Building Construction
Building Construction : (Build) The activity involved in erecting structures. The design, materials, and construction methods used to erect buildings, esp as defined in building codes. Note: There are five common types of building construction classified according to certain fire safe characteristics: fire-resistive, heavy timber, noncombustible, ordinary, and wood frame. Fire- resistive construction: A broad range of structural systems capable of withstanding fires of specified intensity and duration without failure. Common fire-resistive components include masonry load-bearing walls, reinforced concrete or protected steel columns, and poured or precast concrete floors and roofs. Although fire-resistive structures do not, in themselves, contribute fuel to fire, combustible trim, ceilings, and other interior finishes and furnishings may produce an intense fire and pose a serious threat to life safety. Heavy timber construction: Characterized by masonry walls, heavy timber columns and beams, and heavy plank flocrs. Although not immune to fire, the great mass of the wooden members slows the rate of combustion. Noncombustibie construction: Struc?tures in which the structure itself (exclusive of trim, interior finish, and contents) is noncombustible. Exposed steel beams and columns, and masonry, metal, or asbestos panel walls are the most common forms. Ordinary construction: Consists of masonry exterior bearing walls, or noncombustible bearing portions of exterior walls. Interior framing, floors, and roofs are made of wood and other combustible material lighter than that required for heavy timber construction. If floor and roof construction and their supports have a 1-hour fire resistance rating, and all openings through floors (including stairways) are enclosed with partitions having a 1-hour fire resistance rating, then it is known as protected ordinary construction. Wood frame construction: Characterized by wood exterior walls, partitions, floors, and roofs. Exterior walls may be sheath-ed with brick veneer, stucco, or metal cladding, asbestos-cement, or asphalt siding
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