Construction Terminology: Materials and Building Elements

Avaluation: Completed. Construction of the San salesman explains the defects of the house. Plans are used to change the graphic representation of all elements of a work.

Architectural Symbols

Symbols are simplified drawings or symbols representing elements or components of a building, installation facilities, etc., and are used to make the building or architectural plans.

Building Binders and Aggregates

Binders are materials in powder form that, when mixed with water, acquire plasticity and, after a while, become consistent.

• Cement: Colored gray, it is very resistant to compression.
• Gypsum: White, used for wall cladding and interior ceilings, serving as the final decoration.
• Lime: Obtained from limestone. It is not as tough as cement. It is also used to coat the exterior of facades.

Conglomerates

Conglomerates result from mixing a binder with sand or gravel. After adding water and kneading, they acquire plasticity and become highly resistant to compression.

• Cement + Sand = Mortar, used as a bonding agent for ceramics.
• Cement + Gravel = Stronger than Concrete. Concrete is used to make items that must withstand forces, such as foundations. It is not resistant to traction; therefore, a few corrugated steel bars are added before it hardens, creating reinforced concrete.

Key Structural Elements

Foundations

Foundations are the constructive elements responsible for transmitting all the building's forces to the ground. They are buried and support the structure of the building.

Structure

The Structure is destined to support all efforts conveyed by the foundations.

Roofs and Enclosures

Roofs separate the building horizontally from the outside. Their function is to protect homes from rain and snow and prevent moisture penetration. As they are tilted, they prevent rainwater accumulation. Roof terraces should have a slight inclination to lead rainwater into the drains.

Rooftops need a support structure consisting of several small beams or walls on which layers of ceramic groove, thermal insulation, mortar, and tile are arranged.

Closures are formed by the walls, which serve to isolate and separate the different rooms from each other or from the outside.

Coverings

Coverings conceal irregularities and imperfections of the walls, floors, and other building elements and prepare them to receive the finish.