Investigating the effect of solid and lightweight hollow block slabs on construction cost

Abstract

In the design of reinforced-concrete buildings, solid and lightweight hollow block slabs are commonly preferred. In general, it is believed that the cost of lightweight hollow block slabs is higher than that of solid slabs. This research aims to examine the effect of solid and lightweight hollow block slabs on construction cost both in a parametric study and in actual buildings. In the parametric study, both the x and y directions included a variation of two to four spacings, while on the vertical plane an increase up to ten floors has been taken into account, and accordingly construction costs have been compared. Then, ten structures which have solid slabs, whose number of floors was up to ten and which had been designed in accordance with updated earthquake regulations, were chosen to obtain the cost difference when designed with lightweight hollow block slabs. In all examinations, it has been confirmed that lightweight hollow block slabs cost more than solid slabs, creating a 10.49-21.93% cost difference ratio, and that the cost difference ratios obtained from the actual structures also agree with these findings. The study presents increase curves depending on the slab type, modal analyses and strength comparisons.