THEORY OF ARCHITECTURE 1
LESSON: CONSTRUCTION METHODS AN STRUCTURES AS
EXPRESSION
BUILDING
The building is to provide a shelter for the performance of human activities. From the time of the cave
dwellers to the present, one of the first needs of man has been a shelter from the elements. In a more general
sense, the art of building encompasses all of man's efforts to control his environment and direct natural forces
to his own needs. This art includes, in addition to buildings all the civil engineering structures such as dams,
canals, tunnels, aqueducts and bridges.
The form of a building is an outgrowth of its function, its environment and various socio economic
factors. An apartment building, an office building, and a school differ in term because of the difference in
function they fulfill. In an apartment building every habitable space such as living rooms and bedrooms, must
have natural light from windows while bathrooms and kitchens can have artificial light ana therefore can be in
the interior of the building.
In office buildings, on the other hand, artificial light is accepted for more uniform illumination, and
therefore the depth of such buildings is not limited by need for natural light.
FORM, SHAPE AND APPEARANCE
Environment may affect both the shape and appearance of the building. An urban school may create
its own environment by using blank walls to seal out the city completely, and a country school may develop as
an integral part of the land scape even though both schools fulfill the same function.
The form of a building is affected by a variety of socio-economic factors, including land, costs, tenancy
building budget, and zoning restrictions. High land costs in urban areas result in high buildings. A housing
project for the rich will take a different form than a low cost housing project. A prestige office building will be
more generously budgeted for than other office buildings. Buildings with similar functions-therefore take on
different forms.
STRUCTURAL FORMS:
The beam or arch have developed through the ages in relation to the availability of materials and the
technology of the time. The arch developed on a result of the availability of the brick. In the Technology of
buildings, every structure must work against the gravity, which tends to pull everything down to the ground.
A balance therefore must be attained between the force of gravity, the shape of the structure, and the strength
of material used. To provide a cover over a sheltered space and permit openings in the walls that surround it.
Builders have developed four techniques consistent with these balance between gravity, form and material.
1. POST AND LINTEL – a horizontal bean between two
vertical supports.
2. ARCH CONSTRUCTIONS – covering an open space by
placing wedge-shaped units together with their
thick ends outward.
3. CORBEL OR CANTILEVER – a projection from the face
of a wall fixed in position to support a weight.
4. TRUSS CONSTRUCTION – allowing for the use of a
pointed roof.
CONCRETE
Concrete is 8 conglomerate artificial stone. It is made by mixing 8 paste of cement and water with sand
and crushed stone, gravel, or other inert material. The chemically active substance in the mixture is the
cement that unites physically and chemically with the water and, upon hardening, binds the aggregates
together to form a solid mass resembling stone.
A particular inherent property is that concrete may be made in any desired shape. The wet mixture is
placed in wood, plastic, cardboard or metal forms in which it hardens or sets. Properly proportioned concrete
is hard and durable materials. It is strong in compression but brittle and almost useless in resisting tensile
stresses.
In order to avoid compression and tension, reinforcement made of billet steel and rail steel, usually
intermediate grade is introduced. This is called REINFORCED CONCRETE.
