The U.S. Capitol Building is located in Washington, D.C., at the opposite end of the National Mall. To its west are the Capitol Reflecting Pool and the Washington Monument. The building covers a ground area of 4 acres and its length of roughly 750 feet. The Capitol is a majestic building with a height of 87.8 meters (288 ft), catering to its five floors and approximately 540 rooms.
It also has a dome with a diameter of 75 feet that has a 15 feet tall statue called the Statue of Freedom. Situated under the dome is a vast circular room, referred to as the Rotunda, which serves as a gallery for works of art of Americas’ important people and events in the country’s history.
Construction of the Capitol begun in 1793 after the United States Congress passed the Residence Act which paved way for Washington D.C. to be the permanent capital. In 1792, US Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson and President George Washington had commissioned a design competition that would award $500 and a lot in the city to anyone who would produce the most approved plan for the building.
A Scottish trained physician won the competition although he had submitted a late entry. The word capitol has its roots in Latin, which means city on a hill. Throughout its 200 year history, the Capitol has housed the Senate, the House of Representatives, the Supreme Court and the Library of Congress.
The Senate and the House wings were completed in the years 1800 and 1811 respectively. While still in construction, the building was partially burned by British troops in 1814 during a war that lasted till 1815. Repairs and reconstruction of the building begun in the following year and were completed four years later, under Benjamin Henry Latrobe, a British-born American architect. The building was finished in 1826 under Charles Bulfinch, a Bostonian architect. (Reed, 45)
The architecture of the building portrays Greco-Roman influence as the Capitol was meant to symbolize the idea of democracy, which is connected with Greece, and the idea of power, which is associated with the Roman Empire. The front of the Capitol is supported by six Corinthian columns, a major component of Roman architecture.
Columns were originally used by the Greek but Romans adopted and modified them to commemorate their civilization and military success. A typical Roman Corinthian column is tall, straight and slim, topped with acanthus leaves and several scrolls. The scrolls were symbolic of civilization, and together with the acanthus leaves, were features cherished by Greco-Roman artists.
The other entrances also used the Greek Parthenon and the Roman Pantheon for inspiration for its design. The facades are made of marble and features figures of prominent people in the ancient world and the writings on both the eastern and western facade. Writings and sculptures were dominant features in Roman Pantheons.
The dome of the Capitol also resembles the Pantheon dome. The architects of the dome, paid close attention to St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, the Pantheon in Paris and St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. The interior of the dome, the Rotunda, features murals (artwork painted directly on walls and ceilings) done by Constantino Brumidi, a Greek/Italian American artist. The artwork illustrates historical events and people in the United States.
The most outstanding artwork is The Apotheosis of Washington, which depicts Washington surrounded by 13 maidens and many Greek and Roman gods and goddesses. The relief sculptures in the Rotunda as well as the art in the Brumidi Corridors bear similarities with paintings and sculptures found in most European churches built during the reign of the Roman Empire.
The Capital also features a crypt beneath the Rotunda. The crypt was originally meant to be the final resting place of the first American President, George Washington. Unlike the exterior of the building, the columns in the crypt are Doric, the original Greek design. Crypts were dominant in ancient Greece and later adopted by Romans to be used as a chapel or burial vault.
The purpose of building the US Capitol crypt clearly illustrates that the architects relied a lot on Greek-Roman architecture. Furthermore, the statue on the dome (Statue of Freedom) is a female figure wearing robes holding a wreath of victory on one hand and resting her hand on a sheathed sword with her right hand. The Statue of Freedom thus bears similarity with the Justitia, the Roman goddess of justice who symbolized the fair and equal administration of law. (Silate 56)
The Capitol continues to serve its purpose as the symbol of freedom and democracy whereby every four years, a president is inaugurated at the grounds of the Capitol. It also hosts other major events such as the National Memorial Day concert and Independence Day celebrations. It still serves as the meeting point of the Senate, in the north wing, and the House of Representatives, in the south wing.
The Capitol no longer serves the Supreme Court and the chamber, referred to as the Old Supreme Court, is currently used as a meeting room, law library and storage room. The Capitol receives an estimated 4-5 million visitors from around the world per year. A Visitor Center has been set up in the underground of the east side of the complex to serve as a gathering point for tourists. The Capitol strives to preserve American history while at the same time aiming to meet modern standards. It truly is the home of American democracy.
Works Cited
Reed, Henry H. The United States Capitol: its architecture and decoration. New York, NY: Norton, 2005. Print
Silate, Jennifer. The United States Capitol. New York, NY: PowerKids Press, 2006. Print
A building that amazingly combines the elements of Feng Shui, the Chinese philosophy of harmony, and the designing solutions, which serve as the characteristics of the Western esthetics, Fallingwater is one of the most famous buildings in the history of the American architecture.
Wright, however, clearly preferred the postulates of the Chinese wisdom of the Feng Shui philosophy (Fiero 21) to the pragmatic concepts of Western architecture. A single look at the building is enough to understand that the house is supposed to represent the universal harmony that the Feng Shui philosophy is based on. To be more specific, the spaciousness of the house allows for the flow of positive energy, which is known in the Chinese philosophy as chi.
However, by far the greatest step towards creating an environment where Feng Shui principles rule, the incorporation of such crucial elements of the Feng Shui philosophy as earth and water must be mentioned. Indeed, a closer look at the building and its location will reveal that the building is located in close proximity to the waterfall of Bear Run and the Mill Run River.
As far as the earth symbol of the Feng Shui philosophy is concerned, it is represented by the location of the house, i.e., the land that the Fallingwater rests on, as well as the numerous trees that it is surrounded with.
Thus, the very environment of the place predetermines a perfect flow of chi in accordance with the Chinese philosophy and the concept of “organic architecture”. In a way, the look of the house is quite similar to the structure of a Japanese Pagoda; the same multilayered structure is the key feature of the latter.
The design of the interior and exterior of the house also aligns with the key principles of Feng Shui, particularly, with the concept of oneness and the principle of energy circulation. Speaking of the exterior of the house, one must mention its shape.
The first detail that falls into one’s eye immediately is the clever use of shape, as well as unique line work. The curvy shape of the exterior allows for creating an impression of the additional spaciousness and, therefore, the feeling of openness, which is quite alien to the Western culture and the Western principles of architecture.
The same can be said about the interior of the building (Fiero 21). In contrast to the traditional Western principles of architecture, FLW did not attempt at making the elements of the urban design evident; quite on the contrary, every single design choice seemed to conceal any presence of civilization and create an illusion of the nature taking over the place completely.
For example, the low level, at which the elements of the house furniture were located, could be interpreted as a means to bring the element of the earth closer to the resident of the Fallingwater. Likewise, most of the elements that are crucial for the household, including kitchen utensils, bathroom, etc., were made barely visible, while the concepts that were supposed to marry nature and civilization were constantly on a display.
Finally, such detail as color should be noted to add to the impression of Fallingwater being the representation of the Feng Shui philosophy. There is no need to stress that urban architecture traditionally does not presuppose active use of bright colors quite, on the contrary, most of the latter are rather inexpressive.
However, the choice of colors that are traditionally made by urban architects does not align with the palette used for Fallingwater either. Instead of using the colors that remind of steel, concrete and other elements of the urban design, FLW chose the palette that could mask the house as a part of the landscape. For example, the outside of the house is barely visible on the background, with grayish and brownish color cast reminding of stone and wood.
The interior also reminds one of the woods; however, inside the house, the colors are slightly more saturated. Thus, the yin (the darker and the subordinate element) and yang (the lighter and the superior element) are intertwined and incorporated into the overall design of the house interior.
One might argue that the darker colors, which the design of the interior is based on, may create a rather gloomy atmosphere; however, inside the house, the colors are also balanced in a very original way.
Unlike the walls, the ceiling and the floor of the house, the furniture is of much lighter color shade, from walnut to ivory. As a result, the contrast between the designs of the aforementioned interior elements is far from striking, yet it still creates a unique peaceful mood.
