Concrete Plant International Vol. 5, pp36-38

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1 Mohamad Zain Hashim was a Civil Engineer for more than 10 years before joining as a lecturer at the Faculty of Civil Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Penang. He obtained his first degree in Civil Engineering from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) and pursued his Master at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). His research interests include construction management, structural analysis and slope study. mzain.hashim@ppinang.uitm.edu.my Mohamed Nor Azhari Azman is a lecturer at the Faculty of Technical and Vocational, Sultan Idris University of Education. He received a Bachelor s of Engineering in Civil Engineering degree from Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP) in 2004 with Honors. He also hold a Master in GIS from Universiti Sains Malaysia. Research interests focus on the study of Industrialised Building System (IBS), precast manufacturing plant and spatial site selection. mnazhari@upsi.edu.my Mohd Sanusi S. Ahamad is an Associate Professor at the School of Civil Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia. He holds a Master and Doctoral Degree in GIS from University of Nottingham, United Kingdom. His research interest is in spatial site selection and spatial decision process. cesanusi@eng.usm.my

2 CONSTRUCTABILITY OF IBS BLOCKWORK SYSTEM FOR BUNGALOW HOUSE Abstract The Malaysia construction industry faces unique challenges in transforming construction into a modern and efficient industry by using Industrialised Building System (IBS). It involves prefabrication and installation of components at the construction site. Currently the most popular type of manufacturing in Malaysia is off-site which is situated at a significant distance from the site. Modern methods of construction (MMC) is the term used by the UK government to describe a number of innovations in house building, most of which are offsite technologies, moving work from the construction site to the factory. The current system of IBS consists of precast component systems, formworks systems, steel framing systems, prefabricated timber framing systems, block work systems and innovative systems, which have started to replace the wet construction (traditional method). This research studies is to highlight the benefits of block work systems in the Malaysian construction industry which contributes to the fast track of project, affordability of business, improve the quality and long lasting of products. Mohamad Zain Hashim 1, Faculty of Civil Engineering, UniversitiTeknologi MARA, Penang, Malaysia 1 Mohamed Nor Azhari Azman 2, School of Civil Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Nibong Tebal, Penang 2 Mohd Sanusi S. Ahamad 3, School of Civil Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Nibong Tebal, Penang 2 Awi Shahadan 4, Binaan Desjaya Sdn Bhd, Bandar Indera Mahkota, Kuantan, Pahang 3 INTRODUCTION Industrialized building system (IBS) is defined as a construction system where components are manufactured at factories on or off-site, transported and then assembled into a structure with minimum work. In addition, the traditional construction industry in United Kingdom that consist of cast-in-situ concrete and structural steelwork have transformed into mixed construction which consist of precast concrete with steelwork, timber, cast-in-situ concrete and masonry (Elliott, 2002). Notwithstanding, IBS technology should not be seen as a threat to traditional methods, but both methods should be able to work in tandem and improve their processes collectively. The sharing of best practice between the two approaches is essential for the continued successful development of both construction sectors. Technology and global standardization has changed the past practice of construction. This has affected the land resources, social environment and local skills to cater the demand for various types of homes. In order to meet this demand the local authority must have detail knowledge of the needs of the lower income group to build affordable homes. The first shelters and settlements were constructed from stone, mud and materials collected from the forest; which acts as protection against the cold, wind and rain. The method used to construct these shelters grew out of countless experiments and the experience gained from the trial and error was passed from generation to generation who continued to use the successful construction method. Most of the construction in the early communities is to accelerate the constructions development and to ensure the increase in productivity through importation of the construction technology from overseas. Not all of the advanced construction technology could be adopted to suit the local condition which needs to be adjusted to factors such as the environment, level of workers skills and knowledge competence, availability of resources and manufacturers to fabricate mass production and high-quality product. Constructing a building or a house using a conventional method will usually take a long period of time and require a lot of manpower. However, with the introduction of Industrialised Building System (IBS) the daunting work of construction can be expedited and completed within a shorter period of time, involving minimal manpower. What is IBS? IBS is a system in which the construction materials such as wall, beam slab, etc are manufactured in a large quantity at a factory or a specific site instead of at the construction site itself. These materials are then transported to the construction site and ready for installation (Trikha and Ali, 2004). In Malaysia, IBS was introduced in mid 1960 s. In the beginning, many construction companies were not interested to adopt the new system. However, at present the system is widely used in Malaysian construction industry due to its quality, efficiency, competency and sustainability. This is proven by the growing number of IBS manufacturers, from only 21 IBS manufactures in 2002 to 143 factories in 2009 (Azman et al., 2010b). In promoting the further development of research and among the leading manufacturer of IBS is Binaan Desjaya Sdn Bhd which specializes in the manufacturing

