1.0 | Foundations & Systems
2.0 | Building Floor System
Roof system terminologies:
Flooring Materials:
1. Wood
Advantage
Durability
Maintenance & hygiene
Timeless style
Great investment
Disadvantage
Higher price
Not resistant to humidity
Harder to find these days
Low fire resistance
2. Concrete
Advantage
Durability
Maintenance & hygiene
Industrial style
High speed of construction
Disadvantage
Difficult to rectify defects
Not resistant to humidity
Low sound resistance
Low heat resistance
Concrete flooring layers from top to bottom:
1. Screed
2. DPM
3. Concrete slab
4. Sand
5. Brick crush
4.0 | Doors & Windows
Door ironmongeries:
1. Door knob/handles/door pull (Door details 1 & 5)
2. Door hinges (Door details 1 & 5)
3. Door lock (Door details 1 & 5)
4. Peep holes
5. Door stopper
6. Door chain
7. Floor spring (at the bottom) or door closer (at the top of
the door)
In order to assist the opening and closing of particularly
heavy doors and high wind climate.
Singapore Important Instances
5.0 | Metals
2. Corten steel thick layer of rust
Ferrous metal:
1. Cast Iron
Advantage
Tough under severe
conditions
Tough in compression
-
Disadvantage
Rusting
Graphitization
Coating failure
Heavy
Expensive
2. Wrought iron
Advantage
Excellent weldability
Tough
Disadvantage
Cannot be hardened by
heating
Labor intensive in
manufacturing process
2. (Stainless) steel
Advantage
High strength
Sustainable
Aesthetic appeal, can be
plated with color
Value for money
Disadvantage
Rusting
Gets heated quickly
Susceptible to scratching,
fingerprints, and smudges
-
Advantage
Economic
Long lasting
Recyclable
Disadvantage
-
5.0 | Metals
7.0 | Timber
Non-ferrous metal:
Raw timber:
1. Brass
3. Types of lumber cuts
Advantage
Soft, easily drilled
Corrosion resistant
Malleable
Disadvantage
Difficult to handle
Expensive
Changing color
2. Common metal finishes
Types
Plain
Quarter
Rift
Crown/live
Waste/cost
Minimum
Medium
Maximum
-
Stability
Minimum
Maximum
Medium
-
7.0 | Timber
7.0 | Timber
2. Asian timber less cost based from location
4. Types of manufactured timber cheap & easily
a. Indoor
- Jelutong
- Meranti
- Ramin
b. Outdoor anti termite, does not absorb heat much
manufactured
a. Plywood
thickness: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 24 mm
dimension: 2440 x 1220 mm
- Block plywood made out of ice cream layers
- Rosewood
- Nyatoh
- Kapur
- Balau
- Chengai
- Teak not good with water, need to be dried properly first
- Cheap backing for veneer
- Requires secondary finishing
- Can be used for door carcass 18 mm thickness
b. MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard)
- Often used in a non-local context
thickness: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 24 mm
- Trend in cabinetry
dimension: 2440 x 1220 mm
- Can be used for acoustic purposes reduce echo
- Compressed fine-wood/saw dust with a binder (glue)
- Requires secondary finishing
Advantage
Cheap
Consistent in size. And
strength
Good with spray paint
c. Reconstitute Engineered Wood
Disadvantage
Easily expand
-
thickness: 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 24 mm
dimension: 2440 x 1220 mm
- Plywood with real solid wood or 3 mm thick veneer layer
- Excellent holding strength
c. Particle/chip board (Low Density Fiberboard)
- Engineered internal core does not warp
thickness: 3, 9, 12, 15, 18 mm
- Readily used for timber flooring
dimension: 2440 x 1220 mm
- Good for speaker
d. Marine plywood
- Weaker than MDF, but similar characteristics
thickness: 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 24 mm
- Often used in a non-local context
dimension: 2440 x 1220 mm
- Requires secondary finishing
- Water resistant, can resist impact, superior surface finish
- For boats, docks, bathrooms, and caravans
d. OSB (Oriented Strand Board)
thickness: 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 24 mm
dimension: 2440 x 1220 mm
- Requires secondary finishing
d. Honeycomb
7.0 | Timber
thickness: 10, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50, 60 mm
dimension: 2440 x 1220 mm
5. Type of finishes
- High stiffness yet lightweight
a. Stain color
- Great holding strength
- Can age to a darker color, especially under the sun
- For doors: cabinetry door and interior door panel
- Can stain to a darker color, but not lighter from the wood
b. PU (Polyurethane) finish
- Percentage of gloss matte, satin, semi-gloss, high-gloss
- Easily scratched
3. Types of pore finishes
Open pore finish is a type of finish that allows oil and other
contaminants to seep through the pores and collect on the
surface of the wood.
