BUILDING ECONOMICS –I

ASSIGNMENT -4
BACHELOR OF ARCHITECTURE

SUBMITTED BY:

SHREYA SINGH
Roll No. 1633644
9th Semester

I.K. GUJRAL PTU CAMPUS IIMOHALI

KHARAR-BANUR HIGHWAY, KHUNNIMAJRA, SECTOR-115, MOHALI

CONSTITENT CAMPUS OF

I.K. GUJRAL PUNJAB TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY, JALANDHAR Kapurthala-Jalandhar

Q1. Analysis of comparative Economics of Low Rise and High Rise Buildings .

Ans 1. The cost structures is calculated with respect to the costs of concrete, reinforcement and
formwork. Other architectural and finishing costs are considered to be constant between all
reference structures. Material quantities of structural elements are estimated based on the
detailed design, as discussed above, and their respective costs are evaluated. The area gained due
to the reduction in the dimensions of vertical elements with increasing concrete strength is
computed and the net profit is evaluated considering the overall cost and the cost of land.

Description High Rise Building Low Rise Building

Affordability • The average construction cost
per sq ft
• for a high-rise building
• 20-25 percent higher than a
low-rise building
• making them an expensive
proposition in comparison to
the latter
• The average construction cost per sq ft
• for a low-rise building
• 20-25 percent lesser than a low-rise
building
• making them an more affordable
proposition in comparison to the latter

Design • More area is taken by plant and • More Efficient

risers • Less space wasted
• Smaller floor plates result in • Lower floors do away with the need to
relatively high space-taken by install or use elevators
lifts, stairs, circulation, etc
• Connecting all of the stuff
above down to the ground
requires taking space away
from all the floors below. -
Every additional floor requires
a tiny slice of every single
floor below.
• The result is that 15%-25% of
a high-rise’s floor area is
typically wasted space
Structural • Lateral local resisting system • Simple structural system
/Material • Structural frames and core • Low performance material
walls are larger and thicker • Low strength steel(SS400,SM400)
• High performance material
Maintenance • The higher the floor, the • Lower floors do away with the need to
and Other difficult it is to evacuate in an install or use elevators
Costs emergency such as a fire • Maintenance and energy costs of low-
• It is even more challenging if rise buildings are comparatively lower
there are members with than the high-rise buildings
disability in the family • Fire safety norms are easier to comply
 • The average construction cost with in low-rise structures. Evacuation
per sq ft, for a high-rise in times of emergency is also easier in
building, is 20-25 percent such buildings
higher than a low-rise building, • Offering a higher degree of opulence,
making them an expensive low-rise structures hold a higher resale
proposition in comparison to value than high-rise buildings
the latter
• Cleaning and maintenance of
the exteriors of a high-rise
building can be very costly and
dangerous
• Taller buildings have a high
chance of damage during
earthquakes.
Equipment • A high capacity and speedy • General construction equipment.
construction equipment 1. Tower cranes
1. Tower cranes (50- (18tons,110m/min)
100ton, 110m/min) 2. Lift cars
2. Lift cars (1.5mx3.5mx2.5m,70m/
(2.0mx5.0mx2.7m,100 min)
m/min) 3. Low pressured concrete
3. High pressured pumps(100bar)
concrete pumps (320
bars)
Work • Less productivity • Much productivity
Productivity 1. Lengthy labor hoisting time
2. Lengthy material hoisting time.
Q2. Write some innovative techniques for cost reduction?

Ans 2. Construction techniques are:

Foundation:

• Random rubble masonry in mud/cement mortar placed in excavation over thick sand bed.
Rubble pointing above ground level in stabilized cement mortar.
• Use of lean cement concrete mix 1:8:16 for base with brick masonry in 1:6 cement
mortar footings.
• Use of lean cement concrete mix as above for base and over burned bricks masonry in
cement lime mortar (1:2:12) footings.
• Arch foundations in place of spread foundations.

Foundation Costs:

• Normally the foundation cost comes to about 10 to 15% of the total building .
• It is recommended to adopt a foundation depth of 2 ft.(0.6m) for normal soil like gravely
soil, red soils etc.
• It is suggested to adopt arch foundation in ordinary soils.
• In case of black cotton and other soft
• soils, it is recommend to use under ream pile foundation which saves about 20 to 25% in
cost over the conventional method of construction.
Plinth

• It is recommended to adopt 1 ft. height above ground level for the plinth and may be
constructed with a cement mortar of 1:6.
• The plinth slab of 4 to 6" which is normally adopted can be avoided and in its place brick
on edge can be used for reducing the cost.
• By adopting this procedure the cost of plinth foundation can be reduced by about 35 to
50%.

Wall

• Brick work in 1:6 cement mortar using bricks - from black cotton and inferior soil
stabilized with fly-ash.
• Rat-trap bond brick work in 1:2:12 cement lime mortar/1:1.5:3 cement sand mortar.
• Hollow concrete block masonry in cement' mortar. Compressed mud blocks masonry in
mud mortar.
• Stabilized mud, blocks masonry (4% cement or lime) in stabilized mud mortar.
• Sand lime brick walls in 1:6 cement mortar
• FAL-G sand block with 1:6 cement mortar.
• While laying bricks, the manner in which they overlap is called the bond.
• The rat-trap bond is laid by placing the bricks on their sides having a cavity of 4? (100
mm), with alternate course of stretchers and headers. The headers and stretchers are
staggered in subsequent layers to give more strength to the walls.
• This technology has about 25% overall-saving on cost of a building of traditional 9"
construction. The structure has proven its strength to go up to three floors with the
support of brick columns. With this technique there is reduction in cost of the wall by
25% as with conventional English bond (9"thk wall) 350 bricks are required per cu. m
whereas in Rat-trap bond only 280 bricks are required and also the reduced number of
joints reduces the mortar consumption.

