Lessons for flood

Recent flood in Sangli and Kolhapoor is leading to disastrous outcomes in terms of living things and wealth . We can not challenge the power of mother earth , but we can learn from our mistakes and can take precautionary measures to avoid the possible damages . Here are the basic 5 things in terms of personal property development or purchase to consider to avoid damages in case there is a floor like situation  : 

1: Check the Blue line and Red line If the property you are looking to develop or purchase false within 50 to 100 m from the river or any water body always check the level of Blue line and red line marked by the Irrigation department of Govt. of Maharashtra. You can easily get the maps from irrigation departments website. 

2 . No Construction beyond blue line :   Blue line is the average level of flood within past 25 years . This is a restricted zone . You can not construct or undertake any type of construction beyond blue line . However this space can be used as playground , gardens or seasonal farming . Do not purchase any bungalow plot , flat if the building is beyond blue line. 

3 : Restricted construction between red line and blue line. Red line is the average level of high flood within past 100 years .This is the highest level of water level achieved during high flood . This is a restricted zone of development . If you are planning to purchase a property which false between red line and blue line , the ground floor of the property should be above the level of red line. You should avoid basements in this zone. 

4: Always take a plinth Plinth is a necessary part of any construction .  Always take a plinth level of 1'6" to 2 ' above existing ground level irrespective of any zone . 

5. Always consult an Architect and structural engineer : 

If you are planning to develop a property which is beyond red line, consult as Architect , he or she can help you to survey the water levels and finalize the floor level. Normal footings and generally avoided near river beds , instead of directly dealing with a local civil contractor it is better to hire a structural engineer who can study the existing soil conditions and design a suitable footings and structure above for you. 

Fast Dry wall Construction

In India , Dry wall construction Practice is taking shape ,  though it is limited to internal spaces  , people prefer dry walls because it increases the construction speed and carpet area of the room .

Instead of 6" thick brickwork , which becomes 9" after both side plaster , we can use a 3" dry wall , which can take care of conducting or concealed plumbing also.

These Dry wall are equally fire resistant , sound proof  to conventional brickwork  but lighter in weight .  best part is we can reuse these walls if installed and uninstalled carefully. 

Each panel width is 600 mm , and height varies from 1800mm to 3000mm . We can choose any panel height to reduce the wastage . 

Bottom and Top of the panels are fixed to floor and ceiling with aluminium channels . If to be used for the floor or roof , a regular support @ 600 mm centre to centre is needed. We can use these panels for slopping roofs also with MS framing.  

#Aerocon #Drywall #Prefab 

due to these advantages these panels are used for Mezzanine floors , on in Prefab structures or for Boundary walls . 

Rates for 2" or 50mm dry wall starts from Rs.135/- per sq.ft.

Rates for 3" or 75mm dry wall starts from Rs.155/- per sq.ft.

 

Assocham Summits Infrastructure Growth Roadmap to Finance Minister

Domestic infrastructure companies should be allowed to list in overseas capital markets through direct equity shares in a bit to spur growth, industry body Assocham has suggested to the government. “Listed and unlisted domestic infrastructure companies be allowed to list in overseas capital markets through direct equity shares as companies once listed abroad have better access to low cost funds and simultaneously they may also be allowed to set up an entity abroad to raise equity and invest the same in India, “it said in a letter to Finance Minister.

             Also, the transfer of holding to such an overseas entity from an Indian entity should be permitted at erstwhile book value, prevalent till March 31, 2010 as infrastructure projects are long-term and require high gestation, it said. Assocham president, Rajkumar Dhoot said, “Lack of availability of sufficient long term debt, dearth of equity funds, withdrawal of tax sops and absence of quick decision making are the key reasons responsible for a sluggish infrastructure growth in India.”

            Advocating the need for long term bank finance availability for the sector, the industry body has suggested for mandatory increasing the bank lending by way of incentives.  “Considering the priority status to the infra sector, a certain percentage of exposure should be made mandatory for all the banks just on the lines of export financing” it said.  “Besides, obligatory targets should also be imposed upon private sector banks and foreign banks operating in India as currently, major portion of infrastructure lending is contributed by public sector banks”.

            It suggested that banks may be permitted to issue long-term, tax free bonds for the purpose of lending to infrastructure sector at a lower rate of interest.  Provisions may also the made by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to provide interest subsidies to the banks for their exposure in this sector, it said.  Incentives doled out to the infrastructure entrepreneurs earlier, should be restored and current regulations be amended, it assed.

