STUDENT INDUSTRIALWORK EXPERIENCE SCHEME REPORT

ON

THE CONSTRUCTION OF PETROLEUM PRODUCTS PRICING REGULATORY

AUTHORITY HEAD OFFICE

CENTRAL AREA, ABUJA

BY

ABIODUN OMOLABAKE

REG NO: 2004/20899VA

DEPT OF ARCHITECTURE

SCHOOL OF ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY

FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, MINNA

PRESENTED TO

EL-MANSUR ATELIER CO.

NO 17, PARAKOU CRESCENT, OFF AMINU KANO CRESCENT

WUSE II, ABUJA.

December,
2008

PREFACE
 Students Industrial Work Experience scheme is a program designed by the university
to expose students to the practical aspects of his/her course of study. It involves the
attachment of a student to an organization in line with his/her respective course of study that
can provide the training and experience required in the industry, as these experience and
training cannot be obtained in the lecture rooms but the theoretical knowledge taught in
lecture rooms shall be applied by the student in real industrial situations.
This training/work experience, is an essential component in the development of the
practical and professional skills required of each student by their respective course of study
and also stands as an aid to prospective employment.
As a student of architecture, i have been able to obtain the most relevant and effective
practical industrial training and experience in a duration of six months(6 months) having been
exposed to practical on-site situations and activities from El-Mansur Atelier Co., an
architectural firm with consultants in Architecture, Engineering and Quantity surveying. The
firm’s principal areas of operations include building design project management and building
supervision.
Being an architectural design and engineering services company with a vision and
commitment to providing bespoke design and construction service using a combination of the most
appropriate technology, El-Mansur Atelier Co. has undertaken various projects just to mention
a few as listed below:
• Adamawa Plaza, Abuja
• PTF Housing Scheme, Abuja
• Pinnacle Plaza, Abuja
• Coscharis Centre, Abuja
• Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Authority(PPPRA) Head Office,
Abuja
• Incar Plaza, Abuja
I was assigned as an industrial training student by the firm to the on-going Petroleum
Products Pricing Regulatory Authority head office building project site to learn, observe and
report the weekly construction activities, procedures and work progress carried out on the site
and make a weekly presentation to the office on the architectural experience and knowledge
obtained on the project.
This report is therefore an illustration of the nature of works and activities carried out
on the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Authority head office building project and the
nature of works done during the course of the industrial programme. It also provides a
detailed principle of building construction and some aspects of engineering in reference to
building technology and how they are applied practically in building construction.
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
My deepest appreciation and gratitude goes to God for his gift of life to me and
strength to journey through and to Arc. Tunde Oyekola the principal of El-Mansur Atelier
Co., for giving me this very rare privilege and opportunity to learn and be trained under him
and become a part of the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Authority project, and to the
entire staff of El-Mansur Atelier Co. for their tutelage, time, patience and support inspite of
all the ups and downs experienced during my training.

Furthermore, my sincere appreciation also goes to the entire staff of El-Mansur

Atelier Co., for developing in me an awareness of the general workplace, behaviour and
interpersonal skills development, and giving me the opportunity to get a feel of the work
environment which has exposed me to the architects responsibilities and ethics.
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1

• About Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Authority head office

• Introduction to site work

• Site safety precautions

• Site layout considerations

CHAPTER 2

• Construction terms and techniques

• Electrical engineering

• Mechanical engineering

CHAPTER 3

• Site meetings

CHAPTER 4

• Conclusion

CHAPTER 1

ABOUT P P P R A HEAD OFFICE

 The Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Authority headquarters is a eight storey
(seven floors) building located in Central area Abuja. It can be classified under modern
Architecture as a ‘’Frame structure’’ made up of a system of concrete beams and columns.
Being a typically administrative building(office building), the design was approached
as a simple ‘‘open plan’’ design that gives the building a greater space planning flexibility,
increased efficiency in terms of changes in the office working environment, due to the need
for flexible spaces in the office environment. The Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory
Authority headquarters office consists of two structurally distinct wings separated by an
expansion joint such that each wing is independent of the other. It consists of structural
columns and beams on a grid module of 6m, spanning from centre to centre. The exterior
walls are made up of a combination of sandcrete block wall in-fills and curtain walls in front
of setback external columns.
The building is divided into three service cores/areas namely:
• The circulation area which consists of staircase, lobby and lift.
• The working area which consists of the open office space
• The mechanical and electrical services areas which consist of the air conditioning
plants and electrical distribution circuits.

