Introduction to National Building Code and Steps in a Construction project

Question 1:

Why are building codes or standards essential for the modeling/ efficiency of drawings in Revit ?

Answer:

A building code is a set of rules that specify the standards for constructed objects such as buildings and Non Buildings structures. Buildings must conform to the code to obtain planning, permission usually from a local council. The main purpose of building codes is to protect Public health, safety and general welfare as they relate to the construction and occupancy of buildings and structures. The building code becomes law of a particular jurisdiction when formally enacted by the appropriate governmental or private authority. Building codes are generally intended to be applied by Architects, Engineers, Interior Designers, Constructors and Regulators but are also used for various purposes by saftety Inspectors, Environmental Scientists, Real Estate Developers, subcontractors, manufacturers of building products and materials, Insurance companies, facility managers, tenents, and others. Codes regulate the design and construction of structures where adopted into law.

The National Building Code of India (NBC) is a comprehensive building code, providing guidelines for regulating building construction activities across the country. It serves as a Model Code for adoption by all agencies involved in building construction works. The building code mainly contains administrative regulations, development control rules, and general building requirements; fire safety requirements; stipulations regarding materials, structural design, and construction (including safety); building and plumbing services; approach to sustainability; and asset and facility management.

Question 2 :

From the National Building Code list the groups that will be essential to you when you begin modeling in Autodesk Revit.

Answer:

• Group A Residential
• Group B Educational
• Group C Institutional
• Group D Assembly
• Group E Business
• Group F Mercantile
• Group G Industrial
• Group H Storage
• Group J Hazardous
  

Question 3:

List the five major steps that occur in project cycle. The steps should include from conceptualization of project to maintenance and final stage.

Answer:

• Project Initiation.
• Project Planning.
• Project Execution.
• Project Monitoring and Control.
• Project Closure.

Project Initiation:

The project initiation phase is the first phase within the project management life cycle, as it involves starting up a new project.

Project Planning:

Project planning ensures monitoring of the budget and schedule at every step. The project plan includes a schedule that guides team members in completing their tasks and helps them in knowing which tool they will need and when. It also helps the team stay engaged for higher project performance.

Project Execution:

Project execution is to develop and produce the project's expected deliverables that must be delivered on time and within budget and must meet the agreed upon scope and fulfill customer quality requirements.

Project Monitoring and Control:

Project Monitoring and control processes continually track, review, adjust and report on the project’s performance. It’s important to find out how a project’s performing and whether it’s on time, as well as implement approved changes. This ensures the project remains on track, on budget and on time.

Project Closure:

Project closure is to confirm complete the project & to the satisfy the project sponsor and to communicate final project disposition.

Question 4:

Give examples of different disciplines involved in construction of a project?

Answer:

• Architect
• Civil engineer
• Structural enginee
• Geotechnical engineer
• Electrical engineer
• Plumbing engineer
• Fire protection engineer
• HVAC engineer.
• Lift, escalator and moving walk specialist
• Acoustics specialist
• Information/communication technology engineer
• Health, safety and environment specialist
• Environment/sustainability specialist
• Town planner
• Urban designer
• Landscape architect
• Security system specialist
• Interior designer
• Quantity surveyor
• Project/construction manager
• Accessibility and universal design specialist
• Asset/facility manager.

Question 5:

How are buildings classified ? Place the following buildings under each category
a. Four unit apartments
b. School with capacity of 1000 students
c. A single unit shop.
d. Multi story Shopping complex
e. Steel machine factory

Answer:

The National Building code of India (NBC), a comprehnsive Building code, is a National Instrument providing the guidelines for regulating the building construction activites across the country. It serves a Model Code for adoption by all the agencies involved in building construction works by the Public Works Department, other Government Construction Departments, Local bodies or Private construction agencies. The code mainly contains administrative regulations, Development control rules and general building reqirements; fire saftey requirements; stipulation regarding materials, Structural design and Construction (including Saftey); building and PlumbingServices; approch to stainability; and asset and facility managment.

Group A - Residential Building

Group B - Educational Building

Group C - Instiutional Building

Group D - Assembly Building

Group E - Business Building

Group F - Mercantile Building

Group G - Industrial Building

Group H - Storage Building

Group I - Hazardous Building

A) 4 units Apartments comes under Group A Residential Building.

B) School with capacity of 1000 Students comes under Group B Educational Building

C) A single unit Shop comes under Group E Business Building

D) Multi storey Shopping Complex under Group F Mercantile or Group G Industrial

E) Steel Machine Factory comes under Group G Industrial/Group H Storage Building/Group I Hazardous Building

Question 6:

Distinguish the roles of Design team and Management team?

Answer:

Design Team is a group of individuals that includes one or more professional registrants collaborating with any other individuals on a specific project to develop pro- fessional documents. The design team is primarily responsible for taking your idea and bringing it to life using their professional skills. The end result is a design that aligns with the client's desires, is feasible, and is within the budgetary restrictions for the project.

In building projects, various aspects like form; space planning; aesthetics; fire and life safety; structural adequacy; plumbing services; lighting and natural ventilation; electrical and allied installations; air conditioning, heating and mechanical ventilation; acoustics, sound insulation and noise control; installation of lifts and escalators; building automation; data and voice communication; other utility services installations; landscape planning, design and development; urban planning; etc need to be kept in view right at the concept stage. The project requiring such multi-disciplinary inputs need a coordinated approach among the professionals for proper integration of various design inputs. For this, and to take care of the complexities of multi-disciplinary requirements, a design team of professionals from the required disciplines shall be constituted at the appropriate stage. Here, it is desirable that the multidisciplinary integration is initiated right from the concept stage. The team shall finalize the plan. The composition of the team shall depend on the nature, magnitude and complexities of the project. Design is an evolutionary and participatory process, where participation of the owner constitutes a very important input at all stages, and the same shall be ensured by the design team. To ensure proper implementation of the design, the design team, may be associated during the construction/ execution stage.