3d views / stils

ENERGY CONSERVATION

To achieve suitable indoor thermal conditions, one has two basic options:
either invest heavily in the purchase, installation, operation and maintenance
of HVAC systems;
or reduce energy costs by applying bio climatic principles to building
design.
The operating costs of heating, cooling, ventilation and lighting can be
significant, especially if the design and/or operation of the building is
suboptimal. Considering the fact that operational and maintenance expenses
grow with time and that problems usually get worse unless action is taken, it
makes good sense to place an emphasis on energy conservation right from
the start. In fact, energy savings add up over the years and translate into
cost savings.
Energy conservation has become an important aspect of building design and,
in some countries, a code-mandated requirement. The main objective is to
achieve indoor environmental quality, while balancing the requirements
for energy efficiency and overall energy conservation in an
environmentally acceptable manner.
Building retrofit or renovation costs are much lower than the costs for building
demolition and the construction of a new building. Energy conservation in
existing buildings is a priority, given that the lifetime of buildings is usually
more than 50 years and the existing stock of buildings is much greater than
new construction. Energy conservation measures for new and existing
buildings are already in process within several Member States of the
European Union, in accordance to the new Directives by the European
Commission on “Energy Conservation in Buildings”.
Energy conservation for heating and the reduction of heat losses are mainly
governed by thermal insulation of the building envelope. Thermal insulation
materials have improved significantly over the past decades in terms of
efficiency, safety and functionality. The current average heat loss of new
European buildings is about half of what it used to be for the pre-1945 building
stock. Nevertheless, the majority of existing buildings are poorly insulated,
since in most countries national thermal insulation regulations have been
enforced during the last decades. For example, in Greece, where the national
Thermal Insulation Code became effective in 1981, only 5% of the existing
residential building stock is insulated.
Heat losses through the building envelope are responsible for about 10-
25% of the total energy consumed in buildings, depending on outdoor weather
conditions and building materials. Consequently, a well insulated building
envelope can significantly reduce thermal losses in winter and heat gains in
summer, thus reducing energy consumption and operating costs, and
improving the indoor thermal conditions. The addition of an external cladding
façade, at an appropriate spacing from the main building “body”, on existing
and new buildings, creates an air gap that acts as a thermal buffer zone, thus
reducing heat losses in winter and heat gains in summer. Thermal insulation
5
materials should be added on the building “body”, for additional energy
savings. These rules apply to both existing and new buildings
Energy conservation for cooling of buildings is of primary concern in
Mediterranean countries. During the past decades, the use of mechanical air
conditioners (A/C) in southern European countries has increased dramatically.
This is primarily due to an increase of the living standards and the reduction in
price of A/C units. There is a clear trend of increasing sales with gross national
product (GNP) in EU member states. In Greece, sales of A/C units showed an
unprecedented increase of 900% during the late 1980s due to a series of heat
waves over a period of three years. The impact on the electric energy
consumption has been alarming. For the first time peak electric energy loads
occurred in Greece during the summer period. Similar trends have been
observed in most southern European regions, the Middle East, the United
States and Japan.
Solar control (shading) is a key design measure for minimising the heat gain
of indoor building spaces. The use of various shading devices to attenuate the
incident solar radiation can significantly reduce the cooling load and improve
the indoor thermal and visual comfort conditions. External shading is more
effective overall because the main amount of incident solar radiation is
intercepted outside the building and can be dissipated away from internal
spaces.

new post

today post

Shopping Mall

This is our 4 th year design project Shopping Mall at Aundh.
I have designed on a basic grid pattern , with alcobond cladding..
hows the view?I did it in 1 night.....






Please comment freely..

Difference between Architecture student and other fields student??

Seating infront of my drafting table i was just thinking of my past architecure studies and life...submissions,those late night studies , elevanth our model making , runnig for plotting , xeroxing the jurnals , computer failure befor the day of submissions....list will go on.. that was amazing..but whats the different between us and the other students like medical or enggi students? what do u think?? is there an difference??

architectural presentation-ASPHALT ROOFING

WHAT IS ASPHALT?

A dark brown to black cementitious material in which the predominating constituents are bitumens, which occur in nature or are obtained in petroleum processing.
Asphalt is a constituent in varying proportions of most crude petroleum and used for paving, roofing, industrial and other special purposes.

PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES
Asphalt is obtained from fractional distillation of petroleum.
Felt used for paper. This felt is saturated with asphalt shingles and sidings which is used as roofing.
Stabilizers like silica, marble, sandstone etc. are combined with asphalt to control its hardness, elasticity, adhesion and weatherability.

