MODULE 5 - Building Systems and Construction Flashcards
What is a dead load (or static load)?
usually permanent, non movable loads
(weight of building)
What is a gravity load?
loads that exert their force downwards
What is a live load?
loads that are non-permanent, movable loads, such as people, furniture, and equipment
also other types such as lateral and dynamic
What is a lateral load?
loads that exert force from natural occurrences, like wind and earthquakes(seismic), or explosions
What is a dynamic load?
loads created from impacts including moving/stopping elevators, snow loads, or a car driving across a bridge
What is a joist?
a horizontal structural member used in framing to span an open space
What is a header?
a beam over an opening that disperses the structural load to the outside of the opening
What is a lintel
load bearing member placed over an entranceway
What is glue-lam
stress-rated engineered wood beam composed of wood laminations or “lams” that are bonded together with durable, moisture resistant adhesives
What is a sole plate? A top plate?
sole plate - bottom horizontal member of a wall or building to which vertical members are attached
top plate - upper horizontal framing member of a stud wall
What is sheathing?
the supporting structure that acts as a cover for the surface of a building
What is an I-joist?
may be used as floor joists or roof rafters (usually residential)
designed to eliminate problems that occur with conventional wood joists
What is LVL?
Laminated Veneer Construction
multiple layers of thin wood assembled with adhesives
typically used for headers, beams, rim board, and edge forming
What is a beam and girder system?
Workers in the construction industry often refer to large beams as girders. The chief horizontal support in a structure is called a girder. The minor horizontal structural supports are beams.
What is an Open web steel joist system?
Open web steel joists are an engineered, truss-like construction component used to support loads over short and long spans. They are typically used in non-residential construction. Steel joists and girders provide an economical system for supporting floors and roofs.
What is Post-tensioned concrete?
a method of reinforcing concrete or other materials with high-strength steel strands or bars. These are referred to as tendons.
-strengthens construction that would otherwise be impossible due to site constraints, size, or architectural requirements.
-allows for longer clear spans, thinner slabs, fewer beams, and more slender, dramatic elements.
What type of slab CANNOT be penetrated for stair opening?
post tensioned
because a stair opening would typically require cutting an area larger than the spacing of the post-tensioning cables.
What is a trimmer?
A wood member in a floor or roof used to support a header, used when creating openings.
What is an assembly?
building components (doors, windows, studs, wallboard) combine to create assemblies
What studs are typical for residential applications?
2x4
2x6
wood studs
What is the most common size of metal stud in commercial construction?
2 1/2”
What is the most common gypsum wall board panel size?
4’ x 8’
What thickness is gyp board in residential vs commercial?
1/2” gyp in residential
5/8” gyp in commercial
What is Type R boards?
standard gypsum board at 1/2” or 5/8”
What is type X board?
gyp board used for fire-rated partitions
contain non-combustible fibers mixed with gypsum
What are mold and moisture resistant (MMR) boards?
These boards employ several different proprietary technologies to resist mold and moisture absorption.
MMR boards are specified for bathroom walls and ceilings because of the greater relative humidity in bathrooms.
What are Portland cement boards?
They are made of Portland cement, sand, and glass fibers or cellulose fibers. These are stronger than gypsum boards of the same thickness but more difficult to install. Portland cement boards are also used as an underlayment for ceramic tile flooring.
Natural Stone
durable, weather-resistant construction material used for bearing and nonbearing walls.
can be laid in mortar, much like clay and concrete masonry units
The stone is often a facing veneer tied to a concrete or masonry backup wall.
Glass Block
translucent, hollow block of glass with clear, textured, or patterned faces. Glass block is made by fusing two halves with a partial vacuum inside, enhancing acoustic properties. It can be used in non-load-bearing exterior and interior walls or framed window openings.
What is important for fire rated partitions?
the gypsum must be fire rated
the partition must run slab to slab
all connections/openings must be sealed with a fire-rated caulking material
What is important for acoustic separation partitions?
the partition must run slab to slab
all connections/openings must be sealed with an acoustical caulking material
Wood doors vs metal doors vs Fiberglass-reinforced plastic doors?
