Elements of Civil Constructions

The documentation of the work

Construction of a building
2. Phases of construction
3. The work file
4. Components of the work file
5. Life cycle of a construction project

Construction of a building

A building starts as a vague concept of necessity in someone's mind; if

that necessity is simple and the person skilled, the necessary stages for the realization
of that concept are simple and straightforward. Traditionally, the layout is done in
the floor of a circle or a rectangle of the appropriate size and materials are used
from the surroundings—mud, stones, logs—to form a building on the spot; the
design and the details are resolved by applying procedures sanctioned by the
experience.

Larger building projects require more complicated arrangements.

A large number of individuals and organizations will participate: not only the
the owner and the building inspector, but also the professional, specialists in
design (in fields such as structures, foundations, heating, installations,
acoustics), a general contractor, several subcontractors, and suppliers of
materials, as well as those who finance the works, insurers, and lawyers.

With so many individuals involved, so much money circulating among them, and the
constant risks of accidents, vandalism, climatic issues, problems
labor, inflation, and shortages of materials, it is necessary to establish agreements for
written among several individuals detailing who is responsible for what, about
everything in case something does not work well; as a basis for these agreements it should
define, precisely, what will be built and how: these are the objectives of the
specifications, calculations, and terms of reference.

These documents are the exclusive means to convey the design idea of
Owner and the professional to a real building. Based on these, the
financing of the work, legal permits are processed, insurance is contracted,
Price estimates and offers are made, as well as contracts and subcontracts.
and purchases of materials.

2. Phases of construction

The process of building a work necessarily goes through a prior phase where the
professional (or a group of them) imagines and captures their idea in graphic documents and
writings—the project—so that it can later be materialized by a group
numerous people; this phase is called the design process.

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To realize this idea, the collaboration of materials, tools, and

skilled workers who turn the previously imagined into reality. The different
transformations of natural materials that allow the transition from the imagined
In reality, they are called production processes.

The success of construction depends on the proper development of both phases, that is:

• that the imagined may be potentially useful in its use of space and the environment
foreseeable, ensuring the integrity of the building and its occupants, that is
aesthetically convenient, as well as being able to be materialized
economically with the available production processes;

• that the production process achieves the specified properties for the
materials and configure the shapes drawn for the elements and the set
of the building, so that those potentialities materialize
definitely.

3. The Work File

When a engineering project begins to take shape, the client entrusts it to
a professional the execution of the project. Once prepared, the client receives
all the necessary documentation to start the contracting of the company
construction company that will be in charge of carrying out the work, according to one of the
different modalities that this process can have. In general terms, the
the owner will request a quote from one or more companies by providing them with all the
project documentation, which they will prepare and present their bids resulting
selected the one that the owner considers most convenient. The documentation of
the project will become part of the work lease contract through which the
the client entrusts the contractor with its execution.
The documentation must be complete in its content and organized in its
presentation, since the eventual defects will be harmful to the
construction process causing delays and conflicts, ultimately undermining
the optimal result that is sought from a work. Sometimes, when not having a
complete and properly resolved project is requested to be downloaded in the company
the construction company is tasked with developing the executive project; this implies that when preparing
your offer does not have all the necessary information and—given the tight deadlines that are
establish for preparing the budgets - must consider costs of
uncertainty that obviously ends up increasing the cost of the work. Then, during the
execution, the company will try to ensure that the executive project adjusts to the minimums
possible costs, generating delays, discussions with the Project Management and
eventually claims for additional payments by the contractor.
All the documentation that defines the work to be carried out and the conditions to do so
they make up what is called the construction file. In its various parts, it must
find all the necessary information so that both the builder at the time
to prepare your budget as your Technical Representative and the Project Director in
the moment of execution should have a thorough understanding of what and how it should be done
carry out the work.
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It is common to have insufficient, contradictory, or inconsistent information and

disorganized in the way it is presented, which makes it difficult to read and interpret.
Many times this happens because the designer who has the general and complete idea
the project assumes that certain aspects are known and does not indicate them in the documentation;
Other causes may be due to residing far from the work site and not having completed it.
the basic studies of the location, due to the lack of experience in the
construction methods and processes, to project modifications that are not implemented
in all plans, the client's urgencies that pressure the designer to
I handed over the documentation or the copy of documentation from other projects without
make the necessary adjustments.

