THEORY AND ACTIVIES MODULE 1

(1ST week)

CONTENTS:
1.1. INTRODUCTION

1.2. DEFINITIONS OF THE DISCIPLINES

1.2.1. Architecture

1.2.2. Engineering

1.2.3. Construction

1.2.4. Building

1.3. PROFESSIONS AND TRADES

1.3.1. Professions

1.3.2. Trades

1.4. BUILDINGS: FUNCTIONS & CONSTRUCTION TYPES

1.4.1. Dwellings: block of flats, detached houses, etc.

1.4.2. Other building types

1.5. ENVIRONMENT, LOCATION AND PLANNING: THE SITE AND ITS LIMITS

1.5.1. External walls and barriers

1.5.2. Gates and types of gates

1.6. SUSTAINABILITY

ACTIVITIES:
A. Read the whole text below once to get the general meaning.
B. Read the whole text again out loud. Repeat the text (or chunks of texts)
when you find yourself stumbling over words. Do it several times until
you can read it fluently.

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1.1. INTRODUCTION
This unit covers general terms related to construction, a wide concept that might be related
with architecture, civil engineering, building or urban planning studies. You will study some
aspects of these broad fields, such as professions and trades, building types, and
sustainability.

1.2. DEFINITIONS OF THE DISCIPLINES

Some of these terms are polysemic.

1.2.1. Architecture
a) The science and art of designing, planning, and constructing buildings, communities, or
open areas keeping aesthetic and functional criteria. Some authors do not make a difference
between architecture and building. Architectural theory goes back to Vitruvius and the
ancient Greek writings.

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b) It can also mean a unifying form or structure; a method or style of building, for example
Gothic architecture.

Read these definitions of ‘architecture’ written by famous architects:

- "Architecture is an expression of values – the way we build is a reflection of the way we live." -
Norman Foster in The European

- "Architecture is the real battleground of the spirit." - Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in ID Merger
Speech

- “Architecture is not a question of the purely theoretical if you're interested in building buildings. It's
the art of what is possible." - Paul Rudolph in Chicago Architects Oral History Project 20.

- "Architecture is much more than the building of an object on a site: it is a reinvention of the site
itself." - Sean Lally in The Air from other Planets

- “Architecture is intended to transcend the simple need for shelter and security by becoming an
expression of artistry." - Jay A. Pritzker in his 1985 Pritzker Ceremony Specch

- "Architecture is more about ideas than materials." - Qingyun Ma in Los Angeles Times

- "Architecture is not just for big star projects like museums. It's for the slums around them, too." -
Juan Ramon Adsuara in npr
- "Architecture is the sum of inevitable negotiations." - Felipe Mesa in Domus
- "Architecture is unnecessarily difficult. It's very tough." - Zaha Hadid in The Guardian
- "Architecture is by definition a very collaborative process." - Joshua Prince-Ramus in Fast
Company

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1.2.2. Engineering
The branch of science and technology related to the design, building, and use of engines,
machines, and structures. Therefore, it implies the application of scientific principles to
practical ends in the design and construction of structures. It has several branches of
expertise including civil, mechanical, chemical, etc.

Civil engineering works are construction works that comprise a structure, such as a dam,
bridge, road, railway or a sewerage system.

1.2.3. Construction
a) The activity of erecting buildings from site preparation through erection, assembly and
finishing operations, including commercial, industrial and residential work. All the assembled
or complete part that results from working on site. In other words all the work done in
building, from land clearance to completion, including excavation, erection, and the
assembly and installation of components and equipment.

b) The manner in which materials are ordered, assembled, and united into a whole, as in the
term ‘frame construction’, that is to say, ‘a structure’.

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1.2.4. Building
a) A more or less enclosed structure which is relatively permanent, constructed over a plot of
land, distinguished from mobiles structures; it can be executed in housing, commerce,
industry, etc. A building is any structure with a roof to provide shelter from the weather for
occupants or contents. Residential work are sometimes designed by local builders in some
countries, while larger projects with complicated services, such as office blocks or airport
terminals are designed by architects. The parts of a building are the substructure where the
foundation or structure is settled, and the superstructure with the shell, that is the exterior
framework or walls and roof structure.

b) The action of constructing something

1.3. PROFESSIONS AND CONTRUCTION TRADES

1.3.1. Professions
The professionals in construction are highly qualified in general and well trained, they
contribute with their specific knowledge to deliver the projects in the construction industry
successfully. The following are examples of these professionals:

Architect
A person who designs and supervises the construction of buildings.
Civil engineer
An engineer trained in the design of civil structures such as roads, tunnels, bridges,
drainage, sewers, etc.

