Which flooring materials can architects specify as part of a building's structure?

Architects can specify several materials that serve as integral parts of a building's structural floor assembly, rather than merely as applied surface finishes. These structural components are designed to support both the dead load of the building and the live loads of its occupants.1

Materials and systems that function as part of the building's structure include:

• Concrete: This is a primary structural material, often used as a slab on the ground or as a reinforced-concrete slab carried by beams and columns. Specific structural configurations include flat plates, ribbed slabs, and waffle slabs, which may be poured in situ or utilized as precast concrete members.132
• Wood: Floors may consist of joist-supported wood planks or panels. In heavy timber construction, large glue-laminated members and thick tongue-and-groove decking are used to span between beams to support floors.13
• Stone: A slab of stone can serve as a structural floor assembly, particularly when used as a monolithic piece.12
• Steel: Steel beams are frequently used to support decking or panels within a floor assembly.1