Keywords: Construction system, load-bearing structure, non-load-bearing structure, stability, floor (storey), tract, headroom

CHARACTERSITICS OF CONSTRUCTION SYSTEMS

The construction system of the building is a complex of interconnected and interacting structural elements that interact with each other in relation to the surroundings. The most important function of the construction system is the load-bearing function. The construction system must also withstand the effects of the environment - static and dynamic loads, temperature, humidity, noise and other physical, chemical and biological effects. Each building is divided into floors and tracts.

The main components of the building include foundation structures, vertical load-bearing structures (walls and columns), horizontal load-bearing structures (ceilings, balconies, ledges), staircases, ramps and roof construction.

According to the static effect, the construction structures are divided into load-bearing structures and non-load-bearing structures:

• Load-bearing structures transmit any load acting on the object, e.g. bearing walls, pillars, roof structures, foundations.
• Non-load-bearing structures do not carry any load (except their own weight), they usually have a splitting or insulating function, such as internal partitions, peripheral insulating walls, doors and windows.

Cooperation of elements of the structural system must ensure system stability. Stability is the ability of a building to resist the external effects of the load without deformation (change of shape), deflection or total destruction.

The choice of the construction system depends on the parameters of the proposed building and it is based on the general requirements for the construction of the building structures. For the design of the construction system, the following parameters must be taken into account:

• Purpose, spatial and shape solution of the object
• Territorial and site conditions
• Dimensions and loads of ceilings
• Construction height of the floors
• Material base and technical possibilities
• Foundation conditions
• Environmental influences
• Fire safety
• Operational technical requirements
• Architectural requirements
• Energy performance of construction and operation
• Life expectancy
• Investment and operating costs, etc.

Design of the construction system should take place in dialogue and co-operation between the architect, designer and the technologist in order to achieve an optimal solution for taking into account all requirements. Due to the variety of requirements and their mutual harmonization, the proposed construction system is always a compromise solution.

BASIC CLASSSIFICATION OF CONSTRUCTION SYSTEMS

Construction systems can be divided into:

• Construction systems of multi-storey buildings: are characterized by vertical load-bearing structures carrying all the loads into the foundation soil. These supporting structures ensure the stability of the whole object. Construction systems of multi-storey buildings include wall systems, skeleton systems, their combination or core construction systems and superconstruction.
• The construction systems of hall buildings are characterized by their roofing and free interior layout

Floor (storey) is part of a building defined by two consecutive levels of the upper surface of the supporting part of the ceiling structures. At the lower floor, based on the raised terrain or embankment, the plane is defined by the upper level of the underlying floor structure.

The vertical distance between the upper surfaces of the support structure ceiling is referred to as structural floor height. The headroom is defined by the vertical distance between the floor surface and the lower level of the ceiling structure of the same floor

The tract is the space part of a building defined by two consecutive vertical planes passing through the geometric axes of vertical wall or column structures. The building can be single-tract or multi-tract. Depending on the position in the building, we recognize the tracts of the transverse tracts and the longitudinal tracts:

• Longitudinal tracts are parallel to the longitudinal axis of the building.
• Transverse tracts are perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the building.

According to the arrangement of the vertical structures of the object relative to its longitudinal axis, the construction systems are divided:

• Longitudinal systems
• Transverse systems
• Two-way systems

According to the building technology used, the following construction systems are recognized:

• Brickwork systems (masonry) made of pieces building material connected to a mortar or other bonding layer.
• Monolithic systems made of ductile building materials deposited into a mold and solidifying directly in the structure.
• Prefabricated systems composed of pre-fabricated components which are interconnected in the joints.
• Combined systems