Wood doors, including hollow core and solid core doors, are the most popular.
Metal doors provide greater security, fire resistance, rot resistance, blast resistance, and wind-load resistance.
Steel or hollow metal doors
Aluminum, typically glazed
FRP doors are impervious to water, void-free, and highly resistant to chemicals, suitable for graffiti-prone areas like schools or germ-free environments. They are thermally neutral and can be used for extreme temperature applications.
What is the difference between welded and knock-down door frames?
Welded frames come preassembled and in one piece. commonly specified for their seamless appearance and help ensure the frames are square at the installation time. well suited for exterior openings and masonry walls. more expensive
KD frames are the least expensive because they are shipped disassembled. This allows them to be tightly packed for shipping and job site storage.
KD drywall frames vs standard KD frames
KD drywall frames allow for assembly into the drywall opening after wall construction. Their design has visible seams and screws because they are not welded.
Standard KD frames are assembled in the field and installed in new wall construction. Unlike KD drywall frames, they do not typically have visible screws. Both types of KD frames may meet some fire ratings.
The entire ____ ________ must be tested and rated as a unit and not individually by component for fire-rated situations.
door assembly (door, frame, hardware, etc.)
“___ hr/ ___ minute fire doors are for use where smoke is a primary consideration and are for the protection of openings in partitions between habitable rooms and corridors where the wall is constructed to have a fire-resistance rating of not more than 1 hour or across corridors where a smoke partition is required.
1/3 hour (20 minute)
Standard office doors are typically _____ with a hollow metal frame. The height of standard office suite doors is __
solid core wood
7’-0”
Door openings within a dwelling unit or sleeping unit shall have a minimum clear opening height of
__ inches
78
In dwelling and sleeping units that are not required to be Accessible, Type A or Type B units, exterior door openings other than the required exit door shall have a minimum clear opening height of __ inches
76
All fire-rated doors must be _________ but can NOT have a mechanical or manual hold-open device.
self closing
doors:
_____ applications require locking; _____ and _________ require a card reader or code lock.
secure
secure and controlled
What factors are glazing materials selected based on?
light transmittance
thermal performance
sound reduction
strength and safety
aesthetic considerations
life‐cycle costs
What is safety glazing?
required in locations subject to human impacts, such as glass doors, shower and bath enclosures, and glass sidelights in partitions. Tempered glass and laminated glass are generally considered safety glazing.
What label requires 20 minute rated wooden doors?
UL
What are the qualities of tempered, laminated, and plate glass when broken?
Tempered glass breaks into many pieces without sharp shards.
Laminated glass fractures into a spider web type pattern when broken, but generally stays intact.
Plate glass would break into sharp pieces and be very dangerous, thus it can’t be used in areas subject to human impact, like a shower door.
What are the requirements of glazing adjacent to doors?
Glazing in an individual fixed or operable panel adjacent to a door where the nearest vertical edge of the glazing is within a 24-inch (610 mm) arc of either vertical edge of the door in a closed position and where the bottom exposed edge of the glazing is less than 60 inches (1524 mm) above the walking surface shall be considered a hazardous location.
According to the EPA, buildings account for approximately ___% of potable water usage
14%
Office buildings account for __% of water consumption
60%
What are the requirements for low flow
wc
urinals
public restroom faucets
residential bathroom faucets
kitchen faucets
shower heads
wc: 1.6 gpf
urinal: 1 gpf
public restroom faucet: 0.5 gpf
Residential bathroom faucet: 2.2 gpf
kitchen faucets: 2.2 gpf
shower heads: 1.5 gpf
What is a Kinetic Degradation Fluxion (KDF)?
type of water filtration system
contains flakes of a copper-and-zinc alloy to remove inorganic contaminants
What is Reverse Osmosis (RO)?
type of water filtration system
uses a semipermeable membrane to filter and separate water molecules from particles
What is Granular Activated Carbon (GAC)?
type of water filtration system
uses oxygen-treated carbon to bond with organic contaminants
What is water metering?