It seems that the Fallingwater house and property require very expensive maintenance and preservation procedures. However, it would be wrong to consider Fallingwater a waste of money. Instead, it should be viewed as a cultural heritage of the era and the amazing brainchild of a genius architect. Despite the costs, Fallingwater is the building that is worth preserving.
Works Cited
Fiero, Gloria. The Humanistic Tradition, Book 6: Modernism, Postmodernism, and the Global Perspective. New York City, NY: McGraw-Hill Humanities. 2010. Print.
The Chrysler Building is a magnificent structure in New York City. The building presents a powerful image to every viewer. The building also depicts the best example of Art Deco architecture. This paper presents a powerful analysis of the Chrysler Building. The paper also explains why the building is significant to its age.
Description of the Work
The correct name of this artwork is the “Chrysler Building”. This magnificent building “was constructed from 1929 to 1930” (Stravitz, 2010, p. 7). The height of this building is 1046 feet. It has a total of 77 floors. The building was the tallest structure in the world for eleven months. It is also one of the tallest buildings in New York City.
William Van Alen “designed this magnificent artwork” (Colb, 2009, p. 24). According to Stravitz (2010, p. 18), “the Chrysler Building presents the best of Art Deco architecture”. According to many architects, Chrysler Building one of the finest artworks in the world.
Comparison
The Chrysler Building is a masterpiece showcasing the famous Art Deco architecture. The features of this building make it unique and spectacular. Many architects were working hard to produce the best skyscrapers during the period. This fact explains why “the Empire State Building surpassed this skyscraper within a few months” (Smith, 2002, p. 46). This kind of competition also explains “why the Chrysler Building is similar to other skyscrapers constructed during the time” (Stravitz, 2010, p. 92).
This kind of trend is also common today. Many countries are currently constructing tall buildings across the globe. Some of the tallest buildings today include the Burj Khalifa, Petronas Towers, and Taipei Tower. However, this structure presents a unique Art Deco. This building presents “unique metal claddings and ornamentations” (Stravitz, 2010, p. 73).
These “aspects explain why it was declared a historic landmark in 1976” (Colb, 2009, p. 103). This building has inspired similar structures in every part of the world. A good example is the One Liberty Place. This skyscraper is in Philadelphia.
Contrasting With Other Works
The Chrysler Building is a masterpiece that differs significantly from all the other buildings constructed during the period. The building presented a wide range of qualities to different viewers. For instance, the Art Deco architecture gave the building a powerful image. The “building was the first to have a terraced crown” (Smith, 2002, p. 57).
The architects also presented revolutionary designs and patterns. The façade of the building gave it a unique shape. It is agreeable that the Chrysler Building revolutionized the world of architecture (Stravitz, 2010). This masterpiece has remained relevant for many decades. This fact explains why many people still admire this piece of art.
The Chrysler Building
Evaluation
The Chrysler Building is very significant to its age. The engineers and architects behind the building wanted to produce the best structure. William Van Alen wanted to change the skyline of New York City. He also wanted “to produce a powerful artwork using new architectural aspects and decorations” (Stravitz, 2010, p. 87). This goal made it easier for the architect to produce the best skyscraper in the United States. The building presented unique features to every American citizen.
The presence of “a public viewing gallery made this structure unique to the people” (Smith, 2002, p. 73). The features of the building made it popular during the period. These unique attributes redefined the future of architecture. This architectural design would empower many designers in the future. Many architects have been examining and replicating the aspects of this building. The Chrysler Building is therefore a masterpiece that will always influence more architects.
Reference List
Colb, H. (2009). The History of Stainless Steel. New York, NY: ASM International.
Smith, K. (2002). Source Book of American Architecture: 500 Notable Buildings from the 10th Century to the Present. New York, NY: Princeton Architectural Press.
Stravitz, D. (2010). The Chrysler Building: Creating a New York Icon Day by Day. New York, NY: Princeton Architectural Press.
This paper seeks to describe how the Solow Building and the red object work together as well as their connection with each other. The paper will hence illustrated the form of the building, functions and the symbolic meaning of the building. This will be done by elaborating a brief history of the building and identifying some of the functions of the offices within the building and the activities taking place in the same. The role of the red object to the Solow building will also be discussed in order to show how the two connect with each other.
Solow building is a Manhattan skyscraper situated in the 57th street at 9 West. The building was constructed in 1974 and designed by Owings, Skidmore and Merrill’s Gordon Bun shaft. The building is sandwiched between the 58th and 57th street just in the west of Fifth Avenue next to other prominent buildings like the Plaza Hotel and the Bergdorf Goodman department store[1].
The red object 9 in the west that is in front of the building was actually part of the project. It was included in the project due to the complaints that the sloping building’s reflecting walls had revealed an unappealing sides of the historic buildings previously obscured in the neighborhood[2].
Solow building, also known as Solow Building Company is a skyscraper situated in the 57th street at 9 West within the Midtown neighborhood in the city of New York. The building was constructed from the year 1968 and completed in the year 1974[3]. It was designed by Owings, Skidmore and Merrill’s Gordon Bun shaft.
The building is sandwiched between the 58th and 57th street just in the west of Fifth Avenue next to other prominent buildings like the Plaza Hotel and the Bergdorf Goodman department store. Solow Building is 210.01m high with 50 floors above the ground (West Group 2007).
The building’s façade materials consist of concrete glasses with a façade system of curtain wall. It has a modernism architectural style. The building’s main usage is for commercial offices. The only existing competitor of the building in the vicinity by height is the GM Building which is located a block east and north[4]. The floors above the 23rd floor provide a complete view of the Central Park and unobstructed virtual view of northern Manhattan.
The concave vertical slope of the Solow Building of its south and north façade on the 57th and 58th Street forms one of the building’s notable aesthetic attribute. Similarly, the W.R. grace Building which is also a Bun Shaft creation is an attribute too to the building because of the used façade design that was rejected in the Solow Building (Dunford 2004).
The building has some of the most expensive rents within Manhattan. The top floor of the skyscraper is occupied permanently by the Solow Building Company. The Bank of American Securities is the largest tenant occupying several stories and other trading floors in the 3rd and 2nd floors.
Other known tenants that use the building for commercial purposes are the U.S. Headquarters of the French Corporate and Investment Bank, the Silver Lake Partners, the private Equity Firms, Highland Capital Management and the Apollo Management[5]. Some of the amenities provided by the Solow Building are the parking garage which is in the underground with available retail space in its northern side (Dunn 2004).
The underground spaces that is rented by the Brasserie restaurant, the lobby newsstand, trading floors and twenty four high-speed elevators that are subdivided into a set of floors. Some of the facts about the Solow Building are that it is one of the largest Midtown skyscrapers which has a façade sloping up from the base and that the 9 West chain stores is practically named after the Solow Building[6].
A part from the mentioned companies and the tenants using the building for commercial purposes, the building also has other services offered within its premises such as accessing data base of the designers, company and project tracking, export data functionality, contact information of the company, customer support that may be troubleshooting and other complimentary research (Bureau of National Affairs 2005).
The Solow Building and the red 9 object are connected such that the red colored sculpture distracts the eyes of the pedestrians or the passersby from noticing the unappealing walls of the historic buildings. The red object was designed by Ivan Chermayeff, a graphic artist in New York City (Edward 2000).
According to the Solow residual value and the production function by Cobb Douglas, the econometric model of building the performance of and industry is established and its quantitative analysis and influencing factors conducted[7]. The data used for this analysis resulted from the macroeconomic data between 1997 and 2008. The drawn conclusions and results indicate that the production of the industry’s building belongs to the incremental reward type (Chermayeff 2011).
In my economic point of view, the industry’s improvement on the performance may depend on the efficient and adequate investment, continuous scientific progress, appropriate economic reforms, high quality oriented labor force and technological innovations. I also think that the object 9 is a perfect connection with the Solow Building as it not only destructs the viewing of the unappealing walls of the historic buildings, but it’s also scenery on its own[8].
It’s beautiful and attractive enough to capture the attention of anyone. The position of the red object 9 in the west actually suits its purpose. It is therefore my perception that the building is of high economic importance and scenery as well due to the commercial activities going on within its premises.
