BUILDING SYSTEMS DESIGN
FINAL EXAM REVIEWER
Building Service Systems
- defined as e the systems installed in
buildings to make them comfortable, functional,
efficient, and safe. Basically, it is all about making buildings
meet the needs of the people who live and work in them.
 SANITATION - the process of keeping places clean
and healthy, especially by providing a sewage system
and a clean water supply.
Section 901. General Requirements
- “… all buildings.. For human habitation shall be provided
with adequate and potable water supply, plumbing
installation, and suitable wastewater treatment or
disposal system, storm water drainage, pest and vermin
control, noise abatement device, and such other measures
required for the protection and promotion of health of
persons occupying the
premises and others living nearby.”
WATER SUPPLY SYSTEM
Section 902.
- Whenever available, the potable water requirements for
a building used for human habitation shall be supplied
from existing municipal or city waterworks system.
-Water piping installation for water supply and
distribution to each fixture (including wastewater drainage
with proper venting inside building and premises) shall
conform to the provisions of the Revised National
Plumbing Code of the Philippines.
- Drinking water quality shall conform to the criteria set
in the latest National Drinking Water Standards.
WASTEWATER DISPOSAL SYSTEM
Section 903.
-  Sanitary sewage from buildings and neutralized or pre-
treated industrial wastewater shall be discharged directly
into the nearest street sanitary sewer main of existing
municipal or city sanitary sewerage system in accordance
with the Code on Sanitation of the Philippines and the
DENR.
STORM DRAINAGE SYSTEM
Section 904.
- Rainwater drainage shall not discharge to the sanitary
sewer system.
-  Drainage pipe installation and sewerage
system of any premises and/or connection with any public
disposal or any acceptable terminal shall conform to the
provisions of the Revised National Plumbing Code of the
Philippines.
PEST AND VERMIN CONTROL
Section 905.
- All buildings shall be provided with rat-proofing and
garbage bins and receptacles with ready means for
cleaning and with positive protections against entry of
pests and vermins.
- Dining rooms for public use without artificial ventilation
shall be properly screened,.
NOISE POLLUTION CONTROL
Section 906.
- Industrial establishments shall be provided with
positivenoise abatement devices to tone down the noise
level of equipment and machineries to acceptable limits
set down by DOLE and DENR.
SEWAGE COLLECTION AND DISPOSAL, EXCRETA
DISPOSAL AND DRAINAGE
 SECTION 3: INDIVIDUAL EXCRETA AND SEWAGE
DISPOSAL SYSTEMS
3.1 Individual Excreta Disposal Systems
 SECTION 4: DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF SEPTIC
TANKS, LEACHING TILE FIELD AND HOUSE SEWERS
4.1 Septic Tank
 Plumbing Systems
REVISED NATIONAL PLUMBING CODE OF THE
PHILIPPINES
Section 302. Grade of Horizontal Drainage Piping
WATER SUPLLY AND DISTRIBUTION
Section 609 - SIZE OF POTABLE WATER PIPING
FIXTURE UNIT - an arbitrary quantity in terms of which the
load-producing effects
ROOF DRAIN
Section 1104. SIZING OF RAINWATER PIPING
 Electrical Systems
ELECTRICAL REGULATIONS
Section 1301.
- “All electrical systems, equipment, and installations
mentioned in the Code shall conform to the provisions of
the Philippine Electrical Code Part 1 (PEC-1) and Part 2
(PEC-2), as adopted by the Board of Electrical Engineering
pursuant to Republic Act 7920, otherwise known as the
Philippine Electrical Engineering Law.”
Section 1301.2.a. Attachments on Buildings
- A plan approved by professional electrical engineer shall
cover power lines and cables, transformers, and other
electrical equipment installed on or in buildings and shall
be submitted to the local Building Official.
Section 1301.3. Open Supply Conductors Attached to
Buildings
- Conductors of more than 300V to ground shall not be
carried along or near the surface of the buildings unless
they are guarded or made inaccessible.
- To promote safety to the general public… conductors and
other current-carrying parts of electrical supply lines shall
be arranged so as to provide adequate clearance from the cable and installed within or on, to or from:
ground or other space generally accessible, or shall be 1. Public and private buildings
provided with guards so as to isolate persons effectively 2. Electrical generating plants
from accidental contact. 3. Temporary and permanent substations
4. Industrial plants
Section 1301.4. Conductors Passing By or Over Building 5. Transformer stations
- Unguarded or accessible supply conductors carrying 6. Railway switchyards
voltages in excess of 300V may be either beside or over 7. Yards, carnival, parking, etc.
buildings, subject to the following clearances 8. Watercraft
9. Dockyards
10. Airfields
11. Quarries and mines
12. Mobile homes, travel trailers and recreational vehicles
13. Offshore facilities
14. Other premises which requires electrical installation
except to those which are done in; a) aircraft, b) motor
vehicles, c) railway rolling stocks

