Building Construction I

Syllabus

1. Introduction (1 hour)
   1. Construction techniques as per building design and working drawing
   2. Importance of proper construction work for design output
   3. Importance of national guidelines: Nepal Building Code (NBC) and Mandatory Rules of Thumb (MRT)
2. Site Works and Setting Out (2 hours)
   1. Commencement and preconstruction of work with respect to possession of site
   2. Preparation of site and building layout
3. Soil Investigation (4 hours)
   1. Soil types and their characteristics
   2. Foundations in weak soil with reference to black cotton soil
   3. Methods of improvement of soil bearing capacities
4. Excavation (1 hour)
   1. Requirement and process of excavation
   2. Challenges of excavation (hazards and safety)
5. Timbering in Trenches (2 hours)
   1. Timbering in shallow foundations in hard to loose soil
   2. Timbering in shallow foundations in water logged soil
6. Foundation and their Types (6 hours)
   1. Introduction, functions and characteristics of foundation
   2. Types of shallow foundation: spread, strap, combined and raft foundation
   3. Types of deep foundation: pile, well and pier foundation
   4. Foundation design in traditional Nepalese architecture
7. Damp Protection (4 hours)
   1. Moisture movement in building
   2. Sources, causes and defects of dampness
   3. Methods of damp proofing, damp proof course (DPC) and materials used
   4. Selection of appropriate DPC materials for different parts of building
8. Floor Structure (4 hours)
   1. Introduction to floors, classification and construction materials
   2. Ground floor: solid ground floor and suspended timber floor
   3. Upper timber floor
9. Masonry Wall (4 hours)
   1. Introduction to wall types, materials and mortars
   2. Stone masonry, brick masonry, concrete block masonry
   3. Trends in masonry wall: hollow block masonry, AAC block and others
10. Openings in Wall (2 hours)
    1. Lintels, arches and their types
    2. Construction materials

Practicals

Forty-five hours of drawing exercises related to each chapter and sub-chapter, along with field visits and reports and assessments with MCQ.