Ground and structure
Slab
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It is a horizontal plate, almost always of reinforced concrete, that forms floors and flat roofs.
What it solves
It creates continuous surfaces for living on several levels. It also ties columns and walls together on each floor so the building resists earthquakes as a whole.
Today
Choose the type of slab according to the span and use. Ribbed or hollow-core slabs save concrete. Give the steel the necessary cover, especially near the sea.
Common mistake
Leaving too little cover over the steel, which corrodes with moisture and salt until it bursts the concrete.
Tomorrow
A roof slab in the sun stores heat and releases it at night, when the body needs rest. Shading it, ventilating it or covering it with plants protects health during heat waves.
Fact A reinforced concrete slab is usually between 10 and 50 cm thick depending on the span and the load.
Where it comes from
- 1First reinforced concrete builders France, 1853 to 1855
A four-story house was built in concrete reinforced with iron. - 2First reinforced concrete builders England, 1854
A builder reinforced the floors and roof of his own house with iron and placed the reinforcement where the slab works in tension.
Masters
- Le Corbusier Dom-ino system, France, 1914
He proposes a skeleton of concrete slabs supported by a few slender columns and a stair. By freeing the walls from bearing loads, it allows open plans and free facades.
Appears in the routes
See also
Also in Ground and structure
Diagrams and texts by LDB Arquitectura. They are shared under the CC BY 4.0 license, which allows them to be used and adapted with credit to the source.