SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING AND DESIGN 

Bachelor of Quantity Surveying (Honours)   

INTEGRATED ASSIGNMENT: MEASUREMENT I (QSB60104) 

CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY I (BLD 60104) BUILDING MATERIALS (BLD 62003) 

  CASE STUDY REPORT 

      

Student Name: Jacquelyn Vanessa Tee Student ID No: 0320021 Date of Submission: 7th July 2016 @ 10A.M. Name of Lecturers: Miss Azrina Md. Yaakob 

Sr. Ang Fuey Lin Dr. Aisyah Kamarazaly 

 

Contents   

  Contents  Page Number 

1.  Introduction  2 

2.  Technical Observation  3 

3.  Construction of a Brick Wall  4 ­ 12 

4.  Conclusion  13                  

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 Introduction 

 On the 23rd of June 2016, the semester 1 class of Bachelor in Quantity Surveying were                               

given a task to do a case study report on brick walls. We are suppose to study and explain                                     

some major factors like how a brick wall is constructed and also what are the machineries,                               

plants and tools involved in constructing a brick wall.  

 

Due to the fact that my class was not given the fortunate chance of conducting a site                                 

visit, we were given three videos to watch instead and observe before summarizing it all up into                                 

a report in collaboration of 3 of my semester 1 modules which are Measurements I, Construction                               

Technology I and Building Materials. This video will give exposure to us where we will be able to                                   

describe, explain and understand the method and process of construction in accordance to the                           

sequence of work on site. This is a report on a video incorporating all the learning outcomes of                                   

the construction site, the introduction of the site and technical observations made on site. 

 

The videos were given in our facebook group and it is in the form of 3 videos. The details                                     

of the video contains of on a man laying mortar on a brick wall, concrete and mortar are being                                     

mixed on site and also plastering of a brick wall for aesthetic finishes. 

 

 

 

 

 

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Technical Observation  

To start things off, my classmates and I were supposed to attend a site visit                             organized for the whole class 2 weeks prior to the submission date of this assignment.                             Unfortunately due to some unavoidable circumstances, the site visit had to be called off                           which made our class basically ‘site­less’ to even carry on with our assignment.                         Because of that, the lecturers had given us another alternative which is to watch 3 given                               videos and carry out a report about it before its due date. The videos were uploaded                               onto my class’ Facebook group, along with a new and improved project brief. 

 The first video that I had to view to ensure I was on the                           right track was a video showing a bunch of workers                   bonding bricks to build a brick wall. It was a 2 minute and                         9 seconds long video of the workers stacking up the                   bricks. Based on my observation, the bond in which the                   pattern of the brick is laid in is the stretcher bond.      

The second video that I had to observe for 31 seconds                     involves a male worker scooping a cement mix with a                   shovel into the wheelbarrow whilst walking away from it                 after the wheelbarrow is filled. As he gets out of the                     scene, there is a portable cement mixer that is being                   powered at the background.   

 For the third and final video that lasted for about 20                     seconds, shows a grinning male worker plastering a brick                 wall for it to have a smooth and even texture by using a                         trowel to screed the wall.       

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Construction of a Brick Wall  First and foremost, constructing a brick wall is considered as one of the most                           

approachable skills construction­wise, and most self­builders are understandably keen                 to give it a go. 

 The first thing to make sure before             

beginning the bricklaying is to ensure the             amount of bricks is correctly purchased. This             is mainly because the bricks got to be               adjusted in such a way that it accounts for                 the mortar. The measurements of the mortar             must be added and planned before           constructing a brick wall. There is a specific               name for when the measurement of the brick               and mortar is combined, which is the brick’s               ‘nominal’ size. A trench is supposed to be dug out for the foundation to be prepared.                               Then, the bricks should be laid out at both ends of the walls where the pillars will start. 

  

 [A dug out trench] 

 After all that is settled, the next step is to                   

proceed with the construction of the first row.               The bricks should be laid in the foundation for a                   dry run, and should have an appropriate             spacing accounting for the mortar. For           guideline purposes, clamp a string in order to               have a proper level line to work with along the                   way. The level line should not be sagged to                 

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avoid having structural issues once it is constructed. After that, lay the first half inch of                               the mortar along the base of the foundation with the help of a trowel. Once the first brick                                   has been laid down, press it down into the mortar then check the level to ensure it is in                                     accordance with the ground. Any excess mortar should be scraped off the bricks. The                           following steps requires of working 2 to 3 bricks worth of mortar at a time when setting                                 more set of bricks. 

 Once the setting of bricks are done, any missing                 parts, gaps or joints of the wall should be filled up                     with mortar by using a trowel.   

