Block Work PDF
Block Work PDF
Block Work PDF
Prepared by:
MH Engineering
Consulting Engineers P.L.C.
P. O. Box 1553
Addis Ababa / Ethiopia
Tel.: 00251-1-633081
Fax: 00251-1-627768
E-mail: [email protected]
BENEFICIARIES
The beneficiaries are within an income
range of roughly Birr 300 and Birr 1300
gross monthly family household income.
They must have a fixed employment as
civil servants or within the private sector
if they intend to be eligible for a credit
through the formal banking system.
Self-payers are also highly welcome if
they can deposit 50% of the construction
costs before entering into a contract with
the Project.
The income range of beneficiaries intends
to promote economically and socially
mixed settlements avoiding segregation
and promoting social stability and eco-
nomic development.
5
INTRODUCTION TECHNOLOGICAL
Cost-efficiency is one of the most crucial CONCEPT
points of low-cost housing. It can mainly
be achieved by standardisation of build-
ing elements and reducing the number HOUSING DESIGNS AND URBAN
of different items needed. Pre-fabrication DEVELOPMENT CONSIDERATIONS
and the use of machines and special tools
The housing design considers land as
to produce these standardized elements
scarce commodity and the provision of
maximize productivity, resulting in lower
basic infrastructure as relevant cost fac-
costs per unit.
tor. The design therefore emphasises
Through intelligent dual-usage of build- densification, small plot sizes and vertical
ing elements as building parts and as growth. In Addis Ababa, for example, row
formwork the construction costs are re- houses with a five-meter street front on
duced. In the construction process, the plots of 87.5 sqm allow strong densification
amount of wasted materials for formwork doubling the existing plot numbers. The
can be reduced as well the time for build- row houses have separate walls in order
ing and dismantling formwork. Re-usage to avoid noise problems.
of metal formwork, which can be adapted
The designs are based on the principle
to every kind of house, helps to economise
of growing houses, growing according
on the construction costs.
to the financial capabilities and varying
This has also a strong positive effect on needs of the beneficiaries. Low income
the environment. dwellers will go for the cheaper solution of
By planning the work flow accurately, for only ground floor housing, others will go for
example the curing time of concrete con- the more expensive solution of G+1. How-
struction, the productivity can be raised ever, those having selected the ground unit
and the quality secured. have the chance to expand their house to
G+1 once their financial capabilities have
The manual describes a modular building increased. This can be done by lifting the
system introduced by the Low-Cost Hous- roof (EGA sheets), constructing the walls
ing Project. In a first part machines and for G+1 and putting the same roof on top.
special tools for the pre-fabrication proc- In this manner, the houses can be easily
ess and simple handycraft-techniques are adapted to the increasing needs for dwell-
described. In part two the modular system ing space of a growing family according to
is introduced: its measurement basics and their financial possibilities.
the standardized building parts are de-
scribed. The third part visualizes a typical In future, apartment houses (up to G+4)
building process on the basis of a model will be constructed in order to economize
to illustrate the order in which the building more on the costs for basic infrastructure
parts have to be assembled. A built sam- and reduce the sqm price for construction.
ple is shown in the fourth part together with However, the costs for basic infrastructure
pictures from the construction site. can only be economized if inbound infill
This manual is mainly meant to be a guide- areas are used. Settlements on the fringe
line for architects, engineers, construction or outside of urban centres are financially
contractors and their staff such as site su- not viable because of the high costs for the
pervisors and foremen. provision of minimum basic infrastructure.
FIG. 1
Projects data:
- Row-house
type, following
the contour lines
of the terrain to
lower costs.
- Gross plot area:
15,251 sqm
- Total no. of
units: 178 units
- Plot size per
unit: 87,5 sqm
- Built up area per
unit: 42,05 sqm
FIG. 2
PICTURES FROM
CONSTRUCTION
PROCESS IN
ADDIS ABABA
Levelling for the foundation is made Preparation for combined strip and mat foundation
Ground floor finished, reinforcement for further walling, Starting the upper floor, street side view
backyard view
10 Finishing the upper floor, backyard view Finishing the walls of the upper floor, street side view
A BUILT EXAMPLE: THE MEKELLE A BUILT
HOUSING TYPE E X A M P L E S
FIG. 3
backyard view
11
1ST FLOOR, SCALE 1 : 100
BUILT
E X A M P L E S
FIG. 3
backyard view
Projects data:
- G+1
- Gross plot area:
0,872 ha
- Total no. of
units: 50 units
- Plot size per
unit: 170 sqm
- Build up area of
50,73 sqm
FIG. 4
PICTURES
FROM MEKELLE
CONSTRUCTION
PROCESS
Starting first floor Starting the roof construction, street side view
Open spaces between buildings Buildings are embedded into greenery, planted before 13
BASIC MEASUREMENTS size plus one mortar joint multiplied
with the number units used (n).