The ground and first floor, have their floor plans recessed inwards on the front
elevation with a void above. The second and third floors are also recessed inwards and are typical
plans with a curvilinear curtain wall spanning both floors. The 4th and 5th floors have no voids and
recesses.
The 6th floor is a terraced floor with a restaurant, kitchen, hall and open office. The 7th
floor however consists of executive rooms with a large void looking down the 6th floor.

INTRODUCTION TO SITE WORK

 I was introduced by my supervisor to the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory
Authority headquarters construction site, the contractor, project manager, and site engineers
in charge of the project who further exposed me to proper site work.
Site work involves the entire process involved in the construction of a building and on
site the following factors must be considered and applied for effectiveness.

SAFETY FACTORS:
Safety is an important consideration at any construction site, but I was made to
understand that on a site with a high rise building, extra safety is of crucial importance and
should be everyone's primary concern because construction of buildings at great heights such
as the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Authority headquarters can be a dangerous
activity. Safety is based on knowledge, skill, and an attitude of care and concern.
Thus safety factors includes all the measures carried out to protect both the worker,
consultants, contractors and all persons present on the site at every given time from fatalities
and injuries, and as well as minimize or eliminate all possible construction hazards. This
safety measures can also be applied to the safety of the building and building materials from
damage of any kind.
Safety precaution guide lines for workers and persons present on a construction
site.

1. Proper clothing is as essential to safety. Wear clothes that are smart and appropriate for
the site work and weather conditions. Loose clothing is dangerous for workers around
power tools and equipments.
2. Footwear must be safety boots or work boots that are thick-soled shoes in order to
protect the feet from falling objects or from penetration by nails, and should have non-
slip soles. Sandals or other types of inappropriate footwear are hazardous on a
construction site.
3. Protective head gear (helmets or hard hats) must always be worn on a construction site
by all persons for protection of the head from falling objects of any kind.
4. Suspension belts are of crucial importance for site workers working at very high levels.
5. All exposed areas or parts of a building must be adequately protected with temporary
rail or supports and staircases must be protected with temporary balustrades.

6. All scaffolding that is elevated 10 feet or more must be equipped with a safety
railing. All scaffolds must be equipped with a toe board to eliminate the possibility that
tools or debris will be kicked or pushed onto people below. A scaffold must be designed to
support four times the weight of the workers and the materials resting on it.
7. Inspect all scaffolding each day before using it. Never use damaged or defective
equipment and avoid rusted parts since their strength is unknown. When erecting
scaffolding, provide adequate sills for the scaffold posts and use base plates. Use
adjusting screws, not blocks, when on an uneven grade. Make sure to plumb and level
scaffolding and do not force end braces when constructing the scaffolding.
8. Use only properly graded and inspected lumber for planking. Inspect planking
daily for splits and knots, and remove defective or damaged planking.
9. Be always aware and alert of your surroundings.

10. A clean work place is a safe work place. This refers to the neatness and good order of
the construction site. Keep the site clear of danger as you work – remove nails from
waste wood, move trip hazards and obstacles, etc. They interfere with work and can
constitute a hazard to both the worker and other persons on the site.
11. Any unsafe conditions or practices that is observed should IMMEDIATELY be
reported to the site project manager.
12. Emergency medical care in form of first aid assistance (first aid kit) must be provided
on the site and must be easily identifiable and nearby.

SITE LAYOUT CONSIDERATIONS

On the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Authority headquarters construction

site, it was observed that certain site layout considerations were observed so that items such
as temporary structures, stationary plants, stores, toilets(conveniences) and materials are
placed in the most strategic and convenient positions. These considerations are stated below:

Access to and within the site

Temporary access to the site requiring access both through and fro the site. Route to and from
the site must be checked in other to select the best suitable for transporting equipment and
materials to the site. Circulation on site for deliveries must be carefully considered.

Site security considerations

The primary aim for security is to protect against theft, vandals, and trespassers. Security
provisions include: Adequate lighting at night and flood lighting which Lights up the
construction site and the building structure.
 CHAPTER 2

CONSTRUCTION TERMS AND TECHNIQUES

 The Construction techniques and terms described in this report involves the various
methods of construction carried out on Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Authority
head office building for both structural and non-structural elements of the building. While on
site, certain terms were used during the construction. These terms could be referred to as
technical terms or site terms or language being used by the site workers. As an architect,
adequate knowledge of these terms must be paid attention to in order communicate
effectively with the workers. Below are some site terms and definitions.
.

