Building Systems and Structural Connections for a Middle Rise Building

This article discusses the building systems and structural connections used in a middle rise building, including the footing system, retaining wall section, floor system, wall system, roof system, and services. It also covers methods of prevention of the spread of fire through penetration and quality standards.

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Footing system
The type of foundation footing used in the structure is pier foundation footing system. A pier
foundation is composed of numerous cylindrical columns that have large diameters and are used
in the support of the superstructure as well as in the transfer of the super imposed loads to the
stable and firm strata below1. Pier foundation stands some feet above the ground level and is also
known as post foundation. Masonry or concrete pier and drilled caissons are the main type of
pier foundation footing commonly used. In the above pictures, the former foundation footing
system has been adopted. Masonry or concrete piers are usable depending on the stratum level
and in most cases used go as high as 5m in which masonry piers are used. The depth of the bed
and the nature of the soil determine the shape and size of the pier.
(Binggeli 2010)
Retaining wall section

(Gambhir 2013)
Structural systems
The structural connections create a balance in the building structure against such forces as
compressive and tensional forces2. The structural connections as well aid in the facilitation of te
transfer of the load from the super structure to the stable stratum below. Column to footing
connections facilitate the transfer of the load from the ground floor level through the columns
into the foundation where the load is distributed over the foundation. Beam to column footing
facilitates the transfer of large super imposed loads from the upper floors through the columns to
the stable stratum3.
Column to beam connection Footing to column connection
(Gambhir 2013)

(GHOSH 2009)
Floor systems
The floor system used in the upper levels of the building is reinforced concrete floors. Concrete
floor systems exist in various forms and are used in the provision of thermal comfort as well as
other advantages. The floor systems can be either on-ground, suspended or a combination of
both. Conventional concrete is found to be containing high amount of embodied energy. From
the provided pictures of middle rise building, the upper levels have on-ground concrete floor
system. Slab-on-ground concrete floors have two variants: waffle pod slabs and conventional
slabs having deep excavated beams4.
Construction sequence of on-ground concrete slab
 Planning how to place the concrete
 Preparing the ground
 Fixing the edge formwork

 Installing service pipes
 Laying concrete underlay
 Fixing steel reinforcement in the beams5
 Fixing steel reinforcement in the slabs
 Placing and compacting the concrete
 Finishing the slab surface
 Curing the concrete slab
There will be two layers of reinforcement in the floors: reinforcement in the beams and
reinforcement in the slabs. The beams are used in the transfer of the dead load of concrete slab to
the columns while the slabs will be used in transferring and supporting both live and dead loads.
The live loads will be those of the occupants of the building while dead load will be of such
equipment as furniture and the load of the concrete slab itself5.
The bar tags are used for identification of the various steel bars. They provide information on the
properties of the steel. Among the available information on the tags, include the number of
pieces of the bars in the shipment of the rebar, the various bent bar dimensions, the total weight
and bar markings.

Wall Systems
(Binggeli 2010)
(Fred Hall 2017)

Section through the wall showing insulation and flashing details
Roof System
A flat roof would be most appropriate for the building following the fact that it is a storey
building.
Gutter details

(Chadderton 2013)
Services
Storm water is controlled using open drainage channels and gutters. The gutters are placed at the
roof deck where they collect rainwater that falls on the roof of the building, which is then further
channeled by downpipes into the various drainage channels that are positioned with
consideration given to the slope of the site.

(Fred Hall 2017)
Methods of Prevention of the spread of fire through penetration
(Susan Weiler 2010)
The Australian Standards relevant to the methods of prevention of the spread of fire through
penetration is AS 4072.1

Quality
The building has class 3-concrete finish in which in as much as visual appeal is important, less of
it is attached to architectural importance. The interior of the building is finish on 3-coats of vinyl
paint while the exterior has natural stone cladding.
The use of clean formwork ensures elimination of impurities such as dust and chemicals, which
would interfere with the final properties of the concrete achieved. The use of unclean formwork
may result into dry concrete not attaining the required compressive strength6.
The relevant Australian Standards to concrete finishes are:
 AS 3610
 AS 36005; and
 nATSPec6
Concrete finishes are categorized into Finishes 1, 2, 3, and 4 which are dependent on the type of
finish and texture of the formwork.
1
11 See Binggeli, Corky. Building Systems for Interior Designers. New York: John Wiley & Sons,
2010
2 See Fred Hall, Roger Greeno. Building Services Handbook. London: aylor & Francis, 2017
3 See Chadderton, David V. Building Services Engineering. London: Routledge, 2013
4 See Gambhir, M.L. Stability Analysis and Design of Structures. London: Springer Science &
Business Media, 2013.
5 See Susan Weiler, Katrin Scholz-Barth. Green Roof Systems: A Guide to the Planning, Design,
and Construction of Landscapes over Structure. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2010.
6 See GHOSH, KARUNA MOY. FOUNDATION DESIGN IN PRACTICE. Chicago: PHI
Learning Pvt. Ltd., 2009.

References
Binggeli, Corky. Building Systems for Interior Designers. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2010.
Chadderton, David V. Building Services Engineering. London: Routledge, 2013.
Fred Hall, Roger Greeno. Building Services Handbook. London: aylor & Francis, 2017.
Gambhir, M.L. Stability Analysis and Design of Structures. London: Springer Science &
Business Media, 2013.
GHOSH, KARUNA MOY. FOUNDATION DESIGN IN PRACTICE. Chicago: PHI Learning
Pvt. Ltd., 2009.
Susan Weiler, Katrin Scholz-Barth. Green Roof Systems: A Guide to the Planning, Design, and
Construction of Landscapes over Structure. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2010.