UNDERWATER CONSTRUCTION AND

CONCRETING TECHNIQUES
A Seminar report Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the
Degree of

BACHELOR OF ENGINEERING
in
Civil Engineering
by
SANJAY KUMAR SAMANTARAY
1CR18CV061

Under the Supervision

of Dr. PREETI JACOB
Assistant Professor
Civil Engineering

Department

VISVESVARAYA TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY

BELAGAVI

MAY 2022
 DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

This is to certify the Technical Seminar Report entitled “UNDERWATER

CONSTRUCTION AND CONCRETING TECHNIQUES” prepared by Mr. SANJAY
KUMAR SAMANTARAY, bearing USN 1CR18CV061, a Bonafide student of CMR
Institute of Technology , Bengaluru in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award
of Bachelor of Engineering in Civil Engineering of the Visvesvaraya Technological
University , Belagavi during the academic year 2021-22.
This is certified that all the corrections and suggestions indicated for Internal Assessment
have been incorporated in the report deposited in the departmental library. The seminar report
has been approved as it satisfies the academic requirements in respect of the Technical
Seminar prescribed for the Bachelor of Engineering degree.

Signature of Guide Signature of HOD

Dr. Preeti Jacob Dr. Asha M Nair
Asst. Professor Professor & HOD
Dept of Civil Dept of Civil
Engg. Examiners Engg.

Name of the examiners: Signature with date

1.
2.
ABSTRACT

 A Low Energy Building is an energy efficient house, that is designed

without traditional heating and active cooling systems to use less energy
than a conventional house.
 The low energy building, a design of buildings has been considered an
important goal both to encourage resource efficiency and to reduce the
potential for global climate change associated with the consumption of
fossil fuels.
 Such houses are a subset of low energy buildings and serves as example of
sustainable architecture and energy efficient landscaping.
 This seminar introduces the usage of agro and Industrial waste as a
alternative building material for developing a energy efficient building.
 An energy efficient home is designed to keep out the wind and rain while
reducing energy waste. Modern homes are built with energy efficiency in
mind and are now constructed from a variety of different materials. A wide
variety of energy efficient building materials are now available for today’s
home builder.
 Every homeowner should take advantages of the new eco-friendly
technological advance in home building, because they are affordable, more
efficient and greener.
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page No.
Certificate i
Abstract ii
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1
1.1 Definition 1
1.2 History 1

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2-3

2.1 General
2.1.1 Energy use in the life cycle of Conventional 2
and Low Energy Buildings by Sartori &
A.G Hesten
2.1.2 Low Energy Buildings by Enno Abel 2
2.1.3 Low Energy, Passive House and Zero Energy 2
Houses by Devorh
2.2 Summary of Literature 3

CHAPTER 3: CONTENTS 4-24

3.1 Types of Low Energy Houses 4
3.2 Agro waste as a Building materials 4
3.3 Industrial waste as a Building materials 7
3.4 Energy Efficient Building materials 10
3.5 Implementation 15
3.6 Alternative Roofs 19
3.7 Low Carbon construction materials and technologies 20
3.8 Advantages and disadvantages 21

CHAPTER 4: CONCLUSION 25
REFERENCES 26
 UNDERWATER CONSTRUCTION & CONCRETING TECHNIQUES

CHAPTER 1:

INTRODUCTION:

1.1 Definition:

Underwater construction is a method on how to place the concrete underwater . During the
construction of bridges, dams or any structure where the foundation is most likely to lie
underwater, the underwater construction is opted.

Construction in water poses many difficulties especially in places where the depth is
considerable. During the underwater construction the main objective is to create-dry and
water free environment for working so that the stability of structure is balanced.

1.2 Concept:

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 UNDERWATER CONSTRUCTION & CONCRETING TECHNIQUES
CHAPTER 1:

INTRODUCTION:

1.1 Definition:

Underwater construction is a method on how to place the concrete underwater . During the
construction of bridges, dams or any structure where the foundation is most likely to lie
underwater, the underwater construction is opted.

Construction in water poses many difficulties especially in places where the depth is
considerable. During the underwater construction the main objective is to create-dry and
water free environment for working so that the stability of structure is balanced.

1.2 History:

This method of underwater concreting is developed and employed by the Dutch in 1969. A flexible hose

which hydrostatically compressed is employed to pour concrete. As soon as concrete placed in the upper

of the pipe, both friction inside the pipe and hydrostatic pressure is overcame by concrete weight.

