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 :-

• The National Building Code (NBC) is a standardised set of rules to be followed by authorities and construction firms, to provide a healthy and safe living experience for all residents.
• The NBC of India, a comprehensive building Code, is a national instrument providing guidelines for regulating building construction activities across the country.
• It serves as a Model Code for adoption by all agencies involved in buiding construction works whether they are Public Works Departments(PWD) or other government construction departments, local bodies or private construction agencies.
• The Code mainly contains administrative regulations, development control rules, and general building requirements like fire safety requirements, stipulations regarding materials, structural design, and construction (including safety), building and plumbing services, approach to sustainability and asset and facility management.

   Building codes or standards are essential for the modeling of drawing because of the following reasons :-

• Building codes provide minimum standards for safety, health and general welfare including Structural Integrity, Mechanical Integrity, Fire Prevention and Control and Energy Conservation.
• National Building Code is a document that provides guidelines for the construction of structures -  Residential, Mercantile, Institutional, Educational, Commercial, Assembly, Storage spaces or even Hazardous buildings.
• It is important to follow these guidelines as they are meant to protect the overall health of the construction and ensure the health and safety of the public and the residents.
• Building codes provide a set of standards that are uniform to all structures, hence it guides the modeling process.
• The building codes enable us to model a structure with utmost safety as it covers all the aspects that ensure the safety of a building like fire and life safety, structural adequacy, lighting and natural ventiation, space planning, aesthetics, heating and mechanical ventilation, sound insulation and noise control and other utility service requirements.
• Building codes protect the overall health of construction as well as the public. The designers constantly refer to these building codes for modeling which enhances their knowledge in this field. It enables to combine the modern construction methods with standard conventional standards.
• These standards also help the government agencies to approve the plans as it becomes the law of particular jurisdiction when formally enacted by the appropriate government or authority.
• Building codes protect future home purchasers who deserve reasonable assurance that the home they buy will be safe.

  Question 2 :-

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

  Answer :-

• The National Building Code contains the following groups which are essential while modeling :-

  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 :-

• The five major steps that occur in project cycle :-

1. Project Initiation
2. Project Planning
3. Project Execution
4. Project Monitoring and Controling
5. Project Final Stage 

 A. Project Initiation :-

• Like with all things, the first step to the construction life cycle is merely to begin. It is usually not that simple as it sounds. It is easy to come to a project with an idea but translating that idea into actionable items requires a dedicated project team. The project will require input from each side.
• We must create and evaluate the project inorder to determine if it is feasible and if it should be undertaken, at the beginning of the project.
• Here the project objective or need is identified, this can be a business problem or opportunity.
• A suitable response to the need is documented in a business case with recommended solution options.
• A feasibility study is conducted to examine whether each option clearly identifies the project objective and a final recommended solution is determined.
• Many questions related to the issues of feasibility i.e. "can we do the project?" and justification like "should we do the project?" are mentioned and faced.
• When a solution is approved, a project is initiated to implement the approved solution.
• For this, a project manager is appointed.
• At this stage, the major deliverables and the participating work groups are identified.
• This is the time when the project team begins to take shape.
• Approval is then required by the project manager to move onto the detailed planning phase. 

 B. Project Planning :-

• The planning phase involves further development of the project in detail to meet the project's objective.
• The team identifies all of the work to be done.
• The project's tasks and resource requirements are identified, along with the strategy for producing them.
• In a broader sense identification of each activity as well as their resource allocation is also carried out.
• A project plan outlining the activities, tasks, dependencies, and timeframes is created.
• The project manager is the one who coordinates the preparation of a project budget by providing cost estimates for the labor, equipment and materials costs. This is mainly carried out by project scheduling software like MS project or PRIMAVERA.
• This scheduling charts would help us to track the stages of the project as time passes.
• This is also referred to as "scope management".
• The budget of the project already estimated is used to monitor and control cost expenditures during project implementation.
• Finaly, we require a document to show the quality plan, providing quality targets, assurance, and control measures, along with an acceptance plan, listing the criteria to be met to gain customer acceptance.
• At this point, the project would have been planned in detailand is ready to be executed. 

