Basics in Building Construction

Building Components And Types

Lesson 29 : Low Cost Building Technologies

Cost Effective Techniques And Alternate Building Materials Adopted In NBO Experimental Projects

1. Foundation


1. Under reamed pile foundation
2. Hyperbolic paraboloid footings.
3. Leaner cement concrete (1:8:16) for foundations
4. Pocket connections for foundations


2. Superstructure Walls


1. Brick cavity walls.
2. Single thickness load bearing walls for 4 and 5 storeyed buildings.
3. Load bearing concrete panels for walls.
4. Use of modular bricks.
5. Use of improved methods of brick laying and plastering.
6. Polythelene D.P.C.
7. Light weight aggregate concrete blocks for masonry in partition.
8. Hollow cinder blocks for masonry.
9. Damp proof course in cement mortar 1:4 with air entraining agent.
10. Large composite cement concrete panels using hollow blocks and solid bricks.
11. Flyash-lime-gypsum bricks for masonry.
12. Nineteen cm walls for superstructure masonry.
13. Stone block masonry.
14. Rat trap bond for Masonry walls.


3. Doors and Windows


1. Precast RC frames for doors and windows.
2. Particle board for shutters of doors/ windows.
3. Steel frames for doors/ windows.
4. Frameless doors.
5. Coal tar drum sheets for door shutters.
6. Red mud shutters for door and windows.


4. Roofing/Flooring Slabs


1. Precast channel units for roofing/ flooring.
2. Prestressed channel units.
3. Precast cored units for roofing/ flooring.
4. Precast cellular units for roofing/ flooring.
5. Precast waffle units for roofing/flooring.
6. Doubly curved tile roofing system.
7. Batten and hollow block construction for roofing.
8. Precast concrete folded plate roofing.
9. Precast hyperbolic shell units for roofing.
10. Precast RC ‘T-Beam’ unit for roofing.
11. Precast RC planks and joists for roof/ flooring.
12. Precast ‘l’ pan roofing.
13. Precast panels with earthen ‘kulhars’
14. Thin RC ribbed slab for floors / roofs.


5. Flooring


1. Stabilised soil cement base for floors.
2. Magnesium Oxychloride flooring.
3. Floor base of 1:20:40 cement: flyash: sand.
4. Reduced floor thickness.


6. Structural Members (Beams, Columns, etc.)


1. Hollow Beams.
2. Precast RC columns and beams.
3. Precast concrete staircase elements.


7. New Materials


1. Use of deformed bars.
2. Partial replacement of cement by Flyash.
3. Hydrated lime.
4. Blending of Badarpur sand with Jamuna sand in mortar.
5. Plastic stays.
6. Plastic wash and hard basins and other fittings.
7. Secondary species of timber for doors / windows.


8. Services ( Sanitary, Water Supply)


1. PVC pipes for water supply.
2. Single stack system of plumbing.
3. Evaporative roof cooling system.


9. Architectural Planning and Structural Design


1. Lower ceiling height.
2. Precast lintels.
3. Design based on ultimate load theory.
4. Design for solar energy utilization.