ELECTRICAL PERMIT
- An application form (DPWH form No. 77-001-E) shall be
accomplished, signed and submitted by a duly registered
Professional Electrical Engineer. However, if the
installation does not exceed 20 lighting and/or receptacle
outlets or 4000 volt-amperes, 230 volts, the application
may
Section 1301.5. Clearance of Service Drops
be prepared, signed and submitted by a duly registered
- Service drop conductors shall have a clearance of:
electrical engineer or master electrician.
2.50m from the highest point of roofs over which they
pass
Building Envelope Systems
At least 3m from the ground
- that part of any building that physically separates the
At least 1m horizontally from windows, doors, porches,
exterior environment from the interior environment is
fire escapes, or or similar locations and shall be run less
called the building enclosure or building envelope.
than 1.00m above the top level of a window or opening.
“Building enclosure is the physical component of a
building that separates the interior from the exterior: it is
Section 1301.6. Wiring Methods
an environmental separator.” (Straube, J. (2017))
- Service conductors shall be installed in
rigid steel conduit or concrete encased
plastic conduit from point of service drop
to meter base and from meter base to the
disconnecting equipment. Abandoned lines shall be
removed.

PHILIPPINE ELECTRICAL CODE

OBJECTIVES:
 Safe Use of Electricity: to establish basic materials
quality and electrical work standards for the safe use
of electricity for light, heat, power, communications,
signaling and for other purposes.
 Adequacy: : Strict compliance with the provisions of
this Code will ensure safety in electrical installation
and construction, but not necessarily efficient,
convenient, or adequate for good service or future
expansion of electrical use.

PEC I - ELECTRICAL INSTALLATION INSIDE BUILDINGS

PEC II - ELECTRICAL INSULATION OUTSIDE BUILDINGS

SCOPE.
- PEC covers the electric conductors including optical fiber
 10.3. Building Envelope Color
- Light-colored building envelope, especially the roof areas
which are the most vulnerable, can reduce heat transfer
from the outside to the inside of the building by having
surface with high solar reflectance index (SRI).
- Building metal roof surfaces shall either be colored white
or have a minimum SRI of 70. there are no exceptions to
this provision.

