BUILDING TECHNOLOGY 5: ALTERNATIVE BUILDING CONSTRUCTION SYSTEMS
GRID SLAB OR WAFFLE SLAB
DEFINITION
• A waffle slab is a type of building material that has two-directional reinforcement
on the outside of the material, giving it the shape of the pockets on a waffle.
• This type of reinforcement is common on concrete, wood and metal
construction. A waffle slab gives a substance significantly more structural stability
without using a lot of additional material.
• This makes a waffle slab perfect for large flat areas like foundations or floors.
CHARACTERISTICS
• Has two directional reinforcement
• The top portion is generally smooth but underside has a
shape like a WAFFLE.
FEATURES
Fig. 1 two directional reinforcement
- Slab Thickness: 85-100 mm
- Internal Beams: 100-200 mm wide
- use of cardboard slab panel/void formers (waffle pods)
- slab panels are on 1m grid (approximately)
- used on flat sites and wholly above ground
Fig. 2 underside portion of the slab
Fig. 3 waffle pods
Fig. 4 sample dimension of waffle slab
Fig. 5 Flat grid or waffle slab reinforced concrete floor.
BUILDING TECHNOLOGY 5: ALTERNATIVE BUILDING CONSTRUCTION SYSTEMS
PROCESS
1. Prepare the building path. It has to be a clean and leveled building surface.
2. Install underground utilities, and place the perimeter formwork.
3. Then layout the waffle boxes. These boxes create voids in the foundation; also it
has to be laid out correctly.
4. Install the reinforcement steel for maximum slab strength.
5. If everything is in place and inspected, pour over the concrete.
APPLICATION
• It can be used as both ceiling and floor slab, usually in areas having huge spans
• It is usually used for specialized projects involving clean rooms
• It is used in projects such as centers, airports, parking garages commercial and
industrial buildings requiring extra stability
EXAMPLES OF GRID/ WAFFLE SLAB BUILDINGS
• YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY-NEW HAVEN,CONNECTICUT
• METROPOL PARASOL-SEVILLE, SPAIN
• LODYTEL COMMUNICATION DEVELOPMENT CENTER-MADRID, SPAIN
ADVANTAGES OF FLAT GRID SLAB/WAFFLE SLAB
LIGHTWEIGHT
HOLD LONGER SPAN
MORE STABLE THAN TRADITONAL SLAB
CAN SAVE 15%CONCRETE & 10% STEEL
GOOD RESISTANCE TO VIBRATION
CRACK ANG SAGGING RESISTANT
DISADVANTAGES
Construction requires strict supervision and skilled labor.
The casting forms or molds required for pre-cast units are very costly.
Headroom is reduced , hence greater storey height.
Creates problem in lighting facilities and hanging pipes or ducts.
Difficult to prefabricate reinforcement.
Curved partitions are hard to build.
Low fire rating.
