Sustainability

Definition

Providing for the needs of the current generation without compromising the ability of future
generations to provide for their needs. Providing healthy, resource-conserving, energy-efficient
buildings. "Green" building.

Term

Green Building

Definition

Sustainable building; energy-efficient building.

Term

Embodied Energy

Definition

The total life cycle energy expended in extraction of raw materials, processing, fabrication, and
transportation of a material or product to its point of use in a building; in some calculation, may also
include energy required to dispose of or recycle the material.

Term

Zoning Ordinance

Definition

a law that specifies in detail how land within a municipality may be used.

Term

Building Code

Definition

A set of regulations intended to ensure a minimum standard of health and safety in buildings.

Term

Model Building Code

Definition

A code that is offered by a recognized national organization as worthy of adoption by state or local
governments.

Term

National Building Code of Canada (NBCC)

Definition

The predominant Canadian model building code.

Term

International Building Code (IBC) and International Residential Code (IRC)

Definition

The predominant US model building codes.

Term

Occupancy Group

Definition

In the international Building Code,a definition of the types of activities that occur within the building or a
part of the building, relating to considerations of life safety.

Term

Construction Type

Definition

In the International Building Code, any of five major systems of building construction that are
differentiated by their relative resistance to fire.

Term

Fire Resistance Rating

Definition

The time, in hours or fractions of an hour, that a material or assembly will resist fire exposure as
determined by ASTM E119 (American Society for Testing and Materials).

Term

Bearing Wall

Definition

A wall that supports floors or roofs.

Term

Nonbearing

Definition

not carring a load

Term
Heavy Timber Construction

Definition

A type of wood construction made from large wood members and solid timber decking in a post and
beam configuration; in the International Building Code, buildings of Type IV HT construction, consisting
of heavy timber interior construction and noncombustible exterior walls, are considered to have
moderate fire-resistive properties.

Term

ASTM

Definition

American Society for Testing and Materials, an organization that promulgates standards for testing,
materials, and methods of building construction.

Term

International Residential Code (IRC)

Definition

the predominant U.S. model building codes

Term

access standard

Definition

A set of regulations ensuring that buildings are accessible and usable by physically handicapped
members of the population.

Term

American National Standards Institute (ANSI)

Definition

An organization that fosters the establishment of voluntary industrial standards.

Term

MasterFormat

Definition

The copyrighted title of a uniform indexing system for construction specifications, as created by the
Construction Specifications Institute and Construction Specification Canada.

Term

Design/Bid/Build Project Delivery

Definition

A method of providing design and construction services in which the design and construction phases of
the project are provided by different entities, usually used in combination with sequential construction.

Term

Construction Documents

Definition

The graphic construction drawings and written specifications to which a building is constructed.

Term

General Contractor

Definition

A construction entity with responsibility for the overall conduct of a construction project.

Term

Subcontractor

Definition

A contractor who specializes in one area of construction activity and who works under a general
contractor.

Term

Design/Build Project Delivery

Definition

A method of providing design and construction services in which the design and construction phases of
the project are provided by a single entity, frequently used in combination with fast track construction.

Term

Construction Manager

Definition

An entity that assists the owner in the procurement of construction services.

Term

Sequential Construction

Definition

A method of providing design and construction services in which each major phase of design and
construction is completed before the next phase is begun.
Term

Phased Construction, Fast Track Construction

Definition

A method of providing design and construction services in which design and construction overlap in
time.

Term

Gantt Chart

Definition

A graphic representation of a construction schedule, using a series of horizontal bars representing the
duration of various tasks or groups of tasks that make up the project

Term

Critical Path

Definition

The sequence of tasks that determines the least amount of time in which a construction project can be
completed.

Term

Lean Construction

Definition

Methods of construction and its management that emphasize efficiency, elimination of waste, and
continuous improvement in quality.

