Estuary Academic and Strategic Institute (IUEs/Insam)

Specialty: Civil Engineering

Course Title: Construction Technology
Lecturer: Mr. Akum Oben
LECTURE ONE
Course Objectives
After studying the lessons of this course, the students should be able to know the following:

• History of Construction
• Forms of Construction (Buildings, Heavy/Civil Construction and industrial construction
works
• The process of construction which includes composition of Building team, inception, design,
submission of plans for approval, tendering, construction, supervision and inspection.
• Site selection and investigation
• The Construction Site Layout and methods of site clearance.
• Setting out: Buildings, drainage and roads.
• Foundations
• Exclusion and Removal of Water. Importance and methods of dewatering
• Temporary Works: Formwork, scaffolding and timbering.
• wall: Load bearing walls, framed walls, retaining walls etc.
• Floors. Ground and suspended timber and concrete floors.

History of Civil Engineering

Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction
and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works such as bridges,
roads, canals, dams and buildings. Civil engineering is the oldest engineering discipline in the
world after military engineering. Engineering has been an aspect of life since the beginnings of
human existence. The earliest practices of Civil engineering commenced between 4000 and 2000
BC in Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia (Ancient Iraq) when humans started to abandon a nomadic
existence and sought to construct shelter.
In the 18th century, the term civil engineering was coined to incorporate all things civilian as
opposed to from military engineering. The first self-proclaimed civil engineer was John Smeaton
who constructed the Eddystone Lighthouse. In 1818 the Institution of Civil Engineers was
founded in London, and in 1820 the eminent engineer Thomas Telford became its first president.
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The institution received a Royal Charter in 1828 formally recognizing civil engineering as a
profession.
Civil engineering embodies the application of physical and scientific principles, and its history is
intricately linked to advances in understanding of physics and mathematics.
Because civil engineering is a wide-ranging profession, including several separate specialized sub-
disciplines, its history is linked to knowledge of structures, materials science, geography, geology,
soils, hydrology, environment, mechanics and other fields

Fields of Civil Engineering

Civil engineering is broken down in to several sub fields and includes the following:

• Construction engineering
• Environmental engineering
• Transportation engineering
• Water resources engineering
• Geotechnical engineering
• Surveying
• Urban engineering
• Coastal engineering
• Materials engineering
Definition of Civil Engineering

Civil Engineering is defined as the art that includes the design and construction of all structures
other than simple buildings, and the investigation, design, and construction of all systems of
transportation, natural power development, water supply and sewage disposal, as well as the
direction of natural forces for the use and convenience of man.

Every branch of civil engineering has some contact with the surface of the earth. For instance, the
works designed by the civil engineer being supported by or located in some part of the earth’s crust.
The practice of civil engineering includes the design of these works and the control and direction
of their construction.

Implementing a Construction Project

Effective knowledge project management is a prerequisite for the successful implementation of a

construction project since the project has a distinct beginning and end. It encompasses setting goals
and delivering final products that match what was established at the goal setting stage.

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 GOALS

Fig1: Elements of Project Management in construction projects

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 Since changes often unforeseen, occur during the lifetime of a project, fig.2 represents a
continuous action aimed at achieving the best possible result.

PLANNING
1- Set objectives
2- Survey Resources
3- Form strategy

CONTROLLING
EXECUTING
1- Measure
achievements 1- Allocating Resources
against goals 2- Guide execution
2- Report changes 3- Coordinate effort
3- Resolve problems & motivate staff

Fig2: Managerial Cycle

Parties of a Construction Project

The main parties involved in a construction project are:

• The client
• The users

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 • The designers
• The executors
• Public authorities and agencies.
The link between them is often provided by a project management team created for the duration of
the project. The team is normally headed by a project manager, who is responsible to the client for
the execution of the project.

1) The Client
The client may be an individual, such as someone wishing to build a house or the organization
which needs the end product and has the authority and the financial resources.

For government projects, the client is usually a ministry or a government department.

2) The Users
In many respects the users are the most important party, yet often they are the most neglected. They
are the people who must operate and maintain the facilities which have been provided. Although
in some instances the client is still the user, in others, the individuals involved may be different.

3) The Designers
These are the architects and specialists responsible for translating the client's requirements into
reality. In a building project, the architect works with the following people in the preparation of
estimates and tender documents:

i) Structural engineers in the design of the structure,

ii) Draughtsman to produce working drawings from the sketches,
iii) Electrical engineers in the design of power and lighting supplies
iv) Civil engineers in the design of access roads, earthworks,
v) Surveyors
Not every project requires all these people. On the other hand, large and complex projects may require
additional specialists for example health and safety.

4) The Executors
These are the people who undertake the physical construction, who in many cases- will be private
contractors. The word contractor is used and is deemed to include all organizations which actually
execute or build.

5) Public Authorities
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All buildings must fulfil statutory requirements regarding construction standards and safety. For
example, roofs must be able to withstand specified wind loadings and fire regulations must be
observed. The health and safety of people who work or dwell in a building are usually safe guarded
by legal regulations. So, they must have a substantial effect on the shape of the building and the
facilities provided. In Cameroon, the town planning master plan is followed and town planning
regulations must be respected.

