Author: haroonkhan

  • Orientation Criteria under Indian Conditions

    Major factors which control orientation of residential building are solar heat and humidity. Climate-wise, Indian climatic conditions may be divided into hot-arid zone and hot-humid zone. 1. Hot-Arid Zones Such zones are also called as dry arid zones which are found mostly in the interior of the country away from the coast. Hence, to get…

  • Factors Affecting Orientation

    Factors which may affect orientation are as follows: 1. Solar Radiation Solar radiation is directly related to temperature. From the solar radiation point of view, the orientation should be such that the building as a whole should receive the maximum solar radiation in winter and the minimum in the summer. Hence, it is necessary to…

  • ORIENTATION OF BUILDING

    Orientation of a building refers to the direction of the normal to the long axis. For example, if the length of the building is north-south, its orientation is east-west. The chief purpose of orientation of a building is to derive physically and psychologically comfortable living conditions inside the building. The orientation will provide the maximum…

  • Superstructure

    Superstructure is that portion of a building which is constructed above the substructure. It is the major portion of a building which is fully used by human beings. It houses various facilities like number of storeys, floors, roofs, stairs, ventilation, etc. It is the one which provides adequate stability and withstands the adverse weather conditions.…

  • Substructure

    Substructure is the lowest portion of a building which is usually considered to be located below the ground level. The function of the substructure is to transmit the load of superstructure to the soil. The substructure is nothing but the foundation which is provided to give stability to the building and to distribute the load…

  • BUILDING COMPONENTS AND THEIR FUNCTIONS

    Parts of a building fall under two broad categories, viz., substructure and superstructure and all components of a building fall in any one of these categories.

  • Balcony

    This is a horizontal projection facing the open area including a handrail or balustrade to serve as passage or sitting out place.

  • Water Closet

    The minimum floor area shall not be less than 1.1 m2 and height 2.2 m. This does not include a bathroom. Privacy is needed with arrangement for flushing the pan with water.

  • Bathroom

    The size shall not be less than 1.5 m × 1.2 m or 1.8 m2 and height shall not be less than 2.2 m. If it is combined with a water closet, the area shall not be less than 2.8 m2 with a minimum width of 1.2 m.

  • Habitable Rooms

    Any room which is occupied or designed for occupancy by one person or more persons for the conventional usage is called as habitable room. The minimum height of these rooms should not be less than 2.74 m. Area of habitable room shall not be less than 9.5 m2 with a minimum width of 2.4 m, if…