Term

Building Information Modeling (BIM)

Definition

The computerized three-dimensional modeling of building systems, with the linking of model
components to a data-base of properties and relationships.

Term

Computer-Aided Design (CAD)

Definition

The digital two-dimensional representation of building systems.

Term
Construction Drawings

Definition

The graphic instructions from an architect or an engineer concerning the construction of a building.

Term

turnkey

Definition

a construction type when an owner contracts with a single entity that provides not only design and
construction services, but financing for the project as well

Term

critical path method

Definition

depends on the detailed analysis of work tasks and their relationships to generate an optimal
construction schedule

Term

teaming

Definition

new practice model that combines efficient project delivery methods with innovations in team member
relationships in a variety of ways, with the aim of aligning all parties’ efforts with the shared goal of a
finished product of the highest possible quality and value to the owner

Term

1.) Who are the members of a typical team that designs a major building? What are their respective
roles?

Definition

The owner and contractor are the members of the typical team that design major buildings.

The owner wants to construct a building and hopes to achieve a finished product that meets its
expectations for design and quality, at the lowest price possible. The contractor wants to produce a
quality work, earn a profit, and complete the project in a timely fashion

Term

2.) What are the major constraints under which the designers of a building must work?

Definition

- Zoning ordinances
- Building codes

-Americans with Disabilities Act

- Fair Housing Act- multi-family housing

- Limitations on volatile organic compounds (chemical compounds that evaporate readily)

Term

3.) What types of subjects are covered by zoning ordinances?

Definition

- types of activities take place on a piece of land

- how much land can be covered by buildings

- how far buildings must be from property lines

- how many parking spaces must be provided

- total floor area

- height of building

Term

What types of subjects are covered by building codes?

Definition

Construction quality

- Structural integrity

- Durability

- Livability

- Accessibility

- Fire safety

Term

4.) In what units is fire resistance measured?

Definition

- Measure in hours

- The fire resistance of a building assembly is determined by the kind of wall is and how close that wall is
to other buildings.

Term
Foundation

Definition

The portion of a building that transmits structural loads from the building into the earth.

Term

Dead Load

Definition

Permanent loads on a building, including the weight of the building itself and any permanently attached
equipment.

Term

Live Load

Definition

Nonpermanent loads on a building caused by the weights of people, furnishings, machines, vehicles, and
goods in or on the building.

Term

Load

Definition

A weight or force acting on a structure.

Term

Wind Load

Definition

A force on a building caused by wind pressure and/or suction.

Term

Seismic Load

Definition

A force on a structure caused by movement of the earth relative to the structure during an earthquake.

Term

Lateral Force

Definition

A force acting generally in a horizontal direction, such as wind, earthquake, or soil pressure against a
foundation wall.
Term

Buoyant Uplift

Definition

The force of water or liquefied soil that tends to raise a building foundation out of the ground.

Term

Uniform Settlement

Definition

Subsidence of the various foundation elements of a building at the same rate, resulting in no distress to
the structure of the building.

Term

Differential Settlement

Definition

Subsidence of the various foundation elements of a building at differing rates.

Term

Soil

Definition

Any particulate earth material, excluding rock.

Term

Coarse-Grained Soil

Definition

Soil with particles ranging in size from roughly 0.003 to 3 inches; sands and gravels.

Term

Clay

Definition

A fine-grained soil with plate-shaped particles less than 0.0002 inch in size, which properties are
significantly influenced by the structural arrangements of the particles and the electrostatic forces acting
between them.

Term

Fine-Grained Soil

Definition
Soil with particles 0.003 inch or less in size; silts and clays.

Term

Organic Soil

Definition

Soil containing decayed vegetable and/or animal matter; topsoil.

Term

Frictional Soil, Cohesionless Soil

Definition

A soil such as sand that has little or no attraction between its particles and derives its strength from
geometric interlocking of the particles.

