Building Construction: Roofs, Barriers & Housing Facilities
The Roof of a Building
The roof of a building is the top covering of a building. It serves to protect the building from weather. A roof must be waterproof, durable, lightweight, and provide thermal and acoustic insulation.
Roof Components:
- Support elements (wood, steel, bricks, concrete, etc.)
- Covering elements (shingles, tile, slate, glass, plastic, asbestos cement, etc.)
Roof Types:
- Flat Roofs: With a slope of less than 5%. Composed of forged dobra, waterproof membrane, insulation, sclera, and pavement.
- Sloping Roofs: Consisting of one or more surfaces or facets.
Sloping Roof Structure:
- Frame or Truss: Triangular shape formed by beams connected between them (wood, steel, concrete).
- Envanets ceiling and wrought death.
Sloping Roof Covering: Generally tile.
Roof Drainage
Cover Page: Slope of the roof, sink: water hole where rain occurs.
Roof Drainage System: Guttering and downpipes (metal, ceramic, plastic).
Fate of Rainwater: Sewage tank or collection for reuse.
Barriers in the Built Environment
Barriers are physical obstacles that prevent or limit the movement of people, whether in urban areas, buildings, or transportation systems. Furniture and other equipment can also be considered barriers.
Why Eliminate Barriers?
To improve the quality of life for everyone, especially those with mobility limitations.
How to Overcome Barriers?
Barriers can be adapted or removed to make all spaces (public or private) accessible to people with mobility limitations, allowing them to move comfortably without obstacles.
Removal of Architectural Barriers:
Some adaptations of spaces, buildings, furniture, and transportation include:
- Sidewalks and ramps
- Traffic lights with audible signals
- Payphones with easy access
- Ramps for building access
- Doors wide enough for wheelchairs
- Automatic door openers
- Adapted elevators
Homes should also have accessible features such as appropriate surface textures, door widths, elevators, switches, faucets, and windows.
Housing Facilities
Housing facilities are a set of pipes, fittings, apparatuses, and elements that guarantee the supply of essential services in a home. These facilities ensure good living conditions. The minimum required facilities are water, gas, and electricity installations.
Types of Housing Facilities:
- Water Installation: Usually divided into drinking water and drainage systems.
- Electrical Installation: Includes the meter, electrical panel, conductors, and wiring.
- Gas Installation: Natural gas and manufactured gas.
Water Installation
The Path of Water: Domestic water comes from rivers and reservoirs. It is transported in pipes to treatment plants, where its quality is improved (made potable) so it can be consumed safely. Water is then transported from the treatment plants to homes through a network of pipes called the distribution network.
Water Installation in a Dwelling
After connecting to the mains water supply and installing a water meter, the water installation within a dwelling begins. This installation can be divided into:
- Drinking Water Facilities: Supply and distribution of potable water within the house.
- Drainage Facilities: Removal of used water.
Drinking Water Installation
The drinking water installation consists of hot and cold water pipes, valves, faucets, a water heater, and a toilet cistern.
Components:
- Taps: Regulate the flow of water and are installed at the ends of pipes. They are typically made of metal and come in various shapes, but their function is to control the passage of water.
- Water Heater: Used to heat water that flows through hot water pipes to the taps of different appliances. They can be gas or electric and have an inlet for cold water, a heating system, and an outlet for hot water.
- Pipes: Allow water to flow from the stopcock to different points of use (kitchen, bathroom, laundry). Pipes are usually made of copper. Rubber tubing with a coated wire mesh is also used to connect the end of a copper pipe with fittings of sanitary items and appliances.
- Stopcock: Controls the flow of water, allowing it to be turned on or off. All installations must have a stopcock after the main meter (usually located outside in an easily accessible place).
- Toilet Cistern: Holds water and releases it with enough force to flush the toilet.
- Water Meter: Measures and records the consumption of potable water in a home.
Drainage Installation
The drainage installation consists of drainage pipes, siphons, downpipes, and manholes.
Components:
- Drainage Pipes: Carry used water from different drainage points in the house to the downpipes. They are typically made of hard plastic (PVC).
- Siphon: A tube made of plastic, rubber, or other material that prevents odors and gases from wastewater from entering the house. It is placed in front of the drain of different elements (bidets, showers, bathtubs, sinks, etc.).
- Downpipes: Carry wastewater from the kitchen, bathroom, and laundry to the public sewer. They are usually made of rigid plastic.
- Manholes: Collection points where wastewater from buildings combines with rainwater. From there, all the water flows to the sewer.