Fine surfacing materials like talc, mica are finely ground and used to prevent the various asphalt materials from sticking together when packed.
Colored granules like natural slate, marble, granite are crushed, screened and graded to sizes.This is used to produce permanent colors.

CATEGORIZATION
Asphalt roofing is categorized as:
Organic
Fiberglass
Fiberglass based asphalt shingles are manufactured with mat composed entirely of glass fibers of varying lengths and orientations. This fiber glass base is then formulated with a special asphalt coating.

TYPES OF ASPHALT ROOFING
There are 6 types of Asphalt roofing .
Surfaced rolls produced from surfaced products.
Sidings.
Strip shingles.
Individual shingles.
Smooth roll roofing from saturated felts.
Built up roofing.

ROLL ROOFING

The wood deck is first cleaned first from any dust.
Hot or cold Asphalt cement as recommended by roofing manufacturer is poured.
The starter strip which is 914 mm wide and has lengths of 43.89 & 21.95.
The strip is then nailed to the deck in 2 rows, which are staggered, and in each row the nails have cc of 304 mm.

The nailing is done on the top of the roll on an offset of 120.65 mm.
The overlapping portion on the starter strip is covered with Asphalt cement.
Then the next roll is laid on the Asphalt cement.The roll overlaps on the starter strip by a distance of 482.6mm.
This strip is also then nailed in the same way.
Roll roofing can also be laid vertically in the same fashion.

Types of roll roofing


STRIP SHINGLES

The wooden deck is first cleaned of dirt and dust.
Felt underlayment is then laid on the wooden deck.
Underlayment is provided to low,sloping roofs.The roll roofing is laid on the deck in the same way as shown above.
The tabs used for the roofing is equal to three shingles.

The starter course or course of full 3-tab shingles reversed is laid and nailed on the underlayment.
The first course is then nailed and then further courses are nailed.
Each course covers the nails of the course below it,giving it a finished appearance.
Care is taken that the edges of the tabs are staggered
This type of roofing is used for slopes of 3to 12 up to 4 to 12

INDIVIDUAL SHINGLES

·       The wooden deck is cleaned.
·       Felt underlayment is laid, the felt underlayment is in roll roofing.
·       Then the starter course of individual shingles is laid and nailed horizontally.
The starter course, which is horizontally laid on quick setting roofing cement and a starting course of quick setting cement in the vertical manner is also laid.

The next courses are laid and nailed staggering to the previous course.
Individual shingles are also found in hexagonal staple down shingles, which give a better aesthetical view and even Dutch lap shingles are also available which are kept in place by L type nails.
This type of roofing is used for roofs with pitch 4 to 12 up to 8 to 12.

Interlocking individual shingles


BUILT-UP ROOFING

·      Built up asphalt roofing consists of alternate layers of hot asphalt cement and asphalt saturated felts.
·      These layers are called 3-ply, 5-ply, etc., according to the number of layers of asphalt-saturated felt.
·      The finished surface consists of slag or various types stone chips.
·      This type of roof is used for roof surfaces with a pitch not greater than 3 to 12.
·      The life of 3-ply roofing is 10 years and for 5-ply roofing is 20 years.


5-ply built-up roofing


DISADVANTAGES

Deterioration begins early in product life-cycle as product sheds its protective granules
Susceptible to blow off in high winds
Scars easily when hot
Susceptible to mildew and moss
Environmentally unfriendly

Defects in organic shingles:
CUPPING
LOSS OF GRANULES


ADVANTAGES
Affordable Cost: Compared to other roofing products, asphalt shingles are relatively inexpensive.
Peace of Mind: Asphalt shingles have been around for over 100 years. They have a proven track record in our harsh climatic conditions.
Suitability: Asphalt shingles are available in a wide selection of sizes, styles and colours, suitable for most residential applications.

Warranty Coverage: Asphalt shingles are protected with warranty periods ranging from 20 years to Lifetime, which will suit any budget and needs.
User-Friendly: Experienced Do-It-Yourselfers can apply asphalt shingles successfully.
Low Maintenance and Easy Repairs: Other more expensive roofing products can require more maintenance, specialized tools, can be more difficult to repair and almost always require professional installation.

ADVANTAGES OF FIBERGLASS SHINGLES
Are more resistant to heat, which may cause blisters to form on softer organic shingles.
On most application, fiberglass shingles require the installation of an asphalt saturated felt underlayment.
Are more resistant to curling, which can happen with organic shingles after many years of service.
Roof assemblies covered with fiberglass shingles have a higher fire resistance rating than roof assemblies covered with organic shingles.