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Engineer
A person engaged in any of the various branches of engineering, such as structural,
mechanical, electrical engineering, etc.
Consultant
A person or organization hired to give professional or expert advice concerning a specific
aspect of the building.
Contractor
A person who undertakes responsibility for the performance of construction work, including
the provision of labors and materials, equipment such as vehicles and tools in accordance
with plans and specifications. The general contractor is employed by the client on the
advice of the architect or engineer. The general contractor must first assess the project-
specific documents (bid, proposal or tender documents). The bid or tender phase is open
to a number of preselected contractors and they are invited to bid, that is to say, to offer a
certain price they will charge. The general contractors hires specialized subcontractors to
perform all or portions of the construction work.
Quantity surveyor
Person who manages the cost relating to the construction projects, such as new
constructions, maintenance work and renovations.
Construction manager
A person that contracts with an owner to advise and coordinate all phases of a building
project.
Project manager
Middle level contractor, he can be hired instead of the general contractor.

In general all these professionals are the most important persons involved in the
construction industry. Their duties and responsibilities could be described as follows:
• Design: architects, structural engineer
• Surveying: quantity surveyor or building surveyor
• Management: construction manager, project manager, site
supervisor

1.3.2. Trades
a) One of many person’s occupations in which craft skills are used, usually involving
manual skill, such as the traditional ‘building trades’.
b) The work done by a tradesperson or other specialists. In building construction, the
classification of work, such as masonry, carpentry, and plastering is done by
masons, carpenters, and plasterers.

Foreperson
A worker who supervises other workers

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 Steel fixer
They erect steel work, secures reinforcing bars and mesh used to reinforce concrete
on construction projects.
Mason
A tradesperson skilled in brick and block laying.
Plumbers
They install and maintain systems used for plumbing, heating, drainage, etc.
Carpenters
They build mainly with wood, fixing of floor joists, roof timbers, doors, windows, etc.
Joiners
In charge of manufacture doors, windows, screens, etc.
Scaffolders
They erect the scaffolding that is a temporary structure constructed on the outside of
a building, made of wooden planks and metal poles; these structures are used by
workmen while building.
Electricians
They are in charge of the installation of electrical equipment, they are specialized in
electrical wiring of buildings.
Glaziers
The ones who install the glass.
Decorators/painters (all finishes)
A tradesperson responsible for the painting and decorating of buildings
Plasterer
A tradesperson who works with plaster, laying plaster on an interior wall or plaster
decorative moldings on ceilings and walls.

1.4. BUILDINGS: FUNCTIONS & CONSTRUCTION TYPES

1.4.1. Dwellings: block of flats, detached houses, etc.
Dwelling: a building designed or used as the living quarters for one or more families.

Housing unit: a house, apartment, or single room intended for occupancy as

separate living.

Flat: a dwelling in a building, originally of one floor. In American English it is called

apartment, without considering the size. This type of housing can be in a medium-rise
building or in a high-rise building.

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 Block of flats

“Corrala” or Block of houses in Block of flats: MRV

Madrid (Spain)

Duplex: an apartment with two connecting floors.

Penthouse: an apartment on the top floor of a building, often set back from the
façade and opening onto a terrace.

Condominium: an ownership of a multifamily residential unit. Each occupant owns

100% of his apartment and shares the ownership of common elements such as
hallways, elevators, plumbing, etc. Short way of calling it is ‘condo’.

Detached house: a house having no wall in common with another house, usually
surrounded by a garden. This is a medium-rise building.

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Semidetached house: a house joined by a party wall to another house.

Row house: one of an unbroken line of houses sharing one or more sidewalls with
its neighbors. It is also called ‘terraced house’.

1.4.2. Other building types

There are other types of buildings which are not dwellings; they have other uses such
as commercial, educational, transportation, leisure, sports, etc. These types of
buildings are usually medium or high-rise buildings, like skyscrapers. Have a look at
the following illustration:

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1.5. ENVIRONMENT, LOCATION AND PLANNING: THE
SITE AND ITS LIMITS
1.5.1. External walls and barriers

Fence: A railing or barrier that encloses

something, usually an area of land, or
provides protection, such as a guard placed
around a machine. Usually done with a series
of metal bars fixed on supports or to a solid
wall.

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 Boundary wall: a wall that defines the
edge, it usually determines the property lines
of a piece of land. Usually done in brick or
concrete block masonry, with or without
render.