Closed pore finish, on the other hand, is a type of finish that
has smaller pores that prevent the accumulation of oil and
other contaminants.
7.0 | Timber
8.0 | Glass & Plastics
1. Raw timber forms
4. Thermoplastic types
a. Panels
a. Acrylic
Thickness: 24, 50, 75 mm
- Seamless
Width: 300 mm
- Different shine than glass
Length: too long equals logistic issues
- Thermoform
b. Battens
- Easily scratches
24 x 24, 50 x 50, 50 x 75, 22 x 22, 42 x 22, 75 x 75 mm
b. Polycarbonates
- Requires secondary finish
- Glass-like surface and Clarity
- Used for furniture, roofs, finger joints timber used as
internal support
- Strong and stiff more robust to impact
c. Veneer
Thickness 1.3-2 mm
Dimension 1220 x 2440 mm
- Unlike solid wood, just the seamless timber skin
- Applied to plywood and finished
c. PVC
- Rigid and flexible
- Cost effective
- Durable
- Easily maintained
d. ABS
- For FDM 3D Printing
5. Thermosetting types
8.0 | Glass & Plastics
a. Epoxy resin
b. HPL
2. Types of archictetural glass further in paper
c. Polyurethane
a. Annealed glass next page
d. DF
- Processed to reduce cracking in temperature change
- Heat resistant
- Dangerously break into large pieces
- Waterproof
- Raw material can be recycled
- Brittle
- Stand stress than tempered glass edges
- For bathroom and lamination
b. Heat strengthened glass (safety glass) 2-25 mm
- Semi-tempered glass, not as high as temperature method
- Remains in the frame when breaks, does not fall
- Can’t be drilled, chamfered, or make bolt openings after
heated
c. Tempered glass (safety glass)
- Good for harsh conditions
- 4-6x stronger than annealed glass
- Resistance for thermal and impact
- Wind pressure
- Safe break pieces
- Weak edge
- For windows, escalator side panels, wall cladding,
furniture showcase, shop frontage, glass facades, and
structural glass.
d. Spandrel glass
- Opaque to hide vent, wires, and slabs
e. Low iron glass
- Not green-ish, optimal clarity
f. Slip resistance glass 4.25 mm
- Treated to increase friction, anti-slip in wet conditions
g. One way mirror
- See-through from the darker side
h. Back painted glass
i. Crystal
- High PbO 30%> content
j. Smart glass/film
k. Chemically strengthened glass
- Can go as this as 1 mm (phone screen protector)
- 5-6x stronger than annealed glass
3. Glass fastener
- Clamp
- Spider clamp (4 sides)
- Accessories rubber gasket + u-channel
8.0 | Glass & Plastics
10.0 | Fabric, Leather and Rubber
1. History
1. Fabric types
- Sheet glass <1920
- Plate glass very even & flat for undistorted vision 1920
- Float glass eliminate grinding & polishing 1960
2. Synthetic Fiber check paper for natural fiber
a. Polyester & nylon check paper
b. Solution dyed fabric check paper
10.0 | Fabric, Leather and Rubber
10.0 | Fabric, Leather and Rubber
1. Soft Covering
2. Wallcovering
c. PVC Leather
Vinyl (easily cleaned), paper, and fabric
PVC, plastic coated material
- Could create instant change to the room ambiance
- The affordable alternative to real leather
- Wide range of pricing
- Durable and long-lasting
- Relatively easy to maintain
- Anti-scratch
- Customizable pattern, ‘strike off’ as a test sample
- Anti-peel
- Non-breathable sticky and sweaty to sit
3. Carpet
Carpet tiles: offices and commercial project
Carpet wall: office, hotel, and commercial project
- Comes in wide range of color
- High quality ones are easily maintained, anti-absorbent to
spillage.
9.0 | Stone
- It is high resistance to chemical erosion for making tanks
to store highly caustic materials
b. Marble 2 points see paper
- Re-crystalized, hard, compact fine to very fine-grained
metamorphosed rocks capable of taking shiny polish.