Conclusion
In summary, this paper has described the Solow Building and the red object and how the two work together as well as their connection with each other. The functions and the symbolic meaning of the building have been explained too. In the process of learning, I learnt the history of the building and the functions of the offices situated in it. The role of the red object has also been revealed in aid of the historic buildings which have varied implications to the unappealing walls of the previously obscured buildings.
Bibliography
Bureau of National Affairs. Construction Labor Report. New York: Bureau of National Affairs, 2005.
Chermayeff, Ivan. Basic concepts in the identity design. New York: Cengage, 2011.
Dunford, Martin. Rough guide to New York. New York: Springer, 2002.
Dunn, Brian. New York. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2004.
Edward, Jefferson. New York Supplement. New York: West Publishing Company, 2000.
West Group. West’s New York Digest: New York: West Publishing Company, 2007.
Footnotes
Bureau of National Affairs. Construction Labor Report. New York: Bureau of National Affairs, 2005
Chermayeff, Ivan. Basic concepts in the identity design. New York: Cengage, 2011.
Dunford, Martin. Rough guide to New York. New York: Springer, 2002.
Dunford, Martin. Rough guide to New York. New York: Springer, 2002.
West Group. West’s New York Digest: New York: West Publishing Company, 2007.
Edward, Jefferson. New York Supplement. New York: West Publishing Company, 2000
West Group. West’s New York Digest: New York: West Publishing Company, 2007.
West Group. West’s New York Digest: New York: West Publishing Company, 2007.
The Forum of Trajan building architecture forms the structure of Roman city building construction/
The Forum of Trajan in Rome, built at the commencement of the second century AD, is one of the most remarkable existing models of Roman majestic architectural planning and patronage and formed a fraction of a much larger scheme of imperial building work adjacent to the historic Forum Romanum.
The forum was built on the order of Emperor Trajan with the spoils of war from the conquest of Dacia. The project of the Forum was completely attributed to the architect Apollodorus of Damascus,[1] who also accompanied Emperor Trajan in the Dacian campaign.
During the time of the construction, several other projects took place: The Markets of Trajan were constructed,[1] Caesar’s Forum (where the Basilica Argentaria was built), and the Temple of Venus Genetrix were renovated.
Structure
The Forum was built from a vast stoa-lined piazza measuring 660 by 390 feet (200 x 120 m) with exedra on two sides. The focal access to the forum is on the southern side, a triumphal archway surmounted by a sculpture of Trajan in a six-horse chariot. The Basilica Ulpia lies at the north end of the piazza, which was paved with rectangular chunks of white marble and ornamented by a huge equestrian statue of Trajan. On each side of the piazza are marketplaces. In contemporary times only a segment of the markets and the column of Trajan remain.
Among Trajan’s public works, the most important were in Italy: roads, principally the Via Traiana in the south; great enhancement to Claudius’s artificial harbor at Ostia; and predominantly the colossal forum in Rome, surrounded by halls, libraries, and shops and centering on the most renowned of all Trajan’s works, the grand column celebrating his Dacian victories.
Among the further great public construction ventures of the Romans, the most significant is the network of bridges and roads that smooth the progress of travel throughout the empire, and the canal that brought water to the towns from mountain sources (Pont du Gard, 19 bc, near Nîmes).
Building Materials and Methods
Quarried stone, used in conjunction with timber beams and terracotta tiles and plaques, was the essential Roman building material from Republican times on. Marbles lent splendor to the Romans’ buildings. But it was a material invented by the Romans—concrete—that revolutionized the history of architecture and permitted the Romans to put up buildings that were impossible to construct with the traditional stone post-and-lintel system of earlier architecture.
Although Roman concrete could be faced with a variety of materials, the most popular during the empire was brick. Indeed, during the first two centuries after Christ, brick first came to be appreciated as a building facing in its own right; brick-faced concrete quickly became the favored material for large buildings such as apartment houses, baths, and horrea, or warehouses (for example, the horrea of Epagathius, ad 145–150, at Ostia).
A clear picture of Roman architecture can be drawn from the impressive remains of ancient Roman public and private buildings.
Roman City Planning
The archetypal Roman city of the later Republic and empire had a rectangular plan and bore a resemblance to a Roman military camp with two central streets—the cardo (north-south) and the documents (east-west)—a network of smaller streets separating the town into blocks, and a wall circuit with gateways. The central spot of the city was its forum, by and large, positioned at the heart of the city at the crossroads of the cardo and the documents.
The forum, an open area surrounded by colonnades with shops, was purposed as the principal convention place of the town. It was also the spot of the city’s primary sacred and municipal buildings, among them the Senate house, records office, and BASILICA. The basilica was a roofed hall with a wide innermost area—the nave—flanked by side passageways, and it often had two or more stories. In Roman times basilicas were the location of trade transactions and lawful proceedings.
In conclusion, Roman monuments were designed to serve the needs of their patrons rather than to express the artistic temperaments of their makers.
George McRae is credited as the designer of the now famous Queen Victoria Building, popularly known as QVB. The building, completed in 1898, was constructed as a tribute to the ruling monarch when Sydney was undergoing a ruthless economic slump.
The complex structural design of the project was sketched in a manner such that the government could be able to hire jobless craftsmen such as plasterers, stonemasons, and stained window artistes to enable them make a decent income.
After its completion, the building initially hosted offices, coffee shops, showrooms, warehouses, and a recital hall. QVB also provided accommodation for a number of individuals engaged in commercial activities for example florists, mercers, tailors and hairdressers (IPOH, 2011, p.1). As time went by, the concert arena was modified to adopt new roles.
For example, a library and other offices were established and more occupants such as palmists, piano tuners, and clairvoyant moved in. Later on, the Sydney City Council occupied QVB after it underwent a major restructuring in 1930s.
Although the building was almost pulled down in 1959, it has emerged as a glorious building that reflects the initial dream of its designer and the excellent artistry of the artisans who worked tirelessly to construct it again (ibid. p.2).
QVB hosts over 148 boutiques, shops, restaurants, and cafes on the entire levels of the building (Sydney, 2011, p.1). The major parts of the building are made of magnificent stained glass windows and fabulous designs. The Sydney’s coat of arm, found on the cartwheel stained window, reflects the commercial activities sailing ships and the dolphins.
The symbols on the left side of the first panel symbolize architecture and the Sidney City Council whereas Ipoh Gardens Berhad, the company that renovated the building is represented on the third panel by letters IGB It is worth to note that several symbols were used to recognize those people who took part in the restoration of the building (IPOH, 2011, p.4).
There are also several symbols constructed outside the building. For example, there are statues representing Queen Victoria and the Royal Wishing Well erected on Town Hall Palace, outside the building (TravelOnline, 2011, p.4).
The building boasts of two huge mechanical clocks, the Royal Clock and the Great Australian Clock. Thus the Great Australian Clock is a symbol of social harmony among different cultural groups of people visiting the Queen Victoria Building (Sydney, 2011, p.5).
The building has a number of attractive restaurants that offer special services. For example, The Tea Room is one of the attractive places that one can visit to take tea. The restaurant boasts of highly qualified chefs that make delicious dishes served throughout the day under stained glass and towering ceilings.
The place can also be leased to people who plan to have private celebration at the place. Thus the Room has a limited number of seats (200). The Tearoom also has a pub that serves alcoholic drinks (Restaurant Information, 2011, p.1).
People visiting QVB are encouraged to tour the basement to learn about migration policies adopted by the city. The basement has a room where visitors are learn why Australia has been successful in promoting social integration between the native residents and immigrants.
Also part of the basement has food outlets that sell Asian delicacies. Commuter services are run by the government. The city has a broad network of bus services. For example, the white and blue buses are new and clean. The route number is prominently displayed in front and at the rear parts of the bus.
The major terminal points of these buses are located at Wynyard Park, Circular Quay, the rear side of the QVB and central Railway Station. Car rental services are also available at QVB. Operators such as Europcar, Budget, Hertz and Budget offer such services.
