Conceptual Structural Design

Methods of Reinforced
Concrete Buildings
Dawit Solomon May, 2014
Contents
What is conceptual design
Some aspects of conceptual design
Automated conceptual design example
Conclusion
What is Conceptual Design
Conceptual design is an iterative process consisting of a series
of generative and evaluative stages that gradually converge on
a preferred conceptual solution
At each iteration, concepts are defined in increasing detail by
communication and open dialogue with the design team and
the Client thereby permitting a more accurate evaluation thus
homing into a solution that best suits the function of the
building and the Client at large
Some of the items that need to be considered at conceptual
design level are as follow:
Conceptual Design
Functional framing
Load transfer
Stability
Safety
Economy
Buildability
Site Constraints
Speed of Construction
Aesthetics
Fire resistance
Conceptual Design
Functional Framing
Structural design of buildings does not require us to reinvent
the wheel of basic structural mechanics and the laws of statics
The function of this frame should also work well with the
function and use of the building
Various concrete framing options are available
Flat slabs
Ribbed slabs
Waffle slabs
Two-way slabs
One-way slabs
Each frame has its own merit and should be chosen carefully
Conceptual Design Load
Transfer
The designer should workout how the actions on the structure
are transferred from the point of application to the supporting
ground
Generally there are three types of loads that need to be
considered:
Vertically acting gravity loads
Lateral loads
Soil loads
Conceptual Design Safety
The structural engineer should consider how their design
impacts on safety during the following stages of the
structures life:
Construction
Use
Maintenance
Refurbishment/alteration
Demolition
Conceptual Design Economy
This aspect of design is very important for designers in
Ethiopia as finance for buildings is increasingly getting difficult
to secure
A holistic view of the cost should be considered
The choice of the frame will have an effect on the following:
Foundation A heavier frame will increase the foundation size
and rebar
Cladding Shorter buildings will have less area hence costs less.
As cladding costs can amount to 25% of the building costs
Partitions The same arguments for claddings also applies here
Conceptual Design Economy
Services Flat soffit options allow better integration of services.
Conceptual Design Site
Constraints
The location of the site may impose constraints that favor one
solution over another. These restraints include:
Proximity of adjustment buildings
Size of the site and working space
Access to the site, e.g. city center sites which could limit access to
vehicles
Remoteness
Restrictions on working hours
Effect of site process on neighbors
Conceptual Design Speed of
Construction
The speed of construction and the early commissioning of the
building is of great importance both for the Client and the
financier of the building. Some of the advantages are as
follows:
Building will start generating income
Developer can start loan repayments sooner
The contractor and consultant can allocate resources to different
projects sooner
Disruptions to adjacent facilities will be minimized
Quick learning curve for apprentices to name but a few
Conceptual Design Speed of
Construction
The data below is an extract from the Institution of Structural Engineers
Reinforced Concrete Designers Manual
It shows speeds of construction for various forms of reinforced concrete
frame constructions
The same has been considered when automating the conceptual design
process as will be discussed later
Conceptual Design Fire
resistance
Concrete is inherently fire resistant
It is non combustible
Has a slow rate of heat transfer which makes it a highly
effective heat barrier
Below is an extract from the Institution of Structural
Engineers Reinforced Concrete Designers Manual
Conceptual Design
Automated Conceptual Design
The discussion so far has outlined that conceptual design
helps in finding the best solution for a given set of design
constraints
It is to the design teams advantage to carry out this at an
early stage in the design process
It is possible to automate most of the items discussed above
using a simple spreadsheet.
This is now illustrated in a simple example for a multi-storey
building
BIGAR Architecture, Engineering, Urban Design plc -
CONCEPTUAL DESIGN.xls
Conceptual Design
Conclusion
Conceptual design should be carried out as a team and not as
an individual
All disciplines should work together to avoid errors as they all
feed off each other
Concepts and drawings should be coordinated and
communicated with al members of the design team to avoid
expensive errors and delay the project
We have established that a holistic approach should be taken
when selecting a reinforced concrete frame for a given type of
function
 THANK YOU
Expensive, FOR YOUR
thats too ATTENTION
expensive hmm!
I wonder!!

Lets build
a floating
Come on building
that is not
possible