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 UNDERWATER CONSTRUCTION & CONCRETING TECHNIQUES

CHAPTER2:

LITERATURE REVIEW:
2.1 General
This chapter consists of recent developments on the use of alternative building materials in
the construction of green building and its working efficiency as a building material.

2.1.1 ENERGY USE IN THE LIFE CYCLE OF CONVENTIONAL AND LOW

ENERGY BUILDINGS BY: SARTORI & A.G HESTEN:

This article introduce and reviews about The cases included both residential and non-
residential units. Despite climate and other background differences, the study revealed a
linear relation between operating and total energy valid through all the cases. low-energy
buildings induces both a net benefit in total life cycle energy demand and an increase in
the embodied energy. A solar house provide to be more energy efficient than an equivalent
house built with commitment to use “green” materials.

2.1.2. LOW ENERGY BUILDINGS BY : ENNO ABEL

An attempt is made in this paper to systematize the ideas behind low-energy building
concepts and energy-efficient building solutions. The background to this is that many low-
energy building concepts seem to have as a goal ‘the exclusion of external purchased energy’
when energy-efficient solutions strive towards ‘the lowest possible energy requirements with
reasonable utilization of resources’. However, in discussions about research and
demonstration projects in this field and in reports published from these projects, this
distinction is seldom, if ever, made. Especially when it is a question of low-energy buildings,
technical solutions are often suggested and demonstration projects are carried out without a
clear analysis of the applicability in practice.

2.1.3. LOW ENERGY, PASSIVE HOUSE AND ZERO ENERGY HOUSES BY,:
DEVORH
Energy efficiency is important and in future it will be even more important. To achieve
energy efficiency we will have to adapt to new energy sources and new ways to save
energy. Energy efficient house is only one part of that. For now number of energy efficient

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UNDERWATER CONSTRUCTION & CONCRETING TECHNIQUES
buildings in world is very low, but when we build houses in that way we also learn how to
improve

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 LOW ENERGY CONSUMING BUILDING MATERIAL

building methods even more. That knowledge will be probably used in the future for all new
buildings.
2.2 Summary of Literature:
• From the above literature papers we can summarize that the adoption of energy
efficient building materials are environmentally friendly and biologically healthy
material, it provides good thermal characteristics and energy savings, it is basically
earthquake resistance. A solar house provide to be more energy efficient than an
equivalent house built with commitment to use “green” materials. Energy efficiency is
important and in future it will be even more important. To achieve energy efficiency
we will have to adapt to new energy sources and new ways to save energy.

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 LOW ENERGY CONSUMING BUILDING MATERIAL
CHAPTER 3:
BUILDING MATERIALS FROM AGRO AND INDUSTRIAL WASTES:

3.1 Types of low-energy houses:

Low-energy houses have a very broad definition and are generally known as houses with a
lower energy demand than common buildings.

1. Ultra house

2. Passive house

3. Zero-energy house

1. Ultra house:

Ultra houses are distinguished by the same characteristics as low-energy houses, but with
additional focus on using building materials and components with better thermal technical
qualities such as lower U-values.

2. Passive house:

passive house is a standard and gives specific recommendations in regard to the achievement
of heating energy savings.

3. Zero energy house :

An energy-efficient building where, on a source energy basis, the actual annual delivered
energy is less than or equal to the on-site renewable exported energy.

3.2 Agro wastes as a building material:

Some of the agro wastes which can have applications in building construction are as follows:
1. Rice husk
2. Rice husk ash
3. Coir fiber
4. Sisal fiber
5. Bamboo

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1. Rice husk:
• Rice husk has potential to use in the building construction.
• For instance, experiments have been made by making rice husk-formaldehyde
boards.
• Such boards could be used as replacement for plywood panels.
• This is more environment friendly than plywood since use of plywood implies
considerable deforestation.

Fig 1: Rice husk fibers

2. Rice husk ash:

Rice husk ash, when rice husk is burnt under controlled conditions, results in amorphous
silica with excellent pozzolanic properties.

Fig 2: Rice husk ash

 LOW ENERGY CONSUMING BUILDING MATERIAL

3. Coir and sisal fiber:

Using coir and sisal fiber along with polyester resin as a matrix appears to offer a

cheaper, energy efficient alternative to glass fiber reinforced polyester composites.

Fig 3: Coir and Sisal fiber

4. Bamboo:

Bamboo, cane are the biomass resources which has its potential in building construction.

Bamboo has been used extensively for housing in north east region of India.