During my tour, I observed that majority of the visitors preferred to use public transport because it costs less compared to private means. I noted that car-parking services run by QVB are very expensive despite the fact that the fee varies with time.
For example, you can park his car for $17 as long as you do it before 10AM and exit the parking bay before 7PM. For those who leave a minute late, they pay the daily rate, pegged at $43. However, the parking fee is usually lower (between $14 and $24) during weekends and evenings (Perica, 2005, p.5).
The Queen Victoria Building is regarded among the culturally famous sites that are visited my people from all over the world. I visited the building on one Sunday afternoon and got first-hand experience about the significance of QVB to the City and those who visited it.
For example, I went to Paddy’s Market and counted over 100 people from all walks of life trying to buy souvenirs to take home.
However, I discovered that many of the visitors went there to window shop rather than buy because most of the genuine Aboriginal sculptures, hand-made traditional paintings and Aboriginal didgeridoos are very costly and limited in supply. A few of them were however able to buy several cheaper souvenirs to take home as memento (Sydney, 2011, p.4).
I also learned that QVB is home to several major calendar and festival events that take place every year. Family celebrations such as wedding anniversaries and birthdays are usually common phenomena at QVB. There also several outlets within and around QVB that sell multicultural delicacies that are affordable and in plenty of supply (Sydney, 2011, p.5).
QVB has an ample road infrastructure that facilitates easy movements of the visitors to the site and other major commercial and recreational centers within the Sydney City.
There are two shopping malls, Westfield and Myer to the north, and Gallery Victoria on the eastern part of the east, linked to the building through the underground pedestrian passageway. There is also a bridge than enables pedestrian to enter any of the four doorways of the QVB from the Sydney Hilton.
The building was erected in late 19th century. After its completion, the building was assigned the name Queen Victoria Markets in 1897 as an honour to Queen Victoria who was commemorating her Diamond Jubilee. However, the name of the building was later changed in 1918 to Queen Victoria Building (Perica, 2005, p.6).
The other day I was observing the customers of Salvatore Ferragamo and counted the number of people who did window shopping and real shopping, I saw a mother and her teen daughter who were moving around, doing some window shopping.
The daughter spent over two hours trying on shoes, only to inform the salesclerk, “Thanks, but no thanks.” She told the salesclerk she was leaving the store and that she was going to buy similar shoes at Amazon and spent $22 less on the pair (Kirkwood, 2010, p.3).
The mother remained silent but when they left the store, she went ballistic. She felt her daughter had wasted a lot of time sampling shoes, then not buying anything. The mother believed that the time wasted on window shopping by her daughter could have been used by the stores clerk assist someone who was willing to buy one of the Salvatore Ferragamo products.
It is apparent that the daughter refused to buy the shoes because it is much cheaper procuring the same pair from online sites such as eBay than from a shop (Kirkwood, 2010, p.4). This incident reveals that majority of young people in this age are techno savvy.
Online shopping has not only emerged as the most ideal way to procure goods but also goods and services cost less. From my observation, it is window shopping is a tiresome and time consuming activity and a shopper may end up not getting what he intended to buy.
Moreover, stores clerks sometimes do not help shoppers to locate what they want to buy. On the other hand, online shopping sites such as eBay offer a variety of services that satisfy the needs of shoppers.
Besides, online shopping enables a shopper to compare prices tags of the same product offered by different online shops from the comfort of a chair. Also, online shopping enables a buyer to purchase products from any region in the world (Kirkwood, 2010, p.5).
I also observed a number of shoppers using their mobile phones to communicate with their friends. Majority of them were either sending text message or surfing the internet. A few of them made calls. The advent of modern technology could be the reason why most people prefer to text and surf using their advanced phones as opposed to calling.
Since their inception, mobile phones have evolved tremendously since the turn of the century. Nowadays, individuals can used their sophisticated gadgets to text, surf the web, navigate using the GPS function, and interest with their peers through social networking sites such as face book and twitter.
Smartphone such as the iPhone are currently playing the lead role in this aspect. These phones have computer-like operating system that can manage all sorts of applications such as games applications, Twitter, Facebook, shopping assistants, restaurant guides, and more.
Traditional mobile phones are not accumulating dust, though. Scores of of the newest models have large displays, keyboards, and Internet capabilities. Their applications and e-mail and are not as developed when compared to smart phones, but they’re easy to use (Consumer Report, 2010, p.5).
There are several things to be considered before buying a phone. For example, you may consider the service provider because they help to ascertain the type of the cell phone that is compatible with the local network.
So when you’re swapping your cell phone, make use of this cell phone guide to aid you make a decision on whether to keep your present mobile service provider or switch to a new one. Main carriers rely greatly on two irreconcilable digital networks.
Verizon and Sprint networks employ mainly Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) platform, whereas AT&T and T-Mobile use Global System for Mobile communication (GSM) platform. In addition, all of these providers sustain high-speed data networks. The network plays an important role with respect to performance and abilities that your handset will have (Consumer Report, 2010, p.6).
Before acquiring a smart phone, one must make a decision on which of the two kinds, conventional phone or smart, meets your budget and requirements. Select a conventional model if you only need a phone with text-messaging functions, and perhaps a camera.
Smart phones, with their superior operating systems, superior displays, QWERTY keyboards, and other computer-related attributes, are a better choice for individuals who are in need of regular access to several e-mail accounts, a complicated organizer for contacts and appointments, the capability to open Internet-based services and Office documents.
One convincing advantage of many smart phones is their capability to access a multitude of applications made up of shopping, productivity tools, multimedia, travel, games news, social, finance, weather, and references.
Helpful features for example GPS navigation, support for wireless Bluetooth headsets, and high-speed data access can greatly augment user contentment (Consumer Report, 2010, p.7).
Bluetooth technology enables the phone to operate with wireless headsets and various hands-free car systems for tangle-free calls. A number of phones sustain stereo Bluetooth headsets for music and other multimedia while others can swap pictures, contacts, and other files with other compatible Bluetooth devices, for example mobile phone, computer or PDA.
Majority of smart phones have in-built cameras with higher resolutions that are able to produce high quality snapshots.
However, most of these phones do not have a flash, which is very important when taking pictures in shadowy environments. Also, enables the user to assess documents. Some phones also have an option to create, delete or edit a document (Consumer Report, 2010, p.8).
All smart phones have several forms of location-based technology to assist emergency responders locate the user when you call 911. Most of these phones have GPS navigation features that can acquire information wirelessly from the carrier network.
They incorporate GPS with maps and search engines to offer the user up to date, vocal, turn-by-turn guidelines to an entered address.
A handset that has a navigation feature eradicate the need to carry an extra navigation devise since the phone can locate any direction needed by the user. Some network providers offer GPS services for free, however, a number of them may charge an extra cost for the service (Consumer Report, 2010, p.9).
High-rise building refers to any building used for human occupancy that exceeds 75 feet (23 m) in height. This definition depends upon the fact that ladders on fire department vehicles mostly do not reach past this point. In this case, the height of the building starts from the lowest ground level a fire truck can access outside the building to the floor of the highest story human can occupy (Harmon and Katherine 62).
High-rise buildings have occupancy classification to ensure that everyone is safe in a high-rise building. Occupancy classification depends on how the occupants will be using the space. Occupants may use the space for an office now, but later turn it into a conference room for training. As such, we may classify the high-rise building as an assembly instead of business such that the design focuses on stringent code requirements.
The International Code Council (ICC) classification of occupancy may have slight difference in the way the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) codes define the occupancy type.
There are 10 most common occupancy classifications adopted throughout different buildings and life safety codes. Some of the occupancy types may also have sub-classifications. Occupancy classifications include assembly, business, educational, factory or industrial, hazardous, institutional, mercantile, residential, storage, utility or miscellaneous occupancies.
Before 1970s in the US, there were no rigid criteria for high-rise buildings in the national codes. In 1970s, various codes combined to form the International Building Code (IBC). These codes developed requirements for high-rise buildings. The NFPA Life Safety Code (NFPA 101) provides the requirements for high-rise buildings, which may differ depending on the occupancy classification.
