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.
Construction project managers should seriously consider the social and environmental effects of their construction operations, job safety operations (Art 17.20), and for […]
Social and Environmental Concerns in Construction Read Post »
Silica fume, or microsilica, is a condensed gas, the by-product of metallic silicon or ferrosilicon alloys produced by electric arc furnaces.
In skeleton framing all the gravity loadings of the structure, including the walls are supported by the steel framework. Such walls
Consider the building shown in Fig. 13.3 (p. 13.43). Assume only the first and second floors will be air conditioned.
After the construction contract is awarded, the contractor should submit a proposed schedule for submission of shop drawings to meet the
The factored shear force Vu at a section without shear reinforcement should not exceed Based on satisfactory performance of joist construction,
Cantilevered shear walls used for bracing structures against lateral displacement (sidesway) are a special case of deep beams. They may be
The ACI 318 Building Code requires that prestressed concrete beams be designed to resist diagonal tension by strength theory. There are