Fig 4: Bamboo

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 LOW ENERGY CONSUMING BUILDING MATERIAL
3.3 Industrial waste as a building material:

A large number of industries produce waste materials which need to be either disposed off or
utilized for some purpose.

Some of the typical industrial wastes may be listed as follows:

1.Fly ash from thermal power station.

2. Blast furnace slag from steel plants.

3. Marble polishing wastes.

4. Demolished building wastes.

1.Fly ash from thermal power station:

 Fly ash, which is obtained from electrostatic precipitators in thermal power station,
generally contains amorphous silica and alumina.
 These products have the property of combining readily with calcium hydroxide, at
surrounding temperature, in the presence of moisture.
 The resulting compounds are similar to what is found in hydrated Portland cement.
 Thus, fly ash can be used as pozzolana in lime-pozzolana cements. Addition of
gypsum in small quantities will accelerate the strength gain in such cements.

Fig 5: Fly ash from thermal power plant

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2. Blast furnace slag from steel plants:

1. The slag from blast furnace has cementitious properties.

2. Portland blast furnace slag cement is made by grinding normal clinker with slag.

3.This cement has sulphate resisting properties and is ideal for in aggressive environments.

Fig 6: Blast furnace slag from steel plant

3. Marble polishing waste:

1.Marble dust can also be used for lime and hydraulic lime manufacture.

2. The marble dust may be converted to ball like aggregates by mixing boiled starch.

3. Such aggregates can then be burnt in a lime kiln to produce a quick lime.

4. If the marble dust is mixed with clay and then made into balls, the balls can be used

to make hydraulic lime.

 LOW ENERGY CONSUMING BUILDING MATERIAL

Fig 7: Marble polishing waste

4.Demolished building wastes:

1. These are major source of land pollution in large cities.
2. Most of these can be recycled into building materials.
3. Sieving out fine material below 2mm can provide sand for plasters and mortars.
This may not be suitable for strong concrete.
4. Brick bats, broken concrete etc. can be used as aggregates for low strength
concrete applications like foundation concrete, flooring concrete etc.

Fig 8: Demolished building wastes

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 LOW ENERGY CONSUMING BUILDING MATERIAL

3.4 ENERGY EFFICIENT BUILDING MATERIALS:

Following are the energy efficient building material:

1. Recycled waste:

• If recycled steel is used it will take just 6 scrap cars to serve the same purpose.
• Steel beams can be used as a replacement for wooden ones & can be ordered to fit a
specific design
• Steel is a very durable material & particularly useful in areas where there are
earthquakes and high winds.

Fig 9: Recycled steel waste

2. Insulating concrete forms:

• These have been around for more than half a century but are now experiencing
a comeback because of their energy saving properties.
• Concrete is poured between 2 insulating layers and left in place.
• It can be used for free standing walls and building blocks.
•

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 LOW ENERGY CONSUMING BUILDING MATERIAL

Fig 10: Insulating concrete forms

3. Plant based Poly Urethane foam

• Everyone has heard about fiber glass insulation, but there is an even better option
now. It is totally safe and made from natural products.
• It is usually made from natural materials such as Bamboo, Hemp and Kelp.
• It is used as an insulation, it offers high resistance to the moisture and heat and
protects against Mold and Pests.
• It insulates better than a fiber glass.
• It is not really a surprise that a nature has once again provided us with an
better solution to our insulation problems than artificial science.

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 LOW ENERGY CONSUMING BUILDING MATERIAL

4. Straw Bales:
• It is been used for centuries for purpose (beds, roofing) but nowadays it can help
us with its better insulation properties.
• If kept dry can last for 100 years and they bond well for plastering and external
render.

Fig 11: straw bales

5. Cool roofs:
• Cool roofing technology has been around for over 15 years now, it will improve
the heat dissipation and will lower the temperature in our home during a summer a
lot
• It is also safe for the environment because it lowers heat in the atmosphere
• As the name, it is not this roof are cooling our home like air conditioner its their
reflectiveness which gives them the name.
• They reflect the sunlight and thus reducing the heat in our home.

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 LOW ENERGY CONSUMING BUILDING MATERIAL

Fig 12: Cool Roof

6. Plastic composite Lumber:

• It is manufactured from waste plastic and wood fiber.
• It is more durable and less toxic than conventionally treated wood.
• It is resistant to mold and more rigid in the cold.
• It is suitable for bathrooms and outside ducts.