Many jurisdictions in the US have revised the original definition of a high-rise building of at least 75 feet to include a height ranging from 35 feet (11 meters) to 55 feet (17 meters). High-rise building provisions aimed at providing protection in building structures where access rescue was not possible.
The standard height of 75 feet was the longest accessible point that rescuers could access. Therefore, the codes aimed at addressing the safety of the occupant who could not be reached from outside. Apart from stack effect delayed evacuation, all the factors with regard to high-rise building depended on the ladder reach idea.
Provisions regarding high-rise building emerged due to requirements for voice communication, automatic sprinklers, emergency power and pressurized stairs.
Most locations also insisted on smoke control systems. Other codes in other countries referring to the provisions in high-rise buildings are similar to the US provisions such as 75 feet tall. However, some countries have more restrictive provisions regarding the number and locations of elevators for firefighters, width, compartmentation, travel distance to stairs of escapes, and structures of fire resistance.
The US building codes now target new areas, which are addressing the conditions in existing buildings, which do not comply with the new building codes requirements. There are retrofitting sprinkler ordinances in many buildings, in the US cities. However, the challenge is that retrofit laws vary from city to city. NFPA 101 requires that existing high-rise buildings install automatic sprinklers. The public cannot determine the level of protection they have in high-rise buildings due to sporadic application of the new codes requirements.
Another change in code requires additional protection in buildings as high-rise buildings go higher. People may picture a building of a 7-story as a high-rise. However, the level of protection they get is similar to those they get in a 50-story building. The only similarity exists in the exterior rescue measurement of 75 feet.
Factors such as air movement, evacuation viability, staged evacuation, and the information occupants and fire department need are different from tall buildings to mid-level buildings. These are some of the new areas of concern the codes are addressing.
Safety in high-rise buildings is of a paramount concern to its occupants. This is because high-rise buildings pose additional dangers to its occupants due to increased height and characteristics of a high-rise building in the event of a fire. The prominent danger is that it is often impractical to evacuate all the occupants within a reasonable time. Another danger is that fire is more often than not beyond the reach of the fire department equipment.
Fire must be fought in place within the building. Therefore, a need to address safety in high-rise buildings becomes fundamental in relations to compartmentation, means of egress, and the active fire protection systems. The need to pay attention to smoke control is crucial since high-rise buildings have stack effect of smoke in case of fire outbreak. The codes put mandatory requirements such as additional use of automatic sprinkler systems and the overlapping of detection and suppression systems (Moncada 2).
Let us consider the case of the World Trade Center (WTC) events. The WTC events raise several questions concerning future designs to defend against extreme events and at what costs. There have been several proposals to harden the stairwells.
According to James Quiter, people should not react to one event without fully comprehending the negative consequences as a result of the building’s response to other extreme events. James argue that it is difficult to use collective thinking as we respond to extreme events of security threats, which are unlikely, unpredictable, and dependant on emotions. However, we must apply rigor to improve the overall performance of a building (Quiter 1).
Another concern is the safety of other high-rise buildings like WTC. The issue, which comes out, is whether occupants are comfortable with other high-rise complex. The damages in WTC 1 and 2 spread to other surrounding buildings such as WTC 7. The problem became worse due to inadequate supply of water, presence of fuel, and fire causing the collapse of WTC 7.
The fundamental lessons from the WTC events show that it is significant to ensure protection of high-rise buildings and compartmentation are adequate. Buildings should have automatic sprinkler to make them safer. However, the challenge is that sprinklering existing buildings is not simple.
In this case, the government should provide tax breaks and additional time for such buildings to install automatic sprinklers. James sees solutions to high-rise fire issues in the automatic sprinkler. Otherwise, there would be significant risks of fire and safety of occupants.
High-rise buildings have several problems associated with them. There is the life hazard. High-rise building contains more people than ordinary buildings. The occupancy classification determines the people in it. However, these people may be senior citizens, children, physically challenged, transitory or asleep occupants. The nature of height of high-rise buildings may make evacuation time consuming, and to some extent, impossible.
Another problem of high-rise building is the structural deficiencies. There are always possibilities that a high-rise building fire may be confined in the floor of origin, particularly if the building is sprinklered. However, if the renovation or remodeling violated this integrity of fire concern, then the possibilities of fire spreading to other floors are high. Occasionally, strong fire may spread to upper floors through windows.
This increases the intensity and amount of fire causing more danger to the occupant. Open fire doors lead to spread of fire to other areas. At the same time, improper maintenance of firefighting equipment may render them less effective and doubtful. Lastly, high-rise buildings have tactical limitations. Firefighters do not have many options in fighting high-rise buildings fires. Accessing the floor where there is fire outbreak may take time.
These situations aggravate the problem. At the same time, the access ladder is limited to 6th or 7th of high-rise buildings. This will force the firefighters to access the fire using the staircases, which in most cases the occupants of the building are using. These conditions increase the amount of time needed to fight the fire leading to spread of fire to other areas.
Building codes cannot protect occupants of a building in every situation as we witnessed during the 9/11 attacks. Since then, there have been concerns aiming at creating and implementing stricter codes, standards, and federal regulations for the aim of making buildings safe to the occupants. The problem is that we cannot construct all buildings to withstand every an imaginable catastrophe.
Building codes emphasis the construction needs of a whole building and place with strict restrictions on dangerous materials or equipment used in the building. The purposes of these codes are to ensure public safety, health, and welfare of the people using the buildings. Building codes focus on electrical, structural, plumbing, life safety/egress, natural light and air, fire safety (detection and suppression), accessibility standards and energy conservation.
Existing building codes have undergone various changes in the past few decades. Today, we have the ICC and the NFPA building codes which look at the conditions of existing buildings with regard to safety. These codes strive to provide requirements for reasonable upgrade and improvements based on the type and extent of the work.
Occupants of existing buildings must confirm that the International Existing Building Code (IEBC) is in use within the jurisdiction. The IEBC determines the extent of repairs, additions, alteration and any other modification in the building based on the level of code compliance. Some of the requirements in IEBC may be lenient than those in the building code.
Fire codes are present in both the ICC and NFPA. The first fire code the ICC produced was in the year 2000. However, in the year 2003, the NFPA developed a new fire code in partnership with the Western Fire Chief Association (WFCA). The NFPA revises fire codes after every three years. The NFPA develops the standard fire code but makes references to various sources so that users are aware of the origins of the codes.
Fire codes work in conjunction with related building code. Fire code looks at existing high-rise building conditions that are risky and could cause possible fires and explosions. Fires and explosions can occur due to several reasons such as type of occupancy and use of space or storage and handling of some materials.
Fire codes are almost applicable to all buildings. However, building codes may not cover some requirements. Fire code is specific to the kind of material to use in a different section of the building. However, it is necessary to make references to areas such as means of egress, interior finishes, fire-resistant structures, furnishing and decorative materials.
Fire codes have emergency planning to address problems concerning evacuation procedures and fire drills depending on the building occupancy. Fire codes appeal to building owners, occupants and fire departments. Certain fire codes may affect occupancy with regards to signage and other fundamental requirements.
Occupancy codes look into occupancy type, which addresses how the occupants of a building are using the building or space. Occupancy codes address the varied hazardous situations or risk factors associated with different occupancy classifications. Hazardous situations consider both the occupants using the space and the activity they will carry in it.
Any building risk factors focus on spatial characteristics, fuel loads, types of occupants, concentration of occupants and in some cases, the knowledge of the building. Some situations may require additional occupancy code due to varying characteristics of occupants and building use so that the building is safe.
For instance, assembly occupancy may require more exits because of the large number of people using the space. Hospitals may require alternate exiting methods due to the characteristics of patients such as age, health, or security reasons. These various characteristics define occupancy codes of high-rise buildings.
Occupancy codes address these various characteristics, so that occupants may feel safe in every high-rise building, or any other space they occupy. Occupancy codes also influence the occupant load (the number of people assumed safely occupying a building or a space) and occupancy classification. Conversely, occupant loads influence the occupancy code a building requires and other code requirements.