Term

Cohesive Soil

Definition

A soil such as clay whose particles are able to adhere to one another by means of cohesive and adhesive
forces.

Term

Plastic

Definition

A synthetically produced giant molecule, mostly based on carbon chemistry.

Term

Well-Graded Soil, Poorly Sorted Soil

Definition

Coarse-grained soil with a full range of particle sizes.

Term

Poorly Graded Soil, Well-Sorted Soil

Definition

Soil with less than a full range of particle sizes.

Term

Uniformly Graded Soil

Definition

A special instance of a well-sorted soil in which the soil particles are mostly of one size.

Term

Water Table

Definition

The level at which the pressure of water in the soil is equal to the atmospheric pressure; effectively, the
level to which groundwater will fill an excavation. Also, a wood molding or shaped brick used to make a
transition between a thicker foundation and the wall above.

Term

Frost Line

Definition

The depth in the earth to which the soil can be expected to freeze during a severe winter.

Term

Angle of Repose

Definition

The steepest angle at which an excavation may be sloped so that the soil will not slide back into the
hole.

Term

Shoring

Definition

Temporary vertical or sloping supports of steel or timber.

Term

Lagging

Definition

Planks placed between soldier beams to retain earth around an excavation.

Term

Sheeting

Definition

A stiff material used to retain the soil around an excavation; a material such as polyethylene in the form
of very thin, flexible sheets.
Term

Pneumatically Applied Concrete, Shotcrete

Definition

A low-slump concrete mixture that is deposited by being blown from a nozzle at high speed with a
stream of compressed air.

Term

Slurry

Definition

A watery mixture of insoluble materials with a high concentration of suspended solids.

Term

Tremie

Definition

A large funnel with a tube attached, used to deposit concrete in deep forms or beneath water or slurry.

Term

Precast Concrete

Definition

Concrete cast and cured in a location other than its final position in the structure.

Term

Bracing

Definition

Diagonal members, either temporary or permanent, installed to stabilize a structure against lateral
loads.

Term

Raker

Definition

A sloping brace for supporting sheeting around an excavation.

Term

Tieback

Definition
A tie, one end of which is anchored in the ground, with the other end used to support sheeting around
an excavation.

Term

Rock Anchor

Definition

A posttensioned rod or cable inserted into a rock formation for the purpose of tying it together.

Term

Dewatering

Definition

The extraction of water from an excavation or its surrounding soil.

Term

Sump

Definition

A pit designed to collect water for removal from an excavation or basement.

Term

Barrier Wall

Definition

An exterior wall of a building whose watertightness depends on its freedom from passages through the
wall.

Term

Superstructure

Definition

The above-ground portion of a building.

Term

Substructure

Definition

The occupied below-ground portion of a building.

Term

Shallow Foundation
Definition

A building foundation located at the base of a wall or a column, bearing on soil relatively close to the
ground surface.

Term

Deep Foundation

Definition

A building foundation that extends through upper strata of incompetent soil to reach deeper strata with
greater bearing capacity.

Term

Footing

Definition

The part of a foundation that spreads a load from the building across a broader area of soil.

Term

Engineered Fill

Definition

Earth compacted into place in such a way that it has predictable physical properties, based on laboratory
tests and specified , supervised installation procedures.

Term

Slab on Grade

Definition

A concrete surface lying upon, and supported directly by, the ground beneath.

Term

Crawlspace

Definition

A space that is not tall enough to stand in, located beneath the bottom of a building.

Term

Tie Beam

Definition
A reinforced concrete beam cast as part of a masonry wall, whose primary purpose is to hold the wall
together, especially against seismic loads, or cast between a number of isolated foundation elements to
maintain their relative positions.

Term

Cantilever

Definition

A beam, truss, or slab that extends beyond its last point of support.

Term

Mat Foundation, Raft Foundation

Definition

A single concrete footing that is essentially equal in area to the area of ground covered by the building.