They must then, at a minimum, consider:

• Study of the site location.
• Study of the materials to be used and available technologies.
• Comprehensive project resolution.
• Coordination with the specialists.
• Inclusion in the plans of all possible information.
• Preparation of manageable plans.
• Classification and proper sorting of documentation.
• Use of a label that allows for controlling updates.

4. Components of the work file

As is natural, the content of the Work File will be related to its size.
and complexity and with the type of contractual relationship that is established between the
principal and the contractor. Below is a list of the documentation that is usually
form a complete Work File, making a distinction between
documentation of specific order and documentation of general order. The first
it refers to the work to be executed, while the general documentation is
composed of specifications that some clients establish to be
applied in all the works they hire.

Documentation of particular order:

• Contract (descriptive memory).
• Reports (soil study, calculation report, particular conditions).
• Documents (specific technical specifications, location, structure,
architecture, etc.)
• Plans (local, sanitary facilities, electrical, conditioning, etc.).
• Forms (carpentry, frameworks, metric computation, price analysis, etc.)
• Budget (supplies, unit prices, etc.)

General order documentation:

• Terms of reference and general conditions
• General technical specifications document
• Special regulations

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The previous list does not indicate an order of importance but rather a enumeration.
grouped by document type, going from general to specific. The
documentation—both in its content and in its manner and order of
presentation—must guide the one proceeding with its study through a process that,
starting from a general overview of the project, allows you to reach the details more
small and particular in a progressive manner.

Depending on the size of the work, it starts by graphing at scales of 1:200 or 1:100.
Then 1:50 and 1:20, possibly requiring the use of plans at a scale of 1:10 or even
1:1 if necessary to clearly define any constructive detail.

Contract:
The formal relationship between the client and the contractor is established through a
contract, which is legally called a Work Contract. Everything
Work lease contract means, at the time of its agreement, an express
and formal agreement of wills that crowns a series of previous negotiations or a
acceptance of a document drafted by the client, by which one of them (the
the contractor) agrees to execute the work that arises from the plans and specifications.
Simultaneously, the client agrees to deliver for said work a sum of
money determined; in practice, the documentation that is part of the contract
we have mentioned it as the work file. A large part of this documentation is
delivered by the client to the companies for them to prepare their bids, that is,
they are prior to the hiring of the jobs.
Once the award of the contract has been decided for a particular company, it is
it is necessary to establish the contractual relationship between the parties, referred to as
contractual instrument with which the parties establish that contractual relationship. In
General is a brief document, of an eminently legal nature, in which
they indicate the commission for the execution of the work and the obligations assumed by each
one of the parties, the documents that are part of the contract are mentioned,
they establish the price of the shipment and the execution period, the addresses are set
legal matters of the parties and the courts in which they agree to resolve the
differences that may arise. The contract is supplemented by the other documents.
(sheets and plans), which are signed by the client and the contractor. The date of the
signing of the contract is the beginning of the fulfillment of the obligations assumed by the
parts, but in general it is not the start of the execution period of the work, since in
In many cases, there are prior procedures or submissions that must be fulfilled.
before starting the work.

Descriptive Memory:
The Descriptive Memory is the first thing that must be found in a project; and while
In some cases it tends to be overlooked, it is very important for general understanding.
of the work. It includes the background and details of the project, providing a record
from the considerations and circumstances that led to the adopted solutions, the
purposes of the projected construction, the research and the studies
carried out to provide a clear idea of the project's feasibility.