Life safety code (LSC) or NFPA 101 was among the first codes NFPA published. This code is subject to revision after every three years. LSC is not a building code rather it concentrates on the evacuation and removal of all persons in the building during an emergency situation.
LSC establishes and provides the minimum requirements that give a reasonable degree of safety from fire in buildings and structures. LSC does not address all the issues concerning construction of a building. It leaves out issues concerning accessibility, plumbing and glazing. This is because it is not a building code.
LSC focuses on occupancies, fire protection and means of egress. Means of egress may include stairwells, horizontal exits, exit passageways, and other exit enclosures. Sometimes, fire-resistance rating is available both horizontally and vertically and get strict towards the exit.
LSC provides a table of fire-resistance ratings. LSC provisions for stairs are that they must meet similar requirements as vertical shafts. Normally, the stairs have a 1-hour rating in 3-stories or less and provision for 2-hours in more than four stories. At the same time, there are also provisions for smoke.
LSC provision for an exit stair needs a fire-related enclosure if it links more than two floors. A rated stairwell must be vertically continuous through each floor and fully enclose the stair. In order to protect the fire ratings, only a minimum number of penetrations are necessary and allowed.
Large high-rise buildings may require smoke-proof to serve as an area of refuge during fire. LSC provision for an exit stair needs a fire-related enclosure if it links more than two floors. A rated stairwell must be vertically continuous through each floor and fully enclose the stair. In order to protect the fire ratings, only a minimum number of penetrations are necessary and allowed. Large high-rise buildings may require smoke-proof to serve as an area of refuge during fire (Puchovsky 4).
Horizontal exits provide alternative exit routes within a building. They also have fire barriers to provide an exit within the same floor. High-rise buildings have exit corridors leading to an exit or an exit stairwell. Buildings, which are sprinklered, are easy to determine the rating of a corridor.
Business occupancy, which has no sprinkler and has an occupant load of more than 30, requires rating of an hour. On the other hand, if business occupancy has less than a 30 occupant load, then we do not need to rate an exit corridor. Occasionally, corridors, which serve small tenant space, do not require a rating. Exit access corridors, which serve the whole floor must be rated, more so in non-sprinklered buildings. An IBC provision for an exit access corridor is that they serve as a type of fire partition.
Evacuation may involve fire, explosions, toxic release, and other events of extreme danger in high-rise buildings. Occupants of the high-rise story buildings should take safety precautions to avoid incidences of fire. However, we must note that we cannot prevent and control some events like the terrorists attack of 9/11 on WTC.
Therefore, uncontrollable fire is likely to occur in high-rise buildings. In this case, the assigned authority must order for evacuation of the building occupants in order to save lives and avert destruction of property. Evacuation starts at where there is an emergency fire, then it can spread to several other floors or the whole building.
The best method to complete an evacuation process is through the fire stairwells. In cases of fire or smoke penetrating stairwells, then alternative routes and stairwells should be used. Some cases of evacuation require a joint effort of the police, fire department, building management and tenants.
Elevators are only safe for bomb-threat emergency evacuation but not for fire. Instead, fire stairwells should be used to assist the occupants to safe floors. When fire emergency occur, all elevators should return to the lobby floor as per the American National Standard Elevator Code. Elevators should have installed automatic devices to allow them pass through all the fire-affected floors. Elevators should never be stopped at the floor of the fire incidence.
Evacuation should be a controlled and coordinated process. Therefore, an emergency rescue team must take into account the number of occupants per floor, emergency fire stairwells available, and the number of floors directly under threat of a fire. Evacuation priority should focus on directly notifying the occupants to leave the building. At the same time, a priority must focus on the occupants who are directly under threat of fire (Colonna 1).
Methods of evacuation depend on the building control systems. This is responsible for determining efficient and safe methods of evacuating the building with attention to the nature of the fire and extent of the damage. People must be controlled during emergencies. Therefore, the floor personnel must control the number of occupants exiting through a single stairwell. At the same time, alternate floors should have different stairwells to provide for full flight between two floors to safe grounds (Blackley 1).
Disabilities in people manifest themselves through mobility, hearing, speech, visual and cognitive impairments. These various degrees of impairments and other functional issues are essential in emergency evacuation processes. There should be a plan of evacuation to cater for all manner of disabilities listed above.
People with disabilities should be moved down the fire stairwell to an upper part of the building where there is unengaged elevator bank, and then taken by the elevator to the fire rescue officials. In cases of seriously physically handicapped persons, the floor evacuation coordinator should assist them exit the building (NFPA 1).
We must acknowledge the fact that it is impossible to plan for every possible emergency that might occur in high-rise buildings. However, preparation is possible in crucial emergency situations. Preparation for evacuations must involve the input of different occupants including people with disabilities in the building. Evacuation guides must address the needs of people with disabilities in the high-rise buildings during emergencies.
The Fair Housing Act Design Manual has general guidelines and provisions for people with disabilities, which new buildings must adhere to as provided for in the building codes and LSC. The manual addresses four areas of evacuating five types of people with disabilities. Therefore, accessibility and evacuations standards must adhere to these five categories.
There are several factors design and code people should focus on when high-rise buildings are in consideration. Risk evaluations in high-rise buildings must be given first priority. Designing of high-rise buildings must be integrated, rational and holistic with regard to engineering approach.
Risks in high-rise buildings increases as its height increases. Increase in the number of occupants results into an increase in potential hazard to the occupants. Engineering decisions must take such factors as occupant load, potential target to threats, space and its uses, suppression efforts, and other building facilities.
These analyses must be present so that the standards meet the building rigor and public safety. The rigor must enable the engineers to make informed designs. High-rise buildings must meet this specification of rigor, instead of putting pieces in the codes together in order to meet engineering requirements and safety standards (Goode 5).
There should be some thresholds of protections in all buildings. Codes have gaps particularly where old high-rise buildings are concerned. High-rise buildings also have varied degrees of height. The standard height of 75 feet based on access of fire ladder may not help to fight fire at 20 stories high.
At the same time, time to evacuate occupants may vary depending on the height of the building. There are thresholds where elevators may not be useful in evacuation processes and where there is smoke stack effect. At these stages of varying thresholds in emergency responses, the prescriptive code may no longer apply, and the rescuers must use the performance code approach as an alternative.
The existing code procedures for evaluating the building fire structural resistance are out-of-date. The system codes should abandon the hour rating and implement the simulation techniques which can give accurate response of building behavior in cases of emergency. Building codes should use simulation techniques to determine the structural and fire resistance ability of the structures.
Likewise, the focus should also shift to how much time a high-rise building can withstand an event of fire. The current code provisions only match the structural fire-resistance with a reasonable full-time evacuation in medium height buildings. However, very high buildings do not have such provisions.
The changes in the energy sector have shifted to energy use in high-rise buildings. There is a voluntary system for evaluating the energy consumptions of a building. Modern building constructions adopt the techniques of building energy friendly buildings.
While this may not be important in fighting fire in high-rise buildings, it is necessary to show how such buildings can save both costs and energy usage for the occupants. This new development has ignited the NFPA and the Tall Building Council to search for similar potential system for life safety. The method tries to influence the building owners to improve safety in high-rise buildings with little financial incentives.
Works Cited
Blackley, William F. “High-Rise Fire and Life Safety: Hazards and Education for Older People.” National Fire Academy 1.5 (2006): 1-46. Print.
Colonna, Guy. “Introduction to Employee Fire and Life Safety.” National Fire Protection Association 4.2 (2001): 1-31. Print.
Goode, Michael G. “Fire Protection of Structural Steel in High-Rise Buildings.” Building and Fire Research Laboratory 3.4 (2004): 5-86. Print.
Harmon, Sharon Koomen and Katherine E. Kennon. The Codes Guidebook for Interiors, 3rd Edition. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2005. Print.
NFPA, (National Fire Protection Association). “Emergency Evacuation Planning Guide For People with Disabilities.” NFPA Journal 5.3 (2007): 1-60. Print.
