Paolo Fabugais Dain Casalta Chelsa Tapis

Construction Materials

A. Concrete

According to Schexnayder and Mayo (2004), Concrete is a mixture that contains

cement, sand, gravel, water, and usually additives. The cement is the material that causes

the other ingredients to adhere to one another. The water is needed to cause the cement to

hydrate. Concrete does not harder by drying, but by hydration. The aggregate used to make

concrete should be uniformly graded to provide a good fill the small spaces between the

individual pieces of aggregate. The sand will fill the small spaces in the mix. Gap-graded

aggregates have certain particle sizes entirely or mostly absent. The lack of two or more

successive sizes can create segregation problems with the concrete mix.

Concrete is most especially used for the beams and slabs of the structure. Beams

are structural members which are oriented horizontally and are supported by supports on

both ends. Typically, the cross-sectional dimensions of beams do not exceed one-tenth of

its span. The structural function of beams is to carry vertical loads. On the other hand, a

concrete slab is a flat piece of concrete, put on the walls or columns of the structure. It

serves as a walking surface but may also serve as a load bearing member, as in slab homes.

(Wikipedia, n.d.).
B. .Portland Cement

Common type of powdery cementitious building material made from finely pulverized

alumina, iron oxide, lime, magnesia, and silica burnt together in a kiln. When mixed with

water and sand (or gravel) it turns into masonry mortar (or concrete) and, after a series of

complex internal reactions, sets like a stone. Invented in 1824 by the UK bricklayer Joseph

Aspdin (1779-1855), it gets its name from its resemblance (upon hardening) to the famous

Portland limestone (obtained from quarries on the Isle Of Portland), the traditionally

preferred choice for building churches, mansions, and palaces.

Portland cement, which is to be used, is not a brand but a type of hydraulic cement that

is used in road and highway constructions. It is mixed with water, aggregates and

admixture. Admixture is an ingredient in concrete immediately added before or during

mixing (Fajardo, 2001).

C. Aggregates

Sand and gravel

Aggregate is a broad category of coarse particulate material used in construction,

including sand, gravel, crushed stone, slag, recycled concrete and geosynthetic aggregates.

Aggregates are the most mined materials in the world. Aggregates are a component

of composite materials such as concrete and asphalt concrete; the aggregate serves as

reinforcement to add strength to the overall composite material. Due to the relatively high

hydraulic conductivity value as compared to most soils, aggregates are widely used in

drainage applications such as foundation and French drains, septic drain fields, retaining

wall drains, and road side edge drains. Aggregates are also used as base material under

foundations, roads, and railroads. In other words, aggregates are used as a stable foundation

or road/rail base with predictable, uniform properties (e.g. to help prevent differential

settling under the road or building), or as a low-cost extender that binds with more

expensive cement or asphalt to form concrete.

Aggregates are inert materials that form concrete when bound together into a

conglomerate mass by Portland cement and water. It comprises about 75% of the total mass

of concrete (Fajardo, 2001). The aggregates to be used are sand and gravel which are to be

mixed with the Portland cement and water.

D. Reinforcing Steel Bars

Rebar (short for reinforcing bar), collectively known as reinforcing

steel and reinforcement steel,[1] is a steel bar or mesh of steel wires used as a tension device

in reinforced concrete and reinforced masonry structures to strengthen and hold the

concrete in tension. Rebar's surface is often patterned to form a better bond with the

concrete. Compared with concrete, the strength of reinforcing steel (shown below) is

fifteen times greater in compression, and more than a hundred times in tension. Although

steel is more expensive than concrete, it is useful when combined with concrete. While

steel resists tensile stresses, concrete resists the compression. Minimum

requirements have been developed to avoid accidents when an unreinforced

member cracks or fails (Nilson, 2010).

Reinforcing steel bars

Figure 4.3. Pile of steel bars

E. Concrete Hollow Block

Concrete Hollow Block

A concrete masonry unit (CMU) is a standard size rectangular block used

in building construction. As stated by Fajardo (2001), Concrete Hollow Block (CHB) is

the most widely used masonry material for all types of construction such as walls,

partitions, dividers, fences, etc. It is a building module resembling large bricks that are

molded from sand and cement. The CHB will be used to build the walls of the lounge.

