Ways to Improve Basement Construction Standards: A UK Study

This dissertation provides a detailed overview of basement construction in the UK, focusing on the factors influencing quality and exploring different construction methods and waterproofing techniques. The study investigates current standards, identifies areas for improvement, and offers recommendations for enhancing basement construction practices. It includes primary data gathered from contractors, discusses the roles of government and local authorities, and evaluates challenges faced by engineers in the evaluation process. The dissertation also covers legislation, raw materials, and the importance of strong basement construction for overall building integrity and longevity. It aims to help civil engineers and other stakeholders to improve construction quality and to follow the standards for building construction.

Dissertation

ABSTRACT
This study has been conducted to provide an overview about quality of basement
construction in UK. It has described about what are the factors which are responsible for low
grade quality of basements that are been built. Also, it has been discussed about different types
and methods of constructing basement. This report also includes various types of waterproofing
types through which damage is prevented and quality is improved. The engineers use ISO
technique to evaluate quality of basement with set standards. It has been shown in this
assignment that what are the major factors due to which quality has been degraded. The study
has thrown light on strategies and ways through which standards can be followed to evaluate
quality of basement. Beside this, it has discussed about legislation that should be formulated by
UK government to develop some standards and implement them.
A brief explanation has also given about types and methods of basement with diagrams.
Also, it has been described about what measures are taken to improve strength and quality of
basement. Apart from it, primary data is gathered from 50 contractors and their views regarding
ways to improve standards in basement has been taken. This has been easy in finding out what
measures can be taken and how evaluation should be done. In addition, it has been discussed that
what government and local authorities of UK along with companies engaged in construction
industry should do to enhance quality of basement. At last it has been evaluated that why
engineers are still facing problems in evaluation process. Furthermore, what changes can be
made in organizations while undertaking various types of projects.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................1
Overview of the study..................................................................................................................1
Problem statement- .....................................................................................................................2
Aim..............................................................................................................................................2
Objectives....................................................................................................................................2
Research questions.......................................................................................................................2
Rationale of the study..................................................................................................................2
Significance of study....................................................................................................................3
Scope of study..............................................................................................................................3
Chapter Structure.........................................................................................................................3
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW.........................................................................................5
Standards used in basement construction....................................................................................6
Ways to improve basement construction .................................................................................11
Use of raw materials in basement .............................................................................................12
CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY.................................................................................................14
Research Philosophy .................................................................................................................14
Research type.............................................................................................................................14
Research Approach ...................................................................................................................15
Research design.........................................................................................................................15
Data Collection Method.............................................................................................................15
Sampling Method.......................................................................................................................16
Data Analysis ............................................................................................................................16
Ethical Considerations...............................................................................................................16
Validity .....................................................................................................................................17
CHAPTER: 4 RESULTS...............................................................................................................18
Introduction................................................................................................................................18
Thematic analysis.......................................................................................................................18
CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION.........................................................................................................31

CHAPTER 6 CONCLUSION........................................................................................................36
REFERENCES .............................................................................................................................39
APPENDIX....................................................................................................................................41

