Design is an iterative process.

It starts at a point and iterate towards a

solution. Items to be considered, and decisions to be made, when
developing a conceptual design include:
1. Influence of ground conditions
It is easy to fall into the trap of carrying out the concept design of the
superstructure of a building with little, if any, consideration of the ground
conditions. The foundation design is often carried out after that of the
superstructure, and is often a ‘fait accompli’ i.e. the foundations will be
whatever they need to be in order to resist the applied loads. It is good
practice to get an understanding of the likely ground conditions as early
as possible, by carrying out a desk study. Indeed, the ground conditions
may have significant implications for the superstructure design.
2. Material selection
Material selection depends on a wide range of considerations, typically:
1. Building height
2. Internal layout — open plan or cellular
3. Structural form and spans
4. Ground conditions and any limitations on the location of foundations
e.g. adjacent buildings, underground services or tunnels
5. New works, refurbishment or extension
6. Magnitude and nature of applied loads
7. Sustainability
8. Cost
9. Fire resistance
10. Acoustic properties
11. Building physics e.g. lighting, ventilation etc.
12. Distribution of building services
13. Robustness/disproportionate collapse
14. Aesthetics
15. Design life,
Reinforced concrete is a dominant building material due to its strength,
durability, versatility, and cost-effectiveness. Concrete, a mixture of
cement, water, and aggregates, provides excellent compressive strength
but is relatively weak in tension. Steel, on the other hand, excels in
resisting tensile forces. When these two materials are combined, the
resulting reinforced concrete possesses the ability to withstand both
compressive and tensile stresses, making it suitable for a wide array of
building applications. The steel absorbs tensile, shear, and sometimes
compressive stresses within the concrete structure, leading to a more
durable construction material. The compressive strength of concrete
allows it to resist failure under compressive loads, while the tensile
strength of the reinforcing steel manages tensile stress, creating a more
resilient and ductile structure. While it has limitations, such as
susceptibility to corrosion and environmental impact, ongoing research
and development continue to improve its sustainability and performance.
Furthermore, reinforced concrete exhibits excellent fire resistance,
making it a safer option than steel or wood in many scenarios. The
material is also relatively cost-effective and can be moulded into a wide
variety of shapes, offering design flexibility. Reinforced concrete exhibits a
relatively low coefficient of thermal expansion, similar to steel. This
similarity ensures that both materials expand and contract at nearly the
same rate, limiting internal stresses and maintaining structural integrity in
varying temperatures. The high compressive strength of reinforced
concrete provides excellent structural integrity, making it suitable for a
wide range of applications in buildings.
3. Structural system
There are three fundamental options of structural systems, framed,
loadbearing and hybrid. The height of the building may well determine
which structural system is to be used, with loadbearing systems not
suitable for buildings taller than four storeys
Framed structures are an open-plan floor layout, with no internal walls to
be used as permanent loadbearing elements and relies on the structure
(beam and column or flat slab), to transfer gravity loads down to the
building’s foundations.
Loadbearing structures, have a sufficient number of suitably located
internal loadbearing walls to support gravity loads from the floors and roof
and transfer them together with lateral loads to the foundations. These
walls should ideally be continuous for the full height of the building, to
avoid the need for transfer beams or slabs.
Hybrid structures, which are a combination of framed and load bearing
systems are used in buildings, where a more open-plan area is required at
ground floor than at upper floor levels.
4. Grids and structural layouts
The gridlines shown on drawings usually refer to where the floor and roof
supports occur, how far apart they are, and whether these supports take
the form of columns or loadbearing walls, they should coincide with their
locations. Gridlines should ideally be regular and perpendicular, to simplify
construction and maximise economies of scale etc. Gridlines should also
be consistent over the full height of the building, in order to avoid the
need for transfer structures. There is often a trade-off between flexibility
and economy when determining the structural grid. While placing
supports as far apart as possible might seem like a good idea, as it
maximises the future flexibility of a building, this comes at a cost in form
of deep beams and slabs. A practical and affordable compromise needs to
be reached.
Grid dimensions generally depend on, the building use (offices,
residential, car parks etc) and room layouts, and spanning capability of
proposed floor, roof and cladding structures. Typical grids for office
buildings include 6.0, 7.2, 9.0, 10.5, 12,and 15 metres and floor to ceiling
heights of between 3.5 metres and 4.0 metres.

5. Spans of floor and roof structures

Depending on the type of floor, consideration is made whether the floor
can span the distance between supports (whether columns or loadbearing
walls) without using any intermediate beams.

Floor Type Span-to Maximum

depth Span (m)
Ratio
One-way spanning Reinforced Concrete L/23 – L27 10
slab (simply-supported)
One-way spanning Reinforced Concrete L/27 – L/32 10
slab (multiple span)
One-way spanning Reinforced Concrete L/6 3
slab (cantilever)
In situ Reinforced Concrete flat slab L/23 – L/28 10
(multiple span)
In situ Post Tensioned flat slab (multiple L/30 – L/40 13
span)

Preliminary sizing of common types of Floor

Beam Type Span-to Maximum

depth Span (m)
Ratio
Simply supported rectangular L/12 12
Reinforced Concrete beam
Simply supported Reinforced Concrete L/10 14
T-beams and L-beam
Continuous rectangular Reinforced L/12 15
Concrete
beams
Cantilever rectangular Reinforced L/6 4
Concrete
beam
Cantilever Reinforced Concrete T- L/5 4
beams and L-beam

Preliminary sizing of common types of Beam

6. On-or off-site construction
On confined city centre sites, opportunities to prefabricate structural,
elements off-site should be considered. The key benefits of pre-fabrication
or off-site manufacture include, improved Health and Safety conditions
and therefore less accidents, reduced road traffic movements (congestion
and pollution benefits), reduced waste, faster construction (less days lost
to inclement weather), reduced energy use on site, and higher quality
construction and finish (e.g. reduced issues associated with drying
shrinkage and creep of concrete, snagging and defects)