Interior designers work to produce practical and sustainable buildings for the design and construction industries. Knowledge of building systems, their combination, and solving problems related to systems are the essential skills that an interior designer must possess. Construction is an object of management in which people and the tasks they perform are in constant interdependence and interconnection. Coordination is used to ensure the synchronization of activities and interaction of different parts of the construction system. Coordination is the process of dividing activities over time, providing other parts of the construction system to fulfill its objectives.
Problems of ensuring effective coordination of all units of the construction system are directly related to the level of development of communications, the need to maintain a constant exchange of information. When an interior designer transmits instructions or other information through the media, he must be sure that his message will be properly understood and received on time. The reverse process of information transfer is also essential.
At this stage, there are failures; employees do not always know what information other employees or interior designers need to make confident decisions. As the source of information for decisions, this is a severe problem in all parts of the construction system. Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) are three building systems that need proper coordination, and interior designers are starting to actively use MEP solutions for more accurate and efficient design and calculation of installations.
Different Building Systems
Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems could be coordinated together by joint discussion of all participants in the construction to agree on all the details and possible problems during construction. The interior designer is a direct participant in all negotiations because most processes are carried out under his leadership. An interior designer needs to understand all the stages of combining mechanical, electrical, and plumbing techniques (Binggeli, 2016). After all, if a designer knows how to install all types of systems, he/she can then correctly make a plan for the most convenient placement of interior elements. Therefore, the designer must be familiar with the stages of construction no less than an architect, electrician, or plumber.
Mechanical Systems
Types of mechanical systems in construction belong to power supply systems, heating, water supply and sewerage systems, ventilation, low-current systems, gas supply systems, automation systems, air conditioning, and refrigeration systems. Internal engineering power supply systems are one of the essential engineering systems of a building. Both the safety of the construction and its fire safety, and the comfortable operation of the building depend on its correct performance (Mehrbod et al., 2020). Today, almost all household appliances and most of the devices used daily need electricity – from commonplace lighting and heating to trifles like recharging the phone, computer, and TV.
Engineering heating (heat supply) systems are the next most crucial engineering system for countries where it is cold (Mehrbod et al., 2020). Individual heating can be either apartment heating (directly in each apartment there is a gas water heater, which not only heats the water but also heats the condo) and house heating (roof boiler rooms that only heat their own house), or when a boiler room is being built on several adjacent homes.
Mechanical systems of water supply and sewerage are engineering communications of buildings that provide a reasonably high share of comfort during the operation of the building (Mehrbod et al., 2020). Engineering ventilation systems are present in one way or another in any building – even in the cellar, a ventilation system is used to remove excess moisture. The main task of ventilation, as an engineering system of a building, is to remove air that appears as a result of human activity (exhausted exhaled air) or the operation of a room (high humidity and odors) and replace it with fresh, clean air, so that then repeat the process from the beginning.
Ventilation is conventionally divided into two large groups – natural and mechanical (Mehrbod et al., 2020) l. The difference between the first and the second is in the presence of a fan. Natural ventilation works due to the pressure difference (warm air is lighter than cold air and rises upward, from where it enters the ventilation and goes outside, and instead of it, fresh air comes from the street through non-density windows, ajar windows, doors, goals (Mehrbod et al., 2020). As a rule, there is a fan on the exhaust ventilation, which takes in the exhaust air, and the inflow is supplied in an organized manner by its separate fan with preliminary air treatment – heating, cleaning, humidification.
Low-voltage mechanical systems are mainly mechanical systems responsible for comfort, communication, and information – television, intercom, and telephone. Also, improving the comfort of the building aims to access control systems, monitor the central mechanical systems, uninterrupted operation and control, and the Internet and other systems. (Chalifoux, 2019). As a rule, low-current systems allow increasing the comfort of using a building and quite significantly optimize (save money) on the maintenance of other mechanical systems. In modern facilities, a significant role is given to security systems. The fire alarm is one of the fundamental mechanical systems of a building.
This system allows one to receive a signal about the start of a fire to the building maintenance service, through a warning system to notify people in the building about the beginning of a fire, directing them to the exits of the building and thereby avoiding casualties among people poisoned by carbon monoxide or killed in a fire (Chalifoux, 2019). This system has various options for sensors and controllers selected for each building, depending on specific tasks.
Engineering gas supply systems are a type of mechanical systems of buildings that are present at a vast number of objects, which, in principle, is not surprising, given that it is the most widespread and one of the cheapest types of fuel for heating, heating, and cooking (Chalifoux, 2019). As a rule, the gas supply is the most popular heat source for heating a home. Engineering automation systems are present in most industrial and civil engineering buildings. These systems are responsible for the efficiency, safety, and comfort of the operation of other mechanical systems (Chalifoux, 2019). The design, installation, and cost of these buildings and structures’ mechanical systems directly depend on the technical specifications and the customer’s wishes.
In recent years, mechanical systems for air conditioning and refrigeration have been present in an increasing number of buildings and structures. These systems in civil construction are focused on comfort, in industrial, primarily on technology, and only secondarily on comfort. Air conditioning means direct air treatment (cooling, dehumidification, humidification), and cold supply is a set of measures for obtaining a refrigerant (chilled water or freon) for the possibility of air conditioning.
Electrical Systems
An electrical system is a set of power plants, electrical and thermal networks interconnected and connected by a standard model in continuous production, conversion, and distribution of electricity and heat under the general control of this process. There are often problems in this area because the interior designer can plan lighting in a specific part of the room, where electrical cables cannot be placed. Therefore, at this stage, it is essential to communicate and coordinate every detail.
The construction of electrical networks is the most responsible and challenging job in constructing engineering communications systems. For such work, it is imperative to have the appropriate permissions. The guarantee of the normal uninterrupted functioning of the electrical network one has built will comply with all the rules and measures that it involves. The primary and most crucial issue in constructing electrical networks is detailed design (Rodriguez et al., 2020).
It is necessary to install any communications since only a correctly and detailed plan can complete a picture of what problems may be encountered during the construction phase (Rodriguez et al., 2020). The design stages include developing a technical plan for a building or external routes for the delivery of electricity, determining the capacities required for use, the development of the project itself, and the resolution of the specification of energy supply systems.
Electronic systems in construction belong to the laying of cable lines, electrical power devices, grounding devices, the structure of distribution systems. At the end of all work, it is necessary to carry out commissioning operations. To carry out them, one will need specialized equipment, the appropriate qualifications of the master, certain materials (Rodriguez et al., 2020). These operations include debugging and testing the installed equipment, taking measures to achieve maximum performance of the erected utility network, changing the insulation resistance, external inspection of the integrity and reliability of the fastening of the networks.
Plumbing Systems
Plumbing installation in a building is usually carried out in three stages. First, this is the installation of the main external supply pipe and the main collector; secondly, the installation of internal piping, ventilation and sewerage; and thirdly, the installation of water-consuming devices. The structure of the main supply pipe and the primary collector is carried out simultaneously with the digging and fabrication of the foundation (Rodriguez et al., 2020). Pipes for water and wastewater are called main pipes. Since water flows through the plumbing and sewer pipes, both must be located underground to prevent freezing in winter. It is more profitable and more rational to carry out excavation work at the same time.
The main supply pipe is usually laid from the house to the water meter. In some areas, the meter is located in the basement of the house. However, today the trend is to find the meter next to the street. In this case, it is easier for city services to read information and maintain meters. The city water main connects to the meter, and the builders connect the meter to the building. Water is not supplied until piping is installed and approved.
The installation of the main supply pipe and sewage collector is mandatory. Water supply and sewerage lines are laid on the future building site, after which they are shortened (Rodriguez et al., 2020). This means that pipes should only be located where they will be used later, such as in the kitchen or bathroom. A small margin is made for lines to ensure further installation. The pits are filled up, and supports, foundations, and floors are erected over the shortened pipes.
