Building Design
- Environmental requirements
- Structural requirements
- Aesthetic requirements
- Cost constraints
- Dimensional constraints
- Statutory requirements
- Life of the building
- Manufacturing and erection considerations
WALLS
Walls are the vertical elements of a building which enclose the space within
it and which may also divide that space
Functional Requirements
- strength and stability
- weather resistance
- fire resistance
- thermal insulation
- sound insulation
Form of Construction
- Masonry (e.g. brickwalls)
- Monolithic (e.g. concrete walls)
- Frame (e.g. timber stud)
- Membrane (e.g. sandwich)
Strength
Resistance to: - stresses set up by its own weight
- superimposed loads
- lateral pressure (e.g. wind)
Stability
Resistance to: - overturning by lateral force
- buckling caused by excessive slenderness
PERFORMANCE
Weather Resistance
Provide adequate resistance to rain and wind penetration: - adequate thickness [for external walls, minimum 150mm -
concrete; 225mm - brickwork]
- adequate damp proofing means at critical position
Fire Resistance
Walls can act as Fire Barriers to compartmentalise a building so that a fire
is confined to a given area.They can separate specific fire risks within a building to form safe escape routes.
Thermal Insulation
Act as barriers: - to prevent heat loss to the environment (in
"cool" areas)
- to prevent heat gain (in "hot" areas)
Sound Insulation
Requirements to prevent airborne sound and impact sound: - external walls
- internal walls (prevention of passage of sound from one
space to another)
MATERIALS
Types of Bricks & Blocks
- Clay bricks
- Calcium silicate bricks
- Concrete bricks
- Clay blocks
- Dense concrete blocks
- Aerated (lightweight) concrete blocks
Types of Mortars
- cement sand mortar
- cement lime sand
- cement sand with plasticiser
- lime and sand
Brickwall Strength
Slenderness Ratio
The slenderness ratio of a wall and the eccentricity of the load will
indicate whether the wall will crush or buckle. The greater the slenderness and
eccentricity, the sooner buckling will occur.Slenderness Ratio = (Effective length or height) / Effective width
effective width - least lateral dimension
