IMPORTANCE OF REINFORCEMENT CONCRETE IN MODERN BUILDING
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Reinforced concrete structures are one of the most popular structure systems. Many architecture students are using reinforced concrete structure systems for their designs. But there are many cases where they design structurally questionable buildings because they are trying to express their design ideas with limited knowledge about R.C. Design. Frequently the structural member design would not be their primary focus. Although there is the possibility that excessive structural considerations may disturbing their search for unique designs, basic structural calculation is important for design. Structurally sound solutions can make their design concepts closer to reality.
Unfortunately most architecture schools concentrate their curriculum on visual design education rather than a balanced education of design and structure. The balanced education does not mean equal class time for structural and design classes. But it is essential that students can at least discriminate that their design has a reasonable structure. Many students use the commonly available books on architectural graphic standards as a reference. But they are not applicable to many different conditions. Furthermore, reinforced concrete structures need a lot of calculations and different condition inputs because it is a composite material of concrete and steel.
The Reinforced Concrete Structure Design program (RCSD), which has been developed for this thesis, can help architecture students and users to analyze their designs and understand structural fundamentals. Although there are many reinforced concrete structure programs, most programs are targeting advanced level users who have a background in structural engineering.