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Although there is no established method for writing the descriptive report, it is

it is advisable to adopt a plan in order not to overlook any of the points
important and avoid repetitive explanations. A content order will include: a)
object of the projected construction: the problem to be solved, destination of the work,
reasons to finalize its execution and a description of the adopted solution,
highlighting the main points of it; b) background: information about the
situations that give rise to the problem to be solved, previous studies, management and
previous projects; c) authorization to execute the work: fundamentally in the
in the case of public works, the law, ordinance or decree issued by must be mentioned
competent authority that orders the execution of the work, the cost
authorized and origin of the funds; d) selection and description of the land: indication
of the reasons that decided the location of the work detailing the
physical characteristics of the land, issues of party walls, easements, of
provision of services, etc.; e) soil quality: based on studies
corresponding to indicate the constitution of the subsoil, level and quality of the waters
water table, level and foundation soil resistance; f) project: foundations of the
adopted solution, principles that defined the design, description of the
functional and formal characteristics of the project, information about facilities
supplementary; g) construction details: reasons for the choice of materials,
of adopted construction systems, indications about stability, duration,
earthquake prevention, fire safety, among others.

The mere statement of all this information that a report must contain
descriptive is sufficiently indicative of its importance for understanding
integral of the project. Even with very detailed plans and specifications, if
the purpose of the work is not known and the reasons that justify its construction are not
It will be possible to fully assume the transcendence and significance of this,
necessary to interpret the rest of the technical documentation.

Plans:
They understand the graphical information that shows the main data and
complementary, total and partial of location, situation, shape, aspect,
arrangement, constitution, and dimensions of the constituent parts of the works,
which can be generally classified into layout plans and detail plans.
In reference to the general qualities that plans must have, we can
mention: a) Clarity: they must be simple to interpret and contain everything
necessary information for your understanding, with appropriate scales and the arrangement
the drawings on the sheet must allow for easy reading; the views, plans, and sections
They must be a coherent and complete set and contain all the necessary details.
and well defined; b) Manageability: the size must be suitable for its use in the
work; c) Classifieds: when there are many, they must have a numbering of
agreement with the order of execution on site and another in accordance with the order of
execution of project plans, clearly identifying the successive
modifications to quickly visualize which is the latest version of a
plan, the update date and, if possible, a brief review of the modification; d)
Reduced amount: it must be minimized as much as possible, provided that it does not

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it affects clarity and manageability; e) Unity: all plans must be

made with the same criteria either from the perspective of the project
such as the designation of the materials to be used, types of plans, arrangements,
numbering, etc.

Regarding its content, we can indicate the following:

Site plan: in addition to defining the position of the work, it should provide an idea
of its relationship with the environment; it is important that it contains reference points
planialtimetric.
Redefinition plans: they are necessary for the implementation and control of the work.
They will define the axes of redefinition and the progressive levels of the components of the work.

Executive plans: it is common for project plans not to indicate the details of
constructive solutions or due to their scale may not be perfectly defined some
aspects of the work; to overcome these deficiencies, the so-called are carried out
executive plans. In architectural works, the templates are very useful.
of premises—indicating the characteristics of the terminations—and the forms of
openings, as well as furniture and equipment, important for identification
of these elements related to the indications of the general plans;
In addition, they are very useful for the construction company when requesting the
budget to the suppliers of these items. In concrete works, the plans
General and detailed information allows the correct execution of formwork, indicating type
of concrete and iron to be used; while the reinforcement sheets indicate the
cut length of each bar, the bending, the quantity of equal units, the count
partial and total, being very useful for preparing the budget in a
adjusted, allowing for good control of the construction direction and the verification of
coatings and splices necessary for the work of the shipbuilders. In
metal structures, two types of plans are usually used: manufacturing and
assembly, both for the production stage in the workshop of the pieces that make up the
structure like those used in construction for later assembly.

Calculation memory:
The calculation memory allows for understanding the conception of the structural project.
especially in cases where there are doubts regarding a solution or it is necessary
introduce some modification in the work; in any case, this must be done with the
participation of the Project Director who, if deemed necessary, will carry out the
consultation with the structuralist.

