BUILDING MATERIALS AND

CONSTRUCTION

B. Jagadeesh, Assistant Professor

Department of Civil Engineering
Vasavi College of Engineering (Autonomous)
 Introduction
Course name: Building Materials and Construction
Course Code: U24BS210CE
Credits: 3
CIE Marks:40 & SEE Marks:60
Course Objectives: Objectives of this course are to:
1. Expose students to the concepts of building planning and various aspects of green
buildings.
2. Acquire basic knowledge on conventional building materials and emerging building
materials
3. Study construction practices like scaffolding and form work, Stair cases.
Course Outcomes :

At the end of the course, students will be able to:

1. Apply the principles of planning and bylaws for planning of building.

2. Explain the characteristics of stones, bricks and timber.

3. Describe properties of cement aggregate, mortar and illustrate the application of

emerging building materials and paints, varnishes and water proofing materials in
buildings.

4. Review construction practices like scaffolding, form work, brick bonds and stair
cases.

5. Understand sustainability and green building concepts.

Learning Resources
 Varghese P.C., Building Materials, PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd., Delhi, 2015.
 S. K. Duggal, Building Materials, New age international publishers
 Kumara Swamy N., KameswaraRao A., Building Planning And Drawing,
Charotar, Publications, 2019.
 Arora S.P. and Bindra S.P., A Text Book of Building Construction,
DhanpatRai& Sons Publications, 2019.
 Sushil Kumar, Building Construction, Standard Publishers, 2020.
 Syllabus
Unit-1:
Building Planning: Types of buildings, Basic building elements, site selection for buildings,
Principles of planning. Relevant Municipal building bylaws National Building Code (NBC) &
orientation of buildings, Provision for physically handicapped facilities.

Unit-2:
Stones: Uses of stones as building materials, characteristics of good building stones.
Bricks: Composition of brick clay, Characteristics of good building bricks, Manufacturing of
bricks, classification of bricks.
Timber: Timber as a building material and its uses. Various types of timber. Defects in timber,
Seasoning and its importance. Preservation of wood. Wood based products used in building
construction
 Syllabus contd….
Unit-3:
Cement: Chemical composition of cement, manufacturing process. Specifications for Ordinary
Portland Cement.
Fine Aggregate: Characteristics of sand and its classifications, bulking of sand. Quarry sand.
Coarse Aggregate: Characteristics of coarse aggregates for preparation of concrete.
Cement Mortar: Proportions of Cement Mortar and uses.
Emerging Building Materials: Eco friendly and Sustainable building materials-Fly ash,
GGBS, Bamboo. Recycled materials- Aggregates, Plastic
Other Materials: Paints, Varnishes and Distempers, Damp proofing materials, Light Weight
building blocks.
 Syllabus contd….
Unit-4:
Construction practices: Scaffolding and Form work, English and Flemish Brick Bonds–Types
and purposes, Construction Equipment-Types, applications. Plumbing services, Fire protection,
Introduction to Heat Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC).
Stair Cases: Terminology, Types of stair cases – dog legged, open well, bifurcated and spiral
stair case, Design of dog legged stair case.
Unit–5:
Introduction to Green Buildings: Definition of green buildings and sustainable development,
typical features of green buildings, benefits of green buildings towards sustainable
development. Green building rating systems – GRIHA, IGBC and LEED, overview of the
criteria as per these rating systems, concepts of rainwater harvesting.
 Unit-1
Building Planning
 Types of buildings
Classification Based on Occupancy/Usage:

 Residential Buildings: Apartments, houses, villas.

 Commercial Buildings: Office buildings, shopping malls, banks.

 Industrial Buildings: Factories, warehouses, power plants.

 Institutional Buildings: Schools, hospitals, colleges

 Assembly Buildings: Theatres, stadiums, conference halls

 Recreational Buildings: Clubs, sports complexes, amusement parks

 Mercantile Buildings: Retail shops, department stores.

 Mixed-Use Buildings: Combine multiple functions in one structure (Eg: A building with
shops on the ground floor and apartments above.)
 Types of buildings contd…

Classification Based on Construction Materials:

 Masonry Buildings:
Constructed using materials like bricks, stones, or concrete blocks.

 Concrete Buildings:
Use of cement concrete (CC) or reinforced cement concrete (RCC).

 Steel Buildings:
Made primarily from steel structures for strength and flexibility.

 Timber/Wooden Buildings:
Use wood as the primary construction material.

