Building Technology 2 – Lecture 6: Building Construction Layout
Link to Building Construction Layout
INTRODUCTION
1. Planning of a building refers to the arrangement of all the units of a building on
floors and at all levels
2. Keep in mind the general purpose of the building, as well as its functional or utility
aspect.
3. Main considerations of planning include:
a. Human habitation and their requirements
b. Climatic condition and effects
c. By-laws for planning and construction
d. Comfort, safety, economy
SITE LAYOUT DESIGN
1. In site layout planning, the temporary facilities that will support construction
operations will be identified and must have an appropriate position.
2. The shape and size of TFs will be determined
3. Site safety will be improved
4. Proper plan for TFs is important to reduce hazards and accidents and to increase
productivity in the site.
PRINCIPLES OF PLANNING
1. Privacy – For more privacy, avoid locating the door at the center.
2. Aspect – Planned arrangements of the doors and windows of external walls
Types of Rooms Suggested Aspect
Bedroom West, SW
Dining room South
3. Prospect – A building looks good from the outside by using attractive exterior wall
painting and windows.
4. Grouping – how various rooms are grouped based on their utility and how there
will be an easy communication between them
a. The kitchen and dining room should be close to each other.
5. Roomminess – A small room should have a low ceiling height
6. Furniture requirements – The size of furniture to be required for a room to achieve
its function should be considered
7. Circulation – provided through passage, corridors, lobbies and ramps
8. Sanitation
9. Economy
10. Flexibility
11. Lighting – natural and artificial
12. Orientation of building – how a building is planned on the site based on the
directions
a. Long walls – towards North and South
b. Short walls – East and West
13. Selection of Site – In planning a building, the location and geometry of the site are
considered.
TEMPORARY BENCH MARK (TBM)
1. A fixed point on a site to which all levels are related and should be established at
an early stage
2. It should relate to an ordinance benchmark
3. On the site, it could relate to any permanent fixture
BASELINE
1. To which all the setting out can be related
2. A straight reference line in respect to which the building corner are located on the
ground
3. Often coincides with the building line
HORIZONTAL CONTROLS
1. Points that have known coordinates with respect to a specific point
2. Other points such as layout corners can then be located.
VERTICAL CONTROLS
1. Enable design points to be positioned at their correct levels
2. Established relative to specified vertical datum
3. Generally established during the levelling phase using a theodolite or similar
instrument.
TRENCHES
1. An excavation that is generally deeper than it is wide, and narrow compared with
its length.
REDUCED LEVEL
1. [Surveying] Equating elevations of survey points with reference to a common
assumed datum
2. Considered as the base elevation
FRAMED BUILDING
1. The fitting together of pieces to support a structure and to give it shape
2. Framing materials: Wood, engineered wood, or structural steel
3. Mass wall construction – alternative to framed construction
a. Horizontal layers of stacked materials such as log building, masonry,
rammed earth, adobe, etc. are used without framing