OTHER USES OF ASPHALT
Transportation - highways, railbeds for transit systems, airport runways
Recreational - running tracks, greenway trails, playgrounds, bicycle and golf cart paths, racetracks, basketball and tennis courts
Aquatic - fish hatcheries, reservoir liners, industrial retention ponds, sea walls, dikes and groins to control beach erosion
Residential - driveways, subdivision roads
Agricultural - cattle feed lots, poultry house floors, barn floors, greenhouse floors
Industrial - work sites, log yards, ports, freight yards, landfill ca
Waterproofing on roofs & tanks.
Used in tanking.

PASSIVE FIRE CONTROL

INTRODUCTION



Fire safety is a essential part of any building. Fire safety aspects are of two types :


ACTIVE FIRE CONTROL
PASSIVE FIRE CONTROL






Passive fire protection are those measures taken care of during designing of a structure and does not need any energy consumption.
They directly affect the architecture of the building.
Such means device the methods of assembling of components of a building such that spread of fire is limited to barest minimum.



FIRE SAFETY ASPECTS



Following fire safety aspects are taken care of in passive fire protection :
(1)Internal hazards
(2)Personal hazards
(3)Exposure hazards



1) INTERNAL HAZARDS



Internal hazards are hazards related to building itself and the property inside the building .They depend upon :
• Size, shape, and height of the building
• Material and design of construction
• Contents of the building
• Maintenance of the building

Internal hazards can be countered by :
1.)Fire resistance of the structure
2.)Compartmentation
3.)fire and smoke venting



1)FIRE RESISTANCE OF THE STRUCTURE




This aspect depends on the fire rating of different materials used for construction and the general planning of the building. The materials used for construction should have fire rating as specified by the relevant bylaws and IS codes.



The structural members can also be designed to increase fire resistance of the structure . For instance, the depth of slab, columns, and beams can be increased for additional fire protection.


2) COMPARTMENTATION
The aim of compartmentation is to contain the fire within the building.This is done by minimumising possible area by choking the fire and reducing the fuel .
Compartmentation can be studied under :
Integrity of compartment wall (horizontal compartmentation )
Integrity of compartment floor (vertical compartmentation)
Structural integrity and continuity of its fire
resistance (integral compartmentation )

HORIZONTAL COMPARTMENTATION
Normally in all buildings horizontal compartmentation is achieved by formation of rooms but doors are not sufficiently fire resistant .
The fire resistance of timber door is less than that of wall. To overcome this, doors should be made of composite materials .
Fire proof compartment is a enclosure of which all elements ie doors, windows, ventilators and walls have the required fire resistance . Such compartments should be used in places such as godowns, warehouses factories etc.
Fire proof doors shall confirm rigidity to requirements specified in IS 1648 – 1961.

VERTICAL COMPARTMENTATION
Like horizontal compartmentation vertical compartmentation is similarly achieved by floor slabs . Openings to accommodate vertical circulation can be ready means of passage of fire from one storey to another like staircase, lift chamber as also holes and pipes .
Holes and pipes : The same principles and considerations of combustibility applied to groups of pipe and services both vertically and horizontally .It has been a general rule, for many years, to use a 6 inch non combustible cast iron pipe through a wall for preventing any fire hazards.


STAIRCASE AND LIFTS
It is vitally important that staircases and lifts have the same standards of fire resistance as that of rest of the building .( or at least half hour) for this:
Stairs shall be constructed of non-combustible materials throughout .
Interior of the staircase should have at least one side adjacent wall and shall be completely enclosed.
A staircase shall not be be arranged around a lift shaft unless the later is entirely enclosed by a material of fire-resistance rating as that of the type of the construction itself.
Hollow combustible construction should be avoided.

3) SMOKE AND HEAT VENTING
Smoke and heat venting can be effectively used in structures with
Undivided floor areas with ceiling heights such that in case of fire smoke layer is developed at least 4.5 m above floor level such
conditions are frequently encountered in large industrial and
storage buildings.
The design of fire venting should take care of two cases
The first has to do with limited growth fires ie fires which are not expected to growth beyond a predictable heat release ,
Second type of fire is the one which, if unchecked, will continue to grow to unknown size

In buildings such as factories and ware houses fire curtains are provided at relevant intervals and automatic or manually operated vents are provided .