 Composite Buildings:
Combination of different materials like steel and concrete.
 Types of buildings contd…

Classification Based on Structural System:

 Load-Bearing Structures:
 Walls bear the load of the entire building.
 Common in smaller buildings.
 Cheaper

 Framed Structures:
 Skeleton of beams and columns supports the load.
 Allows for larger and taller buildings.
 Types of buildings contd…

Classification Based on Structural System contd….

 Types of buildings contd…

Classification Based on Structural System contd….

 Types of buildings contd…

Classification Based on Height:

 Low-Rise Buildings:
 Typically 1 to 3 stories.

 Mid-Rise Buildings:
 Between 4 to 10 stories.

 High-Rise Buildings:
 More than 10 stories

 Skyscrapers:
 Extremely tall buildings, usually above 40 stories.
 Types of buildings contd…

Classification Based on Height contd…

Basic building elements (or) Basic building components

Substructure
Basic building
components
Superstructure
Basic building elements or Basic building components contd..
A building is divided into two main parts: the substructure and the superstructure.

1. Substructure:
 The substructure is the lower part of the building,
typically below ground level, that supports the
superstructure and transfers loads to the ground.

2. Superstructure:
 The superstructure is the part of the building above
ground level.
 It includes all the components that contribute to the
functionality, aesthetics, and usability of the
building.
 1. Substructure
The substructure is the lower part of the building, typically below ground level, that
supports the superstructure and transfers loads to the ground. It mainly deals with
foundation work and soil interaction.
Components of Substructure:
Foundation:
 The foundation is the most important part of the substructure.
 The lowest part of the building that transfers loads to the soil.
 It is designed based on soil conditions, load requirements.
 Types of Foundations:
 Shallow Foundations
 Deep Foundations
Components of Substructure contd……
Shallow Foundations:
Used when the soil near the surface is strong enough to hold the building.
 Spread (Isolated) Footings
 Combined footings
 Raft (Mat) Foundation
Isolated Footing:
 An isolated footing is a type of shallow foundation that is used to support a single
column of a structure.
 The main function of the isolated footing is to transfer the load from the column to the
underlying soil safely.
 Used in situations where columns are spaced sufficiently apart and the soil has adequate
bearing capacity.
 There are three types of isolated footing:
 Isolated spread footing or Isolated pad footing or isolated flat footing
 Isolated sloped footing
 Isolated stepped footing
Isolated Spread Footing
This type of footing has a uniform thickness.
It is also known as isolated flat footing or isolated pad footings, etc.

Fig. Isolated spread footing or Isolated pad footing

Fig. Isolated spread footing or Isolated pad footing
Isolated Sloped Footing
For this type, the surface of the footing is sloped.

Fig. Isolated sloped footing

Fig. Isolated sloped footing
Isolated Stepped Footing
An Isolated Stepped Footing is a type of isolated footing with multiple steps

Isolated stepped footing

Isolated stepped footing
Different Shapes of Isolated Footings
There are mainly 3 shapes which are very common. They are picturized below:
Square
Rectangular
Circular
Combined footing:
 When two columns are close together and separate isolated footings would overlap, in such
a case, it is better to provide a combined footing than an isolated footing.
 So, Combined footings are constructed for two or more columns when they are close to each
other, and their foundations overlap.

A combined footing is a
single footing that supports
two or more columns.
Types of Combined Footing: There are different types of combined footing. They are:

Rectangular Combined Footing:

Rectangular combined footing is designed when two columns carry equal loads.
Trapezoidal Combined Footing:
When the load of one column is substantially greater than the load of another column, the
trapezoidal footing is used.
Strap beam combined Footing

 The strap beam combined footing is required when

the exterior column is extremely close to the property
line.

 The strap footing is a combination of spread footing

and two columns joined by a strap beam.

 The load is not transferred by the connecting beam

between two spread footings. The strap footing
transfers weight from the highly loaded outer column
to the inner column.
Raft (Mat) foundation:
 A Raft foundation is a type of shallow foundation made of a densely reinforced concrete
slab covering the total area of the bottom of a structure.
 This footing is particularly used when the soil has a low bearing capacity and when the
chances of differential soil settlement are high.
Raft (Mat) foundation - Reinforcement
Raft (Mat) foundation - reinforcement
Deep Foundations:

Deep foundations are used in situations where:

 The soil near the surface is weak or loose.

 There is a high water table (the groundwater table is near to the ground surface).

 The structure is very heavy, like a high rise building / skyscraper or a large bridge.