Stages and aspects of Construction

A construction project includes five stages from the time when the decision is made to
implement the construction project until when it becomes a reality. The stages of a
construction project include:

i) Briefing
ii) Designing
iii) Tendering
iv) Constructing
v) Commissioning

1) Briefing Stage
The purpose is to enable the client to specify project functions and permissible costs, so that the
architects, the engineers, quantity surveyors and other members of the design team can correctly
interpret his wishes and provide cost estimates.

Activities

• Set up a work plan and appoint designers and specialists

• Consider user requirements locations and site conditions, planning
designing, estimated costs, quality requirements.
• Ensure the preparation of Sketches (at scale 1/100, 1/1000, 1/3500), Cost estimates and
implications and plan for implementation.
Participants
• Architect
• Structural, electrical, mechanical engineers
• Quantity surveyor
• User representative

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 2) Designing Stage
The purpose of this stage is to complete the project brief and determine the layout, design, methods
of construction and estimate costs, in order to obtain the necessary approvals from the client and
authorities involved.

Activities
Activities at this stage include:

• Developing the project brief to final completion

• Investigating technical problems
• Obtaining the client final approval of the brief
• Preparing a scheme design, including cost estimates, a detail design, working
drawings, specifications and schedules, bill of quantities, final cost estimates and
the schedule.
Participants
Depending on the nature and the complexity of the project, the design team should include the
following:

• Project manager
• Architect (buildings)
• quantity surveyor
• Structural, mechanical and electrical engineers
• Some specialists such as health and safety officials, organizational planners
etc.
3) Tendering Stage
This stage requires appointing a contractor or a number of contractors who will undertake the site
construction works.

Activities

To obtain tenders from contractors: for the construction of the building and to award the contract.

Government tendering procedures are particularly closely controlled to ensure that national
contracts are awarded in an equitable and uniform way. In many cases tendering is the responsibility
of a central Tendering Board which is independent of either the client or the executing agency.
Members of the project management team may be required to provide the basic documentation to
the central “Tendering Board” and generally to provide technical assistance.

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 a) Pre-Qualification
To increase the probability that the client will get what is required, it is essential to introduce some
procedure to ensure that only experience and competent contractors are allowed to tender. This
procedure known as "pre-qualification", it involves an investigation to the potential contractor's
financial, managerial and physical resources and of his experience of similar projects and an
assessment of the firm's integrity.

b) Contract
The contract itself will be defined in a legal document which describes the duties and
responsibilities of the parties to it. For construction work, standard forms of contract have evolved
in most countries and it is usual for the central Tender Board to require the use of one of these
standard forms with perhaps minor modifications to suit the circumstances of a particular project.

Other contract documents are those necessary to define in detail the construction required by the
client: drawings, specifications, schedules, bill of quantities, time-scale. These documents will have
been prepared during the design stage.

Standard Forms of Contract

The use of standard forms of contract is recommended because:

• Their contents will be well known and understood by the parties involved,
• Their wording embodies much experience in resolving difficulties
of interpretation and enforcement.
• They will usually have been tested in law,
• The preparation of new forms of contract is expensive and time-consuming
Participants

In the case of government projects, the project management teams may be expected to give
technical support by:

providing the necessary contract documents

providing a basis for pre-qualification of tenderers,

checking that the tenders are arithmetically correct and conform to tender requirements.

Government Tender Boards usually award the contract to the lowest bidder.

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In the case of private projects, the final choice of contractor rests with the client, acting on the
advice of the project management team.

4) Constructing Stage
At this stage, it is required to construct the structure within the agreed limits of cost and time and
to specified quality (the project management triangle).

Fig3: Project Management triangle

Activities

The main activities here are plan, co-ordinate and control site operations. Production planning
includes the formulation of:

• time-schedules,
• site organization,
• a manpower plan,
• a plant and equipment plan
• a materials delivery plan
Site operations include:

• All temporary and permanent construction works and the supply of all
built-in furniture and equipment.
• The co-ordination of subcontractors,
• General supervision.
The construction stage consists of a number interrelated activity. The failure of one activity can
disrupt the entire production schedule. Therefore, careful production planning is important.

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Participants

The main participants are the project management team and the contractor. The direct responsibility
rests with the contractor. The project manager and his team must arrange for adequate supervision
of the work to ensure requirements.

5) Commissioning Stage
The purpose of this stage is to ensure that the building (structure) has been completed as specified
in the contract documents, and that all the facilities work properly.

To provide a record of the actual construction, together with operating instructions.

To train staff in the use of the facilities provided.

Records

During construction, difficulties may arise which result in changes to the original design. Records
of these changes will be kept during construction, mainly for financial reasons.

Activities

• Prepare "as built" records,

• Inspect the construction thoroughly and have defects remedied,
• Start up, test and adjust all services,
• Prepare operating instructions and maintenance manuals
• Train staff
The commissioning stage is the transition period between the construction and the occupation and
use of the building (structure).

Participants

• Project management team

• Operating staff
• Designers and specifications,
• Building services suppliers’ staff
• The contractor

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