TITLE-
“Basement construction: Ways to improve the standards of construction. A study in UK”.
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
Overview of the study
Construction is related to civil engineering in which overall infrastructure is covered. The
basement is a part of building in which entire structure is built. It is most important part of any
construction site. This is because overall structure is constructed on it. Also, with it building or
any other structure cannot be developed (Chan and Madabhushi, 2018). In order to construct
anything new, first of all basement is developed so that structure can be built upon it. Hence,
basement must be strong and deep so that building can be easily constructed upon it. There is a
long process which is followed in constructing base. It is an initial phase of construction as entire
project is dependent on base. In addition to it, this is the most costly stage as high quality
material is required in it. The basement is designed accordingly to construction type, nature, etc.
Furthermore, in building it is based on floors which will be constructed on it. For more number
of floors, basement is kept more strong and vice versa. There are several standards which are
formed by government as well as builders. They are followed while constructing building. It
helps in ensuring that as per design of building, basement is developed. The major problem of
collapsing of building, cracks, etc. in joint and walls is due to weakening of its basement. This
issue occurs due to seeping of water in basement. In many cases, it is found that improper
strength in basement forces people to renovate them. In this majorly waterproofing is done on
basement floor and walls to maintain their strength. It is useful in reducing further damage in
building. Consequently, it increases life of asset through renovation.
In many countries there are several standards and quality measures controls which is set
by government in construction (Tuan and Tam, 2018). The standards have to be followed by
architect or engineer and companies engaged in construction sector as well. This is done to
ensure that building is constructed according to standards. They vary accordingly to design and
structure of project. But in recent times architect are facing a lot of problems regarding
construction of basement and selecting its type. This is resulting in damage, cracks, renovation,
etc. in buildings. In addition to it, with advancement in technology there are different practices
which have emerged in improving basement. Also, new techniques are been used by architect
which has made it easy for them to maintain standard as well as quality.
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Problem statement-
In recent times, it has been analysed that there are lot of issues been faced while doing
basement construction. These issues are cracks, seeping of water in basement, frequent
renovation, etc. that has highly impacted on asset life (Ye and et. al., 2016). The base of projects
are not been constructed in effective way and with high quality. Also, due to lack of standards
there is no improvement in quality. Therefore, it is important for architect as well as government
to make changes in standards in order to improve basement construction.
Aim
To explore ways to improve standard in basement construction: A Study in UK
Objectives
 To evaluate current standards of constructing basement
 To analyse ways to improve basement construction
 To recommend what standards and guidelines should be formed in basement construction
Research questions
 What are the current standards followed by architect in basement construction?
 How basement construction can be improved in UK?
 What recommendations can be followed in improving standards?
Rationale of the study
The advancement in technology has impacted overall world's economy. It has created
both negative and positive impact on every industry (Heredia and et. al., 2018). Similarly,
construction sector is affected as well. It has resulted in use of new and advance method in
construction of buildings. It has modified the way in which different projects are designed.
Moreover, it has allowed architect to implement the new practices in improving base. Also, it is
found that there is decrease in quality of basement. It may be due to ineffective standards or
improper execution. Building information modelling (BIM) has played a crucial role in
improving quality of construction. It has enabled in providing accurate information about overall
structure and raw materials required. Through this, it has been easy to construct project in
systematic way and maintaining its quality.
It is important to evaluate standards while constructing building so that its quality is
preserved. Also, to increase life of house it is essential that base made is strong. For this certain
guideline are followed. But it has been found that the quality is degraded. There are many cracks
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found in walls and joints (Galvin and et. al., 2016). Due to this renovation is required in houses.
The quality of construction is highly dependent on raw material used. So, it is necessary to keep
in mind that if goods used are of low grade it directly hampers the entire project. In UK, it has
been identified that basements are not been constructed as per guidelines formulated. Many
companies engaged in construction are facing issues related to cracks in concrete walls. There
profits are decreased and customer satisfaction has declined. So, for this they use waterproofing
method.
Significance of study
The significance of this study is to find out how improvements can be made in quality
standards of basement construction. Also, what are the ways through which basement strength
can be improved and what type of raw materials are used in which basement. Alongside it, study
will focus on how waterproofing practices can be implemented by engineers in various types of
projects. Additionally, research will describe about what are major factors due to which quality is
been degraded and on which type basement the damage is more. through this, it will be easy to
form guidelines.
Scope of study
This study will help in finding out ways or practices which can be implemented in
improving standards in basement construction (Pelecanos and et. al., 2016). Also, it will describe
techniques or methods through which practices can be executed. Moreover, research will be
useful for civil engineer to make changes in basement. Besides this, it will give insight to
government about what laws or policies can be formed to enhance efficiency in construction
industry.
Chapter Structure
It describes the overall structure of dissertation and its different chapters. They are
discussed in a systematic way which makes it easy for user to understand each chapter in a
proper manner. Also, it is easy to evaluate what is included in each chapter
Chapter 1 Introduction: It is first chapter which gives an insight about what research topic on
which overall study is based upon. It is the base of dissertation which consists of many elements
like aims and objectives, significance, scope, etc. it gives user an understanding that why topic is
been chosen and what is the scope of study in future.
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Chapter 2 Literature review: In this researcher conducts secondary research and collects data
and information from various sources such as articles, journals, books, etc. (Li and et.al., 2017)
the main aim is to briefly describe about topic and have a depth analysis of it. In this mainly
secondary data is gathered which can be either theoretical or data driven.
Chapter 3 Research methodology- This chapter discusses about different types of research
tools which will be used in analysing, simplifying data. It provides an overall framework that