 C. Project Execution :-

• This is the implementation phase, where the project plan is put into motion and the work of the project is performed practically on site.
• It is essential to maintain control and communicate as needed during each implementation stages.
• Progress should be continuously monitored and appropriate adjustments are made and recorded as variances from the original plan.
• A project manager is the one who spends most of the time in this step.
• Throughout the project implementation, people carry out the tasks and progress information is being reported through regular project team meetings.
• The project manager uses this information to preserve control over the direction of the project by comparing the progress reports with the project plan to measure the performance of the project activities.
• If any deviation is found from the already defined  plan then corrective measures are made.
• The first option of action should always be to bring the project back to the original plan.
• If that cannot happen then the team should record variations from the original plan and record that and publish modifications to the plan.
• Through this step, project sponsors and other key stakeholders are kept informed about the project's status as per the agreed rate and format of communication.
• The plan should be updated and avaiable on a regular basis.
• Status reports should always highlight the probable end point in terms of cost, schedule and quality of deliverables.
• Each project deliverable produced should be reviewed for quality and measured against the acceptance criteria.
• When deliverables have been produced and the customer has agreed on the final solution, the project is said to be ready for closure. 

 D. Project Monitoring and Controlling :-

• This stage is all related to the measurement of progress and performance to make sure that items are tracking with the project management scheduling.
• This phase regularly happens at the same time as the execution phase. 

 E. Project Final Stage :-

• During the final closure, the importance is on providing the final deliverables to the customer, that is :-

1. Handing over project documentation to the business.
2. Termination of supplier contracts.
3. Releasing project resources.
4. Communicate the closure of the project to all stakeholders.
5. Last and final is to conduct lessons-learned studies to examine what went well and what didn't.

  Question 4 :-

• Give examples of different disciplines involved in construction of a project.

  Answer :-

• Disciplines involved in construction project are as follows :- 

1. Architecture
2. Civil Engineering
3. Structural Engineering
4. Geotechnical Engineering
5. Earthquake Engineering
6. Electrical Engineering
7. Plumbing Engineering
8. Fire Protection Engineering
9. HVAC and Refrigeration Engineering
10. Environmental Engineering
11. Town Planner
12. Urban Designer
13. Landscape Architect
14. Interior Designer
15. Quantity Surveyor
16. Project/ Construction Manager 

  Question 5 :-

• How are buildings classified ? Place the following buildings under each category

1. Four unit apartments.
2. School with capacity of 1000 students.
3. A single unit shop.
4. Multi story Shopping complex.
5. Steel machine factory.

  Answer :-

• The classification of buildings :-

1. Residential Buildings
2. Educational Buildings
3. Institutional Buildings
4. Assembly Buildings
5. Business Buidings
6. Mercantile Buildings
7. Industrial Buildings
8. Storage Buildings
9. Mixed Land Use Buildings 

 A. Residential Buildings :-

• A building should be considered as a residential building, when more than half of the floor area is employed for dwelling purposes.
• Other buildings should be considered non-residential.
• A residential building is one that is designed and accordingly built for inhabitants to measure in and called House.
• Inhabitants can either be a family, single, a couple, roommates or maybe a group.
• A residential building basically has Bedroom, Living room/space, Conveniences (as in Toilet and Bathroom), Kitchen. 

 B. Educational Buildings :-

• These are buildings housing educational institutions such as schools or colleges which are affiliated and recognized by an appropriate board, university or any similar affiliation authority.
• The building should promote the aggregation of instructional, educational and recreation alactivities pertaining to educational purposes.
• Further, it is mandatory for the building to have proper residential facilities for essential staff who need to reside within the campus.
• Apart from this, the institution should also have a hostel exclusive to the institute either within its premises or outside.

 C. lnstitutional Buildings :-

• These types of buildings consist of buildings that are constructed by the government, semi-government organizations or registered trusts for specific purposes.
• Those specific purposes include Medical Treatment such as treatment of Physical or Mental Illness, Chidren's Hospitals, Old age homes, Centers for the care of orphans or abandoned women, Auditoriums or complexes meant to be used for cultural or allied activities, religious accommodation facilities such as Dharamshalas, Jails, Correctional Facilities, Detention Centres, Juvenie Reformatories etc.

