Design and Construct a Gym House

In this project, I will design and construct a gym house in Tai Wo Hau, Tsuen Wan. The site presents certain limitations, which I will address from a civil engineering perspective. If you need guidance on similar projects, services like Assignment Writing Help can provide valuable assistance in structuring and developing your work.

I will explain the reason for constructing this gym house, and then the site information. In addition, there are different types of building materials and choices of construction methods and I will discuss the comparison of them by analyzing their pros and cons. 

Reasons for constructing a gym house

There are 4 reasons to build a gym house in Tsuen Wan:

• The area is populated
• Lack of a gym near the area
• Lots of teenagers are active around
• Going to the gym is a trend

The area is populated

Near the site location, there are two estates Tai Wo Hau Estate and Kwai Chung Estate. They are very densely populated with 17 blocks, 21,200 people living in Tai Wo Hau Estate, and 16 blocks, 36,300 people living in Kwai Chung Estate.

* Tai Wo Hau Estate (red line)

* Kwai Chung Estate (blue line)

Lack of a gym near the area

There is no commercial gym in Tai Wo Hau. The nearest gym to Tai Wo Hau is PHYSICAL FITNESS which is located at 388 Castle Peak Road, Tsuen Wan, however, it is always too crowded many people have already been frustrated about it for quite a long time and the accessibility is low for the residents in Tai Wo Hau.

Long waiting time for equipment is not good for the user

Lots of teenagers are active around

There are 8 schools located near Tai Wo Hau. Teenager is required to do a lot of activities and exercises to spend their time and energy. Constructing a gym house can be a place for them to do exercise and body training. 

*Red – schools

*Green – Site location 

Going to the gym is a trend

Keeping the body in shape is getting more and more popular every year in Hong Kong. As we can see every gym is full of people, especially at peak hour. The supply of gym rooms is far away to meet the high demand in Hong Kong. To solve the problem, building a gym house is a good idea. 

Site information

The site is located at 39 Tai Ha Street, Tai Wo Hau, Kwai Chung. The site area is 70m x 45m, area of the gym house is 30m x 24m. It is 7m in height of total 2 storeys, each storey is 3.5m high.

The usage of the location

From the information of the Statutory Planning Portal (OZP), the zoning of the location belongs to “Residential (Group A)” which is permitted to use the land as a “Place of Recreation, Sports or Culture”.

Building information

The Fire Resistance Rating of municipal services building and concrete cover 

Floor Mark	Usage	Headroom(m)	Fire Resistance Rating(minutes)
R/F	Roof	Open space	60
1/F	Gym	3.5	60
G/F	Reception & changing rooms	3.5	60

 

Structure Member	Concrete strength grade	Design Concrete cover to reinforcement (mm)	Minimum thickness required (mm)
Slab/Landing	C40	20	100
Beam	C40	30	200
Column	C40	25	200

Design imposed load - The imposed load of gymnasia should be taken as 5 kPa.

Site condition

The above diagram presents the soil condition of the particular site.

At a depth of 8m from the ground, the soil is denser, sandy clayey SILT, and dark brown with some gravel. SPT N-vale 31 allows bearing pressure up to  300kPa. These features are suitable for the footing design

At the depths of 8m to 17m, it is not that robust, the soil is moist and red colored and at the end, its color is yellowish brown., completely decomposed, coarse-grained Granodiorite (CDG). These soil conditions allow a bearing pressure of 1000kPa, which is suitable for the bored pile and socketed H-pile design

At the depth of 17m to 20m, the soil is robust, light black-spotted, and consists of some green soil, there is also some whiteness and pink shade in the soil, which reflects that it is slightly decomposed, coarse-grained Granodiorite (SDG). These soil conditions provide a bearing pressure of  7500kPa. These soil conditions allow to use of bored pile and socketed H-piles design.

According to soil conditions, we can categorize the type of soil type and know the SPT N-value of soil under the ground level. The robustness of soil and loading from the structure that is above ground are the main factors that need the be considered at the time of selecting the type of foundation. As we have analyzed there is medium dense, fine sand SILT, with N-value 31 that the presumed and can allow bearing pressure is 300kPa. The loading of the superstructure is about 2369kN,  pad footing will be the best way to develop a foundation of the building.

