Parts of The Building
Parts of The Building
Parts of The Building
Building Components
The basic Components of a Building Structure are the Footing, Column, Beam, Slab, Lintel,
Doors, Windows, Sill, DPC. Earth Filling, Parapet Wall, etc.
These parts of the building serve the purpose of supporting, enclosing, and protecting the
building structure.
Components of Building
Following is a list of building components and standard size of building components,
1. Foundation
A Foundation is the lowest part of the building structure rested on soil below ground level.
All loads of building transferred to foundation through–beam and column arrangement.
Its main function is to distribute the load evenly and safely to the ground.
Building Foundation
In framed structures, Footings are generally used as foundations to support the structural
load of the building.
1. Shallow foundation
o Individual footing or isolated footing
o Combined footing
o Strip foundation
o Raft or mat foundation
2. Deep Foundation
o Pile foundation
o Drilled Shafts or caissons
Standard Dimensions
Foundation size, depth totally depends on the structural and site ground condition. So, there
are no standard dimension recommendations for it.
But, For small structural like row houses depth of foundation should be at least 1.5 m from
ground level.
2. Plinth Level
Plinth level or Plinth is the offset created between ground level and superstructure of the
ding. It is made by constructing a brick wall from ground level to the ring level of the
building.
Its main function is to prevent the entry of moisture from the Ground surface to the building
superstructure.
Standard Dimensions
The plinth height of any building must be at least 45 cm or 3 feet from the ground level.
3. Earth Filling
Earth Filling in Plinth
An Earth Filling or Soil Filling is done between the plinth wall. It is essential to fill the open
space left between the ground level to the plinth level.
Earth filling must be very well compacted so that the flooring gets a sufficiently hard surface
base.
Standard Dimensions:
Earth must be filled to the top of the plinth level. Different materials can utilize as earth fills
like soil, coarse aggregate, waste materials, Brick Bat, etc.
DPC is a layer of waterproofing material such as asphalt or waterproof cement at the plinth
level.
The superstructure walls are constructed above the DPC layer so that no dampness rises from
the ground surface into the walls.
DPC ( Damp Proof Course)
If dampness rises in the wall of the superstore it reduces the strength of the walls and creates
unhealthy living conditions.
Also, it created many defects in paint and plaster and ultimately increase maintenance costs.
In the case of Plinth, beams are provided above ground level DPC is not required. Because
plinth Beam itself performs as a DPC layer to restrict the entry of dampness.
Standard Dimensions
Generally, DPC is laid on brick masonry construction up to the plinth level. So the width of
DPC is the same as the width of the Brick wall and thickness may vary from 2.5cm to 5cm.
5. Flooring
Flooring is an important component of the home. It is one that provided an attractive and
pleasant look to the house. Flooring is made by laying tile on it.
There are different types of flooring designs and materials are available,
Timber Flooring
Laminated Flooring
Vinyl Flooring
Porcelain or Ceramic Tile Flooring
Natural Stone Flooring – Marble, Granite, etc.
Standard Dimensions
Flooring is provided above earth filling with a base made of cement concrete (1:2:4). The
flooring material should have sufficient thickness and strength.
6. Walls
Walls are the vertical component of any structure. It can be constructed using stones,
bricks, concrete blocks, etc. The different types of bonds are used for constructing walls.
Bricks walls are essential to enclose the inside area and protect against wind, sunshine, rain,
etc. Doors and Windows are provided in the walls for ventilation and access to the building.
Standard Dimensions
Walls may be made of single brick walls or double brick walls. The single brick wall has a
thickness of 100 mm and the Double brick wall has a thickness of 230mm.
7. RCC Column
Columns are vertical members constructed to support any structural frame. Load Coming
from the Slab, Beam transferred to column and column transfer load to the footing safely.
Building structures may have two types of columns.
Standard Dimensions
Columns may have various sizes as per the structural load requirements. But, for minimum
dimension for any structural column is restricted to 9” x 9” or 225mmx225mm.