Some calculators often present the spreadsheets as a calculation memory that

result from the application of a computer program. This information is
insufficient, and must be accompanied by a description of the structural scheme
adopted, from the load states, from the boundary conditions, from the hypotheses and
assumed simplifications and all those considerations that are necessary
for the interpretation of the forms, including the data from the program used and
the corresponding version. The same in the case of hydraulic calculations for
determine for example the section of canals or aqueducts, etc.

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Soil study:
The soil study report, in addition to containing the necessary data for the
structural project, provides very useful information for the work, such as the type of
equipment to be used for the excavations, the eventual need for shoring, the level
and characteristics of groundwater, etc.

Installation plans:
The facility plans must clearly describe the routes, diameters, and
sections of the pipes, the passage locations, the location and characteristics of
equipment and artifacts, among other data. It is common for them to be carried out by different
specialists without adequate coordination among themselves or with the project designer of the
work, which is inconvenient for the execution of the project. The designer should
act as general coordinator, but if this does not happen, the company in agreement with
the construction management must carry out this task to avoid conflicts that arise
they produce and result in a poor final outcome, with modifications and
wasting time. If the documentation provided by the client does not contain
All the plans and forms described must be prepared by the Office.
Technique of the Company or that of the Work.

Sheets:
The documents are written papers, divided into articles, related to
different aspects of the work, which may be of a general or particular nature. The
General specifications are those that the client establishes for all the
works that are contracted, while individuals are modifications of some
clauses of the general conditions or indications due to specific conditions of
a specific work. In turn, we can identify the Terms of Reference and
Conditions (general or particular) and the Technical Specifications Sheets
(general or specific). In addition, some clients, as is the case with large
companies often include special regulations in the contractual documentation.

Terms and Conditions Document: contains non-technical directives that must

to take into account in the execution of the work, some of which refer to
legal topics, bidding procedure, execution period, requirements to be met
direction and supervision of the works, payment conditions, unforeseen works and
additional, procedures before agencies, permits, penalties for non-compliance,
etc. It is the legal document that regulates ethical, economic, and legal relationships.
between the contracting parties. They must be clear, concise, complete, and appropriate.

A detail of the usual content of the terms of reference and conditions is the following:
a) Object of the contract and award conditions, with indications of its
foundations and where the documents that are part of this are stated and
they establish the conditions and forms of awarding of the work, the system of
contracting, the modality and date for submitting offers, evaluation criteria
of the offers, documentation to be presented by the bidders, etc. b) Address and
project control, with indication of the professional who will be in charge of it
responsibility to resolve all matters related to the art of the
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construction, the quality of the materials and the progress of the work. c) Execution of
the works, which refers to the initiation, development, and completion of the tasks, deadline
of work, penalties for unjustified non-compliance, conditions that must be
fulfill and the materials, indicating the reasons for rejection; establishes the presence
of the contractor's representative at the site and the existence of the documentation
the supply of materials and the use of appropriate equipment and tools,
the requirements regarding personnel and subcontractors and the verification and
provisional and definitive receptions. d) Payment conditions, referring to the form
payment of the guarantee fund, to the preparation and processing of the certificates and
additional work, to the invariability of the agreed prices or to the adjustment of these
in the case of recognizing updates for inflation. e) Jobs
unexpected events and project modifications that may result in increases or
decreases in the project amount. f) Contractor's responsibility regarding the
quality and warranty of the materials used and the work done, to the damages to
people and properties, to the subcontracting, use of patents, elements
supplied by the client and the obligations regarding their personnel. g)
Termination of the contract, defining the cases in which the client or the contractor
they can terminate the contract and the compensations to which he will be entitled
contractor in case of termination for reasons beyond his control. h) Regulations of
application, indicating the laws, decrees, regulations, and other norms that apply
in the contractual relationship. i) Miscellaneous provisions regarding delays and difficulties
unexpected events, site surveillance, management of permits and payment of fees and the
documents required from the contractor upon completion of the work.