AND MASONRY BOND
19 cm For the calculation of ground floor
The construction of cost efficient houses plans measurements are:
requires reducing wastage of material. Re-
cm
32 cm
(32 cm + 1 cm) x n
16
Opening
Overall measurement
14 Scheme of different types of measurement for a ground floor plan shown as an example
FULL HCB
The full hollow block has a size of L=32
cm x W=16 cm x H=19 cm. This size of
the HCB is reduced in comparison to the
usual sizes used in Ethiopia. The new size
of the hollow block reduces the production
material and makes the HCB easier to BUILDING PARTS
handle,this reduces labour and material
costs. FIG. 6
VIEW OF FULL
During the wall construction the hollow
AND HALF HCB
block is placed up with the closed bot-
Full hollow block viewed from top tom facing upwards. Therefore the loss
of mortar during construction is reduced
and the bond between HCBs is increased.
HALF HCB
The half hollow block has a size of L=16
cm x W=16 cm x H=19 cm and represents
exactly half of one full HCB.
Usage is similar to the full HCB.
FIG. 7
VIEW OF U-
SHAPED HCB
U-shaped HCB viewed from top
16
COLUMN HCB
The column HCB has a size of L=32 cm
x W=16 cm x H=19 cm. It is used as a
formwork for columns and at the same
time as a part of the wall.
BUILDING PARTS
FIG.8
SYSTEM OF
COLUMN
Column HCB viewed form top FIG. 9
SLAB HCB
COLUMNS MADE OUT OF
C O L U M N -HCB S
SLAB HCB
This slab construction system, introduced
by the Low-cost Housing Project, avoids
formwork, reduces rquirements of skilled
manpower and time. The system has two
major components: the pre-cast beam and
the slab HCB.
The production of the slab HCB is done in
the same way as production of wall HCB.
18
B A S I C
TECHNIQUES
U S E A N D
DESCRIPTION
OF MACHINERY
AND TOOLS
FIG.10
HCB
PRODUCTION
Filling in concrete while the machine is already vibrating Concrete is filled up during compacting until the molde is
filled
19
MORTAR AND MASONRY WORK
CONSIDERATIONS
MORTAR QUALITY
20 Section showing mortar spreading into holes of the HCB Placing the HCB with the closed bottom up
Settelment area in Mekelle
The same construction method is used for Ground + 1 Houses (Mekelle) and Ground-
floor houses (Bahir Dar). The system allows also the construction of multistory buildings.
The cost efficienty is even higher in multistory buildings, while the construction time
can be shortened and the material wastage will be considerably reduced.
22
BENDING REINFORCEMENT FOR
PRECAST BEAMS
Starting the new segment Model of the formwork with ready-bent stirrup on it 23
VIBRATING TABLE
The vibrating table is used during casting
of the concrete for the precast-beams.
It consists of the vibrating-machine, which
is similar to the one used for HCB-produc-
B A S I C tion, and a metal table as shown in the
TECHNIQUES drawings below.
U S E A N D The table is trussed at the edges by four
DESCRIPTION billiard balls lying in hollows to enable it to
OF MACHINERY move horizontally free.
AND TOOLS
In addition, a mould is used to cast seven
FIG.13 beams at once. It is also shown in the
VIBRATION drawing below.
TABLE
FIG.13
VIBRATION
TABLE
Supports with billiard balls Filling in concrete by hand
Mould for the pre-cast beams The precast-beams after removing the mould 25
HOOKS FOR HOLDING
PARTS OF FORMWORK
TOGETHER
Clamps are used to hold parts of formwork
together.
B A S I C One side is rounded and tapered to make
TECHNIQUES insertion into the drill-hole easier. The
U S E A N D other side is bent by 180 degrees and flat-
DESCRIPTION tened. This side of the clamp provides a
OF MACHINERY pressure on the parts of the formwork to
AND TOOLS hold them tightly together.
