Preface

One of the basic needs of human beings is shelter. Housing fulfils this requirement. It is an important indicator of the level of a country’s social programme.

Housing involves the construction of buildings with suitable building materials and by following certain construction practices depending on the location. Buildings are constructed not only for housing purposes but also for different purposes such as schools, hospitals, industries, etc.

Thus, the knowledge of building construction materials and building construction techniques are essential for a civil engineer. A couple of courses are available, which are offered in B.E/B.Tech. programmes in universities – Building Materials and Building Construction.

Recently, several universities combined these courses into a single course to provide continuous and comprehensive material. This book is one which deals with materials and construction techniques needed for buildings.

This book comprises of 32 chapters, 13 of which are devoted to Building Materials and 19 to Construction Techniques and Maintenance. All conventional building materials and modern construction materials are explained in detail.

Building construction procedures are covered in detail starting from conventional methods to modern techniques. Basic and special service requirements are dealt in Chapters 27 and 28. Protection of buildings from termites, dampness and fire are explained in Chapter 29. Chapter 30 has been dedicated to preventive measures and maintenance of buildings, while Chapters 31 and 32 deals with construction planning, scheduling and equipment.

Salient points are provided at the end of each chapter to get a better grip on the subject matter. Review questions have also been included for practice.

Acknowledgements

A book of this magnitude would not have been possible if not for the treasure of references in the form of textbooks, manuals, special reports and Indian Standard Codes for which the author expresses his profound gratitude. References have been made to the authors and authorities wherever feasible. Any omissions were inadvertent.

A book of this form would not have been possible without the encouragement of my wife Indrasena.

A special thanks to Sojan Jose, R. Dheepika and C. Purushothaman of Pearson India Education Services Pvt. Ltd, Chennai, for bringing out this book successfully.

Last but not the least, I expresses my profound and sincere thanks to Pearson India Education Services Pvt. Ltd, for the opportunity given to me to write this book.

I welcome comments and suggestions for improving the text and contents of the book from students and teachers.

P. Purushothama Raj