Requirements for Building Construction

Building construction is a process that involves the design, planning, and execution of a structure or facility. The process of building construction is a complex one that requires adherence to specific requirements to be successful. The process begins with an outline of the project, including the desired features and functions of the structure. Once the project scope is determined, a detailed design is created that takes into account the materials and methods required to construct the project. Construction crew members must then follow specific safety guidelines while working on the site to ensure the safe and successful completion of the project.

Requirements for building construction can include things like complying with local building codes, obtaining permits and licenses, and following safety standards. Each stage of a construction project will typically have specific requirements that must be met to minimize risks and ensure successful completion. The requirements for construction can be broken down into six main requirements namely;- Suitable site, construction designs, permits and approvals, labor, equipment, and materials.

Site selection: The site where the construction will take place must be carefully selected to ensure that the building will be stable and safe. A number of factors are put into consideration when determining a potential site’s suitability and these include;- Soil strength and other soil qualities like pH, salinity, and drainage properties. Other factors include a site’s terrain, water table, size and shape, zoning regulations, and other restrictions.

Owing to this, a number of preliminary activities and studies are necessary before a particular site is chosen. These include;- soil testing to determine the soil properties and their suitability. For this, a number of tests are carried out, both lab tests and site tests. This is crucial because it determines whether that particular site can withstand whatever intended developments one is willing to put up. Read about the standard penetration test by clicking here.

Also read about the Dynamic cone penetration test by clicking here.

Besides soil tests, a land survey should also be carried out. A land survey can reveal details like the size, shape, terrain of a site, and height above sea level of the site. foundation preparation, and site surveying. Read about modern surveying equipment.

Inquiries should also be, made about zoning regulations that affect the site. Zoning is a way in which the government influences land use. It involves dictating a particular land use for an area to promote a certain economic activity. For instance, a particular area can be allocated for industrial development in which putting up a residential building wouldn’t be ideal. Inquiries also ought to be made about any particular environmental violations like encroachment into a gazetted area.

Construction designs; These are designs made for the intended project. It consists of blueprints for construction, both architectural layouts, and detailed structural drawings. No construction project can begin without drawings and designs. Drawings help professionals visualize the upcoming structure before actually building it. They are usually designed by an architect.

Read more about an architect by clicking here.

Architectural designs don’t just give the whole project direction, it helps with preliminary studies like feasibility studies or seeking development permits. They are designed based on the client’s requests, available budget, and resources, and set objectives and timelines.

Read about the different floor plan layouts.

Building permissions; Before any construction can commence, an architectural plan has to be approved by a physical planner of the area as per the law. This approval is subject to the fulfillment of a number of set criteria. These criteria are meant to ensure that a particular proposed construction meets the set standards in terms of development controls, Health and safety protocols among other regulations. Without such permission, a construction project is illegal and could be halted in the near future. Building permissions are usually got from physical planners attached to local government offices and are subject to payment of certain statutory fees. If you’re looking to obtain such a permit make sure to contact your area L.C for guidance.

Labor; This is the workforce that drives a construction project. A standard project constitutes a number of workers who perform different duties. They can be categorized in terms of their skill level, that is skilled labor semi-skilled labor, and unskilled labor. The skilled labor comprises mainly technical personnel who play a more hands-off and supervisory role in a project. They include; civil engineers, quantity surveyors, electrical engineers, mechanical engineers, and building surveyors among others. This category is learned and partake in mainly design and supervision. Read about the roles of a civil engineer in a construction project by clicking here.

Read about the roles of a building surveyor in building construction by clicking here.

Also, read about the roles of mechanical engineers and electrical engineers by clicking here.

Equipment; No construction project can be executed without equipment. This applies mainly to large-scale construction projects. The larger the project, the more capital-intensive it is rather than labor-intensive. Construction equipment is used to either simplify tasks, do tasks that a human being can’t, or perform tasks more efficiently at lower costs than using actual laborers. They are used for a variety of tasks including; Lifting materials around the site, excavation, moving earth, earth compaction, and concrete curing among others. Read about the different types of equipment used in construction by clicking here.

Materials; After the schematics have been designed, materials are required to materialize the designs into a tangible construction project. The most commonly used construction material is concrete. Concrete is used for a variety of purposes including casting structural members like beams, columns, and slabs. Concrete is made from cement, sand, aggregate, and water. The proportions of each material are determined based on the structural requirements. Concrete possesses properties that make it the ideal construction material. It is a viscous fluid when wet and can easily flow when poured thus is ideal for molding different shapes and sizes. When set, concrete has very high comprehension strength and can thus be used as a load-bearing structural element. However, concrete has relatively low tensile strength. This can be solved by reinforcing concrete with steel. Steel is also another useful building material. Aside from reinforcing concrete, steel can be used for constructing frames of buildings. Other construction materials include;- wood, plastic, marble, bricks, and blocks among others.

Conclusion; Those are the various requirements for construction projects. All of them are crucial and serve various functions. They are picked based on a number of factors intrinsic to a particular construction project like; Size of the project, budget, and objectives among others.