Economical Reinforced Concrete Design

This project requires the design of a 6-story hotel that is located in an area of low seismic risk in the U.S. Low-rise buildings account for well over 90% of the floor area constructed in any given year in the U.S. This project will require an understanding of what constitutes an economical design. In general, designs that seek to simplify concrete formwork usually result in a more cost-effective structure because formwork typically accounts for about 50-60% of the cost of the structure. Repeating the same member sizes throughout an entire low-rise building may not appear to be the most effective solution with respect to material use, but the increased cost in materials is more than offset by the substantial cost-savings obtained by utilizing simple formwork. Other cost-savings can be realized by simplifying the reinforcement detailing. These and other issues related to economics will need to be addressed. Information on location, owner, design team, and other identifying items have been removed from the architectural drawings for this 6-story hotel, and permission has been obtained to use these drawings for this project.