 D. Assembly Buildings :-

• These are defined as buildings or parts of them which houses public gatherings congregated with the intent of Amusement, Recreation, Social, Religious, Patriotic, Civil, Travel or Other similar Buildings such as Movie houses, Drama theatres, Drive-in theatres, Assembly halls, Club houses, Town halls, Auditoriums, Exhibition halls, Museums, Mangalkaryalayas, Gymnasiums, Sports complexes, Restaurants, Boarding houses, Dance clubs, Gymkhanas, Places of Worship, Bus stops, Taxi stands, Railway stations, Airports, Piers, etc. are categorized as Assembly Buidings.

 E. Business Buildings :-

• If a building or a part of it is primarily used for keeping records of Business Transactions, Maintaining Accounts, Book Keeping Purposes or Managing other types of records then it can be classified as a Business Building.
• Buidings under this category include Offices, Banks, Court houses and other Professional Establishments Serving the above mentioned purposes.

 F. Mercantile Buildings :-

• In these types of buildings, either the entire buiding or a part of it is used for Housing Shops, Stores or Showrooms where display and sale of wholesale goods, retail goods or merchandise is carried.
• Such buildings should also accommodate Office, Storage and Service Facilities essential for the business which should be located in the same buiding.

 G. Industrial Buildings :-

• Buidings used to Manufacture, Assemble or Process Products or Materials are termed as Industrial Building.
• They include Manufacturing Units, Assembly Plants, Factories, Mills, Power Plants, Oil Refineries, Gas Plants, Dairy plants, laboratories etc.

 H. Storage Buildings :-

• If a Buiding or a part of it is used for the storage of Commodities, Goods, Merchandise etc., then it is categorised as a Storage building.
• They comprise buildings such as Warehouses, Cold Storages, Grain Storage Units, Barns, Stables, Freight Depot, Transit Shed, Hangars, Truck Terminals, Public Garages etc.

 I. Mixed Land Use Buildings :-

• These are buildings which are used for both Residential purposes as well as for carrying out Non-Residential activities.

  Each Buildings under their category :-

• Four unit apartments  -  Residential Building

• School with capacity of 1000 students  -  Educational Building

• A single unit shop  -  Mercantile Building

• Multi story Shopping complex  -  Mercantile Building

• Steel machine factory  -  Industrial Building

  Question 6 :-

• Distinguish the roles of Design team and Management team.

  Answer :-

  Function of Design Team :-

• Formalization of brief design in consultation with the owner or client.
• Quantity Surveying and Estimation.
• Preparation of Alternative Concept Designs, highlighting Positives and Negatives of all the alternatives.
• Preparation of Preliminary Designs and Drawings and obtaining the owner/client approval.
• Preparation of preliminary cost estimates for approval of owner/client.
• Preparation of work-breakdown structure and programme for pre-construction activities.
• Assisting client to obtain approvals of the different Government Authorities.
• Preparation of detailed specifications and construction working drawings with integration of engineering inputs of all concerned disciplines.
• Preparation of detailed design.

  Function of Management Team :- 

• Specify criteria for selection of constructors.
• Specify quality control, quality audit system and safety system.
• Have Pre-bid meetings with the intending contractor.
• Receive and evaluate tenders.
• Execution and supervision.
• Monitor for quality, time and cost control and for other Project Management Functions.
• Prepare/certify the completion (as-built) drawings.
• Assist in getting Approvals at various stages.
• Ensure availability of Operation Manuals for field use.

  Question 7 :-

• Refer to NBC, Identify the modeling requirements for the project ( from week 4).

1. Height Limitations.
2. Area Limitations.
3. Room sizing.
4. Wall height.
5. Thickness based on fire life and safety.
6. Passageway requirements.