BLOCKWORK
This is the process of laying concrete masonry units to form either external walls as
in-fills or lock wall which are load-bearing or non load or internal walls as partitions. These
masonry units are commonly hollow sandcrete blocks which are much economical per unit of
wall area. The standard sandcrete blocks are illustrated below.

Sequence of laying of sandcrete block wall:

• A bed of mortar is spread on the footing/floor.
• The first course of blocks for a lead is laid in the mortar. The mortar for the head joint
is applied to the end of each block with the trowel before the block is laid.
• The lead is built higher. Mortar is normally applied only to the face shells of the block
and not to the webs.
• As each new course is started on the lead, its height is checked with either a folding
rule or a story pole marked with the height of each course.
• A line is stretched between the leads on line blocks.
• The course between the leads are laid rapidly by aligning each block with the
stretched line.
• The last block to be installed in each course of infill blocks, the closer must be
inserted between blocks that have already been laid then the block is lowered
carefully into position.

PLASTERING
Plastering is the most common treatment for external and internal walls to help withstand
weather conditions. Plasters are used to render, run an uneven surface into a smooth level
surface by Plaster is a mixture of sand and cement at a ratio of 4:1 or 3:1(i.e. 8/6 head pans to
1 bag of cement). Plastering is also used to correct mistakes and to provide a smooth surface
area for other finishing types like painting.

FLOATING Fig 1.1

Floating is the backing coat that is usually made of plaster such as Plaster of Paris(P.O.P)
that provides a true or smooth surface for the final finishing coat on a wall after plastering
has been carried out on a wall surface. Most importantly, floating is carried out on wall
surfaces to fill up all uneven areas on a wall surface and may be applied on the internal or
external surface of walls, and also on ceilings. On the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory
Authority site, all the internal walls were floated with P.O.P after cement plastering was
done. As seen in Fig 1.1 these walls have already been floated.

SCAFFOLD A Scaffold is a temporary framework used to

support people and material in the construction or repair of buildings and other large
structures. It is usually a modular system of metal pipes, although it can be made out of other
materials. The purpose of a working scaffold is to provide a safe place of work with safe
access suitable for the work being done. All scaffolds must be equipped with a toe board to
eliminate the possibility that tools or debris will be kicked or pushed onto people below. A
scaffold must be designed to support four times the weight of the workers and the materials
resting on it.

ERECTING OF SCAFFOLDS

On the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Authority building, scaffolds were erected
round the structure as seen in the picture to enable works to be carried out at various parts of
the building and at various heights.
FORMWORK Concrete must be given form by casting it in a mould.
These moulds are known as ‘’formwork’ or ‘’shuttering’’. A Formwork is the term given to
either temporary or permanent mould into which concrete or similar materials are poured. Fig. 1.0
as illustrated here is the formwork for the roof beams constructed out of a combination of timber,
plywood and moisture-resistant particleboard known as timber shutters.

illustrated is another type of formwork made of steel metal also known as shutters panels known
as ‘’ Shutters’’. They are flat metal panels made of steel which are assembled together to
make the complete formwork and are specially used to cast concrete columns in high rise
reinforced concrete frame structures. They are usually tight enough to prevent the loss of fine
materials. Erection of the shutters are usually orderly, simple and all the units are of sizes that
can be easily handled. It gives the column a smooth face.

The form work illustrated here is the construction of the form work for the parapet wall.

TILING

Tiling in general terms can be defined as the cladding of a surface. We have floor tiling and
wall tilling (both external and internal walls). On the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory
Authority building, the external walls were clad with granite tiles while the toilet walls were
laid with ceramic tiles. The floor was tiled with vitrified ceramic tiles. Fig 1.0. Illustrates
floor tilling with vitrified tiles on one of the floors on the Petroleum Products Pricing
Regulatory Authority building.

Tiles come in two forms namely:

• Vitrified tiles: these are tiles with the same properties all through, i.e. when wearing
occurs, the subsequent layers have the same texture, density and material. They are
mainly used for external walls and floors.
 • Ceramic tiles: these tiles are made with clay and laminated surfaces, they are usually
used for toilets and kitchen tilling. Surface finu=ish for tiles are either glazed or
unglazed snd the material usedvfor making the tiles include stones, clay, and plastics,

Fig 1.0. CURTAIN WALL

Curtain walls are glass walls typically designed to span multiple floors and allow the
penetration of day light into the building envelope, resist air and water infiltration, and
provide an architecturally pleasing façade of a building. They carry no dead
load from the building other than its own dead load, but rather transfer the horizontal loads
applied it. These loads are transferred to the main building structure through connections at
floors or columns of the building.