3 and supply of the pre-cast concrete products such as pre-cast reinforced concrete u-shape open drain, box culvert, pre-stressed concrete beam, pre-cast reinforced concrete square piles, prestressed spun concrete pole and light weight block and others. The focus of this article is on the constructability of bungalow house using IBS block work system which was constructed by Binaan Desjaya Ltd. Notwithstanding, the block work system is the simplest system and an affordable business for new entrepreneur which involves with a small capital investment as compared with precast concrete system that requires a big capital and large machineries to run the factory. In addition, the portability and size of block work can be accessible to any place which is hard to reach due to factors such as high hill topographic area and sub rural area. LITERATURE REVIEW OF BLOCK WORK Today, there are many types of masonry units that are available in the market which varies in shapes and sizes. Clay bricks are the most widely used masonry units to construct brick wall in the construction industry. In developing the construction industry, many alternative materials were used to replace the clay brick, such as foam concrete brick (FCB). Deraman (2010) had study the block work of Binaan Desjaya Ltd, where it is made from foam concrete bricks (FCB). In addition, it is still new in the Malaysian market and still in the commercialise stage. FBC is widely used by other countries for many years. The normal size of FCB is larger and the dimension does not comply with the standard size of masonry brick stated in BS 3921:1985. FCB is a modern building material used as a constructional element in low-rise building, and can function as an effective insulator. FBC is made from organic material and incombustible. FCB is a light porous concrete, as a result of the hardening of the mortar consisting of cement, sand, water, and foam. This foam provides the necessary content of air in the concrete and uniform distribution of air bubbles in the concrete mass in the form of closed cells. The foam is made of foam concentrate. FCB is inexpensive, economic, strong, ecologically clean, biologically comfortable material; on quality it is closer to wood, fire resistance and is durable. If the thickness of FBC is 100 mm, the resistance to fire is for 3.5 to 4 hours as compared to normal concrete where the resistance to fire is for 1.5 hours. FCB has a combine advantage of stone and wood: durability, lightness, workability and nail ability. FCB represent an artificial cement stone with regular distributed closed pores. Such a structure determines a high number of physic mechanical properties of the cellular concrete and makes it a rather effective building material, which in comparison with other kinds of light concrete has the most prospects for buildings. The most accessible and universal building material are the blocks of foam concrete or the FCB, which are used both in construction, and for reconstruction of the existing buildings and constructions. METHODOLOGY The methodology of the research is by using the qualitative approach of a case study bungalow house. Based on Azman (2010a) research work using the case study approach, which is typically developed or shaped up based on literature review, may yield deep into the studied case but may produce narrow results. In a nutshell, case study is an important instrument to investigate the construction process of a bungalow house and understand the current phenomenon by taking the photographs. While the interview methodology could generate a deeper depth of the research field but the scope covered is restricted to the knowledge and experience of those involved only. In addition, with regards to the characteristic of respondents interview, they should have the good experienced in their fields and have the most information to be shared (Patton, 2002). So only the selective respondents should be catered in the interviews session in order to avoid the random respondent with less information in order to save time and optimise on the cost involved in research project. As a result, the limitation of each single approach has driven researchers to apply both approaches in order to obtain optimum results of the studies. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The construction of a bungalow house will include the lightweight block, lightweight pre-cast panel slab and roof trusses without column. This construction design is unique due to the inclusion of lintel beam. This special feature allows extra extension work or renovation to be carried out in the future. Thus, the introduction of lintel beam can dismiss the popular misconception of IBS system which can

4 be never renovated. In addition to this, the use of IBS system has also proven its efficiency and competency when the whole construction process of the bungalow only took 3 weeks to be completed with a very minimal use of manpower. The observation results of building a two storey bungalow house with 1800 ft 2 area of construction is shown in Figure 1 to Figure 12. While Figure 2 shows the construction of the raft foundation which is cast in situ, which does not involve the IBS system. The unique feature of the construction is the building of a staircase from block work as the vertical structure of the superstructure of the building as shown in Figure 3. Usually construction work starts with the building of the wall but in this case the method applied is vice versa. The staircase is build up until the first floor, which is build concurrently with the raise of the block work wall as shown in Figure 4 and 5. In between the staircase and the block work is the lintel beam which helps support the superstructure of the building. Next will be the installation of the lightweight precast panel slab and completion of the block work wall until the second floor as shown in Figure 6, 7 and 8. After the completion of the superstructure for the 1 st and 2 nd floor, the next step will be the installation of the roof truss and roof tiles by the conventional method as shown in Figure 9, 10 and 11. The last stage involves the completion of the external work and the building of a bungalow house is completed within 3 weeks as shown in Figure 12 and 13. Figure 1. Selection of the type of house to be constructed. Figure 1 shows one of the existing house models which can be selected by clients. Clients can choose any models that they like/prefer from the wide selection as long as it suits the width of their land area. During this process, the contractor will provide assistance and advice to the client to make sure that the client is able to make a good and suitable choice. Figure 2. Preparation of the raft foundation for the house. Before any construction can proceed, site investigation will be carried out to access general suitability of the site. For the construction of this type of the house, raft foundation is used as the basis of the whole construction process. This is because the site has low bearing capacity. Thus, this method can help to reduce differential settlement. Figure 3. Construction of the staircases using the lightweight blocks and the lightweight pre-cast slab panels. Once the raft foundation is completed, the construction process can be executed. The construction will use light weight block work system. One of the prominent advantages of this system is that the construction of the staircases can be expedited.