Roofs

• Domes and vaults in brick or stabilized mud block with appropriate mortar.
• Upgraded thatch roof on appropriate frame work.
• Pre-cast RCC “ L” panel
• Precast RCC cored units in M15 concrete.
• Precast Waffle units in M15 concrete.
• Burnt day tube roofing in vault form.
Jack arch roof/floor

They are easy to construct, save on cement and steel, are more appropriate in hot
climates.
These can be constructed using compressed earth blocks also as alternative to bricks for
further economy.

Filler slab-technique
 • The filler slab is based on the principle that for roofs which are simply supported, the
upper part of the slab is subjected to compressive forces and the lower part of the slab
experience tensile forces. Concrete is very good in withstanding compressive forces and
steel bears the load due to tensile forces. Thus the lower tensile region of the slab does
not need any concrete except for holding the steel reinforcements together.
• Therefore in a conventional RCC slab lot of concrete is wasted and it needs extra
reinforcement due to added load of the concrete which can otherwise be replaced by low-
cost and light weight filler materials, which will reduce the dead weight as well as the
cost of the slab to 25% (as 40% less steel is used and 30% less concrete)

Door panels
• High density fiberboard doors
• Plantation timber styles with particle board inserts.
• Medium density fiber board doors.
• Cement bonded particle board
• Plantation timber style with rice husk board inserts
• Red mud polymer panel doors.
• Ferro cement doors
• Polyvinyl chloride doors panels.

Part 2
Material
 PART 3
Structure

For cost effectiveness, arrangement should be preferably a load-bearing structure rather

than a frame structure. The load-bearing structure has some advantages, and they include:

• It is cheaper in the case of traditional low rise buildings. This is because the cost
of constructing it is more economical due to a lesser amount of steel rods and
concrete being used.
• It is easier to construct and requires lesser time. This reduces labor costs and
energy used.
• It is quite flexible, as well.

PART 4

STAIRWAY:

The precast staircase system is a new, efficient, and effective method of building a stairway
compared to the conventional “cast-in-situ” staircase system.

The following are a few of the benefits of a precast staircase system:

• Its construction is quick and cheap.

• Less labor is required to construct it.
• A cantilever can support it.

Part 5

PREFABRICATION:
Prefabricated construction refers to a situation where all the essential and necessary building or
construction elements are ready-made and bought. So it is quite visible that it will save a
tremendous amount of time and concentrate on the work’s durability. Examples of some
prefabricated materials include roof and floor stabs, materials for walls and doors & windows

Q3) Write a note on modular coordination

Modular Coordination (MC)

• is a concept for coordinating dimension and space for which buildings and components
are dimensioned and positioned in basic units or modules.

Definition of MC

• Modular coordination or MC is a dimensional system.

• It is a dimension and space coordination concept in which building and components are
placed at their designations based on the unit or basic module known as "1M" that equals
to 100 mm.
• The use of MC is an important factor in IBS effective application as it completes the
industry through quality control and increase of productivity.

Modular Coordination (MC)

• The standard specifies that the module basic M =100mm as the basic unit to be
used in a square of M.
• The introduction of MC in the industry is to improve productivity and quality in
building constructions as well as to act as a tool towards rationalization and
industrialization of the building industry

The characteristics of MC

• The basic module is small in terms of odd size in order to provide design flexibility, yet large
enough to promote simplification in the components' variation in sizes.

• Industry friendly features that not only cater for manufacturing but also the transportation and
assembly requirements

• Ergonomically designed to promote efficiency

• Internationally accepted to support international market

Objective of Implementing MC
• The principal objective of implementing MC is to improve productivity through the reduction
of wastages in the production, installation process, to improve quality in the construction
industry and to encourage an open system.

• With Open System approach, building components could combine in a variety of individual
building projects while ensuring the architect freedom in their designs.

• MC is an important factor in application of Industrialized Building System by way of

standardization of components and dimensions such as reduce time of production and installation
of components, achieving repeatability and able to construct building at lower cost

Q4: List the importance of space norms for cost reduction.

• Building codes are the standards “conservation building codes” are the key policy
instrument used by the government to limit building pressure on energy and space.
• space norms focuses on living conditions and comfort for the occupants.
• these serves as a model code providing guidelines for regulating building construction
activity.
• they exihibit minimum and maximum room space and exits and locations.
• Norms provide safeguards. Although no code can eliminate all risks, reducing risks to an
acceptable level helps.
• Norms have been the primary source for guidance in the design and construction of
building structures for many decades. •
• Norms ensure the economic well being of the community by reducing potential spread of
fire and disease.
• Cost Reduction is a process, aims at lowering the unit cost of a product manufactured or
service rendered without affecting its quality by using new and improved methods and
techniques.
• It ascertains substitute ways to reduce the cost of a unit. It ensures savings in per unit cost
and maximisation of profits of the organisation.
• Cost Reduction aims at cutting off the unnecessary expenses which occur during the
production, storing, selling and distribution of the product.
• To identify cost reduction, the following are the major elements:
o Savings in per unit cost.
o No compromise with the quality of the product.
Savings are non-volatile in nature