Engineering Stack Exchange
Engineering Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [building-design]

113 questions
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4 answers

Why dig out and then fill in before building a large structure?

I work in the middle of London, in an area full of large office blocks. Across the road from my office they have started construction of a large building (10 stories plus). Over the last few weeks, diggers have dug a large (and vertical walled)…
AndrewD
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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. They appear to just be large, solid metal poles…
Elijames Gosha
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Foiling vortex traps around buildings

I have had three houses with right angles in the layout, and in each one that configuration causes vortices to form that suck in leaves, snow, and any debris blowing by and keep it in the nook of the building. Rough idea in the following sketch,…
feetwet
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9
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Why aren't counterweights used more for garage doors?

One of my garage door torsion springs broke again. It makes me wonder why some sort of counterweight system isn't used instead. Torsion springs seem to have a 90 day warranty generally and are "rated" for up to 15,000 cycles. It seems like there…
Jason Goemaat
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9
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4 answers

Humidity in home is much higher than outside

We have a two year-old, two-story town house with: fiberglass insulation in the walls; a Tyvek vapor barrier under foam board on the exterior walls; blown cellulose insulation in the attic; stucco outside; and a refrigeration cycle air…
Todd Takala
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Design of transverse reinforcement in a wide beam

Besides satisfying nominal bar provision in the code, is there any special requirement in the provision of transverse reinforcement to ensure that the longitudinal reinforcement is fully effective in a wide beam design? That is, can I use the full…
Rebar Lor
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How is biaxial bending considered for reinforced masonry design?

I am faced with a problem where I have to design a reinforced masonry beam for biaxial bending. The governing code is ACI 530-11. I cannot find a provision in this Code for biaxial bending. The only part that addresses this issue is in Section…
user32882
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What concerns would I need to consider for building a swimming pool of gold coins?

If I wanted to build a gold coins swimming pool [as in DuckTales], what engineering (not security) concerns would I need to address to make such a pool feasible? For example, since gold is much heavier than water, would I need to be concerned more…
durron597
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5
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What's the concrete core for in a building?

I'm watching the progress of a new office building being built over the road (essentially a manual timelapse). The way the building progressed was by the pouring of a concrete core in the centre of the building to the full height (~8 storeys),…
thosphor
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5
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What are some advantages of masonry over prefab for homebuilding, or, why are prefab homes so rare in the United Kingdom?

The United Kingdom has a housing crisis (see Financial Times, Shelter, The Independent, The Telegraph) and a housing quality crisis (killing 3000–15000 per year), due to poor insulation. Cash-strapped local authorities aren't building. Despite…
gerrit
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How does infill material affects the capacity of a tubular section with H-section inside?

How does one consider the moment capacity of a combined pipe plus H-section if the infill material is: Sand, friction angle 30 degree Grout, C20 Concrete, C45 Eurocode has a section on composite design, which requires use of shear connectors.…
Jennifer
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Can a dry-pipe or preaction valve be used to create a branch off a wet pipe sprinkler system?

Individual-head (i.e. not deluge) sprinkler systems come in three flavors: Wet-pipe systems have water pressure at the head at all times -- they are the quickest to respond, but can't be subject to freezing conditions and are too risky for…
ThreePhaseEel
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What's the difference/advantages/disadvantages to a tower with a moving jib, vs a flat jib

Apologies if I've got the terminology wrong, I'm in now way involved in engineering, but I work in a high rise in a city with a lot of construction going on. I see a lot of different types of cranes, and it's got me wondering. The two most common…
Andy
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Water pump at top floor or bottom?

Which position of the water pump in the below diagram provide maximum water output to the overhead tank? Each floor is 12 feet in height. I already have the pump (Centrifugal Regenerative Self Priming 1HP Peripheral Type, Self Priming - 180sec At…
user343272
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Office Complex Foundations/Base Depth and Undeground Water

I have a school case study to prepare a (business) plan for office building construction with at least one level of underground parking. I have it pretty much done, but I still need to clarify one thing (teacher is not available): (1) What is…
NeverStopLearning
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