    

(Types of Bonds)  

First thing’s first, what exactly is meant by bonding of brickwork? This term is not                             something that is rather familiar to hear in our everyday basis, unless you have a career that                                 revolves around the construction industry. Basically, a bonding of brickwork is the arrangement                         of brickwork of what seems to be the pattern of headers and stretchers, in other words the                                 shorter faces and longer faces of the bricks. Breaking it down to the types of bonds, is meant by                                     the variety of bonds to choose from which I am about to touch on.    English Bond 

 The English Bond comprises of alternative courses of               stretchers and headers, with the headers centered             over the middle point of the stretchers, and perpends                 in each alternate course aligned. It provides a strong                 bond when the wall is one­brick­thick. This type of                 bond is highly recommended and chosen in terms of                 the construction of bridges, viaducts, embankment           walls and other civil engineering architectures that are               available in the construction industry.   

  

   

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Flemish Bond  The Flemish Bond, also sometimes known as the               Dutch Bond, can be replicated in the half­brick outer                 layer of a cavity wall by using whole­bricks as                 stretchers, whilst the headers are created by half bricks                 called bats, or snap­headers. As compared to the               English Bond, it is not as strong at one­brick­thick. The                   thing about Flemish Bond is that is it a little bit more                       difficult to lay properly because all vertical mortar joints                 of the Flemish Bond has to be aligned.     Stretcher Bond 

 The Stretcher Bond, also sometimes known as the               running bond, is actually the simplest of all bonds that                   are used in the construction industry today.             Unfortunately, this bond is not likely to be suitable as a                     stand­alone structural wall and a structural wall built               directly behind it, fixed with wall ties would be needed.                   On a normal bases, the stretcher bond is used with                   the purpose of decorating the facade of a main                 structural building to heighten its aesthetic value.             

Although in certain perspectives it may look really plain and simple, but with the help of a                                 different form of patterns it can look very effective and aesthetically pleasing.   American Bond 

The American Bond, or some may know it as the                   Common Bond, have between 3­9 courses of             stretchers between each course of headers. The             headers are used as quoins for those of the                 even­numbered stretching courses. It starts         counting from the previous heading course to             achieve the necessary off­set in a standard             American Bond.  

      

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Facing Bond  The Facing Bond is arranged in such a way that it is compatible                         to be used for thick walls, where the facing and backing are                       desired to be constructed with bricks of different thickness. Due                   to the fact that the number of joints in the backing and facing                         differs greatly, the distribution of load is not uniform.      

Garden Wall Bond  

The Garden Wall Bond is compatible for one­brick­thick               

wall which could act as a garden wall or a boundary wall.                       

For this bond, it is possible to build uniform faces for a wall                         

without the use of a lot of labour, although this type of                       

bond does not have a the sufficient strength as compared                   

to the English Bond. 

The garden wall bond can be broken down into 2 types                     

which are, 

(a) English garden wall bond 

(b) Flemish garden wall bond 

 (a) English garden wall bond. Generally, the arrangement type is similar to the English Bond.                             

The only difference it makes is that the heading courses are only inserted at every fourth or                                 

sixth course. 

(b) Flemish garden wall bond. This bond consists of alternate course composed of one to                             three header, or sometimes even five stretchers in series throughout the length of the courses.                             Each alternate course contains a three quarter bat placed next to the quoin header and a                               header is laid over the middle of each central stretcher.        

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Zig Zag Bond  An easier way of explaining what a zig­zag bond is, is that it                         is similar to a herring­bone bond with the only difference                   making is the way the bricks are laid in. The bricks are laid                         in a zig­zag manner which is basically where it gotten its                     name from. This bond is commonly adopted in a brick paved                     flooring.   

 (Types of bricks)  Facing bricks 

 Facing bricks are bricks which are intended to be visible, and                     are thus designed with some aesthetic aims in mind so that                     they are visually interesting and appealing to look at. Quality,                   durable bricks, with an attractive appearance for external use                 above ground. As the name implies, facing bricks are                 designed to be used as facing, as for example on the                     exterior of a wall, where the bricks will be seen. These bricks                       may lack the tensile strength of engineering bricks, which are                   used for structural brickwork, although bricks for facing can                 also be used for structural applications in some cases.                 

Facing bricks can be extruded or molded, and in some cases may be made by hand, although                                 handmade brick can be quite expensive. 

Wirecut Bricks  For this type of brick the clay is extruded and cut by                       wire into individual bricks. This is a very cost effective                   way of producing bricks and is done by an automated                   production process. These bricks are readily available             in a variety of styles and colours.    

