Category: Architecture, Design, Home

Tags: concrete slab, Reinforced Concrete, formwork, one-way slab, commercial buildings, dampness, wet basement waterproofing

A concrete slab is selected by the area it serves, the load path, the support below it, and the services passing through it. Some suit rooms. Some suit bathrooms, roofs, staircases, or difficult soil conditions. Design must be checked by a structural engineer. Which slab should be used for different parts of a home? Regular rooms and everyday floor areas For most residential floors and roofs, reinforced concrete is commonly used because the slab has to carry dead load, live load, and daily use. A conventional slab is the usual starting point. It is supported on walls, beams, or columns, and transfers load to them. It needs more formwork than a flat slab, but it does not need column caps. The room shape then decides the slab action. A one-way slab suits long, narrow spaces where support is mainly on two opposite sides. It is used when the longer span is at least twice the shorter span, so the slab bends mainly along the shorter span. Corridors and narrow rectangular rooms often fall into this category. A two-way slab suits square or near-square rooms supported on all four sides. It is used when the longer span is less than twice the shorter span. The load moves in both directions, so reinforcement is provided both ways.