- Exceptionally hard and durable
- Resistant to freeze-thaw cycles
c. Limestone 20 mm, 1 point see paper
- Hard, dense and durable
- Affected by acids
- Slightly soluble in water, soft stone
- Course texture
1. Natural Stone
- Earthy tones
a. Granite
- The hardest building stone for excellent wear, durable for
interior and exterior applications
- Granite is highly stable thermally, no changes
- Impervious to weathering from temperature or air borne
chemicals
d. Sandstone 3 points see paper
- Relatively absorptive for interior applications
- If left unpolished or textured, creates a soft matte surface
- May need to impregnate sealers if required
d. Travertine 2 point see paper
- The stone is characterized by pitted holes and trough in
its surface
- Has many void holes that are filled with grout, honed,
polished to uniform like other marbles.
- Application for floors, walls, countertops, exterior cladding
and pavement
- Ceramic tiles are generally tough, certain dark, pigment –
rich colors.
- Tiles can be flat or embossed with a pattern
- Hard wearing, easy to clean, stain and heat resistant,
waterproof
b. Homogenous Tiles 150 x 150, 300 x 300, 300 x 600, 600 x
600, 1200 x 2400 mm
e. Slate 2 point see paper
- Thin and brittle
- Unless honed smooth, it has a distinct cleft pattern
- Heat resistant and less absorbent than granite
- Course texture
- Dark grey tones
2. Artificial stone hard wearing material, does not burn,
easily stain, heat-resistant, waterproof, cheap, and easy
installation.
a. Ceramic 150 x 150, 300 x 300, 300 x 600, 600 x 600, 1200
x 2400 mm
- Made of clay, silica, fluxes, colorings and other was
materials to give an impermeable and vitreous enamel
surface.
A type of porcelain tile: porcelain & ceramic. Porcelain is
denser and less porous than the latter, durable and suitable
interior and outdoor use.
c. Mosaic tiles 10 x 10, 25 x 25, 30 x 30, 50 x 50 mm
- Small pieces of tiles that are held together in a sheet.
Made out of glass, metal, stone, real pebbles, porcelain, etc.
- The sheet comes in 300 x 300 mm
9.0 | Stone
1. Tiling method
a. Mortar
- Apply mortar to surface
d. Glass tiles
- Perform well in high moisture area
- Apply adhesive to the back of the tile to mount it on top
of the mortar layer
- Reflects sunlight at outdoor
b. Grouting
- Attach in a mesh backing sheet for quicker laying
- Consists of water, cement and sand which comes in
various colors and texture
e. Quartz W 1435 x L 3048 x T 20 mm
- 93% quartz (one of nature’s hardest material) and highquality polymer resins and pigments.
- Durable, anti-bacterial, can mimic any material, less
maintenance, non-porous, anti-staining
f. Sintered stone 3 & 6 mm
- Blend of man-made processes with natural materials
- Resistant to chemicals, abrasion, scratching, impact, and
thermal shock
- To fill up joints, cracks in tiles or masonry
9.0 | Stone
- Can be reinforced with glass fibers and non-steel. Some
structure have been using “plastic” fiber reinforcement
which can be as strong as metal as it resists corrosion
2. Concrete facts
- Is a replica of natural stone: cement, water and aggregates
- Chemical mixtures added to achieve a certain goal.
Commonly accelerating admixtures, retarding admixtures,
fly, ash, air, entertaining admixtures and water reducing
admixtures.
b. Pre-cast concrete
- Consists of water, cement and sand which comes in
various colors and texture
- To fill up joints, cracks in tiles or masonry
- Fireproof, durable, and low maintenance material
- Sound proof and superior strength and safety
- Potential green material due to fly ash aggregate
- Further refinement and longer span than reinforced
concrete
- Means that the concrete is pulled or tensioned before it
has to support the service loads
3. Concrete types
a. Reinforced concrete
- Apply mortar to surface
- Apply adhesive to the back of the tile to mount it on top
of the mortar layer
- Development that makes it flexible and strong due to its
combination with metal bars and mesh
- Used for slabs, walls, beams, columns, foundation, frames
and more
- Allows to build more longer and elegant designs
- Pre-stressing can reduce the size of a beam required to
perform a specific task
c. Pre-stressed concrete
- Consists of water, cement and sand which comes in
various colors and texture
-Pre-tensioned: the steel is pulled before the concrete is
poured
- Post-tensioned: the concrete is poured and then the
tension applied. Steel cables inside plastic ducts or sleeves
are positioned in the forms before the concrete place.
Afterwards, once the concrete has set, the cables are pulled
tight and anchored against the outer edge of the concrete.