Fig 13: plastic composite lumber

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 LOW ENERGY CONSUMING BUILDING MATERIAL

7.Cool roofs:

• Cool roofing technology has been around for over 15 years now, it will improve the
heat dissipation and will lower the temperature in our home during a summer a lot
• It is also safe for the environment because it lowers heat in the atmosphere
• As the name, it is not this roof are cooling our home like air conditioner its their
reflectiveness which gives them the name.
• They reflect the sunlight and thus reducing the heat in our home.

8. Low E- Windows:

• It is also known as a high performance windows and are another great substitute for
normal glass which will help us to reduce the heat during summer and block infrared
radiations.
• They have a clear coating of metal oxide
• It also helps keep the heat-in during the winter.
• They can reduce the heat flow up to 50%.

Fig 15: Low-E Coating performance

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3.5 IMPLEMENTATION:

1. Infinity Benchmark, Kolkata

It is 20 storey structure, which is spread over 5,60,000sq.feet. The building is furnished with
Co2 monitor sensors, rainwater harvesting, waste water recycling system. The exterior of the
building is made of brick wall comprises of thick polyurethane foam for better insulation.

2. Suzlon One Earth, Pune

This structure is designed in a way to ensure maximum daylight exposure

thereby Reducing artificial lighting consumption. The infrastructure within the

campus is designed to enable water percolation and thereby control storm water

proof thus,

Contributing towards an increased water table levels.

F
 LOW ENERGY CONSUMING BUILDING MATERIAL

3. ITCCENTERGREENBUILDINGHYDERABAD:
The building is designed keeping in mind the highest environmental standards. It is made up
of brick and concrete comprising of fly-ash and is equipped with high efficiency equipment
that reduce 53 percent energy consumption over a conventional building and 40 percent
potable water requirements. Zero water discharge, solar thermal technology, strom water
management system, minimum exterior lighting and separate smoking rooms with exhaust
system are some of the other features of the building.

4. OLYMPIA TECH PARK CHENNAI:

It is the technological nerve centre of the city ,Olumpia tech park is on eof the largest and
most sought IT parks in Chennai. The majestic structure is world wide famous for being the
first green building of 1.8 million sq.ft size and has 100 of the best fortune companies
working in it

This building has lowest energy consumption, high natural lighting system and 100% water
recycling system and other environment friendly practices.

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5. CII – SOHRABJI GODREJ BUISNESS CENTRE, HYDERABAD:

This architectural masterpiece has set the world’s best example of passive architectural
design. The CII-Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Center (GBC) was the was the first building
outside of the US to be awarded LEED platinum rating at the time of its inauguration. The
building doesn’t let out any waste and recycles it all within. It can be said that building is
literally made up of only recycled materials.

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6. INFOSYS LIMITED, MYSORE:

Located in the city of palaces, this green building is an awe-inspiring structure is

the third Infosys building to win a Platinum rating, taking the total Platinum
certified building area at Infosys to 780,000 sq ft. The 5 storey structure has been
built keeping in mind a holistic approach to sustainability in five key areas,
including – Sustainable site development, Water savings, Energy efficiency,
Materials selection and Indoor environmental quality.The smart mechanism and
efficient equipments lead to 40% of less energy consumption.

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3.6 Alternative Roofs:

1.Composite Jack Arch roofs : efficiency of beam&slab construction is exploited. Consists

of partially cast or cast in situ beams and panels. Pre-fabrication is possible for quick
erection.

2.Maasonry vaults and domes : Unreinforced masonry vault can be constructed using
moving from work. Possible to construct intersecting& hipped valuts.
 LOW ENERGY CONSUMING BUILDING MATERIAL

3. Filler slab roofs: filler slab roofs are basically solid block slabs. A portion of concrete in
tension zone is replaced with cheaper & light material. Max. 25% of concrete can be replaced
by filler.

3.7 Low Carbon construction materials and technologies:

Energy and naturally available raw materials are consumed for the production of “
construction materials.” Raw materials are mined and hence construction activites are
unsustainable. Energy expenditure leads to carbon emmision responsible for environmental
damage and climatic change.

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3.8 Advantages and Disadvantages of Low energy Consuming Building

Materials: Advantages:

1. Low Maintenance and Operation Cost

Green buildings incorporate unique construction features that ensure efficient use of
resources such water and energy. For example, by using task lighting strategy and a lot of
daylight, green buildings vastly reduce the amount of power used in lighting systems; This
allows users to save as much as a third of their water and energy bills. Given that operating
and maintenance costs can account for as much as 80% of the lifetime costs of a building,
reducing such costs significantly increases the earnings of building owners who collect rent
from their buildings. Even though constructing a green building may be slightly more
expensive than their non-green counterparts, the reduced operation and maintenance costs of
green buildings make them much cheaper in the long term.

