UNIVERSITY OF THE CORDILLERAS

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE

DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE AND FINE ARTS

AR332
BUILDING TECHNOLOGY 5
RSW MT- 01: “ALTERNATIVE BUILDING CONSTRUCTION SYSTEM”

REFERENCES:
WastetechEthan,Chriswaterguy. (n.d.). Alternative building. Appropedia, the Sustainability Wiki.
https://www.appropedia.org/Alternative_building#:~:text=Alternative%20building%20refers%20to
%20construction,strong%20emphasis%20on%20sustainable%20design.
Studocu. (n.d.). AR-493 Building-Technology-5-Alternative-BLDG-Construction-Systems - Republic of the
Philippines - StudoCU. https://www.studocu.com/ph/document/nueva-ecija-university-of-science-and-
technology/history-of-architecture/ar-493-building-technology-5-alternative-bldg-construction-systems/
36931624?origin=organic-success-document-viewer-cta
De Guia, K. (2023, October 11). The history of sustainable construction materials in the Philippines —
BillionBricks. BillionBricks. https://billionbricks.org/updates/the-history-of-sustainable-construction-
materials-in-the-philippines
Lee. (2024, February 14). 12 Alternative building methods. Lady Lee’s Home. https://ladyleeshome.com/12-
alternative-building-methods/

DATE ISSUED: MAY 11, 2024

DATE DUE: MAY 13, 2024
DATE SUBMITTED: MAY 13, 2024

STUDENT: INSTRUCTOR:

OBRA, JESSA RAY M. AR. HANEE KEVIN C. VALDEZ

BS ARCHITECTURE 3
ALTERNATIVE BUILDING CONSTRUCTION SYSTEM
Alternative building refers to construction methods that differ from mainstream modern architecture.
They often use natural building materials, with a strong emphasis on sustainable design.
While green buildings most often include high technology as part of their design, alternative buildings
more often depend on traditional designs (reflecting wisdom which has evolved over many generations)
and creative use of locally available materials and limited resources. Indeed, some would say that
"alternative building" is quite an odd phrase, considering that the strategies used to conserve energy and
materials have been documented for millennia in some cases.
The History of Sustainable Construction Materials in the Philippines
The worldwide push for environmentally friendly construction has gained substantial traction in recent
years, driven by the critical need to battle climate change and promote sustainable development. As an
archipelago prone to natural calamities such as earthquakes and typhoons and experiencing increasing
urbanization, the Philippines has acknowledged the necessity of sustainable development in building
robust and ecologically friendly infrastructure.
Traditional construction methods in the Philippines have historically depended extensively on natural
resources such as bamboo, coconuts, and shells. As urbanization accelerated, these practices shifted
towards more modern techniques and materials.
However, the need for sustainable construction materials remains critical in the face of climate change
and limited resources.
Egg Whites: The Ancient Binding Agent
One remarkable yet lesser-known ancient practice in the Philippines involved using egg whites as a
binding agent in construction. Historically, egg whites were mixed with quicklime and sand to create a
durable and lasting material. The advantages of utilizing egg whites as a binding agent are numerous.
Egg whites are inexpensive, widely available, renewable, biodegradable, and have a low environmental
impact. They may be sourced locally, minimizing the carbon footprint associated with transportation.
They possess natural adhesive and binding properties, making them a sustainable alternative to synthetic
and chemical-based adhesives.
While the use of egg whites in modern construction is uncommon, several experimental research has
been conducted to investigate the impact of natural admixtures, including egg whites, on traditional
concrete and lime-based mortar. These investigations discovered that adding egg whites to lime-based
mortar can increase its compressive and flexural strength, making it more appropriate for specific
applications.
Bricks: The Timeless Building Blocks
Bricks have always been used in construction; the Philippines is no exception. The craft of brickmaking
grew prominent throughout the Spanish colonial era, creating a lasting architectural legacy. Moreover,
bricks offer several sustainability benefits, making them an ideal choice for green construction.
Bricks are made from natural materials such as clay, sand, and water, making them inherently eco-
friendly. They can be produced locally, reducing transportation emissions. Moreover, bricks have
excellent thermal insulation properties, contributing to energy efficiency in buildings.
Their durability also ensures a longer lifespan, reducing the need for frequent reconstruction. They do not
emit harmful substances and have a lower carbon footprint than other construction materials.
In recent years, brickmaking in the Philippines has witnessed innovative advancements. Some
manufacturers incorporate recycled materials like crushed glass and rubber into their brick production.
Adopting energy-efficient kilns has also minimized the carbon emissions associated with brickmaking.
These innovations are environmentally friendly and contribute to the circular economy by repurposing
waste materials. Bricks continue to be a sustainable choice for construction projects in the Philippines.
Narra Trees: The National Pride
Narra trees hold significant cultural and construction importance in the Philippines. Historically, Narra
wood was highly prized for its strength, beauty, and resistance to decay, making it a popular choice for
construction. However, unsustainable harvesting practices led to a decline in the Narra tree population
and the need for sustainable alternatives.
To address this challenge, sustainable harvesting practices have been introduced to protect the remaining
Narra trees. These practices include select cutting, tree planting programs, and forest management
initiatives. Strict regulations are in place to ensure the responsible use of Narra wood, preserving its
cultural significance while safeguarding its future.
Recognizing the need to reduce dependence on Narra wood, sustainable alternatives have emerged in the
Philippines. Engineered wood products from locally sourced bamboo, rattan, and other fast-growing trees
have been popular.
These alternatives offer comparable strength and aesthetic qualities while promoting sustainable forestry
practices. The rise of sustainable wood alternatives aims to strike a balance between conserving the
country's biodiversity and meeting the demands of the construction industry.
CAST IN PLACE CONCRETE AND PRECAST CONCRETE
Difference of Cast in SITU Concrete and Precast Concrete:

Cast IN SITU Concrete

• Column, slab etc. elements are cast on site and hence it is difficult to control mix, placement and curing
in cast-in-situ concrete.
• Quality control and maintenance are difficult.
• In situ concrete construction is slow as gaining strength requires time.
• Increase in strength at situ by accelerated curing is a difficult task.
Precast Concrete
• Elements are manufactured in a controlled casting environment, and it is easier to control mix,
placement and curing.
• Quality can be controlled and maintained easily.
• Less labors are required.
• Precast concrete construction is quick as it can be installed immediately and there is no waiting for it to
gain strength.
FLOOR SYSTEM AND ROOF SLAB SYSTEM
Floor System:
In this study, ‘floor system’ is defined as a structural system consisting of both the structural floor
slab and any beams supporting it. The study will focus on concrete or concrete-based floor systems since
this is the main and most common material for floors.
Flat Slab
• The flat slab is a two-way reinforced concrete slab that usually does not have beams and girders,
and the loads are transferred directly to the supporting concrete columns.
• The thickness of the Flat slab is minimum 8″ or 0.2m.
Advantages of Flat Slab
•It minimizes floor-to-floor heights when there is no requirement for a deep false ceiling. Building height
can be reduced.
•Auto sprinkler is easier.
•Less construction time.
Disadvantages of Flat Slab
•In flat plate system, it is not possible to have large span.
•Not suitable for supporting brittle (masonry) partitions.
•Higher slab thickness.

