assignment on some building materials

Architecture [assignment on some building materials]

Muhammad Ahsan KhanCE-119SE-Section BCivil Engineering DepartmentBatch 2009-2010Submitted to: Miss Naeema Mughal

Architectureassignment on some building materials

GLASSGlass is an amorphous (non-crystalline) solid material. Glasses are typically brittle and optically transparent.The most familiar type of glass, used for centuries in windows and drinking vessels, is soda-lime glass, made of about 75% silica (SiO2) plus Na2O, CaO, and several minor additives.Architectural glass is glass that is used as a building material. It is most typically used as transparent glazing material in the building envelope, including windows in the external walls. Glass is also used for internal partitions and as an architectural feature.Glass block, also known as glass brick, is an architectural element made from glass used in areas where privacy or visual obscuration is desired while admitting light, such as underground parking garages, washrooms, and municipal swimming baths. Glass block was originally developed in the early 1900s to provide natural light in industrial factories.Window glazingsThe Crystal Cathedral in California was constructed using over 10,000rectangular panes of glass.Glass bifolding doors, glass floors, glass roofs, sliding glass walls, glass balustrading to stairs and balconies. Self-cleaning glass, fire rated glass, sound reduction glazing, heat insulating glass, opacity controlled glass, print screened glassClear windows have been used since the invention of glass to cover small openings in a building. They provided humans with the ability to both let light into rooms while at the same time keeping inclement weather outside.. Very often additives are added to the mixture when making to produce glass with shades of colors or various characteristics (such as bulletproof glass, or light emittance).The use of glass in architectural buildings has become very popular in the modern culture. Glass "curtain walls" can be used to cover the entire facade of a building, or it can be used to span over a wide roof structure in a "space frame".CEMENTCement and concrete might be synonymous as household terms, but are by nature different: cement, an ultra-fine gray powder, binds sand and rocks into a mass or matrix of concrete. Indeed, cement is the key ingredient of concrete. Concrete is the signature material in driveways, patios, basements, and a host of other items. It is also the world's most widely used building material.Architects in the Roman Empire used cement and concrete as a main building material beginning in the reign of Nero, about 60 AD, to build palaces like Nero's Golden House, temples like the Pantheon, and shopping malls like Trajan's Market. By using cement, builders could create huge domes and big open spaces with barrel vaults or groin vaults over themThe great Roman baths built about 27 B.C., the Coliseum, and the huge Basilica of Constantine are examples of early Roman architecture in which cement mortar was used.Concrete is no longer plain, grey and boring, it is now thought of as a beautiful decorative element. Decorative concrete is the use of concrete as not simply a utilitarian medium for construction but as an aesthetic enhancement to a structure, while still serving its function as an integral part of the building itself such as floors, walls, driveways and patiosConcrete can also be cast into unique and detailed designs using urethane form liner. These projects can be seen around the United States and the world, usually on sound/retaining walls, building exteriors, and bridges.WOODWood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years as a construction material.Wood was also used to make Churches in the past. The main problems with wood structures are fire risk and durability. Wood is an aesthetically pleasing material that never goes out of trend completely,Wood has been an important construction material since humans began building shelters, houses and boats. Nearly all boats were made out of wood until the late 19th century, and wood remains in common use today in boat construction.New domestic housing in many parts of the world today is commonly made from timber-framed construction. Engineered wood products are becoming a bigger part of the construction industry. They may be used in both residential and commercial buildings as structural and aesthetic materials.In buildings made of other materials, wood will still be found as a supporting material, especially in roof construction, in interior doors and their frames, and as exterior cladding.Wood is also commonly used as shuttering material to form the mould into which concrete is poured during reinforced concrete construction.Wood has always been used extensively for furniture, such as chairs and beds. Also for tool handles and cutlery, such as chopsticks, toothpicks, and other utensils, like the wooden spoonWood flooring, doors, windows, window frames, wooden trusses, cabinets, etc.METALMetal is used as structural framework for larger buildings such as skyscrapers, or as an external surface covering. There are many types of metals used for building. Steel is a metal alloy whose major component is iron, and is the usual choice for metal structural building materials. It is strong, flexible, and if refined well and/or treated lasts a long time.Aluminium is usually used to make frames of glass doors and windows.Aesthetically appealing metal stairs.load-bearing steel exoskeleton of some sky scrapers are both aesthetically appealing and use to transfer loads.Metal trusses.Decorative metal railings in stair cases or in balconies.STONENatural stone has been used for centuries due to its elegance, unmatched durability and timeless appeal.Colomns, fountains, balustrade systems, door and window surrounds.Rock-cut architecture is the practice of creating buildings and other physical structures by carving natural rock.Ancient monuments of rock cut architecture are widespread in several regions of world. Some of the most ancient known examples are located on several Mediterranean islands e.g. Malta (Hypogeum of al-Saflieni), Sardinia (Anghelu Ruju, built in 3,000 - 1,500 BCE) and others.Stones are used as aggregates in construction.The three main uses of rock-cut architecture were temples (like those in India), tombs (like those in Petra, Jordan) and cave dwelling.Stone cladding.Stone carving is an ancient activity where pieces of rough natural stone are shaped by the controlled removal of stone.TILEA tile is a manufactured piece of hard-wearing material such as ceramic, stone, metal, or even glass. Ceramic tiles are one of the oldest and most universally employed forms of architectural decoration.Tiles are generally used for covering roofs, floors, walls, showers, or other objects such as tabletops.They are also used in swimming pools.Tiles are often used to form wall and floor coverings, and can range from simple square tiles to complex mosaics.Thinner tiles can be used on walls than on floors, which require thicker, more durable surfaces.In Islamic architecture tiles are mostly used in Mosque construction and also in shrines.BRICKA brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout historyBricks are used for building and pavement.It is used as a decorative surface on footpaths.Bricks are used for lining furnaces.Facades of some buildings are made with bricks which look aesthetically very appealing.SANDSand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.Sand is mixed with cement and sometimes lime to be used in masonry construction.Sand is the principal component in common glass.Mixing sand with paint produces a textured finish for walls and ceilings or non-slip floor surfaces.Manufacturing of bricks and asphalt paving.Muhammad Ahsan Khan | CE-1192