2. Energy Efficiency

Designers of green buildings try as much as possible to reduce dependency on energy from
non-renewable sources such as coal. To this end, they install solar panels to make use of
energy from the sun, and design windows in a way that allows as much natural light as
possible and, therefore, reduces the use of artificial light; these and other methods ensure that
the building uses energy in an efficient manner. Energy efficiency is essential not only for the
user but also for the entire world because non-renewable energy sources are expensive and
pollute the environment.
 LOW ENERGY CONSUMING BUILDING MATERIAL

3. Enhances Indoor Environment Quality

Indoor environment quality depends on conditions inside a building and how they affect the
occupants of the building. These conditions include lighting, ergonomics, thermal conditions
and air quality. Good indoor environment quality is one protects the health of the building’s
occupants, reduces stress and improves their quality of life. Green buildings achieve this
through the installation of operable windows that allow in as much sunlight as possible and
reducing the use of materials that may emit elements that are dangerous to the health.

4. Water Efficiency

Water efficiency involves using water resources in a manner that saves water and ensures that
today and future generations enjoy a reliable supply of clean water. Green building allows for
the use of alternative sources of water such as rainwater, reducing water waste through the
installation of plumbing fixtures that are efficient and reducing the strain on shared water
resources by installing systems that purify water and enable recycling.

5. Better Health

People who live in green buildings enjoy many health benefits because of the safety of
materials used in the construction of such buildings. For instance, eco-friendly construction
companies avoid using plastic by-products that have been found to release toxic materials.
Toxic substances like carcinogens not only cause significant breathing difficulties but also
increase the chances of getting cancer.

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6. Material Efficiency

Material efficiency involves the use of physical process and materials in a manner that allows
for the minimum use of materials without compromising the quality of the outcome; also, the
processes should generate as little waste as possible. To achieve material efficiency, green
building companies use materials that are long lasting, recycle and reuse some products,
design buildings in a manner that allow for the use of fewer materials and employ processes
that use less water, raw materials, and energy. All these help achieve material efficiency.

7. Better Environment

By reducing usage of energy sources that pollute the environment such as coal, green
buildings contribute to keeping the environment clean. In addition, by reducing the levels of
carbon (IV) oxide emitted to the atmosphere, they help to lessen the pace of climate change.

8. Reduces Strain on Local Resources

As population increases, local shared resources such as water and energy come under
considerable pressure. Through the use of technologies and processes that increase water and
energy efficiency, green buildings can reduce this strain
 LOW ENERGY CONSUMING BUILDING MATERIAL

Disadvantages:

1- Location:

Since these buildings depend on sun for energy, they need to be located in position that will
have the best sun exposure which may demand placing them opposite to other neighborhood
homes.

2- Availability:

The materials to build such buildings can be hard to find especially in urban areas where
preserving the environment is not the people’s first option.

So shipping these materials can then cost a lot than a standard building.

3- No air cooling features:

These buildings run on heat to generate power, so they are not designed for hot areas as they
do not have any ventilation systems, so air conditioners will be required which will make
these buildings anything but Eco-friendly.

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CHAPTER 4:

CONCLUSION
The best low energy designs not only produce reduction in energy costs but also offer
occupants the potential for higher quality environments and more stable, controlled levels of
thermal comfort

There is no need to choose all of these materials which have been discussed above to build
our home but even if one turns out to be efficient that can be surely the right choice.

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REFERENCE
 K.S. JAGADISH, Energy efficient building materials and technologies Workshop on
solar passive Architecture. Karnataka state council for science and technology,
Bangalore, 23-25 jan.1996.
 MARTIN VONKA, Environment Impact Assessment of the Residential Buildings
and the Multicriterion Approach, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Dept. of Building
Structures, Czech Republic, 2003.
 JOSEPH GEORGE, K. DAMODARAN and H.N. JAGADISH, Veneer Roofs for
Rural and Low Cost Houses. Report Indian plywood Industries Research Institute,
Bangalore 1978.
 C.K.S PILLAI et al. A Process for Extending the Life of Coconut Leaf Thatch
Regional Research Laboratory, Trivandrum, Report No. RRL/M/83/2, April 1983.
 K RAMAMURTHY, Accelerated Masonry Construction with Interlocking Blocks,
National Workshop on Alternative Building Methods, Dept. of Civil Engg. Indian
Institute of Science, Bangalore 16-18 Jan. 2002

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