B. TECH TEST I | Set 2

• Material costs: can you buy it "off the shelf?"
• Hard cost, delivery cost, labor cost
• Minimize waste and construction time by working to the readily available material sizes?
• Labor is often going to be at least half of the budget.
• Can you prefabricate parts of - or the entire - building? Will this help?
• Is special equipment needed for assembly? Cranes? Concrete pump?
• Do you have to spend labor time in pre-assembly and dis-assembly of support structures such as concrete formwork or complex jigs? Do you have the budge to support mock-ups for more experimental efforts?
• Does the structural assembly impact other parts of the budget such as thermal and sound insulation?
• Do you have a relationship with a builder who will take up the challenges you present without a high bid?
• Is the structural system commonly used in the area? Would the use of regional materials and techniques help?
• Regular vs. irregular forms
• Exposed or concealed structure
• Minimize walls and columns - long spans
• Floor systems
• Will the building be phased or changed over time?
• Location
• Construction time
• Size and time
• Structural appearance
• Dead loads on the foundation
• Poor bearing conditions
• Trades involved
• Integrated HVAC (concealed spaces for HVAC)
• Sustainablility
• Codes

• Regular orthogonal forms such as basic hotels and motels or warehouses often use concrete masonry units
• Vs. irregular forms such as the Birds Nest where each piece is unique

• Do you want the structure to be the finished surface? Concrete, wood timbers for instance can be easily left exposed
• Are you controlling sound? This may lead to the need to hide the structure so you can control sound with finishes.
• Are you in wet conditions? Concrete or galvanized steel.
• Do you want to leave the structure exposed while achieving fire ratings? Wood timbers or concrete

• Are the structural components indoor or outdoor?
• Fire ratings

• Floor to floor heights and what sorts of demand will be made of the floor structure
• The floor systems are quite often the first structural issues to be determined

• How is the space being used? Heavy industrial loads, parking garages, showroom, residential...the live loads will be dramatically different.
• Height restrictions?
• Is a thin floor plate most important? More important than budget?
• Column layout (floor spans)?
• Fire rating?

• If adding stories in the future, the foundation and the first phase structure must be designed to accept the future loads.
• If adding on horizontally the foundation must be designed so it is not undermined by the addition.
• The envelope should be made as easy as possible to alter and connect
• Movement joints should be considered.

• Climate
• Wet or dry conditions
• Warm or cold or temperate? Severe temperature changes?
• Mold issues
• Cool or heat passively?
• Regional materials
• Regional language
• Tornadoes - shelters f concrete or reinforced masonry or steel
• Hurricanes - ways to close up and be prepared for moisture and wind
• Straight winds - a little flexibility
• Earthquakes - a LOT of flexibility

• Site cast concrete
• Light gauge steel framing
• Wood platform frame
• Masonry
• ICF's

• Steel frame
• Precast concrete
• Heavy timber frame
• SIP's

1-3 Story building

International Building Code

(most common)

Public Assembly occupancies: theaters, auditoriums, lecture halls, nightclubs, restaurants, houses of worship, libraries, museums, sports arenas, and so on.

Business occupancies: banks, administrative offices, higher-education facilities, post offices, professional offices, and the like.

Educational occupancies: schools for grades K through 12 and day-car facilities.

Industrial processes using... 

• F-1: moderate-flammability materials 
• F-2: noncombustible materials

Various types of High Hazard occupancies in which toxic, corrosive, highly flammable, or explosive materials are present.

Institutional occupancies in which occupants under the care of others may not be able to save themselves during a fire or other building emergency, such as health care facilities, custodial care facilities, and prisons.

Mercantile occupancies: stores, markets, service stations, and salesrooms.

Residential occupancies, including apartment buildings, dormitories, fraternity and sorority houses, hotels, one- and two-family dwellings, and assisted-living facilities.

Buildings for Storage of...

• S-1: moderate-hazard materials
• S-2: low-hazard materials

Utility buildings. It comprises agricultural buildings, carports, greenhouses, sheds, stables, fences, tanks, towers, and other secondary buildings.

• Type I - Fire resistive, non-combustible construction
• Type II - Structure itself is made of non-combustibles
• Type III - Wood frame construction with fire resistive exterior, to avoid Chicago Fire-like conflagrations
• Type IV - Heavy timber or "mill" construction, slow burning
• Type V - Platform framing

• Zoning for permitted use
• Setbacks - What you have to leave clear before you build.
• Easements - Where utilities go through (power lines, sewers, electrical, where you can't dig or sometimes build above)
• Height Limitations
• Covenants - Restrictions imposed by neighborhoods or parts of a city.