8. Sill Level
It is the base point of any window in the house or it is a level where windows are placed. The
Sill level is very important to ensure evenness in all window levels.
Sill is a height which is ensuring that the proper amount of light enters the house. It also
provides easy habitat to look outside through the window without any discomfort. It provides
a solid base for window installment.
Standard Dimensions:
Lintels are constructed from reinforced cement concrete. It is provided above the wall
openings like doors, windows, etc. The Lintel actually takes the load coming on window and
door openings.
In Sort, lintel safeguards the door and window from excess load coming from above. In
residential buildings, lintel can be constructed from concrete or brick masonry.
Standard Dimension
Generally, the lintel width is as same as the width of the wall and thickness between 4” to 6”
10. Ceiling
The ceiling is not a separate part but is the bottom face of any slab. The ceiling is the most
important part of any room because it can be decorated to increase the aesthetic appearance.
POP (Plaster of Paris) is a material used for making false ceilings.
It is a location where we can hang decorative items, fans, etc to increase the architectural view
of the room.
Standard Dimension
Ceiling height is kept 9’ 6” to 10’ 6”. (it can be more or less as per requirement)
11. Chhajjas
Chhajjas
Chhajjas is also called Weather shed. This is a structure that is constructed above the
window projected outside from the window face.
The main function of the weather shed is to restrict the direct entry of rainwater and
sunlight. Chhajjas are constructed from reinforce cement concrete.
Standard Dimensions
RCC Beam
RCC Beam is an important component in any frame structure. The beam is a horizontal
member which connects columns on both sides.
Its main function is to take the load from the upper structure and transfer it to the column.
Generally, column to beam connection is called direct support while the beam to beam
connection is called indirect support.
In most cases, the beam is supported by two columns, and the most rarely used is the
cantilever beam.
Standard Dimension
The roof is an essential structural component of building for any structure, which provides
protection again environmental factors like sun, wind, and rain.
Generally, All roof rests on sidewalls and required anchoring so that wind and another
mechanical impact cannot destroy it.
Roofs may have different shapes, but flat and sloped roofs are more popular. Typically most
roofs are constructed from RCC, stone slabs, tiles, etc.
Standard Dimension
Doors are the main entry and exit point of any house. Without doors, there will be no security
in the house. They are one which separates the one room from others.
Doors have a lock-key facility, so we can lock the house by locking the door and go out freely.
They are made of strong materials like steel, wood, iron. Therefore, they are not easily
breakable.
1. Hinged Doors
2. Dutch Doors
3. Roller Doors
4. Bifold Doors
5. Sliding Doors
6. Pivot Doors
7. French Doors
8. Panel Doors
9. PVC Doors
10. Flush Doors
Standard Dimension
The main door of the drawing–room, bedroom, the kitchen may have a width up to 2’6” to 3’
and other rooms like bath, W/C is 2’ to 3’. The height of Doors is almost 7’ every time or up
to lintel level.
15. Windows
Windows are one of the essential components of any house or building. It is one that allows
fresh air and light to enter the house. Without the window, the house becomes a darkroom or
jail.
Windows are provided at sill level and their height extended up to lintel level. There are
various types of windows used in houses like
Standard Dimension
Window opening width may change depending on requirement but its height is generally
kept 1.4m from sill level or up to the bottom of the lintel.
Parapet Wall
It is a low–height wall built along the edge of the roof, terrace, walkway, balcony, etc.
Parapet walls can be constructed using different materials like reinforced cement concrete,
steel, aluminum, glass, etc. It is generally constructed with a single brick wall.
Standard Dimensions:
The damp proof course is the protective layer to restrict the movement of moisture, water
through the roof slab.
For DPC on the roof flexible materials are used which provide a lesser number of joints like
mastic, asphalt, bitumen felts, plastic sheets, etc.
18. Copping
Coping on Wall
Coping is a structure that is constructed on top of Boundary walls & parapet walls etc. to
protect rainwater directly store on brick masonry walls.
The main function of coping is to drain off rainwater during the rainy season & improves the
aesthetics of the structure/wall.