Retaining wall: type of wall designed for

holding back earth or solid material and
being capable of carrying the lateral loads
transmitted. Used in gardens, excavations
or as basement walls. Small low walls may
be in brick or concrete block masonry,
higher ones in reinforced concrete.

Basement wall: a foundation wall that

encloses usable space under the ground
level of a building, usually a type of
retaining wall (if it is totally or partially
buried) and sometimes the lower part of the
façade ( if the building has access at two
different levels).

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 Parapet: a low, protective wall at the edge
of a terrace, balcony or roof, usually to
prevent falls from one level to another; also
the upper part of an exterior wall or façade,
of a retaining wall, of a fire wall or a party
wall, that sometimes rises above the roof.

Coping: a finishing or protective part of an

exterior wall, a facade or a parapet, usually
sloped or curved to shed water.

Railing: a protection barrier made up of

vertical bars and their horizontal supports
or rails, used as a fence to control
access to propriety, or used as a guard
in a balcony or stair, usually made of
wood or metals such as cast iron or
wrought iron in heritage buildings or
steel in modern buildings.

1.5.2. Gates and types of gates

Gate as a term (in building and civil engineering):
a) A device to prevent or control the entry or exit of individuals to a space which is enclosed
by walls or fences, that can be swung, drawn, or lowered to block an entrance or a
passageway.

b) An opening permitting passage into or out through an enclosure, a path or way usually
called gateway.

c) The structure surrounding such an opening, for defending or adorning, for providing a
fortified or monumental entrance to a palace, a walled city, a park, a street...

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Types of Gates

Monumental gate: structure

surrounding a gateway for providing a
monumental entrance to a palace, a park,
a city…

Vehicle gateway: opening permitting passage of cars into or out, through an enclosure.
Pedestrian gate: device to prevent or control the entry or exit of individuals into or out,
through an enclosure; also walkway through the opening allowing passage.

1.6. SUSTAINABILITY
Sustainability is a broad concept having differing interpretations. In construction it denotes
the preservation of the environment and the efficient use of resources.

The commercial and residential building sector is responsible for 39% of carbon dioxide
emissions in the United States per year, more than any other sector, and in China this figure
increases. Most of these emissions come from the combustion of fossils to provide heating,
cooling and lighting in a building.

In general, buildings in developing countries account for more than 38% of energy
consumption over their lifetime. In addition to this problem more than half of the world’s
population live in urban environments, so sustainable building has become vital at present.

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The aim of sustainable construction is to meet present needs for housing, working
environments and infrastructure without compromising the future generations. It involves

issues such as the design and management of buildings; materials performance,

construction technology and processes; energy and resource efficiency in building, and
operation and maintenance.

Sustainable building, also called green building or green construction refers to both a
structure and the application of processes that are environmentally responsible and resource
efficient throughout a building’s life-cycle, from planning to design, construction, operation,
maintenance, renovation, and demolition.

Sustainable building requires close cooperation of the people involved in the construction
such as the contractors, the architects, the engineers, and the clients at all project stages.
These should be capable of being maintained at a steady level without exhausting natural
resources or causing severe ecological damage. Consequently, it is the use of resources in a
more efficient, environmentally friendly way.

Sustainable construction means also using materials that are naturally obtained and readily
available, which may include using recycled materials, reducing needs for lighting, etc.

The United States Green Building Council devised a rating system to evaluate the
environmental performance of a building is called LEED certification (Leadership in Energy
and Environmental Design). It was launched to accelerate the development and
implementation of green practices. Have a look at the sustainable house below:

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1.7. POLYSEMY
Some of the terms we have seen in this module are polisemic, that is to say, they have
more than one meaning. Sometimes, the semantic field is the same in English and
Spanish, as in the first example below. We say ‘mortar’ in English, or ‘motero’ in Spanish
interchangeably.

It is equally used in different fields in both languages:

a) A mixture of lime or cement with sand and water, used to hold stones or bricks
together,
b) A container in which substances can be ground with a pestle,
c) A short cannon for throwing shells at high angles.

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Have a look at the illustration below:

However, the problem comes when the semantic field of a word does not coincide in both
languages. For example in Spanish the word ‘planta’ is very polysemic, but not that much
in English. We use it in architecture with two senses two senses:
a) Level, floor, story
b) Floor plan

It has other meanings in other fields, see example below:

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1.8. FALSE CONGNATES
Another difficult case when comparing two languages is the false cognates or false
friends, that is to say, words that seem similar in both languages, but they are different.
Look at the examples bellow:
- ‘Facility’ in English is not ‘facilidad’ in Spanish, but ‘instalación’.
- ‘Fábrica’ in Spanish is not fabric, but factory.

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