On the other side, using a pile would be unnecessary because a pile takes far more than 2369kN for each one. It is very inefficient and the cost is much higher than a simple pad footing.

Building plan

In this gym house, I want to make it sensible, and useful rather than fancy. As a result, the layout is simple and spaced regularly. (floor plan drawings refer to dwg no: GYM01, GYM02, GYM03)

Firstly, there is a multi-purpose room on 1/F for different types of training classes group sessions, and a separate room from the cardio and free weights. Examples of group class exercises include aerobics, Spin (cycling on a stationary bike), boxercise, high-intensity training (HIIT), and yoga. There is a main workout area which tends to be divided into a free weights section including dumbbells, and barbells. They may also have exercise machines with free weights or more commonly exercise machines will have their own section. Also, there is a large open space area for those who love to enjoy the natural sunshine while doing their workout. Users can do whatever type of training they like there with the tools provided by the house.

Typical framing pan of gym house 

Loading path

The gravity load on slabs is first transferred to the beam and then to the column. The column carries the vertical load to the foundation.

The wind load is the horizontal load to the building, it was taken by the external cladding at first, then to the slab, to the column, and finally to the foundation.

Choice of construction material

Reinforced concrete

Advantages

the compressing of Concrete is very high. As the concrete is provided with steel reinforcement it is efficient for bearing high tensile pressure. It also provides high resistance to Fire and weather conditions. It is longer than any other element used in construction material. Reinforced concrete is initially in the form of fluid, and can be easily and economically molded into a range of shapes as per the requirement of a particular structure. There is no maintenance required for concrete structures. It is a robust material with some deflection. As reinforced concrete can be used in any shape that is required in a building, it is mostly used in different structural components of the building.

Disadvantages

The tensile strength of reinforced concrete is not good enough as compared to the compressible strength of reinforced concrete. Fractures can affect the strength of reinforced concrete. The core steps of implementing reinforced concrete are mixing, curing, and casting. These steps can affect the strength of concrete. The casting process of reinforced concrete is higher. The process of Shrinkage causes cracks in concrete structure and strength loss.

Steel

Advantages

the tensile strength and compressing strength of steel structure is very high, the strength os steel structure is too high long with good stiffness, rigidness and ductile. It can be developed in different structure and can allow the welding and joints in the basic structure.. As steel is a noncombustible material it offers high fire resistance so it is good for building structure..it can help to reduce the crack development tendency of Concrete.

Disadvantages

There is a high cost required for the Maintenance of steel structures. To prevent rust it requires frequent coloring and rust removal. It can improve the life span of steel structures. However, the steel structure is less fire-resistant than the fire resistance capability of concrete. At a temperature of 600-700oC strength of steel remains only half of it. As steel structure loses its ductility quality, the chances of major fractures increase at a higher rate. Also, if the variations in tensile pressure are very high then this can lead to higher pressure on the steel structure. Due to this high pressure on the structure, it loses its tensile properties and shows a fall in the graph.

Compared with steel, reinforced concrete is cheaper and lighter when the fire protection is also easier to meet the requirement. It is also more flexible for the size of structural members.

They are both good at compressive strength. Although reinforced concrete is weak in tensile strength, the span is not very long in the gym house design. Therefore, that should not be a problem to construct the gym house with reinforced concrete.

Structure member data

Column, beam, and slab

Floor	Slab thickness (mm)	Short-span Beam size (b x d) (mm)	Long-span beam size (b x d) (mm)	Column size (mm)
G/F	200	200 x 400	450 x 750	500 x 500
1/F	200	200 x 400	450 x 750	500 x 500
R/F	200	200 x 400	450 x 750	500 x 500

Staircase

Number of steps = 10

Riser = 175mm

Tread = 300mm

Waist = 302mm

Landing clear width = 3100mm

Landing slab thickness = 350mm

Width of support = 200mm

Slab

Beam and slab system

This system includes beams framing into columns and it provides supporting slabs spanning between the beams. It is a traditional method that is used in buildings. The relatively deep beams provide a sharp floor capable of long spans, and able to resist lateral loads. However, the

complexity of beam structure, coordination of services, and complete depth of

floor has led to a reduction in the frequent use of this type of floor.

The traditional reinforced concrete beam-slab floor has an economical span ‘L’ of

D x 15 for a single span and D x 20 for a multi-span, where D is the depth of the slab

plus beam. By using depth to depth span ratio for flat plat. Prestressing is not generally used with this method.