10.2 Natural Ventilation

Balancing between the cost of the building envelope and
- This will give building occupants the flexibility and
its level of performance is key to achieving the most cost-
opportunity to use natural ventilation for free cooling and
effective design of a building.
fresh air in regularly occupied spaces. Operable windows
or balcony door shall be provided with the size of the
FUNCTIONS OF THE BUILDING ENVELOPE SYSTEMS
opening being at least 10% of the floor area of regularly
1. Structural. If the wall is not part of the main building
occupied spaces.
structure, support own weight and transfer lateral loads to
building frame.
10.4 Roof Insulation
2. Water. Resist water penetration.
- Insulation can help reduce heat gain, thus improving
3. Air. Resist excessive air infiltration.
thermal comfort, acoustic quality, and reducing the load
4. Movement. Accommodate differential movement
on the air conditioning system.
(caused by temperature variation and structural
movement).
Building Materials and Assemblies
5. Energy Conservation. Resist thermal transfer through
- materials refers to all the physical substances that are
radiation, convection, and conduction.
assembled to create the exterior and interior of a building.
6. Fire Safety. Provide rated resistance to heat and smoke.
7. Security. Protect occupants from outside threats.
APPROPRIATENESS.
8. Durability. Provide functional and aesthetic
a. Material Compatability - in terms of climatic, cultural,
characteristics for a long time.
and aesthetic conditions.
9. Aesthetics. Do all of these and look attractive.
b. Applicability of Material to Occupancy and Size of
10. Economy. Do all of these inexpensively.
Building
- legal limit by building type and size
*Performance refers to the desired level, or standard, to
- in general, buildings with large occupancy numbers and
which the system must be designed for each of the
greater enclosed square footage require more fire-
functional requirements.
resistant construction and complex fire protection systems
- material durability a concern for dense occupancies
THE PHILIPPINE GREEN BUILDING CODE
(public schools and hospitals)
Section 3. Objectives
c. Environmental Impact - long-term ecological footprint,
- seeks to improve the efficiency of building performance
sustainability
through a framework of acceptable set of standards that
will enhance sound environmental and resource
COMMON BUILDING MATERIALS
management that will counter the harmful gases
 Sand - use good quality sand to build a strong house,
responsible for the adverse effects of climate change.
since it is used in mortar and concrete for many
important parts of the house, including the
Section 10.1.1. Air Tightness and Moisture Protection
foundation, concrete for the tie columns and bond
- Buildings must be planned and designed with specific
beams, and to bond the blocks in the walls.
details to ensure that air tightness is maximized. Details
- good quality sand is: grey in color, clean and free from
should precisely include joints, service entry points,
mud, not mixed with rubbish, wood bits, or roots, not too
windows, and doors. The implementation of these
fine
measures requires only increased attention to the
 Gravel - used in concrete for the plinth beam, tie
construction details and it can be implemented at
columns, ring beam, and the floor. A smaller gravel,
practically no cost.
called pea gravel is used for grout in grouted masonry
walls. Walls, beams, and columns are all important
Aesthetics is a branch of philosophic study that relates to
structural elements, and therefore the gravel that is
the nature and expression of beauty and taste; in other
used to make them must be of good quality.
words, the appearances of things. Aesthetic
- good quality gravel: crushed and angular, clean and free
considerations in architecture might include: shape,
from mud, not mixed with rubbish, wood bits, or roots,
texture, colour, unity, symmetry, space, culture, and
not larger than 2 cm in dm for reinforced concrete beams
context, among many others.
and columns, not larger than 1 cm in diameter for grout.
 Concrete Hollow Blocks - strength of masonry wall is
very important. A strong masonry wall is the first line
of defense in an earthquake and typhoon. It is
therefore important that we use strong blocks to
make our walls.
- no cracks and chips, blocks should not have an overly
porous texture, blocks should be 15 cm wide minimum,
should be grey, and when two blocks are hit together, the
sound is a metallic clunk, not a dull thud
 Rebar - it is a critical component for a disaster-
resistant house. Bars should be new and ribbed to
make a good bond with the concrete. Avoid reusing
steel.
Bending and Assembling Stirrups and Ties: use 6mm bars
for stirrups minimum, bend hooks at135 degrees, 5 cm
hook length, place stirrups at maximum of 10cm for first 5
stirrups next to a connection and 20 cm everywhere else,
rotate stirrups so that the position of the hooks change.
 Timber - the type of timber must be matched to the
function of the timber element. Choosing a timber
elements of the appropriate type and dimension will
reduce the cost and improve safety of the house.
- good quality timber : straight-grained, free of excessive
knots, free of wraps and moisture, grade 2 or better
(mahogany, lawaan, and gmelina can be used for
structural members)
- connecting the elements of a house is essential for
earthquake and typhoon resistance. There must be good
quality connections all the way from the roof to the
foundation for an earthquake-resistant house.
- important points of connection: connecting the columns
to the foundation, walls to the column, beams and
columns to one another, roof to the walls, purlins to the
rafters, using enough nails or steel straps to connect wood
members together
 Paint (GB Code: 12.1. Non-Toxic Materials) - Non-
toxic building materials are those without hazardous
or toxic chemicals that can cause Sick Building
Syndrome (SBS) and eventually lead to Building
Related Illness (BRI). Paints, coatings, adhesives, and
sealants used indoors or non-ventilated areas shall