FIG. 14
HOOKS FOR
FORMWORK
a clamp
Inserting the clamp into a drill-hole of the formwork... ... And locking it by rotating it by 90 degrees
26 Four clamps mounted in edge-position using an angle bar Two clamps mounted on formwork for foundation
FORMWORK FOR
FOUNDATIONS AND
SLABS
The formwork for foundations and for slabs
is the same. It consists of a metal panel
with a frame welded on it to achive stabil- B A S I C
ity. The frame has got drill-holes for the TECHNIQUES
clamps. U S E A N D
In conjunction with angle bars, two pieces DESCRIPTION
can be used to form an edge. They can OF MACHINERY
be mounted side by side or on top of each AND TOOLS
other.
FIG. 15
FORMWORK
27
THE MANHOLE
There is also a formwork for the manholes.
It consists of four metal side-panels, two
plastic pipes and a rectangular pot. The
side-panels are fixed by four angle bars
in the corners using clamps as described
B A S I C above. The pipes are fitted on different lev-
TECHNIQUES els, so that back pressure can not reach
U S E A N D the intake.
DESCRIPTION
OF MACHINERY The pot is slightly tapered and has a
AND TOOLS groove at the bottom to form a chute for
the future catch drain.
FIG. 16 All parts are treated with waste oil to make
FORMWORK removal easier.
MANHOLE
One has to be sure to make the pit for the
manhole big enough to be able to draw out Formwork for the manhole, viewed from the
the pipes after casting the concrete. More- side of intake (front panel removed)
Bottom-view of the mould with frog for the chute The mould viewed from the side of the catch
drain (front panel removed)
28 The frog for the chute viewed from top Viewed from top (panel of intake-side removed)
CONCRETE SPACERS
FOR FIXING POSITION OF
REINFORCEMENT
In the execution of foundations and slabs
concrete spacers are used to hold rein-
forcement in position and to assure the B A S I C
required cover. Cast-in wires are used to TECHNIQUES
fix them to the reinforcement bars. U S E A N D
The spacers are produced using a metal DESCRIPTION
mould. Concrete is filled in and during OF MACHINERY
compacting with the vibrating table, the AND TOOLS
wires are inserted.
FIG. 17
CONCRETE
SPACER
The cast manhole
The pit for the manhole The concrete spacers with wires for fixing them
The manhole covered with a precast lid The mould for the concrete spacers 29
AN EXEMPLARY CONSTRUCTION PROCESS
1 2
CONSTRUCTION
P R O C E S S
The following describes, how an exem- Reinforcement is placed inside the column
plary construction process is implemented, HCBs. After 10 layers of HCBs are erected
using the building parts mentioned before. they have to be filled with concrete C 25.
During walling up, the columns are in- Stirrups are placed within the mortar joints
tegrated into the wall by using column as shown in the drawings.
HCBs. The positions of the columns has to
be calculated by a structural engineer. The
structural design depends for example on
the number of storeys to be built and the
possibility of earthquake exposure.
3 4
When the wall is erected, a ring-beam has U-shaped HCBs are placed on top. Where
to be fixed. Therefore U-shaped HCBs the reinforcement of the columns is placed,
are used as part of the wall and even as the bottom of the U-shaped HCBs have to
formwork for the concrete. be cut. The reinforcement bars of the col-
umns have to be bound into the reinforce-
ment of the ring-beam. The overlap length
of the column reinforcement has to be at
least 80 cm.
30
5 6
CONSTRUCTION
P R O C E S S
Reinforcement bars are laid into the U- Stirrups are placed every 20 cm. The
shaped blocks. length of these stirrups depends on the
height of the slab to be built and has to be
designed by the structural engineer.
7 8
The U-shaped blocks are filled with con- The upper reinforcement parts for the slab
crete, min. quality C25. are placed in position.
31
9 10
CONSTRUCTION
P R O C E S S
In a next step, precast beams are laid upon Overlap at the end of beams over the
the ring-beam. The distance between the ring-beam has to be at least 10 cm.
beams results from the width of one slab-
HCB at its bottom plus a tolerance of 0,5
cm on both sides. That means clear dis-
tance between beams of 50,5 cm.
The distance between the ring-beam and
the first beam has to be 47,5 cm resulting
in an overlap for the slab-HCBs of 3 cm.
11 12
The slab-HCBs are placed between the One has to be sure of the proper place-
beams or between beam and ring-beam. ment of the slab HCB.
32
13 14
CONSTRUCTION
P R O C E S S
When all slab-HCBs are placed, the result Concrete filling is done on top of beams
will be also a formwork for the concrete-fill- and slab-HCBs. The quality has to be at
ing of the future slab. least C25.
A temperature reinforcement is to be laid
on top of the HCBs with properly bent
hooks at the ends of the reinforcement
bars. The diameter of the reinforcement
bars is 6 mm .