Flat Plate
A flat plate is a one- or two-way system usually supported directly on columns or load bearing walls. It is
one of the most common forms of construction of floors in buildings. The principal feature of the flat
plate floor is a uniform or near-uniform thickness with a flat soffit which requires only simple formwork
and is easy to construct.
Application:
• Short to medium spans with light loading
• For LL=50 psi,159-309spans
Conditions:
• Architectural layout should be well planned to fully
enhance the main area where high flat ceiling with neatly
arranged steel/concrete columns are required in the
design
• Spacing of columns
• Punching shear checks at column areas
• Long term deflection of the flat plate
Benefits:
• Larger Span Length Achieved
• Flat Soffit i.e. Flat Ceiling
• Savings in Shuttering Cost
• Savings in Construction Time
• Pre-stressing
• Building Height
• Service
Advantages of Flat Plate Advantages of System:
• Simple formwork and suitable for direct fix or sprayed ceiling
• No beams4simplifying under-floor services
• Minimum structural depth and reduced floor- to floor height.
Disadvantages
• Medium spans
• Limited lateral load capacity as part of a moment frame
• May need shear heads or shear reinforcement at the columns or larger columns for shear
• Long-term deflection may be controlling factor
• May not be suitable for supporting brittle (masonry) partitions
• May not be suitable for heavy loads
RIBBED FLOOR
Consisting of equally spaced ribs are usually supported directly by
columns. They are either one way spanning systems known as ribbed
slab, or a two-way ribbed system known as a waffle slab.
One-way Ribbed Slab
A one-way slab consists of a series of small,
reinforced concrete T beams that relate to
girders that in turn carried by the building column.
Two-way Ribbed Slab
A one-way slab consists of a series of small,
reinforced concrete T beams that relate to.
girders that in turn carried by the building column.
Advantages of Ribbed Slab
• Savings on weight and materials
• Long spans
• Attractive soffit appearance if exposed
• Economical when reusable formwork pans used
• Vertical penetrations between ribs are easy.
Disadvantages of Ribbed Slab
• Depth of slab between the ribs may control
the fire rating.
• Requires special or proprietary formwork
• Greater floor-to-floor height
• Large vertical penetrations are more difficult
to handle.
WAFFLE SLAB
Waffle slab is a reinforced concrete roof or floor containing square grids with deep sides and it is also
called grid slabs.
Difference of Waffle Slab and Ribbed Floor Slab
Waffle Slab: tends to be deeper than the equivalent ribbed slab. Waffle Slabs have a thin
topping slab and narrow ribs spanning in both directions between column heads or band beams
are the same depth as the ribs.
Ribbed Floor: are made up of wide band beams running between columns with narrow ribs.
spanning the orthogonal direction. Normally the ribs and the beams are the same depth. A thin
topping slab completes the system.
Waffle Slab Usage
• Waffle can be used as both ceiling and floor slab.
• The concrete waffle slab is often used for industrial and commercial buildings
while wood and metal waffle slabs are used in many other construction sites.
• The main purpose of employing this technology is for its strong foundation
characteristics of crack and sagging resistance.

Characteristics of Waffle Slab

• Suitable for flat areas.
• The reinforcement in the waffle slab is provided in the form of mesh or individual
Bars
The thickness of waffle slab recommended is 85 to 100 mm while the overall
depth of slab is limited to 300 to 600 mm.
• The width of beams or ribs provided in waffle slab are generally 110 to 200 mm.
• Waffle slab requires only 70% of concrete and 80 % of steel from the concrete
and steel used for stiffened raft.
Advantages
• Used for larger span slabs or floors and used when there is limited requirement
for number of columns.
• Good structural stability along with aesthetic appearance.
• Can be made of concrete or wood or steel
• Good vibration control capacity, useful for public buildings to control vibrations
created by movements of crowd.
• Lightweight and requires less amount of concrete
• Several services like lighting, plumbing pipes, electrical wiring, air conditioning,
insulation materials etc. can be provided.
Disadvantages
• Formwork tools required are very costly because of large quantity requirement of
pods and some special tools.
• The floor height should be more hence the number of floors is reduced.
• The services provided in the waffle arrangement without proper maintenance may
cause damage to the slab.
• Skilled workers are required during its construction.
• They are not suitable for sloped areas. If there is slope area, the area must be level.
with filling or by excavating. For soil filling, good soil should be used,
• They are not suitable against high winds or cyclonic areas because of their light
weight.

