Building Construction and Materials II

At the end of this course, students should be able to: 1. Gain insights into the construction industry and its relation to the national economy; 2. Understand Building forms, architectural and engineering drawings; required for the construction of buildings; 3. Become familiar with building services and be able to identify contemporary building materials; and 4. Experience the Building process and the use of various materials and methods.

Introduction to building construction: site selection, site investigations and preparation. Site layouts, setting out, excavation, sub-soil investigations. Element and components of building foundations, floors and walls. Introduction to building materials, properties, characteristics, and application of the following materials: stone, cement, sand, block - bricks, timber, metal, concrete. Study of elements and components of building doors, windows, staircases, ceilings and roofs with special reference to tropical humid and dry environments. Factor governing building costs: study of timber, homogeny steel, stones, asbestos and other building materials and their indoors, windows, staircases, ceiling and roof elements of building.