how research is conducted in systematic way. It contains several methods like philosophy,
design, approach, etc.
Chapter 4 Data analysis & Interpretation- This chapter is related to interpretation of primary
data collected. It is critical phase of dissertation as overall outcomes are dependent on it. Here,
data is analysed by using various tools and techniques to give overview of results produced.
Graphs, tables, charts, etc. are included in this.
Chapter 5 Conclusion and Recommendations- It is summary of entire study conducted. It
shows outline of dissertation through which researcher gives some recommendations. This helps
user to identify what is concluded from findings of data and information.
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CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
Introduction
In construction of buildings, bridges, dams, etc. first of all engineer determine the
surrounding area. This is done to create design of structure which has to be built. The
construction begins from ground level to upper one. At ground level, basement is built. For every
structure its basement is different. For instance, an apartment will have different base, a dam will
have unique one, in similar way bridge, warehouse and many more their bases will vary from
one another. According to Orazalin, Whittle and Olsen, (2015); In construction, the most
important part is basement. Therefore, every architect highly emphasize on designing basement
first and then upper structure. For every project, it is necessary to develop strong base so that
overall structure can stand upon it. The base of building depends on its height, surface area,
surrounding land, etc. hence, by analyzing all these factors base is prepared. Apart from it, raw
materials required in building can vary according to its size and design. it is evaluated that types
of base changes with modification in design. The architect should select high quality raw
material for constructing basement.
As said by Afolagboye, Talabi and Akinola, (2016), constructing basement is most risky
task for architect. It is because any miss- happening in it can led to critical consequence. A tall
building requires stronger base as compared to short one. Also, there are some other factors as
well which can result in disaster. It may be due to surrounding environment soil in which base is
developed. The soil may be not be able to prevent ground water to seep into basement. Another
factor may be due to use of poor quality raw material. It will result in cracks between joints and
walls. Here, ground water will seep thus weakening strength of base. So, it can be stated that
there are certain factors other than quality or standards which are the reason of collapse or
renovation of building. Also, cracks in joints or walls may be result in damaging project.
As elucidated by Funck and et. al., (2017) there are different types and quality of raw
materials used in basement. Thus, its strength depends on quality of raw materials. In recent
time, basement is constructed in more depth and broad so that it strength is maintained for longer
time period. However, for apartment and buildings there are no such measures to maintain
quality or standards, but in big projects like dams, bridge, etc. Initially in construction, basement
is designed. This gives an insight about land area or soil type. With this, it becomes easy for
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engineer to set up base for basement. This enables in deciding which base will be perfect for
project. By identifying moisture of soil and different particles included in it, contractor analyze
value of it. As evaluated Nesticò and et. al., (2017) cracks in concrete is major issue in basement.
The cracks occur due to seeping of water in joints and walls. In present time engineer have
adopted a modern technique. They are mixing water proofing chemical while constructing
basement. It is because to give strength to it and prevent water from seeping. Moreover,
implementation of this technique has benefited in strengthening base. Also, it reduces cost and
time in construction. Generally, for 3 floor building basic structure of foundation in followed.
This helps in easy excavation.
Standards used in basement construction
It is said that Heredia and et.al., (2018), in many countries there are certain standards
which is followed by engineer. This provides a framework for builder to analyse base and
develop base. Besides this, it helped in measuring quality of basement with set standards. By
evaluating it weak areas were identified and improvements were made. UK is country where
there are many polices which is strictly followed in construction sector. The government ensures
that no damage occurs. These regulations set a base through which basement is built.
Furthermore, there are certain guidelines issues which describe type of material that must be
used in foundation of project. Alongside it, local agencies assure control overall operations of
household construction. They ensure that there is no negative impact on surrounding
environment. Moreover, it has benefited them in reducing damages in basement by taking
appropriate measures while in construction phase. The companies are making efforts by
evaluating quality with standards. Consequently, it is observed that contractors do risk
assessment properly. They do waterproofing and use lactic beams and steel to support concrete
blocks or change type of basement construction
As elucidated by Li and et.al., (2017), some quality standards are followed to determine
strength of basement. They are used to identify quality of raw materials used or is there any
whole in concrete block or not. However, government have made changes in standards to
improve quality of foundation. But changes are not implemented overall and in effective way.
There are no proper communication methods applied by legislation in doing so.
International standard organisation (ISO) have set certain standards which are been
followed by every company all over the world. It includes guidelines which allow business to
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evaluate products accordingly. The standards are also applied in construction sector. In this raw
material used are evaluated with it. It provides a framework on basis of which quality is
maintained and improved. There are several other things included in ISO guidelines.
Method of constructing basement
As discussed above, it is stated that basement differs according to project. It also depends
on site or type of land. In modern times, there are many new methods which has emerged in
constructing basement. The methods are applied as per site location. It has allowed builders to
construct building along with base (Tuan and Tam, 2018). This has benefited them in completing
project on time. Each method is having its own features which suits design of structure. It has
also reduced complexity but on other hand benefited in reducing cost.
Use of lattice beams – In this, series of beams are installed to span between top of opposite
diaphragm walls. It enables in acting as propped cantilevers. After constructing of floors, trusses
can be removed.
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Use of ground anchors – It is a method in which diaphragm walls are exposed by excavation.
Then, ground anchors are developed to stabilize walls (Jamsawang and et.al., 2017). Usually,
this method is applied in for very large project. Also, it is most effective as compared to others.
Construct floor slab as support – Here, ground floor slab and beams are developed to provide
support to walls. There is an opening left to continue excavation at lower stages. It is repeated
until required depth is reached.
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