  Answer :-

  Height Limitations :-

• The height of the building shall not exceed 15m.
• The minimum height of the basement should be 5 meters and the maximum height 4.5 meters.
• The ceiing height should be a minimum of 0.9 meters and a maximum of 2 meters.
• The height between the loft and ceiling should not be less than 1.75 meters.
• Lifts shall be provided in buildings more than six stories or 20 m in heigh.
• The height of all rooms for human habitation shall not be less than 2.75 meters measured from the surface of the floor to the lowest point of the ceiling.
• In the case of pitched roof, the average height of rooms shall not be less than 2.75 m.
• The height of a bathroom or water-closet measured from the surface of the floor to the lowest point in the ceiling shall not be less than 1 m.
• The height of a kitchen measured from the surface of the floor to the lowest point in the ceiling shall not be less than 2.75 m.
• The height of a store room shall be not less than 2.2 m.

  Area Limitations :-

• Accord ing to NBC 2005, minimum plot size with ground coverage not exceeding 75%, shall not be less than 40 `m^2` in small and medium towns and not less than 30 `m^2` in metropolitan cities.
• Plot size below 30 `m^2` and not less than 15 `m^2` may be permitted in case of cluster planning.

  Room Sizing :-

• The area of habitable room shall not be less than 5 `m^2`, where there is only one room with a minimum width of 2.4 m.
• Where there are two rooms, one of these shall not be less than 9.5 `m^2` and the other not less than 7.5 `m^2`, with a minimum width of 2.1 m.
• The area of a bathroom shall not be less than 8 `m^2` with a minimum width of 1.2 m.
• The floor area of water closet shall be 1.1 `m^2` with a minimum width of 0.9 m.
• If bath and water-closet are combined, its floor area shall not be less than 2.8 `m^2` with a minimum width of 1.2 m.
• The area of a kitchen where separate dining area is provided, shall not be less than 5 `m^2` with a minimum width of 1.8 m.
• Where there is a separate store, the area of the kitchen may be reduced to 4.5 `m^2`.
• A kitchen, which is intended for use as a dining area also, shall have a floor area of not less than 7.5 `m^2` with a minimum width of 2.1 m.
• The size of a store room, where provided in a residential buiding, shall be not less than 3 `m^2`.

  Wall Height :-

   According to NBC 2005; Clause F-3.4, the minimum height of rooms and spaces should be :- 

• Habitable Room - 2.75 meters.
• Kitchen - 2.6 meters.
• Bath/Water closet - 2.2 meters.
• Corridors - 2.1 meters.

  Thickness based on Fire Life and Safety :-

• The thickness of the Walls are given in the Table 2 of the Fire and Life Section of NBC 2005 :-

  Passageway Requirements :-

• The approach to the buidings from Road/ Street/ Internal means of access shall be through the paved pathway of a width not less than 1.5 m, provided its length is not more than 30.
• In the case of special housing schemes for the low-income group and economically weaker section of society developed up to two­ storey row/cluster housing scheme, the pedestrian pathway width shall be 3m. The pedestrian pathway shall not serve more than 8 plots on each side of the pathway; the length of the pathway shall be not more than 50 m.
• The length of the main means of access shall be determined by the distance from the farthest plot (building) to the public.
• The length of the subsidiary accessway shall be measured from the point of its origin to the next wider road on which it meets.
• In existing built-up areas in the case of plots facing Street/ means of accessway less than 4.5 m in width, the plot boundary shall be shifted to be away by 2.25 m from the central line of the street/means of accessway to give rise to a new street/means of accessway of 4.5 m width.

  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.

• This model resembles the actual modeling requirements for Project 1 of course work.

  Answer :-

• The numbers used in modeling the unit created from week 2 to week 4 are satisfying the requirements of NBC :-

  Height Limitations :-

• The Hieght of my model in created in Project 1 is 9.6 meters which is less than 15 meters. Hence OK.

  Area Limitations :-

• The Area of my model in created in Project 1 is 1600 sqft(148.6 `m^2`), 75% of the area is 111.45`m^2` which is greater than 40 `m^2`. Hence OK.

  Room Sizing :-

• Master Bedroom size = 27.8 `m^2` > 12.5 `m^2`, Hence OK.
• Living Room = 52.5 `m^2` > 15.5 `m^2, Hence OK.

   Wall Height :-

• The Hieght of all the walls in model created in Project 1 is 3 meters which is greater than 2.75 meters. Hence OK.