PRINCIPLES OF VENTING
Hot gases rise vertically from the fire and then flow horizontally below the roof untill blocked by a vertical barrier (ie curtain),thus initiating a layer of hot gases below the roof .
The volume and temperature of gases to be vented depend upon heat release of the fire and the amount of air supply to it .
The depth of layer of hot gases increases , the fire incontinues to grow, and the layer temperature continues to rise untill vents operate .
Operation of vents within a curtained area will unable some of the unable some of the upper layer of hot gases to escape, and slow the rate of deepening of the layer of hot gases. With sufficient venting area,the rate of deepening of layer can be arreste for even reversed .


TYPES OF VENTS
Actually any opening in a roof,over a fire will relieve some heat and smoke , however the casual inclusions of skylights, windows are not reliable.
Vents may be a single unit (entire unit opens fully with a single sensor) or multiple units in rows are, clusters or groups.
If the hazard is localized (solvent storage,dip tank, etc)it is preferable that the vents be located directly above such hazards .
vents should preferably be automatic in operation ie connected in circuit with smoke detectors . However all automatic vents should also be designed to open by manual means.


PERSONAL HAZARDS
The extent of personal hazards depends upon the occupant characteristics or the conditions of occupants in the building which refers to:
Wakefullness of the occupants
Familiarity with building layout
Mobility


ESCAPE ROUTES
Escape routes play a key roll in minimizing personal hazards.
It consists of three distinct parts :
Exit access : the horizontal path from any upper floor starting from any occupied room and leading to the emergency staircase .
Intermediate exits: the vertical path that is staircase or lifts
Exit discharge : the horizontal path from the escape staircase to the final exit in the open area .

DESIGN OF EMERGENCY STAIRCASE
The following requirement should be taken care of the design of emergency staircase :
Fire escapes shall not be taken into account in calculating evacuation time of the building .
Al fire escapes shall be directly connected to the ground .
Entrance to fire escapes shall be separate and remote from the internal staircase .
Fire escape routes shall be free of obstructions at all times.
Fire shall be constructed of non combustible materials .
Fire escape steps shall have straight flight not less than 75 cm wide with 15 cm treads and risers not more than 19 cm . The number of risers shall be limited to 16 per flight .

DESIGN FOR RAMPS
The following requirements should be taken care while designing the ramps :
Ramps with slope of not more than 1 to 10 may be substituted for and shall comply with all this applicable requirements of required stairways as to enclosure, capacity and limited dimensions. Ramps shall be surfaced with approved non-slipping material . Provided that in the case of public offices , hospitals , assembly halls etc. the slope of the ramp shall not be more than 1 to 12.
The minimum width of the ramps in hospitals shall be 2.25 m
Handrails shall be provided on both sides of the ramp.
Ramps shalll lead directly to the outside open space at ground level or courtyards or safe place.


DESIGN FOR LIFTS
The following requirements should be taken care while designing the lift :
All the floors shall be accessible for 24 hours by the lifts . The lifts provided in the building shall not be considered as a means of escape in case of emergency.
Grounding switch at ground floor level to enable the fire service to ground the lifts cars in an emergency shall also be provided.
The lift machine room shall separate and other machinery shall be installed therin .


3)EXPOSURE HAZARDS
Exposure hazards can be resisted by:
a)Isolation from neighborhood structures
b)Access for outside emergency services
c) Proper site planning

a)ISOLATION FROM NEIGHBOURHOOD STRUCTURES
For controlling exposure hazards the distance between buildings play an important role.
The factors which govern the distances are :
occupancy and corresponding fire load ;
Type of construction , which shall be correctly related to the first load and/or the occupancy ;
Height ;
Location ,(i.e. residential or industrial estate )
Front wall facing a road way , street or similar throughout fare;
Back wall , that is , the wall farthest away from the front , and facing the rear space


A)ISOLATION FROM NEIGHBOURHOO STRUCTURES
All the buildings, excluding those with abnormal fire loads having ground or ground and first floor , of construction .
distance between front walls of opposing buildings 9m min
Distance between back walls of opposing buildings 6m min
Sides between back walls of opposing buildings 6 m min


b)ACCESS FOR OUTSIDE EMERGENCY SERVICES
Following points must be taken care of while planning access ways :
The access for fire brigades .
The facades which may be accessible from these roads depending on the number of occupants in the buildings
The height of the building ( less or more than 8m )
The use to which the building is put
Its interior design ( compartmented or in zones )

c)SITE PLANNING
In the site planning , following work station should be kept in isolation with respect to main structure as they involves special fire risk .
Garage areas .
Loading bays
Waste disposal areas
Areas containing central heating plant
Fuel stores
Areas containing refrigeration plant other than small units and display cabinets .
Medium and height voltage transformers.
Ventilation plant rooms .

THE END