    

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Handmade Bricks  Usually made on a bench in a mould. Due to the fact that the clay                             isn't firmly compacted by machine, each brick normally has                 distinctive creasing known as a 'smile'. High desirable in the                   industry, and the most expensive of the facings.       

 Fletton Bricks 

 Fletton Bricks are also known as London Bricks. This clay                   contains coal traces, which burn during firing, reducing the                 amount of fuel needed for the kiln, which not only keeps                     down costs but also produces some interesting effects in the                   bricks themselves.      

 Calcium Silicate Bricks 

 These bricks are popular in areas that are low in the                     existence of good brick­making clay. But on the brighter                 side, it is cheap and gives an impression of being                   something other than the usual boring concrete.       

      

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(Material of Mortar)  Lime Mortar  

 It is a type of mortar that is composed of lime, and an                         aggregate such as sand, mixed with water. It is normally used                     in the conservation of buildings originally built using lime                 mortar, but may be used as an alternative to ordinary portland                     cement. Usually used for construction work that is above                 ground level.   

Mud Mortar  It is a mix of suitable clay, water, and soil. The soil used in the                             mix should be free from any sorts of grass, pebbles, etc.                     Cost­wise it is the cheapest amongst all mortar, but the                   weakest in strength. This mortar is usually used for brickwork                   of ordinary buildings and for plastering walls in rural areas.     

Portland Cement Mortar  Portland cement mortar that is often known as cement                 mortar is created by mixing Portland cement with sand                 and water. It was popularised during the late 19th                 century, and by 1930 it had superseded lime mortar for                   new construction. The main reason for this was that it                   sets hard and quickly, allowing construction of a faster                 pace. The Portland cement mortar is the basis for                 concrete, a mixture usually comprised of this particular               

mortar with the addition of gravel.  Gypsum Mortar 

 The earliest known mortar was used by the ancient Egyptians                   and was made from gypsum. This form was essentially a                   mixture of plaster and sand and was quite soft. 

    

     

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(Mortar joints)  

Concave This popular type of joint is formed in mortar through the use of a                           curved steel jointing tool. It works best at resisting rain penetration due                       to its recessed profile and the tight seal formed by compacted mortar.    V­joint This joint can be made with a v­shaped jointer or a trowel once the bricks                             have been laid. It works just like the concave joint, which is being                         water­resistant due to its formation compacting the mortar and its shape                     directs water away from the seal.    Struck This is slightly similar to the weathered joint, except that the bottom                       edge, instead of the top edge, is recessed. It is a very poor insulator                           against water as it will allow water to collect on its bottom ledge.     Weathered The straight, inclined surfaces of the horizontal joints tend to catch the                       light and give the brickwork a neat, ordered appearance. This joint is                       less compacted than the concave and V­joints, although it is still                     suitable for exterior building walls.    Flushed This joint is less resistant to water penetration because the flush joints are                         formed without compacting the surface of the mortar.     

 .  

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(What are the machineries, plants and tools involved in constructing a brick                       wall?)  Trowel 

    Shovel Gloves Measuring Tape  

    Wheelbarrow Cement Mixer 

       

 

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Conclusion  

To sum everything up and put it in a nutshell, I am overwhelmed with joy to be able to                                     complete my final assignment for this semester. I may not have been given the glorified chance                               to step into the construction site and actually have my own personal view of how the                               construction field is like, but knowing our lecturers have tried their best to give us the best they                                   can with another alternative warms my heart with glee. Even though majority of my research                             that I have done is based on what I’ve studied on the internet, it is still without a doubt                                     informative for my little brain to fathom. And honestly, my mindset did get richer without even                               needing to step outside as the internet is a substitute for an information hub. As once said by                                   the famous Bill Gates, “The internet is becoming the town square for the global village of                               tomorrow.” 

 Besides that, I have learned so much about brickwork prior to completing this                         

assignment. Getting to know about brickwork at the back of our hand for us students is pretty                                 essential and it is something general for a quantity surveyor to know in the long­term, and I am                                   pleased to say that I have most of the informations at my fingertips. Even if there is anybody at                                     all that maybe tries to lie their way into making me believe a certain bonding type even if it                                     speaks otherwise, I would now know. 

 Last but definitely not the least, I am also extremely grateful towards my lecturers who                             

have provided me with gracious amount of guidance that I very much need to ensure I was on                                   the right track every step of the way to get good grades. Although this assignment is slightly                                 different than the usual assignment given to semester 1 students, I’m still very much happy the                               fact that the brief has stated the marking criteria and was far from vague. I quote William                                 Makepeace Thackeray, “Next to excellence is the appreciation of it.” 

  

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