Questions tagged [building-design]
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How to design safely collapsing buildings?
Background—Currently, buildings seem to be designed to be strong enough to not fall upon dangerous events, such as earthquakes. This makes them expensive, and out of the reach of poor places.
Poor ...
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How is a room structurally suspended above a garage cutout?
The garage of this cavity wall (outer brick layer wall, inner concrete load bearing wall) new build uk house is a cutout directly below a room. i'm confused because this obviously interrupts the ...
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Was the stability of the WTC1&2 core columns dependant on the diaphragmic action of the building's floors?
I am currently in a discussion with a so called '9/11 truther' who claims there is no adequate explanation for the collapse of the central core columns of the WTC towers. (Sorry to beat a dead horse)
...
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Washing machine in apartment
I live on a second floor of 4 story apartments building and I'm planning to change my old washer+dryer tower for a new one, however it is bigger and heavier. I'm worried that the weight could cause a ...
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Design forces for a home built trailer structure (tiny home or camper)?
I am going to purchase a steel trailer frame, and then I want to build a camper on top of that. This will be full height teardrop which is likely wood framed but I am also considering aluminum framing....
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Concrete block VS Red brick for Kitchen extension
Is the wall composition/layers the same if I were to choose either Concrete block or Red brick?
Which has a higher strength?
Which is generally more preferred for extensions?
Note please, this is for ...
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How to compute the resistance of this metallic part (steel angle iron), for a joist fitted in an I-profile beam?
Let's say we have an oak joist (15 cm x 15 cm x 370 cm), which is "fitted" in the profile of an I-profile beam (height 140 mm, width 66 mm), and the surface where the joist is laid is too ...
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How to support the columns of a second level of an hypaethral building with reduction in space by height?
In this multi-leveled hypaethral building model there is a problem that the columns of the second floor aren't directly situated on the columns of the first floor.
How to support the columns of the ...
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Torque for rotating base
I'm designing a simple robot arm but I don't know how to calculate the torque of the rotating base for the robot arm so I can choose the right gear ratio for the stepper motor that will be in the base,...
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What design could fit this egg drop challenge?
My class is doing the egg drop challenge as a school project, but the rules are a little different than normal. First of all, the construction needs to contain a microbit connected to a battery pack ...
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Can I estimate fire temperature from a building's colour?
I am studying a building that was impacted by a fire (from a Natural Hazard perspective, so consider my engineering skills as inexistant!!). There are obvious changes in the outside paint's colour, ...
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does this building feature a brise soleil?
Is the curtain wall glass facade on the building in the following picture a brise soleil?
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What methods can be used to stabilize a vibratory bowl used for orientation
I have a project where we are using a vibratory bowl to feed in parts to an assembler. The issue I am having is that the calibration sticker on the side is very out and a single line is very difficult ...
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How to find building specs & blueprint(s) for an apartment complex?
For any given apartment complex in the U.S. (if you want to get specific, I am wondering about NYC), how does one track down the building's specifications. I'm talking about specs as detailed as the ...
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Grade Beam vs Wooden Pile Foundation
We are in the design phase of a home at the New Jersey seashore. We are having a hard time deciding between a grade beam over pile foundation or having the home built on a regular pile foundation.
The ...
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Would pyramid shape buildings prevent people from falling to their deaths? [closed]
If a building the shape of pyramids slops downwards, wouldn't it minimize the risk of fall from heights, whether intentionally or by accident (like fire/bomb scare), from a balcony or window opening? ...
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Horizontal "external beams" on a steep section of a roof
The pictures below are screen shots of what appears to be a barn in the Ukraine. One is a top down aerial view and the other a ground up, side view.
What intrigues me is the purpose of the apparent &...
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Looking for the name of a certain type of room
I don't know if this is the place to ask, but I am wondering about the name for a certain type of room in a building.
I am thinking about the ones where it is basically like a central room, but it is ...
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Is this a normal shadow gap? Connection between a wall and the ceiling
I am currently checking out an appartment in which I noticed a strange connection between the side walls and the ceiling.
The guy told me it is a shadow gap which I then googled and it just didn't ...
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Do we allow mass and moment of the footing itself, when calculating ground support and eccentricity of a footing?
Suppose we are designing a footing for the wall of a building. There are two checks that are crucial.
Ground support: suppose the ground is assessed as being suitable to load up to 80 kN/m2. Then a ...
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Beam rebar doesn't develop its length in column. Reinforced concrete analysis and design
In reinforced concrete design, there are some cases that engineers have to design beams which rebar doesn't develop its complete length or hook length according to codes. It is because of restrictions ...
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Why are there horizontal spaces in walls of many large buildings?
Many buildings, especially in the Europe, have horizontal gaps in their walls. For example, the walls of the Royal School of Mines and the Victoria and Albert Museum in South Kensington (See attached ...
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Reinforced concrete by steel, poor durability, why?
I've been reading up about reinforced concrete, as it is one if not the cheapest way how to build (with some solid foundation). I found out that it actually has quite poor durability (50-100 years or ...
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Who takes care of structural health monitoring of civil structures?
There are numerous studies about the possibility of structural health monitoring (SHM) of tall structures, like bridges, skyscrapers, water towers, wind turbines, where, for example, inclination or ...
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What were these two objects from the top of a tall building in the 1920s used for?
I saw this in a movie from the 1920s, set in the USA. ("Safety Last".)