5 Figure 4. The construction of the staircase up to the first floor. The construction of the staircase can be proceeded to the first floor level though the main structure of the whole first floor is still not being completed. The advantages of using light weight block system is that it does not require any precast concrete column or cast in-situ concrete column. Figure 5. Lightweight floor slab panel installation. When the construction of wall and staircase is done up to the first floor level, the construction of the first floor slab can be proceeded. At this stage, light weight floor slab panels are used to substitute the use of cast in-situ concrete. Unlike the conventional method this system does not cause any material wastage from the use of formwork, steel and concrete. Figure 6. Completed lightweight floor slab panels. The use of light weight floor slab panels can ensure accurate dimension during the installation process. This is very important because accuracy is essential in avoiding materials wastage and overestimate on materials required at the site for architectural work. At the same time, this process provides a more systematic and organized wall and floor finishing.

6 Figure 7. Lightweight blocks constructed up to the first floor level. Once the first floor level construction is completed, the next stage can commence immediately. The use of precast light weight concrete does not required any time duration for the concrete to reach its targeted strength. Figure 8. Light weight blocks for wall (with opening) at 1 st Floor level. The construction of the 1 st floor level can be carried out smoothly despite a lot of opening on the walls for the windows and doors. This is possible because the light weight block system has integrated the openings in the design. Figure 9. Installation of roof trusses in progress. The installation of roof truss and ceiling frame can be done simultaneously. This will save time and money, thus it will also shorten the construction period. Figure 10. Installation of roof tiles in progress.

7 Figure 11. Installation of roof tiles and ceiling in progress. Once the roof truss dan ceiling frame are completed. The installation of roof tiles and ceiling can be executed simultaneously. Figure 12. External work in progress. Figure13. The bungalow house is completed within 3 weeks.

8 CONCLUSION On the whole, the construction process of the bungalow will only take 3 weeks to be completed. Thus, it is evident that the use of light weight block system can expedite the construction process of any building construction. At the same time, using this system can also minimise extension of time as well as unfinished projects, which have been common problems in the conventional construction process. In fact, this system can help to promote good image to the contractor due to its efficiency and effectiveness, as well as cost effective. The research findings will benefit both the government and private sectors in fulfilling the demand of IBS components in Malaysia. The advantages of using the IBS technology in the process of construction and completion of a bungalow house are as follows: IBS materials are manufactured and installed under high quality standard control and supervision. Therefore the quality is not compromised; Construction period can be shortened; Work can be done efficiently because two works can progress simultaneously: at the work site and the casting yard; Help to minimise the use of manpower at the construction site. This will reduce the construction cost and the dependency on foreign workers; Reduce construction wastage on the materials at work site. Thus site cleanliness can be monitored and maintained; and Renovation can be done by the owner because the design of the house can accommodate renovation. REFERENCES AZMAN, M. N. A., AHAMAD, M. S. S., MAJID, T. A. & HANAFI, M. H. 2010a. The Common Approach in Off-Site Construction Industry. Australian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, 4, AZMAN, M. N. A., AHAMAD, M. S. S., MAJID, T. A. & HANAFI, M. H. Year. Perspective of Malaysian Industrialised Building System on the Modern Method of Construction. In: The 11th Asia Pacific Industrial Engineering and Management Systems Conference, 2010b Malacca, Malaysia. University of Malaya Press. DERAMAN, S Investigation of Compressive Strength Foam Brickwall Panel with Different Bonding by Using Stretcher and Flemish Bond. Bachelor of Civil Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Pahang. ELLIOTT, K. S Advances in precast concrete in mixed construction. Structural Concrete, 3, PATTON, M. Q Qualitative Research and Evaluation Methods, Thousand Oaks, California, SAGE Publications. TRIKHA, D. N. & ALI, A. A. A Industrial Building Systems, Universiti Putra Malaysia Press. Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB).