Gammad, Brent Charles D. Nov.

11, 2020
BSCE 3, CE 3121L 0730 - 1130 FS Engr. Udacion

Coursework No. 03:

Research Work No. 02:
ACTUAL APPLICATIONS OF VARIOUS
CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS (PART I)
OBJECTIVE: Explain and illustrate different construction materials used in well-
known structures either locally or internationally.
TLO 01: To introduce the students to various applications of construction materials and
encourage them to learn more on the backgrounds of different historical structures and
the various materials used to construct such.

1. EIFFEL TOWER

DESCRIPTION:

This metal tower with three floors stands in the city center of Paris. It was built for the 1889
World Fair (Universal Expo) to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution.

The 324metres/1062ft high Eiffel Tower was constructed by Auguste Eiffel and a team of
engineers. If you would like to take the steps up to the tower viewing platform on the second
floor, there are 704 steps to climb, but luckily there are also lifts in each of the leg up to the
second floor.
MATERIALS USED:
It was built by using cast iron and steel which was sourced in Romania.

2. GREAT WALL OF CHINA

DESCRIPTION:
The Great Wall is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It runs in sections over a very
long distance across China.
The wall is also referred to as ‘Long Wall’ as it is over 21,196 km/13,171 miles long. It was
built with stones, bricks and tiles, earth as well as of wooden material. The wall was
completed in 1644, but it took more than 2,000 years to build.
There are more than 20,000 watchtowers along the wall as it was built to protect the country
against invasions from nomads and enemies and to make it easier to collect duty for goods
that were transported along the Silk Road.

MATERIALS USED:
The construction materials of the Great Wall were mainly earth, stone, brick, lime, and
wood. The materials used depended on the local resources available.

3. THE KREMLIN
DESCRIPTION:

The Grand Kremlin Palace is part of the Kremlin complex and is located next to the Red
Square and St Basil’s Cathedral in Russia’s capital city Moscow.

The Kremlin is a fortress with enclosing walls and is built along the Moskva River. The
name ‘Kremlin’ means ‘fortress within a city’. The more than 500-year-old Kremlin includes
the wall with its 20 towers as well as four churches and five palaces within the walls.

MATERIALS USED:

It was made out of oak wood but the wooden walls was later replaced by white limestone.

4. LEANING TOWER OF PISA

DESCRIPTION:

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is one of Italy’s major tourist attractions. The freestanding bell
tower of the Pisa Cathedral was built over almost two hundred years and was finished in
1399.

The original height of the tower was 60 meters/196ft, but as it is leaning, the lowest side is
now less than 56 meters/184ft. The construction already caused many problems as the soil
was soft, sandy and unstable. Already during construction, the builders tried to balance the
leaning side with more columns on the other side, but the tower still leaned - like many other
buildings in the area.

MATERIALS USED:

The visible part was mainly built out of marbles and they used limestone for the parts that
were not visible.

5. GREAT PYRAMID OF GIZA

DESCRIPTION:

The Great Pyramid of Giza near Cairo is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
and the only one of these ancient world wonders which still exists. The pyramids are made of
stone and bricks and stand near Cairo which is the capital of Egypt.

The Egyptian pyramids were built during a time when there was only manual labor and no
machine lifting equipment available. The pyramids were built to house the bodies of the
pharaoh who ruled in ancient Egypt. The Giza pyramids are around 4,500 years old and are
considered among the largest structures ever built.

MATERIALS USED:

The pyramids were built of limestone, granite, basalt, gypsum (mortar), and baked mud
bricks.
 6. SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE

DESCRIPTION:

The Sydney Opera House, built in Australia’s biggest city, is famous for its roof’s
architecture resembling shells or sails. The opera house was designed by Jørn Utzon from
Denmark and it was built between 1959 and 1973.

The roof is covered with more than 1 million roof tiles. These were manufactured in Sweden.
The opera house has several performance halls and theatre and exhibition spaces.

MATERIALS USED:

The structure of the building is made from reinforced concrete and the facades from
polarized glass with steel frames. The shells are covered by white and cream matte tiles
made in Sweden, although from a distance they all look white to the eye.
 7. TAJ MAHAL

DESCRIPTION:

The Taj Mahal, which means 'crown of palaces' in the Persian language, stands on the
riverbanks of the Yamuna River in Agra in northern India. 