not contain Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) or
should be within levels tolerable to humans
Paint Finish Types
1. High-Gloss - very high durabilty, exterior walls and
bathrooms
2. Semi-Gloss - high durability, kitchen and living room
3. Satin - high durability, family/children’s rooms, trims
and mouldings throughout the home
4. Eggshell - medium durability, dining rooms and living
rooms
5. Matte Paint - medium to low durability, bedrooms
6. Textured Finish - high durability, interior walls
EXTERIOR SYSTEMS
Precast Concrete Wall Systems
Architects: selects the cladding material for appearance,
provides details for weatherproofing, and specifies
performance criteria.
Structural Engineer: designs the structure to hold the
cladding, designates connection points, and evaluates the
effects of structural movement on the cladding
Precast Concrete Manufacturer: : designs the cladding for
the specified loads, erection loads, connection details, and
provides for the weatherproofing, performance and
durability of the cladding itself
Roofing
NBCP Section 1206. Roof Construction and Covering
- Roof covering for all buildings shall be either fire-
retardant or ordinary depending upon the fire-resistive
requirements of the type of construction.
-Roof trusses shall have all joints well fitted and shall have
all tension members well tightened before any load is
placed in the truss. Diagonal and sway bracing shall be
used to brace all roof trusses.
INTERIOR SYSTEMS
Finishes - ceiling treatment, stairway, interior door, wall
treatment, lighting, floor covering, post and columns,
space division systems, trim, cabinets and countertops
Flooring
- All floors shall be framed and secured into the
framework and supporting walls as to form an integral
part of the whole building.
- The types of floor construction shall provide means to
keep the beam and girders from lateral buckling.
FENESTRATION SYSTEMS - refers to all the openings in the
building envelope.
Doors.
NBCP Section 1207.3
- Exit door shall swing in the direction of exit travel when
serving any hazardous areas or when serving an occupant
load of fifty (50) or more.
- Every required exit doorway shall be of a size as to
permit the installation of a door not less than 900
millimeters in width and not less than 2.00 meters in
height.
Glass.
NBCP Section 1208. Skylights
- All skylights shall be constructed with metal frames
(except those for Groups A and JOccupancies) designed to
carry loads required for roofs. All glass in skylights shall be
wired glass
NBCP Rule XVIII. Glass and Glazing
- Each light with special performance characteristics such
as laminated, heat strengthened, fully tempered or
insulated, shall
bear the manufacturer’s identification showing the
special characteristics and thickness by etching or
other permanent identification that shall be visible
after the glass is glazed.
Cost Estimation
- the process estimating all of the costs associated with
completing a project within scope and according to its
timeline.
Bill of Quantities - determines the quantities of the
various work sections involved in the project through an
ordered structure of measurement data
 WORK SECTIONS/JOB CLASSIFICATION - this is to
breakdown planned works into elementary physical
parts according to their logical, technological or
functional identity in relation to the whole building.
(Examples: Earthworks, Foundation, Superstructures,
Partitions, Plaster, Floors, Walls, Plumbing and Sanitary,
Electrical)
 MEASUREMENT - the quantities of the elements of
the project by acquiring the relevant metric
information.
Prices: reference unit rates
 Material Prices: Fluctuates up and down so the
estimator must both understand and anticipate the
frequency and extent of the price variation and
timing of buying cycle.
May be affected by: - Material availability - Size of the
order - Delivery timeframe - Exchange rates, etc.
 Equipment Costs - Depends on the correct size or
capacity required to perform the work.
 Labor Rates - Cost per hour for the craftsmen on the
project. (Current real minimum wage (Region X,
nonagriculture) = Php330.79
 Labor Hours - Estimator must make allowances for
varying capability based on the complexity of the
project, unit man-hour basis
 Indirect Cost - For the owner: design fees, permits,
land acquisition, etc.
For the contractor: mobilization, staffing, on-site job
office, temporary utilities, tools, etc.
- method for assessing the total cost of facility ownership
(acquiring, owning, and disposing)
- utilized to estimate the overall costs of project
alternatives and to select the design that ensures the
lowest overall cost of ownership consistent with its
quality and function. This should be performed early in the
design process while there is still a chance to refine the
design to ensure a reduction in life-cycle costs.
Technical Documentation
- pieces of paper containing official information
- act or an instance of furnishing or authenticating with
documents
Includes:
- building plans, specifications, as-builts
-job costing and accounting documentation
- safety in construction
- crew scheduling and human resource
BENEFITS OF WELL-ORGANIZED CONSTRUCTION
DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT
- claim preservation
- project cost and status tracking
- well-established scope of work
- quick change order approval
- Efficient Quality control and Inspections

CONTRACTOR’S RISK
 When the estimator is considering the amount of
profit to add to a bid, the amount of risk for the
contractor must also be assessed.
 Risk of the contractor: losing money in the process of
a building project (or when the actual cost of
construction exceeds the estimated cost)
 Only where the owner changes the scope of the work
of the contract will the contract price change. Else,
extra costs will have to be paid by the contractor.
Under a lump sum contract, the general reasons for
actual costs exceeding the estimates include:
- takeoff quantities are too low
- actual productivity doesn’t meet anticipated
productivity
- subcontractors or material suppliers fail to meet
obligations

LCCA (LIFE-CYCLE COST ANALYSIS)