Advantages:

•    Traditional effective solution.

•    Economic for small to medium spans. 

•    Familiarity with the local market

Disadvantages:

•    Penetrations through beams for large ducts are difficult to handle.

•     Low headroom for floor

•    Greater floor Height

•    Affect fixation of E&M services.

•    Uneconomical in cost and time for a large span.

Slab detail design (S1)

Drawing (see dwg. no: GYM08)

Slab detail design (S2)

Drawing (see dwg. no: GYM08)

Slab detail design (S3)

Drawing (see dwg. no: GYM08)

Beam

A beam is known as the structural part that primarily resists load on the beam axis. It reflects as bending while feeling the pressure of the load. The loads applied to the beam result in reaction force at the beam's support points. The total effect of all the forces on the beam is to develop shear forces and bending moments within the beam, which in turn induce internal stresses, strains, and deflections of the beam. Beams are characterized by their manner of support, profile (shape of cross-section), equilibrium conditions, length, and material.

In engineering, beams are of several types:

• Simply supported – a beam supported on the ends that are free to rotate and have no moment resistance.

• Fixed – a beam supported on both ends and restrained from rotation.

• Overhanging – a simple beam extending beyond its support on one end.

• Double overhanging – a simple beam with both ends extending beyond its supports on both ends.

• Continuous – a beam extending over more than two supports.

• Cantilever – a projecting beam fixed only at one end.

• Trussed – a beam strengthened by adding a cable or rod to form a truss. 

In this project, the continuous beam is mainly used.

Beam detail design (B3)

Drawing (see dwg. no: GYM09)

Beam detail design (B4)

Drawing (see dwg. no: GYM09)

Beam detail design (B10,B11,B12)

Drawing (see dwg. no: GYM10) 

Showing B10 here only because B10 is the end span which is the critical one by taking the largest loading among “continuous beam (B10-B11-B12-B11-B10)”.

Staircase

The stair horizontal spanned stair slab is supported by end walls and beams. It is can be horizontally spanned in the direction of the flight and is supported at the ends of the flight and landing as illustrated in. The main bars of this type of stair are placed with the flight direction and extended to the end hinges.

Step

Steps with 2 anti-slip rubber lines and small nosing a flat surface, especially one in a series, on which to place one’s foot when moving from one level to another. Each step is composed of a tread and a riser.

Tread

The part of the stairway that is stepped on. It is constructed to the same specifications (thickness) as any other flooring. The tread "depth" is measured from the back of one tread to the back of the next. The "width" is measured from one side to the other.

Riser

The vertical portion between each tread on the stair. This may be missing for an "open" stair effect.

Stair detail design

Drawing (see dwg. no: GYM13)

Column

Reinforced concrete column                                         

Steel column

That depends on the height of the column the load it is subjected to and the situation or circumstances where the column is required.

For most buildings where people live and medium height apartment blocks, A  concrete column with reinforced steel is always cost-efficient and good for a certain normal height.

But for too high and high-load industrial buildings supporting large loads of cranes and heavy stable platforms and load of machines, this is not possible for this kind of load.

For a site that is green and consists of trees, a concrete column is practiced and good for economical. But if it is an existing building then it is required to have a new column for better stability and rigidness., It is not possible to build this column cost-effectively or difficult to provide a concrete column in the structure. Where as a steel column can be cost effective, effectively fabricated and brought inside the building and can be placed in position.

Reinforced concrete columns are huge and the lower cost is compensated by area covered by this structure.

Steel columns are slender, and its higher unit cost will be got back in terms of extra usable floor area.

To conclude, in this situation I would choose the RC column with 3 causes:

1. It is a low-rise building with light vertical loading.
2. It is a low-rise building that is not under great wind load, so the bending moment the column needs to bear is less.
3. As the column in this case only takes light loading, it is not huge and does not take lots of area.

Column detail design

Drawing (see dwg. no: GYM11)

Foundation

The foundation of the building is one of the most important part of the building structure. The foundation is known as the part of the building structure that is meant to bare the load of the whole building. The basic function of the foundation is to shift the complete load of the building and weight of the foundation on a large area to improve the stability of building. The foundation is the part of a structure on which the building stands. The solid ground on which the foundation rests is called the foundation bed.

