Building Construction Techniques
There is a lot of science and experience behind the construction of a building. The process of constructing a building takes several months and has different logics and techniques attached to it. Civil engineers and architects around the world follow some popular techniques. They are-
Scaffolding– Scaffolding or staging is a temporary structure which is used to support the work crew of the building. It is used by the work crew to pass on materials required for the construction work, maintenance and repair of buildings. Scaffolds are used to get access to heights or places that are hard to get to while constructing a building.
Form Work– Formwork is used to pour concrete or similar materials. Formwork is the temporary or permanent molds into which the concrete is poured. The form work molds are also called as the shuttering molds. There are different types of formwork such as traditional timber formwork, engineered formwork system, re-usable plastic formwork, permanent insulated formwork, Stay-in-place structural formwork, flexible formwork, or slab formwork.
Tying of rebar– Also known as reinforcing bar, this is a steel bar or mesh of steel wires which is used as a tension device for reinforced masonry structures or reinforced concrete. Rebar increases the tensile strength of the concrete structure which is otherwise weak. The compression by rebar is what makes the tensile strength of the concrete stronger.
Concreting– this is the technique which involves pouring concrete into a mass to solidify the area. This involves mixing together various ingredients to make a concrete such as water, cement, aggregate and any other additives required. This technique is time sensitive and should be done with utmost care.
Curing– Curing is a process which is used for maintaining the required moisture content and temperature in a freshly cast concrete for a particular period of time. There are different methods for the curing of concrete such as shading of concrete work by preventing the evaporation of water from the concrete surface, covering the concrete surfaces with wet gunny bags or hessian which are periodically wet, sprinkling of water from time to time on the concrete, ponding method in which small ponds using gunny bags or hessian are created on large concrete slabs, membrane curing in which the concrete surface is covered with a water-proof material, and steam curing where the concrete is exposed to a particular temperature of steam to maintain the moisture.
Brick Work– Brickwork is the masonry produced by using bricks to create a bricklayer. This is used to build walls and other structures in buildings such as cupboards. The usual dimension of bricks is common in majority of the places which is 215mm*102.5mm*65mm.
