Question: A consultant is involved in an A&A project where a new one-storey plant nursery is to be built on a vacant plot of land within an existing farm. The nursey is intended for leafy vegetables which require lots of sunlight with proper protection of heavy rain and wind. The area is generally a greenfield area where it was originally used to stockpile heavy farm machinery. Geological investigation found the ground to be firm and capable of supporting low rise (two to four storey) residential development with shallow foundation design.
As an engineer in the consultant firm, you have been tasked to carry out research study in addition to the materials in textbooks and write a report with the following questions:
(a) Demonstrate the understanding in structural framework and propose a suitable structural framework and its components for the one-storey plant nursery and explain function of each component.
(b) Identify and explain your choice of a suitable type of foundation for this type of building.
(c) Describe the different types of loading acting on this type of building.