Commercial Grades of Wood
Lumber is graded by the various associations of lumber manufacturers having jurisdiction over various species. Two principal sets of grading rules […]
Sociological changes, new technology in industry and commerce, new building codes, other new laws and regulations, inflationary economies of nations, and advances in building technology place an ever-increasing burden on building designers
and constructors. They need more and more knowledge and skill to cope with the demands placed on them.
The public continually demands more complex buildings than in the past. They must serve more purposes, last longer, and require less maintenance and repair. As in the past, they must look attractive. Yet, both building construction and operating
costs must be kept within acceptable limits or new construction will cease.
To meet this challenge successfully, continual improvements in building design and construction must be made. Building designers and constructors should be alert to these advances and learn how to apply them skillfully.
One advance of note to building design is the adaptation of operations research, or systems design, developed around the middle of the twentieth century and originally
applied with noteworthy results to design of machines and electronic equipment.
In the past, design of a new building was mainly an imitation of the design of an existing building. Innovations were often developed fortuitously and by intuition and were rare occurrences. In contrast, systems design encourages innovation.
It is a precise procedure that guides creativity toward the best decisions. As a result, it can play a significant role in meeting the challenges posed by increasing building complexity and costs. The basic principles of systems design are presented
in this section.
Lumber is graded by the various associations of lumber manufacturers having jurisdiction over various species. Two principal sets of grading rules […]
Many of the restrictions encountered in building design are imposed by legal regulations. While all must be met, those in
There are two distinct aspects of fire protection: life safety and property protection. Although providing for one aspect generally results
The Commercial Building Telecommunications Cabling Standard, ANSI/TIA/EIA- 568-A, defines categories for 100- unshielded, twisted-pair cables. The Category 3 designation applies to cables
Fiberoptic connector types include SC, ST, FC, Biconic, FDDI, ESCON, MTRJ, LC, and Volition (e.g., Figs. 18.12, 18.13, and 18.14). Connectors
The total price of a construction project is the sum of direct costs, contingency costs, and margin. Direct costs are the
Methods for preparing an estimate of direct costs may be based on either or both of two approaches: industry, or facility,
As an example, the following illustrates preparation of an estimate for a trench excavation. The estimate can be regarded as a
These are the costs that must be added to the initially calculated costs to take into account events that are highly
Margin comprises three components: indirect costs, company-wide costs, and profit. These are defined in Art. 19.1. Determining Indirect, or Distributable, Costs