PARTS OF A BUILDING

Almost everyone saw the construction of a building and followed its progress with interest.

First the excavation is dug for the basement, then the foundation walls below ground level are constructed; after this the framework is erected and clothed with various finishing materials and protected by several coats of paint.

The part upon- which the stability' of the structure depends is the framework. It is intended for safety carrying the loads imposed. The floors, walls, roofs and other parts of the building must be carefully designed and proportioned.

The architect or designer must decide, what the size of the walls, the floors, the beams, the girders and the parts which make up the framework will be and how they will be placed and arranged.

Here are the main parts of a building and their functions. Foundations serve to keep the walls and floors from contact with the soil, to guard them against the action of frost to prevent them from sinking and settling which cause cracks in walls and uneven floors.

Floors divide the building into stories. They may be either of timber or of a fire-resisting material. Walls are built to enclose areas and carry the weight of floors and roofs. The walls may be solid or hollow. The materials used for the walls construction can be brick, stone, concrete and other natural or artificial materials.

EXERCISES

I.Answer the following questions:

1. What is done first during the construction of a building? 2. What keeps the walls and floors from contact with the soil? 3. What are the floors for? 4. What do the walls of a building serve for? 5. Does the stability of a building depend on the framework?

II. Complete the following sentences:

1. The excavation is dug....2. The stability of the structure depends upon... 3. The building is divided into stories by.... 4. The main parts of a building are....

III. Read and translate the following word combinations:

several coats of paint; stability of the structure; size of the walls; to keep the floors from contact with the soil; fire-resisting materials; natural and artificial materials

Foundation

Part of a structural system that supports and anchors the superstructure of a building and transmits its loads directly to the earth. To prevent damage from repeated freeze-thaw cycles, the bottom of the foundation must be below the frost line. The foundations of low-rise residential buildings are nearly all supported on spread footings, wide bases (usually of concrete) that support walls or piers and distribute the load over a greater area. Aconcrete grade beam supported by isolated footings, piers, or piles may be placed at ground level, especially in a building without a basement, to support the exterior wall. Spread footings are also used-in greatly enlarged form-for high-rise buildings. Other systems for supporting heavy loads include piles, concrete caisson columns, and building directly on exposed rock. In yielding soil, a floating foundation-consisting of rigid, boxlike structures set at such a depth that the weight of the soil removed to place it equals the weight of the construction supported-maybe used.

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