Pile Foundations
Building loads can be transferred to piles by a thick reinforced-concrete slab, called a pile-cap footing. The piles are usually embedded […]
Building Design and Construction
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.
Pierced Ceilings and Floors
Some buildings require recessed light fixtures and air-conditioning ducts, thus interrupting the continuity of fire-resistive ceilings. A rule that evolved from
Pigments for Paints
Pigments may be classified as white and colored, or as opaque and extender pigments. The hiding power of pigments depends
Permanent Wood Foundations
Plywood and lumber walls are an alternative to concrete for foundation walls for one-story and multistory houses and other light-frame buildings.
Permits
Most jurisdictions require a building permit for construction or remodeling. The building permit, for which a fee is paid by the
Painting Steel Structures
Evidence obtained from dismantled old buildings and from frames exposed during renovation indicates that corrosion does not occur when steel surfaces
Paint Systems
The Steel Structures Painting Council has correlated surface preparations and primer, intermediate, and finish coats of paints into systems, each designed
Other Types of Panel Finishes
Like other types of panels, mineral-fiber panels can be nailed directly to framing members or furring. Thin sheets usually are backed
Packaged Air-Conditioning Units
To meet the great demand for cheaper air-conditioning installations, manufacturers produce packaged, or preassembled, units. These vary from 4000 to 30,000