Term

Floating Foundation

Definition

A foundation placed at depth such that the weight of the soil removed is close to the weight of the
building being supported.

Term

Caisson, Drilled Pier

Definition

A cylindrical sitecast concrete foundation unit that penetrates through unsatisfactory soil to rest upon
an underlying stratum of rock or satisfactory soil; an enclosure that permits excavation work to be
carried out underwater.

Term

Auger

Definition

A helical tool for creating cylindrical holes.

Term

Pile

Definition

A long, slender piece of material driven into the ground to act as an element of a foundation.
Term

Timber

Definition

Standing trees; a large piece of dimensional lumber.

Term

Piledriver

Definition

A machine for driving piles.

Term

Pile Cap

Definition

A thick slab of reinforced concrete poured across the top of a pile cluster to cause the cluster to act as a
unit in supporting a column or grade beam.

Term

Grade Beam

Definition

A reinforced concrete beam that transmits the load from a bearing wall into spaced foundations such as
pile caps or caissons.

Term

Heaving

Definition

The forcing upward of ground or building by the action of frost or pile driving.

Term

Sitecast

Definition

Concrete that is poured and cured in its final position in a building.

Term

Mandrel

Definition
A stiff steel core placed inside the thin steel shell of a sitecast concrete pile to prevent it from collapsing
during driving

Term

Base Isolator

Definition

A device at foundation level that diminishes the transmission of seismic motions to a building.

Term

Underpinning

Definition

The process of placing new foundations beneath an existing structure.

Term

Retaining Wall

Definition

A wall that resists horizontal soil pressures at an abrupt change in ground elevation.

Term

Geotextile

Definition

A synthetic cloth used beneath the surface of the ground to stabilize soil or promote drainage.

Term

Drainage

Definition

Removal of water.

Term

Drainage Backfill

Definition

Crushed stone or gravel backfill materials with good drainage characteristics, place around a foundation
to facilitate drainage.

Term

Dampproofing
Definition

A coating intended to resist the passage of water, commonly applied to the outside face of basement
walls or to the inner face of a cavity in a masonry cavity wall.

Term

Parging

Definition

Portland cement plaster applied over masonry to make it less permeable to water.

Term

Waterproofing

Definition

Material acting as a barrier to the flow of water and capable of withstanding hydrostatic pressure.

Term

Bentonite Clay

Definition

An absorptive colloidal clay that swells to several times its dry volume when saturated with water; the
primary ingredient in bentonite waterproofing.

Term

Negative Side Waterproofing

Definition

Waterproofing applied to the inner side of a wall, acting to resist water passage from the opposite side.

Term

Blind-Side Waterproofing

Definition

An impervious layer or coating on the outside of a foundation wall that, for reasons of inaccessibility,
was installed before the wall was constructed.

Term

Waterstop

Definition

A metal, synthetic rubber, bentonite clay, or sealant strip used to seal joints in concrete foundation
walls.
Term

Flood Test

Definition

The submersion of a horizontal waterproofing system, usually for an extended period of time, to check
for leaks.

Term

Protection Board

Definition

Semirigid sheet material used to cushion the outside of a foundation wall, particularly its waterproofing
layer, from damage caused by rocks in the backfill material.

Term

Shallow Foundation

Definition

A building foundation located at the base of a wall or a column, bearing on soil relatively close to the
ground surface.

Term

Backfill

Definition

Earth or earthen material used to fill the excavation around a foundation; the act of filling around a
foundation.

Term

Controlled Low-strength Material (CLSM)

Definition

A concrete that is purposely formulated to have a very low but known strength, used primarily us a
backfill material.

Term

Mud Slab

Definition

A slab of weak concrete placed directly on the ground to provide a usually temporary working surface
that is hard, level, and dry.

Term
Up-Down Construction

Definition

A sequence of construction activity in which construction proceeds downward on the sublevels of a

building at the same time as it proceeds upward on the superstructure.