BLD 112 : BUILDING CONSTRUCTION
PREPARED
BY
UMAR BELLO NUHU
BUILDING TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT
COLLEGE OF ENVIROMENTAL STUDIES
JIGAWA STATE POLYTECHNIC, DUTSE
COURSE CONTENT
CREDIT UNIT: 2 UNITS
GOAL: This course is designed to acquaint students with knowledge of building construction.
GENERAL OBJECTIVES: On completion of this course, student will be able:
• 1.0 Know the various building components and their functional requirements
• 2.0 Understand the preliminaries involved in the Construction of a building
• 3.0 Understand the general principles of selecting sites and preparing them to receive various types of
foundations
• 4.0 Understand the principle of damp proofing in building.
• Course Assessment
• 1. Continuous Assessment (CA) – 30%
• Assignment - 10% Test - 15% Attendance – 05
• 2. Exams – 70%
• Note: Attendance is compulsory, absent without valid reasons and coming to the class late will not be
entertained. Hence, any student who is 10 minutes late should stay away of the class.
BUILDING COMPONENT
Building Components
A building acts as an enclosure for the activities that of on within, it building will protect the
occupants, equipment or goods housed within from the various of he external climate (rain,
wind, sun etc). For a building to act as enclosure, it must have external walls and be covered
by a roof. The roof will normally rest on the walls and be support by them. The walls in turn,
will need a firm base or foundation to be built upon, which will transfer their weight and that
of the roof to the ground beneath.
To make the building usable, the internal space enclosed by the external walls and roof may
need to be sub-divided into room by the introduction of horizontal dividers between storey’s,
the floors, and vertical dividers between rooms, the internal walls. Stairs or lift can provide
access between storeys. Doors can provide access to the building and to each room within the
building. Daylight and ventilation can be introduced into the building by the provision of
windows in the external walls or roof. All these part of the building are referred to as building
component or elements
Major Building Components
The major building components are as listed below.
• Foundation
• Floor
• Wall
• Door
• Window
• Fenestration (Other openings)
• Roof
• Ceiling
Foundation
The function of the foundation is to transmit the load from the building finally to the
soil. This, it must do without excessive settlement and compression of the supporting
soil layer.
Functional Requirements of Foundation
• Ability to carry loads with a minimum movement
• Adequate width to safely transmit the loads on it to the supporting soil layer
Functions of Foundations
• Foundation provides suitable support and stability for building
• Transmits to the ground all the loads that come on the building over a sufficient area of
subsoil
• Prevents the failure of the building or uneven settlement.
The selection of foundation types is influenced by
• The type of building
• The nature of the loading
• The site condition
Foundations are of many types but the more common ones include
• Strip foundation
• Pad foundation
• Pile foundation
• Raft foundation
FLOOR
Floor can be defined as the horizontal structure which carries imposed and live loads in
a building and divides a building into storeys. It plays an important role in a building.
The most common material used for the construction of floors that will meet the
requirement of building regulations and local bye-laws are concrete and wood.
Functional Requirements of Floor
Adequate strength and stability to support the loads that comes on it.
Resistance to sound penetration
Resistance to moisture penetration
Thermal resistance
Fire resistance
Durability
Hard wearing
WALL
This is usually the vertical continuous part of a building which encloses or
protects the building or divides the building into rooms and compartments.
It is made up of blocks, concrete, mortar, stones, metals etc. types of walls
include: Internal, External, Buttress, Sleeper, party, parapet partition and
cavity walls.
Functional Requirements of Walls
Openings for daylight and ventilation
Fire resistance to provide security and stability in the event of fire
Adequate strength to resist being crushed by the loads from floors and
roofs they support
Durability to withstand the condition under which it will function
Adequate stability to resist other forces such as wind pressure and roof
loads.
DOOR AND WINDOW
DOOR: A door is a movable barrier placed across an opening in a building that provides access into the
building or between spaces within the building.
Functional Requirements of Door
• Weather resistance
• Durability
• Fire resistance
• It must be easy to slide open and close
WINDOW: A Window provide natural light and ventilation to the interior of a building while excluding
rain and insects. Windows are usually made of timber, steel. But other materials such as plastics (uPVC) and
aluminium are also popular. Each material has its own advantages and disadvantages.
Functional Requirements of Window
• The minimum area of window in a habitable room should be 10 percent of the floor area
• The minimum opening area of the window in a habitable room should be 5 percent of the floor area.
• Adequate security against intruders
• Adequate resistance to external weather elements
• Provide privacy.
FLOOR
This is the topmost covering in a building. It is done during the
finishing of a building. It prevents a lot of sound (minimizing
incoming sound), dust, wind and rain and also it helps the
occupants cover their privacy.
Functional Requirement of Floor
• Strength and stability
• Resistance to weather and ground moisture
• Durability and free from maintenance
• Fire resistance
• Resistance to passage of heat
• Resistance to passage of sound