Fig 1.1 CURTAIN WALL FRAMES

Curtain wall frames are made of extruded aluminium frames known as aluminium
extrusions. They are factory made and designed in units and assembled unit by unit on site.

FIXING OF CURTAIN WALL FRAMES

When fixing curtain wall frames, the frames are screwed to the floor slab made of mass
concrete with an electrical power drill and also screwed to the top which is the soffit of the
floor slab.

PARAPET WALL
A parapet wall is a protective wall constructed on the perimeter edge/area of a roof slab to
protect rain water accumulation on the gutter /drainage of the roof slab from draining down
the sides of a building. It is usually of reinforced concrete and cast-in-situ. On the Petroleum
Pricing Products Regulatory Authority building, the parapet wall was constructed to a height
of 1.5m.

ROOF GUTTER

Roof gutter is the drainage path created on a flat roof slab to channel accumulated rain water
for the roofing sheet into the drainage pipes on the roof slab.

DRAINAGE PIPES

Drainage pipes are pipes installed on the roof slab to drain rain/storm water on roof slab.
They are channelled through the roof beams and connected to the exterior columns which are
then sent down to the inspection chamber. They are made of PVC plastic pipes and are
100mm in diameter width.

FELTING

Felting of a roof slab involves the protection of the exposed concrete surface of the roof from
water penetration and infiltration, and all forms of damp and moist actions by laying a thick
damp proof membrane on the roof slab. One of the most common felts applied on roof slabs
is the bituminous felt. It is hot –mopped with asphalt to create a strong damp proof
membrane.

ROOF TRUSS

On the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Authority site, superlight weight steel roof
truss system was used roof the void openings. a special steel roof truss system known as
‘ALUZINC. It is a special light –weight roof truss that is assembled on the site only by
screwing the steel rafters together with the use of a power drill and hoisted with the help of a
crane in its position.

The roof truss shown here has been positioned and fully installed. Also illustrated in this
figure is the parapet wall and roof gutter that have been laud completely with bituminous felt.

Ilustrated here are steel anchor plates embedded in the roof beams. On the roof beams lie a
steel wall plate which serves as as a connector for the steel roof trusses.

BUILDING SERVICES

In the construction of any building, there are two main services that must be provided in
the building in order create a comfortable and habitable internal building environment for the
building occupants. These services are divided into two main branches namely:

• Electrical engineering services

• Mechanical engineering services

ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING SERVICES

The involvement of electrical engineering services is to supply electricity, telephone,

data outlets and provide lighting and power points in the building. They also determine the
best suited for generators. During the 6monnths period on the Petroleum Products Pricing
Regulatory Authority site, I was able to learn how all these are applied.

ELECTRICAL TERMINOLOGIES

Electrical 1st- fix:

This term is used to describe the fixing of PVC pipes of 13mm diameter called ‘Conduit
Pipes’ and circular boxes before casting of the floor slab is done. The circular boxes are
outlets for the lighting points while the wires are passed through the conduit pipes. As
illustrated here>>>>>>>>> the conduit pipes have already been laid prior to the
floor screeding.
Trunking

This is a term used to denote a protective casing for wires. There are two common types.

• Cable tray
• Cable basket

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING SERVICES

Ventilation systems/Air conditioning systems:

For the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Authority building, the air conditioning
system installed for ventillation purposes is known as The Central Air
conditioning System.

Central air conditioning

Central air conditioning is an air conditioning system which uses ducts to distribute
cooled and/or dehumidified air to more than one room, or uses pipes to distribute chilled
water to heat exchangers in more than one room, and which is not plugged into a standard
electrical outlet. Central air conditioning performs like a regular air conditioner but has
several added benefits. When the air handling unit turns on, room air is drawn in from various
parts of the building through return-air ducts. This air is pulled through a filter where
airborne particles such as dust and lint are removed. Sophisticated filters may remove
microscopic pollutants as well. The filtered air is routed to air supply ductwork that carries it
back to rooms. Whenever the air conditioner is running, this cycle repeats continually
Because the central air conditioning unit is located outside the office spaces, it offers a lower
level of indoor noise than a free-standing air conditioning unit.

FIRE FIGHTING SYSTEM

There are two fire fighting systems in the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Authority
headquarters office building

• Wet system
• Dry system.
ET SYSTEM.

