STRUCTURAL DESIGN BRIEF

KIRINYAGA UNIVERSITY RESEARCH and TRAINING HOSPITAL

INTRODUCTION
The client of this project is Kirinyaga University. This project is designed to be located at

Kirinyaga University grounds opposite the Kerugoya-Kutus road (B27 road) after the Kilele

Tuition block. The aim of this project is to provide a design that will deliver an output answering

all the healthcare issues affecting the schools learning process, the community, students and any

other stakeholders. This through the design of a functional, satisfactory and environmentally

friendly research and training hospital facility in the selected site.

The primary purpose of Structural Design is to ensure that the structures built are safe, efficient,

practical, and capable of performing their respective functions throughout their entire service

life. A showcase of Structural Design in architecture is the Sydney Opera House. Its unique

shell-like roof system was the result of ingenious structural design that initially seemed

impossible. This structure demonstrated that rigorous design processes can turn even the most

challenging architectural visions into reality.

With the current alarming issues of falling of buildings in Kenya in area like Kiambu, there is

need to evaluate the causes of this and the best way to mitigate these issues which have resulted

to loss of lives and property together with the destruction of the environment. A study by

ConstructionKenya indicated that the cause of the many falling buildings is the weak

foundations, substantial materials, poor structural design, corruption and poor labor. Therefore,

this project aims to avoid this by delivering a project which has the structural elements required

by the regulations in Kenya. This has been achieved through the following;
 1. Correct design calculations done with consideration to various regulations like the BS-1-

1999, BS 1964, Reinforced Concrete Design etc.

2. Recommending the use of the right materials (only those specified in the drawings)

3. Conducting surveyors on the site to determine the soil characteristics at the site in terms

of the soil type and strength, soil-bearing capacity and water holding capacity

4. Environmental considerations like the weather changes

5. Designing for fire resistance.

Objectives

1. To design a research and training hospital that can cater for the students in the school of

health and science in both their teachings and practical aspects.

2. To provide facilities and amenities that support various activities for the students’, the

community and any other stakeholders involved.

3. To design a building which is environmentally friendly, adhering to all regulations of the

National Environment Management Authority(NEMA) through Environment and Impact

Assessment (EIA) which that aligns with the university’s strategies, plan and

commitment to green initiatives.

4. To ensure the serviceability of the building designed through various structural analysis

to ensure the buildings integrity through various structural calculations.

5. To design a facility accessible to any stakeholder involved.

STRUCTURAL FRAME

A buildings strength and perseverance to external forces depend on the structural integrity of the
structural elements, i.e. the room, slab, beams, columns, and foundations. Once these are
structurally perfect, the building will stand despite any interference from external forces like
winds, floods and earthquakes.

Design Considerations

Different factors were considered during the design of these elements. These included the

1. The type of an element (e.g. weather is a two-way or one-way slab, or a continuous or

simply supported beam, fixed end column or hinged end columns)
2. Imposed loads from the occupants, winds, earthquakes etc.a
3. the functionality of an element (e.g. is a slab for wards, or for a hotel, or for an
auditorium etc.)
4. Materials to be used for a given structural element (e.g. reinforced concrete, precast
concrete, in-situ concrete, steel reinforcements, rubber bituminous materials)
In the material selection, critical factors were considered and these included the material
properties in terms of weight, durability, environmental friendliness, strength, availability
and also cost considerations.
5. Size of the element to be designed (in terms of width/breadth, depth/height, span/length)

Below is a brief description in terms of sizes and the reinforcements used in the designs:

Slab

Depth = 150mm, materials used = reinforced concrete with D10 bars, cover = 35 mm to have a
fire resistance of 3.5 hrs. There are two main types of slabs used in this design and these are one-
way slabs and two-way slabs. This is to ensure that there is maximum structural integrity of the
design generated in the design drawings given.

Beam

Depth = 400mm, breadth = 300mm, span = 4000mm, bars = 4 D16 bars in a beam, cover =
35mm to have a fire resistance of 3.5 hrs., beams are continuous and simply supported beams.

Column
The type of columns used in this design is the in-situ square concrete columns. Almost all
columns are axially loaded.

Breadth = 400mm, width = 400mm, height = 3000mm, cover = 35mm to have a fire resistance of
3.5 hrs., material = treated reinforced concrete.