Water metering allows for the tracking of water consumption in buildings. Tracking this information can provide real-time information to analyze usage and detect leaks.
Potable, Gray, and Black Water
Potable water is drinking water that is fit for human consumption.
Blackwater contains human waste, such as from a toilet.
Gray water is untreated household wastewater that does not contain human/toilet waste.
gray water may come from lavatories, bathtubs, showers, clothes washers, and laundry trays.
For slab on grade construction, locate new plumbing fixtures as close as possible to _______.
existing plumbing lines
This is usually within 10 feet and connected to a plumbing trench or extension.
Commercial plumbing is typically located on a __________ or connected to a wet column.
plumbing chase
Fixtures requiring a floor drain (____) must locate the drain directly on a plumbing trench.
toilet, tub/shower, mop sink, water heater
The minimum slope is ___inch per foot for pipes 2.5 inches (63.5 mm) diameter or less, and __ inch per foot for pipes 3 (76 mm) to 6 inches (152 mm) in diameter.
1/4”
1/8”
What is a toilet carrier?
A steel framework bolted to the floor inside a plumbing chase. It carries the weight of wall-hung toilets.
What is a chase wall?
A double row of studs braced together and spaced far enough apart to allow for plumbing pipes. Back-to-back commercial toilet rooms use space within the plumbing chase to accommodate extensive piping and toilet carriers.
Water Supply
The water supply system provides potable water for human use and consumption via pressure from a water main. Plumbing fixtures receive water from the water supply system. This is kept separate from the drainage.
Drainage
Plumbing fixtures discharge waste via the sanitary drainage system. Drainage systems rely on gravity for discharge, meaning the pipes are typically larger than those for supply. Codes mandate length and slope requirements for drainage pipes. Traps and seals are used to prevent gases from contaminating the air. The overall sanitary drainage system must be vented to the exterior. This venting allows air to circulate.
Plumbing Trap
Traps are integral for drainage. There are different shapes, including P, U, and S. These traps hold water to form a seal that prevents sewer gas from affecting water and sewage flow. Every plumbing fixture requires a trap. Some are integrated into the fixture (water closets), while others are external (sinks).
Plumbing Vent
The overall vent system allows septic gases to escape outside while also supplying fresh air. Vents are linked to the drainage system to protect the water in a trap.
Soil Stack
Waste Stack
Stack Vent
The soil stack carries human waste from the plumbing fixture (water closet or urinal) to the sewer. Human waste makes it considered blackwater.
Waste stacks carry non-human waste from plumbing fixtures. The water carried away from a waste stack is considered gray water.
A stack vent runs vertically and extends beyond the roof. A stack vent connects to a soil stack or waste stack above the highest fixture.
Wet Column
Wet columns group plumbing pipes as an alternative to lengthy horizontal waste piping. The pipes are grouped within a structural column and located away from the plumbing core in commercial design.
Branch Water Lines
Branched plumbing is when you run a main water line to the furthest fixture and tap off of the main line with short branch lines to each fixture. This is a very common method of plumbing.
Branch Waste Lines
Branch (waste) lines are offshoots of vertical stacks, like tree branches. Branch lines connect toilets, showers, sinks, washing machines, dishwashers, etc., to the corresponding vertical stack, which carries waste to the building’s drain underground or in the basement.
What is a plenum?
The space between the ceiling and the structural floor above is used as a passage for ductwork, piping, wiring, and return air space. Building codes limit the use of combustible and hazardous materials in the plenum.`
What is a VAV system?
VAV or variable air volume (as opposed to constant air volume, CAV)
With variable air volume systems, the VAV box varies the quantity of air. One duct leads in and one or more lead out and is attached to registers mounted in the ceiling. A VAV box is placed in the plenum near the space it serves.
