1. Methods and Materials of Construction, Renovation, and Demolition
Chapter 3
Methods and Materials of Construction, Renovation, and Demolition

2. Objectives
Identify and describe the basic regulations that apply to building construction projects.
Identify and describe the role of the typical members of a building design team.
Identify and describe the roles of the various members of the construction team.

3. Objectives
Recognize why it is important for fire fighters to be able to read building plans and specifications.
Identify the tasks performed during site preparation prior to construction.
Point out the unique features of modular construction that influence firefighting operations.

4. Objectives
Identify and describe the hazards to fire fighters during the construction, renovation, and demolition of a building.
Identify and describe the hazards to fire fighters of the different types of materials used in the construction of buildings.
Recognize how the shape of a material affects its ability to resist a compressive load or a deflective one.

5. Introduction Understand inherent dangers
Buildings under construction, renovation, and demolition
Building materials’ behavior in fire
Changes in regulations and controls over the construction of buildings

6. Construction Regulations
Building code
Fire code
Plumbing, mechanical, and electrical codes
Courtesy of Fire Museum of Maryland.

7. Nonphysical Regulations
Zoning regulations
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Insurance regulations
Construction safety regulations

8. The Building Design and Construction Process
Professionals in the design process
Architect
Structural engineer
Civil engineer
Mechanical engineer
Electrical engineer
Fire protection engineer

9. The Building Design and Construction Process
Professionals in the construction process
General contractor
Subcontractors
Includes electrical, plumbing, wall board, fire alarm/security system, sprinkler, and fireproofing contractors

10. Building Plans and Specifications
Blueprints
Details to obtain building permit
Building components
Specifications
Courtesy of David Pangburn.

11. Site Preparation Preliminary soil testing Deep foundations Piles
Caissons
© Justin Kase/Alamy Images.

12. Site Preparation Components Below-grade Superstructure Substructure
Foundation

13. Site Preparation Excavation Dewatering pumps Soil walls
Crosslot bracing 
Rakers 
Tiebacks 

14. Site Preparation Foundation Concrete slab Basement
Insulating foam contains electrical conduits and plumbing. 
© Christina Richards/ShutterStock, Inc.

15. Site Preparation Foundation (cont’d) Slurry wall Fieldstone walls
Pier-and-beam foundations
Courtesy of Glenn Corbett.

16. Modular Construction Speeds up construction Quality control
Wood-frame single-family or multifamily dwellings
© Tyrone Turner/National Geographic/Getty Images.

17. Modular Construction
Gypsum board ceilings installed with solid foam plastic adhesive
Courtesy of Kevin Gallagher.

18. The Hazards of a Building Under Construction
Before a fire
Visit buildings under construction.
Photograph the construction.
Test private fire prevention mechanisms.
Look for hazards.

19. The Hazards of a Building Under Construction
Fire dangers
Welding and cutting operations
Construction debris
Arson
© AbleStock.

20. The Hazards of a Building Under Construction
Framing
Wallboard
Falsework
Standpipe systems
© Jason Smith/ShutterStock, Inc.

21. The Hazards of a Building Under Construction
Issues during a construction fire
Collapse of a structure
Progressive collapse 
Explosives stored on-site
© arfabita/ShutterStock, Inc.

22. The Hazards of a Building Under Renovation
May be occupied by people
Changes in use
Altered or disabled fire protection systems
Cut-off egress paths
“Do-it-yourself” renovators

23. The Hazards of a Building Under Demolition
Look out for plywood abatement structures
Safety systems will have been removed
Torch-cutting operations
Unsupported, freestanding walls
© John Foxx/Stockbyte/Getty Images.

24. The Characteristics of Materials
Various types of natural and synthetic materials
Vary in reaction to forces (e.g., compressive and tensile forces, weather)
All materials are damaged by fire.

25. Wood
Types of woods
Softwoods
Conifers (pines)
Hardwoods
Oak

26. Wood Board: less than 2" Dimensional lumber: 2– 4"
Timber: greater than or equal to 5"
Chemical treatments
Insect resistance
Fire resistance

27. Wood Compressive strength can vary. Material and structural components
Plywood 

28. Wood Oriented strand board (OSB) Lightweight wood truss Wooden I-joist
Courtesy of APA - The Engineered Wood Association.

29. Wood Old materials (tile) may be left in place when new codes are met.
Courtesy of Glenn Corbett.

30. Masonry and Stone Brick Masonry unit Spall Portland cement mortar
Sand-lime mortar 
Concrete masonry
Quarried stone 
Courtesy of Dave Casey.

31. Concrete Mixture of Portland cement, water, and aggregates
Admixture 
Composite materials
Virtually no tensile strength
© Daniel Hixon/ShutterStock, Inc.

32. Metal Wrought Iron Cast iron Commercially pure iron of fibrous nature
Malleable
Cast iron
Brittle
Courtesy of Glenn Corbett.

33. Metal Structural steel Rolled in a variety of shapes Conducts heat
Elongates when heated
Fails at about 1000–1100˚ F

34. Metal Cold-drawn steel
Construction of cables used to brace failing buildings or as tendons in tensioned concrete
Fails at 800˚ F
Courtesy of Glenn Corbett.

35. Metal Aluminum Lightweight Malleable Nonmagnetic
Melts at ordinary fire temperatures
Aluminum roofs are hazardous.

36. Glass Little resistance to heat or pressure Thermal pane
Blast-resistant
Fixed sashes of double-pane glass

37. Glass Laminated “hurricane-resistant” Wired glass
Glass fiber insulation
© Alexey Stiop/ShutterStock, Inc.

38. Asbestos Fireproofing agent for steel Inhaled fibers are carcinogens.
Its presence is not always known.

39. Synthetic Materials Plastics Thermoplastics Thermosets Interior finish
Foam core panels
© Robert E. Klein, File/AP Images.

40. Synthetic Materials
Exterior insulation finishing system (EIFS): composite multilayer sheathing panel system
Resin plastics
Courtesy of Glenn Corbett.

41. Gypsum Natural mineral Used in the manufacture of drywall and plaster
Typically wallboard

42. “Alternative” Organic Materials
Green construction
Straw, bamboo, mushroom fiber
Building and fire codes

43. The Effects of Shape Affects resistance to a compressive load
Flat paper cannot support weight; however, paper rolled into tubes can.
Resistance related to the cross-section makeup of a material

44. Summary New structures must comply with a variety of regulations
Many different professionals may be involved with the design and construction process.
Preparing a site for construction is necessary for all new buildings.

45. Summary
There has been an increase in the use of the modular construction technique to build wood-frame single-family and multiple-family dwellings.
A building under construction is usually much more dangerous than a completed structure

46. Summary A building under renovation is also a grave danger.
Buildings under renovation may be old and noncompliant with building codes, as they are only a step away from demolition.
Except for the life safety of the demolition workers, remember that a building under demolition is a building that is being thrown away.

47. Summary
Buildings are built of various natural and synthetic materials.
The shape of a material affects its ability to resist a compressive load or a deflective one.