Why a Foundation is Provided

The foundation should be meeting the following needs -

•  Shift the weight of a building structure over a large area of land to make the structure highly stable.
•  Prevent unequal weight distribution.
•  Prevent the various kinds of movement in the beam structure of the building.
•  Provide better flexibility and strength to the building structure.

Reasons behind the implementation of various Types of Foundations in buildings

As per the above data, there are various types of soil is present of different lands the load-bearing capacity of soil also changes with its properties. So it depends on the soil properties, size, and weight of the structure, engineers choose various types of building foundation.

Types of Foundation

Generally, foundations are categorized into two types, which are SHALLOW FOUNDATIONS and other one is DEEP FOUNDATIONS. The terms Shallow Foundation and Deep Foundation depend on the depth of the soil in which the foundation is made. Generally, if the width of the foundation is larger than the depth of the foundation it can be explained as a “Shallow Foundation” and if the span of the foundation is less than the depth of the foundation it is called a “Deep Foundation.” However, shallow and deep foundations can be further classified as shown in the following chart.

Types of foundation

Economic possibility is one of the most important factors for the selection of a particular foundation type. There are some other important factors are there which are need to be considered before choosing a foundation type for a specific structure.

Those factors are

•   Importance of the Building
•   Life of the Structure
•   Loads from superstructure
•   Type of construction materials to be used
•   Water table level
•   Type of adjoining structure
•   Soil condition
•   Location of building

We will try to discuss whether isolated spread footing “pad footing” and pile foundation is a better option.

Pad footing

This is the most common and simplest type of foundation as this is the most economical type of foundation. They are generally used for ordinary buildings (Generally up to five stories). 

Pad footing type foundation consists of footing at the base of the column. This type of foundation is independent footings. Usually, each column has its own footing. The footing directly transfers the loads form the column to the soil. The footings may be rectangular, square or circular in shape. The size of the footing can be roughly calculated by dividing the total load at the column base by the allowable bearing capacity of the soil.

Pad footing is economical when:

  The load of the structure is relatively low.

  Columns are not closely placed.

  The bearing capacity of the soil is high at a shallow depth.

Pile

A pile foundation is a basic type of deep foundation. which are used to decrease the cost of building and are based on soil conditions that are mainly considered by engineers in building. It is required to transfer weight to soil strata which are out of the reach of shallow foundations.

The pile is a slender member with a small cross-sectional area compared to its length. It is used to transmit foundation loads to a deeper soil or rock strata when the bearing capacity of soil close to the surface is comparatively low. Pile transmits load either by skin friction or bearing. Piles are also used for resist structures against uplift and provide structures stability against lateral and overturning forces.

Pile foundations are good for cost-saving by using pile foundation when

•   Soil with great bearing capacity is at a high depth.
•   When soil excavation is not possible up to the required depth due to poor soil condition.
•   When it is highly costly to provide raft or grillage foundations.
•   When the foundation is subjected to a very heavy concentrated load.
•   In soft places.

In the buildability aspect, the construction method of pad and strip foundation is very easy to build by typical R.C. construction. Also, the construction skill of labor are lower level who might be not trained for sufficient time. However, the construction methods of bored piles and socketed steel H-piles are not easy to build. This process requires special devices and machines to construction such as required reverse circulation drilling. 

In cost consideration, the pad and strip foundation are less costly than the pile. This is because pad and strip footing do not need various special machines and devices that are expensive. Moreover, the designing process is costly for the pad, and strip footing is less costly than pile footing. This is because bored pile and socketed steel are complex, the consultant company required high costs for the design. 

In the excavation work required aspect, the pad and strip footing require shallow excavation for construction. However, pile foundation requires much more deep excavation work.

In the noise pollution aspect, when the machine is driving the H-pile into the underground level, it will cause noise pollution and affect the surrounding environment. On the other condition by using the construction of pad and strip footing and bored pile, it can reduce or solve the noise pollution issue. For the construction of the municipal services building in city area, the footing method and bored pile are most suitable because it is efficient in decreasing the noise effect to residents.

Based on all these considered factors, the foundation method is most suitable in this condition. Therefore, the pad footing foundation is selected.

Pad footing detail design

Drawing (see dwg. no: GYM12)

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