 The soil cannot support the building's load without risk of settling.

 Deep foundations are designed to transfer the weight of the building to stronger soil or
stronger rock to a greater depth bellow the ground.
Types of Deep Foundations
There are three main types of deep foundations:
1. Pile Foundations, 2. Pier Foundations (or Caissons), 3. Well Foundations

1. Pile Foundations
Pile foundations are long, slender columns that are driven or drilled deep into the ground to
reach solid, stable soil or rock.
The piles transfer the building’s weight to this deeper, stronger soil or rock.
Types of Piles:
End Bearing Piles:
 These piles transfer the load through their tip to a strong layer of soil or rock deep below the
surface. The load is transferred directly to the end of the pile, where it rests on the hard or
solid layer.
End Bearing Piles
Friction Piles:
 These piles transfer the load through the surface area of the pile along its length.
 The friction between the pile and the surrounding soil helps resist the load.
 These are used when the pile doesn’t reach a strong layer at the bottom but relies on the
friction from the soil surrounding it.
Combination Piles (or friction cum end bearing pile):
 These piles work on both the end bearing and friction mechanisms.
2. Pier Foundations:
 A pier foundation consist of cylindrical column of large diameter to support ad transfer
large superimposed load to the firm strata (soil with more load bearing capacity) below.
 Generally, pier foundation is shallow in depth than the pile foundation.
3. Well Foundations:
 A Well Foundation is a type of deep foundation commonly used to support heavy
structures like bridges and other waterfront or offshore structures.
 It consists of a large, hollow, cylindrical or rectangular structure (called a well or
caisson) that is sunk into the ground or underwater to reach stable soil or rock.
 They are much larger (diameter) than the pile foundation and pier foundation.
 2. Superstructure

 The superstructure is the part of a building that is above the ground level.

 It includes all the components that make up the visible part of the building, like
floors, walls, roofs, and more above the ground level.

 The superstructure sits on top of the substructure (foundations) and transfers all
the loads (like the weight of the building, people, furniture, wind, etc.) down to the
substructure.
The Components of the Superstructure:
Plinth / Plinth beam:
The plinth is the part of a building structure located between the ground level and the floor
level of the building. It acts as a base or platform on which the rest of the structure is built.
Plinth / Plinth beam contd…..
Plinth / Plinth beam contd…..
Plinth / Plinth beam contd…..

Purpose of the Plinth:

Raises the Building: It lifts the building slightly above the surrounding ground, protecting it
from water, dirt, and insects.

Prevents Water Seepage: By raising the floor above ground level, it helps in avoiding
rainwater or groundwater from seeping into the building.

Distributes Load: The plinth distributes the load from the superstructure (the above-ground
part of the building) evenly to the substructure (foundation).

Improves Appearance: It gives a neat and finished look to the base of the building.

Protection from Settlement: It helps in minimizing uneven settlement of the building.

Walls:

 A wall is a vertical structure that defines and encloses spaces in a building.

 Walls can be either load-bearing (in load bearing structure) or non-load-bearing (in
framed strcture).

 Walls create rooms and separate interior spaces, providing privacy and defining the layout
of the building.

 Walls protect the interior from weather elements like rain, wind, and sunlight, and provide
security against unauthorized access.

 Walls help maintain the temperature inside the building and can reduce noise from outside.

 Walls can be decorated with paint, wallpaper, or other finishes to improve the appearance of
the building.
Walls contd….
Colums:

 A column is a vertical structural member that transfers loads from the upper parts of a
building (like beams, slabs, and roofs) down to the foundation.

 They can be Rectangular, Circular, Square shaped

 They help maintain the building's shape and ensure it remains stable under different forces
like wind or earthquakes.
Colums contd…
Beams:

 A beam is a horizontal structural element that supports loads and transfers them to
columns or walls.

 They help maintain the building’s shape and resist loads (forces)
Roofs and Slab:

 A slab is a flat, horizontal structural element in a building, usually made of reinforced

concrete, that forms the floors and roofs.

 Slabs carry the weight of people, furniture, and equipment, distributing these loads to
beams and columns.

A roof is the top covering of a

building that protects it from
weather, while a slab is a flat,
horizontal surface, like a floor or
ceiling, that supports weight.
Floor:

 A floor is a horizontal platform that forms part of the building’s interior and provides a
surface for movement and activities, furniture and equipment etc.
Doors:
Doors contd….
Windows:
Stairs:
Lintel:
Horizontal beams placed above doors and windows to support the wall above the opening.