the process. Automation of processes helps in increasing the quality management as the machines are less prone to errors. The use of advanced test equipment, and onsite instant testing equipment for strength and other parameters helps in timely quality control.
JUSTIFICATION OF THE USE OF PILED FOUNDATIONS FOR THE PROJECT AND A DISCUSSION OF THE USE OF FOUNDATION TYPES FOR THE PROJECT, ALTERNATIVE TO PILING
Pile foundations are structural members used to transmit surface loads to lower levels in the soil mass. They are used when soil beneath the level at an appropriate raft or conventional footing is too weak or too compressible to provide adequate support to the structure load. Their function is to transfer load from the superstructure through weakly compressible strata or through water, onto stiffer or more compact and less compressible soils or onto the rock. The piles have small cross-section area compared to their lengths. The pile materials generally include timber, steel or concrete. The transfer is by vertical distribution of load along the pile surface and at the pile end point. They may be required to carry uplift loads when used to support tall structures subjected to overturning forces from winds or waves. Piles used in marine structures are subjected to lateral loads from the impact of berthing ships and from waves. Combinations of vertical and horizontal loads are carried where piles are used to support retaining walls, bridge piers and abutments, and machinery foundations (Tomlinson, 2014). Piles may be used in the following circumstances.
* To transfer loads to a suitable bearing layer when weak strata are ignored and the load is transferred to an overlying strong bedrock or compact layer.
* To transfer load through the shaft friction when the compact layer is very deep and would be impractical to reach it.
* To support structures over water where conventional exaction and construction of the foundation is not possible or very expensive to achieve.
* To reduce settlement and in particular differential settlement.
* Based on cost. It might prove economical to drive piles down the strata and then build on top of the piles instead of having to excavate deep layers and then construct ordinary foundations.
* In structures which have considerable uplift, horizontal and/or inclined forces. This is especially true for marine and harbour works.
* To increase the bearing capacity by vibration and compaction of granular layers of soil.
* In soils where deep excavations would result in damage to existing buildings.
Piles can be distinguished by the function they are intended to perform or by the material and construction procedures used in their construction. The main function of the piles is to take the loads by end bearing or by friction or by a combination of the two. Other functions exist and two which can be cited here include tension piles and fender piles. The tension piles take lateral forces in place of traditional retaining walls while fender piles also referred to as dolphin piles are marine structures principally for taking horizontal loads from vessels in the dockin...