General Technical Specifications Document: it indicates the technical aspects to

fulfillment by the Contractor. It includes a first part related to
Generalities, such as the conditions of the workshop, of the premises for collection of
materials and for the staff, water for construction, etc. Then the following are indicated
technical aspects to be met in the different items of the work: types of materials in
general, mixtures, mortars and concretes, standards that must be met, tests,
constructive order provisions, general conditions of carpentry,
specifications on installations, etc.

Set of Bases and Specific Conditions (also called Special Clauses to

Terms and Conditions: refer to specific legal or regulatory issues
of the work to be executed or to specific conditions of the work that require
modifications of one or several articles of the general conditions.

Particular Technical Specifications Document (also called Clauses

special to the Technical Specifications Document): it refers to technical aspects
specific to the work to be carried out not included in the general specifications or when it is
It is necessary to modify one or more of its articles to tailor them to the characteristics
specifics of the project. While the existence of the specifications is necessary
technical specifications so that the work is perfectly defined
in all its aspects, it is also advisable that all is included in the plans
the specific technical information needed for its execution, given that on-site the
foremen and sector chiefs work with the plans and usually do not have

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technical specification sheets that result from difficult reading and handling in
that instance. The documents will be for the use of the Site Manager and the Director or Inspector,
those who will turn to them for a deeper understanding of the conditions of
execution and resolve possible doubts or discrepancies that may arise during the
development of the works.
Special regulations: they are specific requirements of some clients that
They establish standards that their contractors must comply with. In general, they are manuals of
procedures, especially related to health and safety issues in the workplace
and environmental protection measures, such as training courses that must
receive the staff, the security plans that must be presented, the processing of
work permits indicating the tasks to be carried out during the day and the
execution conditions, fitness certificates for the equipment to be used, among others.

Budget:
The budget is prepared by the company to present its offer to the owner. For
Hello, based on the project documentation, you should carry out the metric computation and the
price analysis of all component items. Once the work is awarded and
Once the contract is signed, this documentation becomes part of the Project File.
plans and price analyses completely define each unit of work,
Well, for the first ones we know their location, dimensions, materials, etc.
and in seconds we will complete the knowledge of the type and quantity of materials,
the labor necessary and supplies for each unit of work to be carried out. Due to its
Part, the computation sheet and unit prices indicate the volume of work to
break down into the different items that compose it.

All of this will be important for the organization and scheduling of the work.
allowing us to understand economic aspects, to make computations of
materials to buy, determine the number of workers, equipment, and supplies
necessary. Then, during the execution of the work, the Budget will be used
as a basis for the preparation of progress certificates. In case they exist
price adjustment due to inflation, the update calculations are usually based on the
price analysis.

5. Life cycle of a civil engineering project

A civil works project consists of several phases.

At its beginning is the idea of solving an engineering problem whose feasibility and
feasibility is contrasted by conducting prior studies; then it is presented
the problem object of the project, its objectives are determined (scope, time, cost and
quality), different alternatives are analyzed with their advantages and disadvantages and
they specify the general technical characteristics of the adopted solution, indicating
approximate budget, administrative and economic aspects, generating the
preliminary project; the basic project is prepared.

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Next, the detail engineering is developed specifying the characteristics

techniques, dimensional and economic aspects of the adopted solution, as well as the
activities to be carried out, their order and cost, generating the execution project.

The hiring of the execution continues with the construction of the civil work,
assembly of equipment, machinery and installations, corresponding to the Director of
project management, planning, organization, and control of the work.

Once the tests and the implementation of the projected system have been completed, we proceed.
to its exploitation and maintenance. At the end of the project's life cycle
concludes with its dismantling or deactivation.

Dismantling
or deactivation Decision of
finish

Commissioning
and maintenance
Project
executed

Execution

Project of
execution
Engineering of
detail

Project
basic
Conception

and definition

Studies of
Previous studies viability

Definition Analysis and Synthesis of Evaluation

del modeling solutions and taking of
problem of the problem decisions

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