Low Rise Buildings

The Built Environment in which we live is composed of:-

Buildings

Travel systems

Services

Disposal & Treatment Systems.

The particular use of land has developed over a period of years as towns have grown either from industrial settlements on a river or market towns on the junction of several main roads.

Modern Buildings

Society requires many different types of buildings, each must be specifically designed to provide certain facilities.

The use of buildings can be broadly divided into five areas.

Residential - houses and apartments

Commercial - shops and offices

Industrial - warehouses and factories

Agricultural - farm buildings

Community - schools and sport centres

Residential “Domestic”

The most important requirement about a residential building is that of providing protection from the elements and the environment.

About 70% of residential buildings in N. Ireland are owner occupied, the rest are provided by Local Authorities and Large Institutions or individuals investing in property.

Residential or domestic buildings as they are often called can be divided into many different types.

Examples are:-

Terraced or (town houses)

Semi detached

Detached

Single storey

Two storey

Apartments

Low rise buildings

High rise buildings

Terraced houses

A row or street of houses occupied by different tenants. Terraced dwellings may be one, two or three storeys high.

Terraced houses

Semi – Detached

Two dwellings under the one roof which are occupied by separate families.

Semi – Detached

Two storey house

Detached Bungalow

Detached – This is a building which is not connected to any other buildings.

A bungalow is a single storey dwelling.

Apartments “Flat”

Apartments – This is a large building which is divided into compartments for each tenant. Each tenant occupies part of one floor.

Apartments “Flat”

Common entrance door and stairway

Low rise buildings are buildings which do not exceed three storeys high

High Rise Flats

Multi-storey “High Rise” Erected where space is limited in built – up areas or where land is very expensive.

Commercial Properties

These are buildings which are mainly involved with retailing products to the public or providing services:-

Shops

Offices

Banks

Shopping Centres

Commercial Properties

Office block

Commercial Properties

Traditional style shops

Large scale shopping development.

Industrial- warehouses and factories

Industrial buildings vary a great deal in their size and type of construction. The reasons for this are the type of business being undertaken in the building and the scale of the factory.

Examples:-

Large scale engineering

Food processing

Joinery workshop

Electronic assembly.

Industrial- warehouses and factories

Small industrial or warehouse units

Industrial units

Agriculture Modern

Large scale agricultural building constructed from a portal frame.

All steel elements in this building have been galvanized to prevent rust

The structure is a large portal frame covered with powder coated aluminium sheet which will not rust.

The walls are constructed from 225mm solid block work which is plastered on both sides.

Agriculture Buildings

Some smaller cattle houses are constructed from portal frames. The steel is usually painted

Some cattle houses have access to feed the cattle silage from outside of the building.

Agriculture Traditional

Most old hay barns are constructed from light weight steel structures sheeted on the outside with galvanised steel sheet which is usually painted green or red.

Cattle houses constructed during the seventies and eighties usually had round roofs. The wall were constructed from 150mm blockwork plastered on both sides.

Community

These buildings are used to accommodate the facilities which a community require:-

Schools

Hospitals

Health Centres

Community Centres

Sport Centres.

Concert halls The Water Front Hall Belfast

Community Schools

Schools can be single storey in the case of small primary buildings or a single storey portal frame for a Technology building.

This is a large educational building constructed from a steel frame and clad on the outside with a glass curtain walling system to keep out the elements.

Community

The Odyssey arena is a sports complex which also contains shops, restaurants, several large cinemas etc.

The building has a structural frame of steel and concrete. The outside of the building is clad with glass, clay tiles and metal sheeting.

Community “Churches”

Some churches are modern structures but this one is built from load bearing masonry rendered on both sides. This building is about 300 years old.

Three storey school structure

This three storey school building is constructed from a steel frame incased in concrete.