LIFT SLAB
• A method of constructing concrete buildings by casting the floor or roof slab on
top of the previous slab and then raising (jacking) the slab up with hydraulic
jacks.
• Lift-slab construction method becomes more advantageous in buildings with
similar floor

System limitation
• This method not to be used for multi-storey building, only use for 15- 16 storey
building. No large span slab is constructed in this type of construction.
• Hydraulic jacks has positive safety devices on it.
• Can lift only on slabs loaded up to 100,000 pounds at speeds of up to 14 feet an
Hour
Procedures
Concreting
A concrete slab is poured on the ground level. Lifting
Collars are set around each of the columns and cast into
place as the slab is poured around them.
Lifting
Once the slab have been raised to their desired height,
The lifting collars are welded to the column, along with
shear blocks to support the slab from beneath.
Simultaneous Floor and wall Construction
Both the wall panels and the floor slabs are cast on the
Ground. The walls are attached to the slabs through.
Hinges formed by plastic ropes. As the floors are raised,
the walls unfold into place and form the vertical support.

12 Alternative Building Methods

1. Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs):
Picture a cream cheese sandwich. Foam in the center
sandwiched between two oriented standard boards
(OSBs). So you design a house, send it to the SIPs
company and they make the walls (a.k.a panels) in the
factory according to your plan, then deliver and install
them.
2. Insulated Concrete Forms (ICFs):
Those are hollow foam building blocks that interlock together to form a wall. Then, concrete is poured in
the center. What you get is a wall made of concrete sandwiched between two foam panels.
You get a thick wall, energy efficiency, noise reduction, and a very strong structure.
3. Steel Metal Buildings:
Those are usually kit homes. You choose or create your own plan, send it to a company and they cut the
frame of the house from steel in the factory according to your plan. Then the cut steel is delivered to your
lot together with all the required hardware and the builders start to erect the frame over your foundation.
4. Precast Concrete –
Again, it starts with a design. The company sends your design to the factory where precast, insulated wall
panels are made for you from concrete. Windows and doors openings are made in the factory, those walls
don’t need additional insulation, and installation is very fast.
5. Strawbale Homes –
There are two ways to construct a straw bale home. One is to build a frame from wood and fill in between
with straw bales, the second is where the straw bales support the weight of the roof and there is no
additional frame.
Straw bale homes are very environmentally friendly, insulation is very good because of the thick walls,
and rooms are very sound proof.
6. Cob Homes –
Cob is the product of earth mixed with straw, sand, and water. The ingredients are mixed by hand (or
feet) and lumps of mixed earth are used to sculpt the house. Basically, a house of mud.
This building method is very very old. Cob homes stay cool in the summer and warm in the winter.
7. Adobe Homes –
Adobe is homemade bricks. Dirt and clay (and sometimes other materials like straw and sand) are mixed
together and moistened. The mixture is poured into molds, usually in the shape of bricks, and then is left
to dry.
8. Rammed Earth Homes –
Rammed earth homes are homes made of a mixture of earth, just like cob and adobe homes, however,
here you build a wall frame from wood, then pour and ram the mix into the frame, let it dry and remove
the frame.
9. Earthship Homes –
Earthship homes are pretty much a party of recycled materials. Bottles, cans, tires filled with dirt, wood,
glass… Materials are combined to form a house that is a part of the earth.
Most Earthship homes are self-sustained. They incorporate solar systems, water collection systems, food
production areas and so on.
10. Earthbag Homes –
In this method, polypropylene sacks are filled with a mixture of sand and clay and are stacked on top of
each other (with barbed wire between each layer) to form walls. They are then wrapped in chicken wire
and covered with mortar.
11. Cordwood Homes –
Cordwood homes are built by stacking firewood logs or split logs on top of each other between a pre-
built wood frame. The logs are held together by a mixture of cement, sand, lime, and sawdust.
12. Shipping Container Homes –
Shipping container homes (also called ISBU homes which stand for Interlocking Steel Box Units) have
been around for 23 years. Those homes are built by recycling old shipping containers. The containers are
stacked or placed next to each other (or both) on a pre-built foundation, depending on the design.