F. Steel

Pile of Steel Beams

Steel Construction has been found to be advantageous through its increased market

share to more than 90% for one-storey industrial buildings and to greater than 70% for

multi-storey non-residential buildings. Its versatility makes it easy for architects turn their

ideal design into reality. It is an important component of most business since painting and

designing make structures attractive wherever it may be.

 There are four key areas in which the steel is proven to be better than other

construction materials. First is speed of construction. Steel structures are built faster

because its components have calculated capacities. Second is the cost savings, since the

price of steel from more than a decade has decreased, thus increasing its productivity for

high demand. Another area is its long life durability. This includes its adaptability and

flexibility which allows the steel to be extended with less hassle and expenses. Finally, it

considers health and safety. Surveys have shown steel to be the safest material. In fact,

offsite fabrication and on-site assembly is what makes steel the safest.

Steel beams being assembled to form the skeleton of the building

The most common and costly type of materials degradation is the corrosion of steels

and concrete. The US Department of Transformation states that the annual direct cost of

corrosion in the United States is a staggering 276 billion dollars. Steel corrosion, or

rusting, happens if there is a loss of electrons in the iron atoms. It can be prevented by

avoiding contact with water through coatings or a building envelope (Exponent, n.d.).

All types of educational buildings require a strong, durable and clean design. One

way to satisfy the requirement is to select the corrosion protection system depending on
whether the steels exposure is internal or external. Usually hot-dip coating is used for

covered steel and high-build coating for the exposed one (Steel Construction, n.d.).

G. Glass

Glass door

Glass is a non-crystalline amorphous solid that is often transparent and has

widespread practical, technological and decorative. Based on the chemical compound

silica (silicon dioxide or quartz), which is the primary constituent of sand, the most

historical and oldest types of glass are silicate glasses. Many applications of silicate

glasses derive from their optical transparency, giving rise to their primary use as window

panes. Glass will transmit, reflect and refract light. Although brittle, silicate glass is

extremely durable. Scientifically, the term glass is often define in a broader sense,

encompassing every solid that possesses a non-crystalline structure at the atomic-scale

and that exhibits a glass transition when heated towards the liquid state.

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Construction Methodology

A. Layout and Staking

Fajardo (2001) defines layout and staking as the process of establishing the point

of building outlines or perimeters on the ground or site where the building is to be

considered. It also includes demolition, clearing, staking, batter boards and establishing the

exact location of the building post and walls that will rest on the ground. Some pine trees

need to be cut down so that the space will be big enough for the lounge to be constructed.

B. Excavation

Excavation is the process of moving earth, rock or other materials with tools,

equipment or explosives. It includes earthwork, trenching, wall shafts, tunneling and

underground. Excavation has a number of important applications including exploration,

environmental restoration, mining and construction. Among these, construction is one of

the most common applications for excavation. Excavation is used in construction to create

building foundations, reservoirs and roads. Some of the different processes used in

excavation include trenching, digging, dredging and site development. Each of these

processes requires unique techniques, tools and machinery to get the job done right. The

processes used will depend upon the structure that will result from the construction process.

Excavation is classified into two: the shallow excavation and the deep excavation.

For the building of the lounge, shallow excavation is recommended. Excavation is

commonly defined as digging of soil after outlining the ground. However, factors such as

the topographic condition of the ground and the depth of excavation must be considered so

that materials, time and labor for adjustment will not be wasted (Fajardo, 2001). The

excavation will be 0.8 cubic meters.

C. Masonry and Concreting Works

As stated by Fajardo (2001), Masonry is the art of building with stone, bricks,

concrete blocks, or other similar materials. The formation of the walls is done through the

assembly of concrete hollow blocks.

D. Roofing

Nowadays, flat roof is the most preferred type of roofing in many residential and

commercial buildings. The authors of this project decided to have a flat concrete slab roof

in order to make use of the concrete than spending for another material for roofing.

Concrete flat roof is also stronger against wind and earthquake loads compared to other

roofing materials.

E. Finishing Works

Finishing involves tiling and painting the building. Ceramic tile is one of the oldest

building materials that is still widely used due to its infinite selection of design, color, and

practical purposes (Fajardo, 2000). In this project, the latex paint colors to be used are blue-

green for the exterior walls, and cream white for the interior ones. For less expense on

tiling, the tiles will all be white 8 by 8 inches ceramic ones.