At the top of a tall building, there are two strange objects which I believe I've seen before but never could figure ...
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Why does the IRC think ceiling joists are weaker than floor joists?
According to the IRC, a 1200S162-68 cold-formed steel C-section can hold 40psf total load at an almost 22' span when used as a floor joist, but can only hold 25psf total load at a 21' span when used ...
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Waterlogged multistorey apartment
I fraction invested in a real estate project several years back. Mid way through the construction, after about 12 floors, the building contractor filed for bankruptcy. An asset reconstruction company ...
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Would a larger building more safely or smoothly ride the seismic waves of an earthquake?
If larger ships are less affected by ocean waves, and tend to ride smoothly through them, would that same principle influence the survivability of a larger building when weathering the seismic waves ...
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What is the purpose of these "safety" ledges on this Asian skyscraper?
While watching a video of a crazy person jumping around on buildings in some Asian country in a death-defying manner, I noticed these odd "safety" ledges outside, with nothing preventing you ...
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What is this sticky outy bit called?
We have a bit of wall sticking out of a flat wall
____
__________| |_______________
I have always called it the sticky outy bit of the wall and ...
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What would happen if the air conditioning failed in a skyscraper for an extended period?
I'm writing some fiction which involves the AC in a modern glass curtain skyscraper (50-80 floors?) in an American city failing for a period of weeks, maybe even for up to two months.
Could anybody ...
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What type of engineer/profession specialize in the design and building of residential homes/houses? [closed]
Peace and blessings beloved. I come from a family of tradesmen (plumbers, electricians, welders, carpenters, painters, etc) but never took a real interest in learning about said trades (or anything ...
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Lintel construction technique in UK in 80s using blockwork
An issue has been raised when replacing windows that the blockwork inner leaf is missing a lintel.
The hollow blocks have been in-filled with concrete which makes me believe that this is a ‘cast-it-...
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How do extra building levels affect the foundation design apart for the extra load?
I have been talking to some structural engineers trying to find one to design foundations for my contemplated bespoke building based on hi-cube 40-ft shipping containers. The initial concept is just ...
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Is this alternate grounding practice practically implementable?
While grounding power sockets in modular prefabricated steel buildings (see Light Gauge Steel Frame Technology), can we just connect the ground wire to the steel frame of the building itself? as the ...
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Is there a miniture atmospheric water vapor condenser?
I am looking to add a condenser for a plant preserving container. The plants need water and I was wondering if I can have a passive method to condense atmospheric moisture to water. My container is ...
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Gas kitchen stove in skyscrapers
I have watched a property tour around an apartment in the Steinway Tower (NY) on YouTube and I noticed one detail that bugs me, namely gas stoves.
In Poland it is very uncommon for new blocks of flats ...
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How to calculate the square footage of a duplex building
In a college project, I was instructed to design the floor plans and the conduit layout of a duplex building. It was instructed that the duplex is 2500 square feet. No other instruction was provided. ...
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Are these horizontal timbers removable in an attic/loft?
There are 3 horizontal lengths of timber stretching across the centre-level of my attic/loft space and are attached at either end to the rafters with a single nail. I can wobble them by hand and they ...
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How to make an Idol always strictly face the rising Sun?
I recently came to know that the Sun rises on a different place in the horizon everyday : https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/q/39670/14624 To me the change in the direction of Sun rise seems ...
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Low slope roofing
I’m having trouble finding resources that explain/describe type of low slope roof for cold weather. Is single ply or metal standing seam or BUR better if we are considering all cold weather related ...
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How is electrical building code defined and applied to new constructions?
A new home (completed in early 2020) in San Jose California does not have GFCI outlets in all the bathrooms. I thought this was a requirement (according to https://www.redwoodcity.org/home/...
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Why don't buildings in South Asia have basements?
I see that buildings in the developed part of the world have basements. Why?
But, I never see basements in most buildings in South Asia. Why?
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Sun light illumination on a lower floor vs high building closely
there is an investor that wants to build very close to our building. In case we agree, the buildings will stand like on the pictures below, 3 meters apart from each other. I tried to draw them in ...
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Climate control in data centers
I'm a student currently working on a market research project on the HVACR industry, and I'm having trouble nailing down a simple answer to these questions (it may be there are no simple answers, as so ...
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can ceramic be used as a building material?
From what I read, concrete has much lower compressive strength than ceramics. So why aren't we using ceramics to build? Is it because ceramic failure is difficult to predict? Because it's hard to ...
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What are those large poles for that are always in front of US stand-alone store buildings?
Screenshot of a video where they are featured in the background:
They appear to have no electronics built in, such as an electric charge station, or a parking ticket dispenser or something like that....
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When an elevator has two buttons next to it, ^ and v, what do they actually mean?
Both as a kid and as an adult, I've encountered elevators lined up next to each other, or single ones, which have two buttons on each floor (outside of the elevator):
...
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Increase in target emission rate (TER) when using a air source heat pump (ASHP) in standard assessment procedure (SAP) calculation
I am running a SAP calculation on a proposed building which will be utilising a 8.5 kW ASHP for space and water heating. I am also running a comparative analysis against a mains gas boiler to show the ...
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Is it safe to slightly cut the edge of RCC column for passage of pipe in bathroom?
The RCC column was cut in my absence due to passage of pipe for bathroom fittings. The thickness is about 1.5 in. Will it hamper the stability of structure?
