Basic Civil Engineering Structures and their Implementation

Terminology Basic civil engineering structures and their implementation1
Terminology, Basic civil engineering
structures, and their implementation
By Nuwantha Lakpriya
BTEC HND in Construction and the Built Environment (Civil Engineering)
Lecturer Ms. Poornima Dassanayake
Unit 2 - Construction Technology
Colombo School of Construction Technology
05/12/2021

Terminology Basic civil engineering structures and their implementation2
Contents
Introduction.................................................................................................................... 3
Importance of construction technology............................................................................... 3
A. Describe the type of construction activity such as residential, commercial, and industrial Zone in city
plan development............................................................................................................. 4
a) Explain the functional characteristics in Infrastructure construction and Building construction
projects. Evaluate them according to the classification............................................................4
b) “Concrete building has higher fire resistant compared to steel buildings”. Evaluate this statement
relating to the field of construction.................................................................................... 6
C). Compare the different evaluation criteria in substructure and superstructure in relation to office
building and warehouses in terms of the following factors........................................................6
A "superstructure" is the top-most part of a building, such as a roof. A "substructure" is the foundation
below a building — it typically includes the ground and other elements that stabilize and support the
superstructure. Most construction projects will have both superstructures (the roof) and substructures
(the foundation). Superstructures are usually higher than substructures, but not always. A bridge might
have superframes in both directions (Mishra, 2010)................................................................6
d) Discuss the overall aspects of ‘sustainability’ that we can use in the proposed Urban Development
cum Transport Improvement Project.................................................................................. 7
B. You are assisting as a Junior Quantity Surveyor of this SCDP Planning Committee. The design team
requested to have a report on-site conditions of the above site. As a planning committee member, you are
supposed to produce a report that describes the following factors..................................................8
a) Describe the importance of pre-design studies and how it improves the construction process and
how it can be beneficial for the above scenario.....................................................................8
b) Analysis of the appropriateness of foundation types that can be used for the above project............8
c) Structural components are vital parts in both building and other infrastructure projects. Explain how
effective are the structural components in the superstructure and substructure of the project and
illustrate how structural components fulfill their function as columns beams and slabs..................10
References............................................................................................................... 12

Terminology Basic civil engineering structures and their implementation3
Introduction
Importance of construction technology
In the ever-increasingly competitive construction industry, it's important to find ways to keep up
with technological advancements. A decade ago, teams of skilled hands would work extensively
on a project from start to finish – from laying bricks, leveling cement, and paving roads –
without any use of modern machinery. As technology improved, so did the way buildings were
constructed. Eventually a combination of digital design software, 3D printers, and drones
became a common site for projects being built from afar or explored from aerial views by remote
operators with cameras mounted on their heads or bodies.
Nowadays, there are many different methods and technologies involved in the construction
process; each bringing its own advantages and disadvantages. For some projects, such as a
renovation of a home or office space, the traditional approach could be best. On other occasions
though, there are major breakthroughs that will enable us to build better structures without
making use of traditional methods.
Take for instance 3D printing. The technology has the potential to revolutionize construction by
taking out labor costs and freeing up engineers from having to work on real-life buildings all day
long.
A recent example of how advanced technologies can be used in the construction industry is the
world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa. The structure is built from Ayer Dubai and can be seen
from miles away by passing cars and ships. However when it was being constructed, not only
was a lot of manual labor needed but it was also a long and arduous process that took seven years
to complete. Had the project been built using a remote-controlled drone with cameras attached to
it, the building could have been built much quicker without making use of thousands of human
workers.
Another example of amazing technology is the 3d printing of homes and offices. The technology
has been used in some countries to build whole cities made up of thousands of houses. It has also
been used to print a house that was constructed in under 24 hours, using no human labor besides
some assembly after it had been printed. 3D printers may not be available for every home just
yet, but as time goes on the technology is becoming more affordable and compact so that it can
be used for all sorts of different building projects at a fraction of the cost.
New technologies such as drones and 3D printers are already gaining popularity within the
construction industry.

Terminology Basic civil engineering structures and their implementation4
A. Describe the type of construction activity such as residential,
commercial, and industrial Zone in city plan development.
a) Explain the functional characteristics in Infrastructure construction and Building
construction projects. Evaluate them according to the classification.
The functional characteristics in Infrastructure and Building construction projects each have their
own set of challenges, but it's important to note the differences.
Infrastructure construction deals with items such as airports, roads, bridges, and tunnels. The key
challenge with infrastructure is the heavy demand for material and labor resources by other
sectors. This can be addressed by drawing upon available surplus capacity or developing new
sources of supply, such as through public-private partnerships for transportation infrastructure
projects.
Building construction deals with residential buildings, office buildings, hospitals etcetera. The
key challenge with building projects is juggling the engineering requirements for sustainability
while meeting other practical considerations like cost or timeframes.
The four functional characteristics of infrastructure and building construction projects are as
follows:
The quality-based functional characteristics are safety; security; reliability; adaptability, and
efficiency. The quantity-based functional characteristics are speed; take-up capacity, cost
economy, expertise, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness the time-based functional characteristics
are price competitiveness and time profitability.
It is important to note that the goal is to strike the appropriate balance between these four
dimensions which should result in a project that is "completed using superior quality at an
affordable cost". The ultimate goal of all infrastructure projects is to provide services that meet
their clients' needs with minimum inconvenience for the end-user[ CITATION noa216 \l
1033 ].
Major Types of Construction
Residential Building Construction
Specialized Industrial Construction
Commercial Building Construction