Formwork panels are placed at the outer
edges of ring-beams to complete the
formwork.
15 16
These drawings are schematic drawings of the final construction. A part of the slabs con-
crete filling is cut away to illustrate the position of reinforcement and slab-HCBs within
the concrete filling.
33
STRUCTURAL DESIGN
The structural design for the project was
done with the main aim of providing safe
and cost efficient housing.
The Ethiopian Standard Code of Practice,
STRUCTURAL ESCP-95, provisions are considered.
D E S I G N Additionally a 3D Finite Element Model
analysis was done both for vertical and
seismic loads.
From the structural point of view, safe and
cost efficient buildings were obtained by
considering many factors.
The major factors are:
Pre cast beams and HCB rib sys-
tems are used to avoid slab-/beam
formwork and to reduce the number of
skilled carpenters.
For up to G+1 buildings no column
formwork is required as the columns
are embeded in the Concrete Hollow
Blocks.
Modular structured elements are
used to simplify work and production
of pre cast beams and Concrete Hollow
Blocks.
Simple structural systems are used to
ensure safety and stability without re-
quiring difficult and expensive details.
An optimal structural system and lay-
out is used to reduce cost without com-
promising quality.The optimal system is
chosen after making trial and error with
many alternatives.
Different foundation types and embed-
ment depths are considered and the
one that is optimal from function and
cost aspects is selected and adapted.
The reduction of construction time
is achieved by using simple pre cast
systems which were instrumental in re-
ducing cost and enables better quality
control.
34
STRUCTURAL DESIGN
TO P P I N G R E I N F O R C E M E N T
The topping is a one way slab that is sup-
ported on the precast beams.
Taking a one meter strip and analyzing
the slab it could be shown that the area
of steel to be provided is minimum. The Typical Slab Section
shear should also be checked because
of local shear developments due to small
slab depth.
The maximum shear developed vmax =
pd/2 is checked against the capacity of the
section and it is determined whether shear
reinforcement should be provided or not.
In the present example no shear reinforce-
ment is provided since the applied shear is
less than the capacity of the section.
Minimum reinforcement from the code sug-
gests that a reinforcement mesh providing
in each direction a steel area not less than
0.0167 of the section of the slab.
A typical section of a slab with minimum
reinforcement is shown in FIG-1s.
INITIAL CONDITION
Loading:
dead load ( gk):
- precast beam :1.3*.12*.06*25 = x
- concrete block : weight of hollow block = y
gk
System :
Mmax= Pd * L2
8
cs = m
d
STRUCTURAL
M+ = 9 Pd *(L/2)2
D E S I G N
128
FINAL CONDITION
Loading:
dead load (gk) :
- precast beam : 1.3*.12*.06*25 = x
- concrete block + cast insitu concrete = y
- floor finish + partition = z
gk
live load (qk) :
- depends on the purpose of structure
design load : pd = 1.3* gk + 1.6* qk 37
System:
mmax = Pd*L2
8
d= D-d-cover
STRUCTURAL
D E S I G N us = md
fcd*b* d2
SUMMARY
All in all purpose of the design is to make a safe and economical structure that meets its
intended purpose.
The design of the buildings meets the standard code of practice of the country. It is fast,
economical and very little formwork is required.
40
SAMPLE STRUCTURAL DRAWINGS FOR ADDIS HOUSING TYPE
(Alert Site)
STRUCTURAL
D E S I G N
41
SAMPLE STRUCTURAL DRAWINGS FOR ADDIS
HOUSING TYPE (Alert Site)
STRUCTURAL
D E S I G N
42
SAMPLE STRUCTURAL DRAWINGS FOR ADDIS HOUSING TYPE
(Alert Site)
STRUCTURAL
D E S I G N
43
STRUCTURAL
D E S I G N
STRUCTURAL
D E S I G N
45
S A M P L E S T R U C T U R A L D R A W I N G S F O R T H E M E K E L L E A H O U S I N G T Y P E
STRUCTURAL
D E S I G N
46
S A M P L E S T R U C T U R A L D R A W I N G S F O R T H E M E K E L L E A H O U S I N G T Y P E
STRUCTURAL
D E S I G N
47
STRUCTURAL
D E S I G N
FIG-9s
48 SAP 3-D deformed shape model and corresponding drawing of the ground floor (Mekelle)
STRUCTURAL
D E S I G N
FIG-10s
SAP 3-D deformed shape model and corresponding drawing of the ground floor (Addis Apartments) 49
N O T E S
50
N O T E S
51