Foundation

Depth of foundation = 3000mm, has width and breadth of 400mm, is made of reinforced
concrete, cover = 35mm,

Types of Foundation used (Pad/Matt and Strip Foundations)

In the design of the structure, the design integrated the use of two types of foundations, strip
foundation and matt/pad foundation. This is due to a number of factors and these include the
following;

1. The site is characterized by been surrounded by swampy soils with a lot of water
retention and hence the need to use a matt foundation for the purposes of stability.
2. The site has volcanic soils with major stone boulders which need strip foundation as
they ensure structural strength integrity.
3. Integrating the two types of foundation, strip and matt foundation increases the
structural stability. This is because once the two have been integrated they increase
the center of gravity in building and hence reducing toppling effects and mostly for
tall buildings.
4. It is one of the emerging requirements that a building should be designed in such a
way as to ensure that it will not be affected by incidences of earthquakes. This is one
of the adaptations that has been developed in countries prone to earthquakes like
China and Japan. In China, the construction of Taipei Tower adapted to this method
and it depicted the effectiveness of adapting it as in the midst of its construction, an
earthquake occurred of about 6.8 magnitude. It left the building standing and hence
adapting it in my design was a wise decision. Figure 1 thereafter shows a form of
matt/pad foundation.
Stairs

These connect one floor to the next. They offer a room for circulation. They are made of
reinforced concrete in this design. The steps in the stairs are of 150mm risers, 250mm going,
150mm strips, 1200mm flight widths and 3000mm total height of the staircase heights.

It is good to note that the type of stairs used in this design is the U-shaped type of stairs. This is
due to a number of factors like, they usually don’t waste on space and their maintenance is easy.
Below is a typical type of the U-shaped staircase parts

The Type of stairs used in the design

There are a total of 4 staircases in the design which will ensure that there is ease of movement in
the building and incase of fire, the stairs have been interconnected by the three main corridors
which can help in time of emergencies and incase of rescues.

The four locations of the staircase in the design

Below are figures of the structural frame of the designed work. (source: Archicad software)

Slab

Columns

Beams

Matt Foundation at the central core of the

building

Strip Foundation on the outer parts of the

building

The general Structural frame of the designed structure

Functionality
The primary function of the structural frame is to offer support to the architectural elements like
the walls, doors, windows, and all other loads; whether imposed, dead or live loads. It hence has
to be strong and stable in-order to carry out this purpose. Through design analysis of the
elements involved, there is a total assurance that every element whether beam or slab or column
is able to carry out its task to completion.

The structure is usually likened to the skeletal framework of a project, serving to withstand all

loads and external forces acting upon the construction. This is a crucial foundation to ensure the

best safety and stability for the construction during both the construction and operational phases.

Transforming the clients dream to reality

It helps to materialize the architect's ideas to align with the client's desires and concepts about the

project, from the drawings to reality. The more accurate and rational the structural drawings are,

the more the construction completion time is shortened, ensuring the highest quality of the

project within the most feasible budget.

Fire safety

The structural frame is designed in such way to be able to withstand high fire outbreaks by 3.5
hours. This duration is assumed enough to evacuate each individual from the hospital in case of
fire outbreaks. This is through covering the structural elements by a layer of 35mm just as
mentioned above.

During the design of the structural frame for the hospital design, there was the consideration of
the material weights from the standards (BS 648). The materials considered in this design
included the use of glass façade, use of precast concrete and partitioning’s of 100-150mm walls.
This was due to a number of reasons and these are;

1. Reduction in the imposed loads on the building making it light hence easy to be firmly
supported by the structural frame. This has been achieved through use of thin and light
partitioning precast walls and use of glass.
 2. Modern architectural practice whereby modern designs are employing the use of glass for
design purposes as it is light, allows for natural ventilations, easy to manipulate, aesthetic
values, use of precast concrete which is also easy to fix.
3. Gradual reduction in the size of slabs width from the lower to the upper floors of the
storey. This has greatly reduced the weight of the building.
4. Creating a larger base for support on the ground floor was another major design
implemented in this design works to ensure the target structural integrity has been
achieved.
5. Integration of mat footing, the isolated footing and combined footing is another method
that has been used o achieve the structural integrity of this building. This is one of the
methods used by the developed countries like China which are prone to earthquakes

Figure 1 different types of foundations used in construction

Figure 2 A ramp on the exterior of the building design