In 1632 the emperor, Shah Jahan instructed to build a tomb for his favorite wife, Mumtaz
Mahal. The Taj Mahal houses the tomb of the wife as well as a mosque and a guesthouse.

MATERIALS USED:

The building material used is brick-in-lime mortar veneered with red

sandstone and marble and inlay work of precious/semi-precious stones. The mosque and
the guest house in the Taj Mahal complex are built of red sandstone in contrast to
the marble tomb in the center.
 7. MACHU PICCHU

DESCRIPTION:

Machu Picchu which means ‘Old Mountain’ in the local Quechua language is a famous site
in Peru. It is also referred to as 'The Lost City of the Incas'.

The ruins of the Lost City are located in the mountains, at more than 2,400 meters/8,000 feet
above sea level. This ruin site has more than 200 different buildings and structures. The ruins
were never discovered by the European conquistadors but only became known in 1911 when
an American archeologist was led to the site by locals.

MATERIALS USED:

The resources used were kept at a minimum in the construction of Machu Picchu, they used
granite stones as the primary materials for the construction of the city, and the roofs of the
buildings were primary made of wood and grass.
 8. BURJ KHALIFA

DESCRIPTION:
The Burj Khalifa in Dubai is the tallest building in the world. The tip of the Burj
Khalifa is known to be seen up to a distance 95 kilometers away from the structure.

At the zenith of its construction, 12000 workers were working on building the
structure every day. The construction started in the year 2004 and was completed in
2009. The design resembled hymenocalis flower.
MATERIALS USED:
Burj Khalifa's construction used 330,000 cu meter (431,600 cu yd.) of concrete and 39,000
tonnes (43,000 ST; 38,000 LT) of steel rebar, and curtain walls of glass.
 10. PETRA

DESCRIPTION:
Petra is an archaeological and a historical city in the Southern part of Jordan which was
known by the locals as Raqmu. It is believed that Petra was established as a Nabataean
Kingdom capital in the 6th century BC. The settlement could have begun in about 9000 BC
in the region. The Nabateans were nomads and Arabs who built Petra because of its
proximity to important trade routes in the area. In the 1st century AD, the popular Khazan
structure was constructed which is believed to have been the mausoleum of the King of
Nabatea, Aretas IV. During the Byzantine period, several churches of Christian faith were
built. The significance of the city declined over the years and finally abandoned in the early
Muslim era. It was listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1985.
MATERIALS USED:
It was generally built out of sandstone and also wood which was used as reinforcement to
masonry walls, support for roof structures, to construct scaffolding and formwork for arches
and vaults.
REFERENCE:

https://www.kids-world-travel-guide.com/top-10-famous-landmarks.html
https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-materials-were-used-to-build-the-eiffel-tower.html
https://www.chinahighlights.com/greatwall/construction-materials.htm#:~:text=The
%20construction%20materials%20of%20the,earth%2C%20bricks%2C%20and%20lime.
https://www.rbth.com/history/326582-everything-about-moscow-kremlin
https://leaningtowerpisa.com/facts/what-is-the-leaning-tower-of-pisa-made-of
https://science.howstuffworks.com/engineering/structural/pyramid4.htm
https://medium.com/@trianglehomez123/list-of-the-top-10-famous-buildings-in-the-world-
for-its-architecture-6aac5b225ea0
https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-most-famous-structures-in-the-world.html
https://en.wikiarquitectura.com/building/sydney-opera-house/#:~:text=Materials,look
%20white%20to%20the%20eye.
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/252/
https://www.burjkhalifa.ae/en/the-tower/design-construction/#:~:text=Construction
%20Highlights&text=Burj%20Khalifa's%20construction%20will%20have,was
%20completed%20in%20September%202009.
https://bmcr.brynmawr.edu/2007/2007.06.18/#:~:text=Although%20the%20region
%20around%20Petra,and%20for%20wedges%20and%20dowels.

I, pledge on my honor, that I have not given or received any assistance on this activity.

____________________________

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