Cost Estimation of Structures in Commercial Buildings

This book deals with the subject of cost estimation from a scientific standpoint. Adopting the approach of design analysis and computation of quantities for commercial buildings of varying heights and structural forms, the author has developed a range of over 260 charts to assist in the production of cost estimates for the required constituent quantities of a given structure, where the preparation of realistic estimates has in the past raised considerable problems. A broad range of commercial building types is considered, from five to 50 storeys in height, and the effects on quantities of the varying design parameters, such as column grid size, number of storeys, location of structural components, arrangement of beams, grades of concrete, and so on, are described and illustrated by charts. Again, using the charts included, the reader should be able to make comparative cost estimates and assess the effects of changes in design parameters on quantities and costs. The data provided will assist in the preparation of approximate structural costs for a given design, for checking the estimates for structural works and for the calculation of a quantity index for structural works.