The wet system consists of reducers and sprinkler heads.

The Sprinkler Units

Wet risers always have water pumped into them directly for the underground tank or from the
mains. They are black steel pipes with a diameter between 75mm-100mm. Illustrated
here>>>> are the sprinkler pipes.

SPRINKLER SYSTEM.

FLOOR TO CEILING HEIGHT RATIO

On the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Authority building as a typical office building,
had some exceptional design planning considerations that were put in place such as the
ceiling height/ head room of each of the floors. Due to the design of the building being an
open plan design with open offices with a primary consideration of its heating, ventilating
and electricity supply being the core services for the effective running of the building, the
total ceiling height was 4.2. and clear ceiling height measures 3.0m. this leaves a 1.2m
service space height for the ventilating ducts, electrical cable trunking, and the sprinkler
pipes.

EXPANSION JOINT
Expansion joints are structural joints in a building that are created to allow for the thermal
expansion and contraction of a building that occurs in concrete when loaded. On the
Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Authority site, the expansion joints were created
uniquely for this purpose. The expansion joints were created right from the foundation up to
the roof level of the building. They are created to accommodate structural movements.

CONCRETE
Concrete is a mixture of coarse and fine aggregates, cement and water which is
allowed to harden. Coarse aggregate used on site is normally gravel and Fine aggregate is
sand.
Concrete mixes/ratio:
Concrete ‘’slump test’’:
On the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Authority building site, before any
concrete is cast into the formwork or mould, a slump test is always carried out on it to test for
its consistency and quality check to determine the desired degree of workability. Freshly
mixed concrete is an unstable mixture of solids and liquids. If it is vibrated excessively, and
dropped from a height, it is likely to segregate, which means that the coarse aggregate works
its way to the bottom of the form and the water and cement paste rise to the top. The result is
concrete of non-uniform and with unsatisfactory properties.
‘’Curing of concrete’’
Concrete cures by hydration and not by drying. Thus, it is essential that the concrete
must be moist until its required strength is achieved. Maximum strength for concrete is
attained after 28days(4 weeks) of curing. If it is allowed to dry at any point during this time
frame, the strength of the cured concrete will be reduced and its surface hardness and
durability are likely to be adversely affected.
REINFORCEMENT BARS
Concrete has no useful tensile strength and is limited in its structural uses. Steel
reinforcement bars are used in concrete columns beams, and slabs. Reinforcement bars have
various diameter sizes. They come in 12mm,16mm 18mm, 20mm 24mm 30mm and 32mm
diameter sizes.

CASTING
 Casting is the process of pouring concrete mix into a mould or form laid with
reinforcement bars to form a solid mass structure.
Casting a concrete wall
• Vertical reinforcing bars are first wired to the dowels that project from the foundation
footing and horizontal bars are wired to the vertical bars as seen in the illustration
below.
• The formwork is erected. Sheets of plywood form the face of the concrete and are
supported by wooden studs. The studs are supported against the pressure of the wet
concrete by horizontal supports.
• The concrete is then poured, compacted and cured.
 CHAPTER 3

SITE MEETINGS

During my training on the site meetings were held every two weeks on a Tuesday. The
essence of the site meetings is dissipating instructions to the contractors and to assess the
progress of the project. The site meeting is chaired by the project architect who gives out all
instructions. During the meetings, all the consultants are expected to be present in order to
obtain an update of a weekly report on each of their jurisdictions as regards the building
project from the contractors. Issues from what material should be used to the ordering of
materials and expenses made are discussed in full length and all issues or problems
encountered are presented to the architect for instructions
After a few site meetings, my supervisor handed over the task of writing the minutes of
the meeting to me. This i did until my last site meeting on the site. During the meeting, every
one is presented with their copy of the minute and is expected to file them afterwards.
The site meeting for the building project is expected to be held till the project is
completed and handed over to the clients.

CHAPTER 4
 CONCLUSION

In conclusion ,as a student of architecture, i have been able to obtain the most relevant
and effective practical industrial training and experience in a duration of six months(6
months) having been exposed to practical on-site situations and activities.

Furthermore, an awareness of the general workplace has been developed in me and i

have acquired important behaviour and interpersonal skills with the opportunity giving me to
get a feel of the work environment and exposure as a student to the architects responsibilities
and ethics.

Finally, I would like to state that the SIWES programme is a very relevant and
necessary programme for all students that must be taken advantage of by every student for
each student’s professional development prior to graduation.