Purpose of learning

- So that when you have a conversation/meeting with your technical team, you will know
what they are talking about even if your just in-charge of the design. When they say
“architect this part of the design needs to be modified because it can’t be done” you’ll
understand why

Construction Phase
1. After the bidding stage and the contractor has been awarded, construction work begins.
2. The primary role of the architect is to ensure that the construction drawings and the specifications
are transformed into reality just as it was conceived by the design architect – the design architect
and project architect may be two separate professionals
3. The architect provides periodic observation and evaluation of the contractor’s work and notifies
the owner if the work is not in compliance with the intent of the contract documents.

Specifications

1. Buildings cannot be constructed from drawings alone because there is a great deal of information
that cannot be included in the drawings. They are the technical descriptions of the design intent
whereas drawings provide graphic description.
2. For instance, the drawings will give the locations of columns, their dimensions, and the material
used (such as reinforced concrete), but the quality of materials, their properties (the strength of
concrete for example), and the test methods required to confirm compliance cannot be furnished
on the drawings. This information is included in the document called specifications.
3. Another example is the information of the door. The drawings show the size and location of the
door but do not show the hardware, such as hinges, locks, handles, etc.
4. Should there be any conflict between Specifications and Construction Drawings – the
Specifications usually prevail, meaning, the Specifications govern the project unless otherwise
stated in the contract.
5. CSI Masterformat was developed by the Construction Specifications Institute to serve as a
guideline for specifications writing. All in all, there are 50 Divisions
6. Specifications should be developed alongside the design, increasing in level of detail as the design
progresses.
7. Used as the basis for the contractor’s bid or price so the more detailed the specs sheet is the more
accurate the tender (submission by a prospective supplier) is.

Rough Sitework
1. Before any work is done
a. Important to check municipal zoning ordinances which establish requirements such as
setbacks
b. Locate the utilities that will support the site, such as power, water, gas, and telephone
lines, sewage line – if there isn’t a sewage line then you will need to provide a septic
tank
c. If the ability of the soil to support the weight of a building is in doubt, a soil engineer
should be consulted
d. Investigate any other local ordinances, such as tree-cutting restrictions, setbacks,
parking requirements, etc.
e. Access routes and storage locations need to be planned strategically
 f. Waste piles, temporary utilities and facilities, parking areas for workers, office space for
on-site meetings should be located in places that will not disrupt construction activity
2. Site Preparation
a. One of the first activities at the building site is a survey to establish the locations of the
property lines
b. This is done by a licensed surveyor, who marks the corners of the property and notes
relative elevations to be used for determining the floor levels of the house and
establishing slopes of future site features such as driveways and drainage piping.
c. Site is cleared of major vegetation and debris where the portion is used for the building
d. Staking-out
i. Once the property lines have been located and site is cleared, the corners of the
building are roughly situated and marked on the property through a process
known as staking out.
ii. Small stakes are driven to mark approximately the corners of the building’s
foundation and the placing of batter boards as reference marks for the builder
iii. Steps in staking out
• Corner stakes for the foundations are located and squared accurately
with surveying instructions or 3:4:5 right triangles
• Because the corner stakes will be lost during excavation, batter boards
are erected just beyond the area to be excavated. A saw kerf or nail is
placed on the batter boards in the plane for each wall, so strings may be
stretched to define each plan after excavation is completed
• A plumb bob is used to align the marks on the batter boards with the
stakes. Later a plumb bob is suspended again from the intersecting
strings to locate the corners of the walls
Purpose of learning
- So that when you have a conversation/meeting with your technical team, you will know
what they are talking about even if your just in-charge of the design. When they say
“architect this part of the design needs to be modified because it can’t be done” you’ll
understand why
Primary function of a foundation is to transfer the structural loads from a building to the ground.
- Example: your legs and feet need won’t be able to carry your weight on unstable ground no
matter how fit/strong they are
Think of a building as consisting of three major parts:
- Superstructure
o Which is the above ground portion of the building
- Substructure
o Which is the habitable below-ground portion
- Foundations
o Which are the components of the building that transfer its loads into the soil
Characteristics of a satisfactory foundation for a building:
1. The foundation, including the underlying soil and rock, must be safe against a structural
failure that could result in a collapse.
2. During the life of the building, the foundation must not settle in such a way as to damage
the structure or impair its function.
3. The foundation must be feasible, both technically and economically, and practical to build
without adverse effects on surrounding property.
Foundation Settlement