Management Team is a group of high-level associates hired by a business owner to take on essential responsibilities within the business. These individuals make up the highest levels of management within a company or business, and each specializes in a different area of managing a business. The objective of project management or construction management is primarily to achieve accomplishment of a project in accordance with the designs and specifications in a stipulated time and cost framework, etc, with a degree of assurance prior to commencement and satisfaction on completion and commissioning. For large projects, separate teams of experienced professionals from the required disciplines may be constituted for project management (including planning and scheduling) and for construction management depending upon the complexities of the project. However, for smaller projects these teams may be combined. The teams shall be responsible for day-to-day execution, supervision, quality control, etc, and shall ensure interdisciplinary coordination during the construction stage.
The team shall be responsible to achieve satisfactory completion of the project in respect of all relevant project management functions like cost, time, quality, safety, etc. Some members of the design team may also be included in the project management team and/or associated actively during the project execution stage.

Question 7:

Refer to NBC, Identify the modeling requirements for the project ( from week 4).
a. Height Limitations
b. Area Limitations
c. Room sizing
d. Wall height
e. Thickness based on fire life and safety
f. Passageway requirements

Answer:

a. Height Limitations

The limitation of area and height of buildings of different occupancy classes and types of construction shall be achieved by specifying it in terms of FAR, which shall take into account the various aspects that govern in specifying FAR as given below: Occupancy class; Types of construction; Width of street fronting the building and the traffic load; Locality where the building is proposed and
the density; Parking facilities; Local fire fighting facilities; and Water supply, drainage and sanitation
facilities.
The comparative FARs for different occupancies and types of construction are as given in Table 5 and the Authority shallselect a basic FAR for one occupancy and a type of construction and arrive at the FAR values for other combinations taking into account the other local factors.

Thus my model Height is 7.66 m and does not exceed 15 m. Therefor my Project is as per the NBC.

b. Area Limitations:

The minimum plot size with ground coverage not exceeding 75 percent, shall not be less than 40 m2 in small and medium town and not less than 30 m2 in metropolitan cities. Plot sizes below 30 m2 but not less than 15 m2 may be permitted in case of cluster planning, however, in such cases the ground coverage and FAR shall be 100 percent and 2, respectively (see also Annex D for special requirements for cluster planning for housing).

According to the model the area is not less than 40m2. My plot size is 60 X 40 feet.

c. Room Sizing:

Every dwelling unit to be provided should have at least two habitable rooms. Even if one room house is provided initially it should be capable of adding a new second room in future. However, in case single room tenements are required to be provided where future additions are not possible, the carpet area of multipurpose single room should be at least 12.5 m2. Such one room dwelling units with 12.5 m2carpet area of habitable space iS permitted only in case of on-site rehabilitation of slum dwellers. In a house of two rooms, first room shall not be less than 9.0 m2 with minimum width of 2.5 m and second room shall not be less than 6.5 m2 with a minimum width of 2.1 m provided the total area of both the rooms is not less than 15.5 m2. In incremental housing the bigger room shall always be the first room. C-3.3.1.1 To facilitate incremental housing in case of flatted development or otherwise, habitable space at mezzanine level may be permitted. The minimum size of such a mezzanine floor should not be lesser than 6.5 m2 and such a floor should occupy not more than 50 percent of the room area of which it is a part. Such a mezzanine floor should have appropriate openings to facilitate light and ventilation as per C-3.6. Minimum clear height below and above the mezzanine floor should be 2.4 m and 2.1 m, respectively.

According to the Model the room sizes are according to NBC.

d. Wall Height:

F - 3.4 Minimum height

The minimum height of rooms/spaces shall be as follows:
a) Habitable room : 2.6 m
b) Kitchen : 2.6 m
c) Bath/water-closet : 2.1 m
d) Corridor : 2.1 m
C-3.5.1 In the case of sloping roofs, the average height of roof for habitable rooms shall be 2.6 m and the minimum height at eaves shall be 2.0 m.

According to the Model the walls are according to NBC.

e.) Wall Thickness

According to the Model the wall thickness are according to NBC.

f.) Passageway Reqirements.

Every building/plot shall abut on a public/private means of access like streets/roads duly formed.

4.2 Every person who erects a building shall not at any time erect or cause or permit to erect any building which in any way encroaches upon or diminishes the area set apart as means of access required in the Code. No buildings shall be erected so as to deprive any other building of the means of access.

4.3 Width of Means of Access The residential plots shall abut on a public means of access like street/road. Plots which do not abut on a street/road shall abut/front on a means of access, the width and other requirements of which shall be as given in Table 1.

QUESTION: 8

We have identified requirements for modeling from question 7, Use these numbers from code book and verify the numbers used in modeling the unit from week 2 to week 4. If the numbers are not reasonable, use the numbers obtained from the code book to create a revision of the mode.

Answer:

My project is Accordingto NBC guidelines.

Result:

Ground Floor

First Floor

Sectional View:

Thus the Challenge - 5 is completed.