The second stage of plumbing work begins after laying the floors and erecting the walls. The remaining pipes, headers, and ventilation are installed as the building is erected. Since pipes and manifolds are hidden in walls and under the floor, they must be installed before the inner wall cladding. If the building is built on concrete slabs, most of the plumbing is located underneath. The pipes must be laid with a vapor barrier in mind, and space must be left around them (Rodriguez et al., 2020). This is necessary because concrete has a high coefficient of expansion and contraction with temperature fluctuations.
Clearances around pipes, such as large radius bends for copper pipes, will allow the lines to move as the plates expand and contract (Rodriguez et al., 2020). Some builders choose to lay all pipes over slabs to facilitate repair and maintenance, while others place plumbing in the attic. When installing plumbing in the attic, special attention must be paid to insulation to prevent pipes from freezing and bursting in the winter. Water, in this case, can cause significant damage to the building.
The Potential Conflicts between the Systems and Resolution
During the construction of a house intended for an office, potential conflicts between the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems arise. For example, today, mechanics worked at the facility, installed ventilation, tomorrow plumbers came and welded pipes, then automation specialists appear to supply the necessary valves and sensors. However, they conclude that the system needs to be refined; it is impossible to automate it according to the customer’s principle since there is nowhere to install the sensors. If there is no coordinated action between all the teams working on the project, it is not always possible to satisfy all the customer’s interests.
Usually, each specialist thinks in his narrow category, but only a broad view of the engineering system as a whole and its functionality can ultimately give it reliability and efficiency. MEP solutions are a comprehensive approach to installing and managing utility networks or technological processes (duct, piping, electrical and basic automation) (Burton, 2017). They allow one to get away from the classic inconsistent scheme of work in several stages. It is MEP solutions that can cover the entire range of customer requests. For example, implement a process for monitoring and controlling hot water supply at the facility so that there are no leaks and excessive collection of temperature in the summer.
According to the principle of MEP solutions at the initial design stage, all the necessary functional elements are provided – actuators, control cabinets, and other devices. The air exchange system, for example, can include the function of maintaining energy savings. Installation at the facility is carried out by a specialized contractor who can design complex systems, build them, and put them into operation (Burton, 2017).
Such specialists are called MEP contractors; these are the people who come and install the entire engineering unit at once. As a result, there are fewer construction errors, less time to complete the project, and no inconsistency (Burton, 2017)). The plans of the project office of the chosen building were to create a catalog of ready-made solutions for specialized units that have already been designed and are ready for implementation. The customer determined the necessary parameters and functions, for which the interior designers selected options from ready-made standard solutions.
Interior designers have created large engineering units for mechanics, electrics, and automation and built work based on solutions that would cover all the functionality required by the customer and not just a separate direction. For example, interior designers did not just select a ventilation unit with the expectation that it would maintain its parameters but would also be modern, efficient, and energy-saving to solve all the tasks of the customer at once (Burton, 2017).
Unique construction CAD systems help standardize the work on MEP solutions, which design engineering networks in a single complex with individual elements, for example, electrical cabinets, indicating where to place them correctly. Once an MEP solution is created in a 3D model, it is easier to document it (Burton, 2017). Of the examples, the manufacturer supplies a refrigeration center for the facility and sends along with the cabinet all the documentation for the MEP solution; that is, the manufacturer has already designed the refrigeration technology, selected all the automation elements in which this technology will work, wrote the appropriate software and provided a set of executive documentation (Burton, 2017). All that remains for interior designers is to connect the product.
The MEP solution is easy to operate and maintain. Mechanical systems MEP solutions were successful because they the best conflicts resolution between the systems as they create Comprehensive coverage of customer needs in the use of modern and reliable technology at facilities to implement automation and control (Binggeli, 2016). Such solutions provide high-quality performance, removing the risk of errors.
In charge of the conflict resolution were an architect and interior designer. An architect is an intermediate link between a structural engineer and a designer. He/she knows the structure of the building, the arrangement of engineering systems: heating, lighting, and sewerage. In his work, he takes into account physical activity, functional and aesthetic laws. His task is to make a building that will not fall apart, will not go underground and will not be knocked out of the overall architectural appearance of the city. In addition, the new building will meet the customer’s expectations. It is important to note that interior designer and architect are combined professions.
The skills of both are essential in resolving any conflicts that arise while working on a project. MEP solutions build, Saving time for both the customer and the contractor. In building up to standard solutions, interior designers can create an album of finished projects, gain experience, and generate complex proposals (Binggeli, 2016). MEP solutions allow a company specializing in mechanical systems to position its staff of interior designers as a team of professionals capable of covering several areas in their work at once and performing tasks in an integrated manner.
Duties of an Interior Designer to Avoid Conflicts
In order for conflicts to can be resolved successfully, an interior designer has to understand precisely what the problem is and at what stage the mistake was made. The main task of conflict resolution between the systems is to select them in the most popular categories, develop installation schemes, and customize production (El-Ghobashy & Mosaad, 2016). Ultimately, this will optimize the company’s costs; there will be no need to design equipment from scratch; all that remains for the customer is to form a product from ready-made assemblies to complete the installation (El-Ghobashy & Mosaad, 2016). Therefore, the work of an interior designer is significant in coordinating all stages of construction.
Also, in order to avoid inevitable conflicts, the interior designer must clearly understand the range of responsibilities because often misunderstandings arise against the background of an unregulated workflow. One of the areas of environmental design is interior design. Interior design is developing and implementing private or public interior design (Allen & Macomber, 2020). The design process is project documentation, by which repair and construction work is carried out in the room.
Interior design development consists of an endless list of stages, regardless of whether one is talking about the interior design of a living room, children’s room, youth room, restaurant, or office (Allen & Macomber, 2020). Most clients who come to an interior design studio have an intuitive idea of arranging rooms in an apartment or house. However, only an experienced professional will help determine the location and combination of functional areas of a cottage or apartment most logically and conveniently.
After the final approval of the layout with the customer, a quick, creative process begins. The key to success at this stage is a clear expression of the will on the part of the customer and its expressive implementation (Yildirim, 2016). The intermediate results of the development of the interior design project are visually presented to the customer in the form of a three-dimensional model, which is created using the most modern computer programs and edited according to the customer’s comments until the ideal sketch design is reached (Yildirim, 2016). The interior design sketch is a three-dimensional photorealistic perspective view of all the projected rooms in color.
It includes a measurement plan of the room, a drawing diagram that reflects the room’s actual dimensions (Yildirim, 2016). Also, interior sketches have pre-project proposals, are possible options for the reconstruction of the object, taking into account the specifics of life and the customer’s wishes, which are the arrangement of furniture and lighting solutions. The interior design is guilty of creating a detailed plan for composing the possession of the concept to the design project – 3D visualization of the skin design. The interior design project also includes the transformation of materials for the internal processing – the conversion of materials for the internal processing from the values of the number and meter.
The designer develops a project that includes a deep understanding and prediction of the results of future work by the author of the interior and drawings and diagrams that represent the designer’s ideas to the customer. The drawings illustrate the essential elements of communication in the room (Yildirim, 2016). In addition, here, the interior appears in the unity of technical and engineering solutions and structural and architectural: the drawings highlight the reconstruction of the premises and all sorts of redevelopment. Renovation and design of the premises require a competent approach of a specialist.
As a rule, the designer sees several options of the decision of an interior which can differ both on an arrangement of partitions and engineering communications indoors, and on the general style, and also color, the invoice, and other privacy features.
Thus, from measurements to the beginning of construction works, many vital questions are solved. The designer’s knowledge extends not only to the aesthetic component of the repair – all sorts of stylistic design solutions, selection of furniture, and development of entire projects for its creation and all the variety of modern building materials. The interior designer also knows what can be done in a particular room regarding the interior in various modifications of its style and design, and most importantly, how to do it (Yildirim, 2016). Therefore, the wishes and considerations of the customer are designed to push the designer on the trail of the most accurate and beautiful interior design.
Conclusion
MEP systems are an essential element of construction services. MEP systems are often developed by interior designers and contractors and can create significant coordinating and detailing issues. It must meet numerous design, installation, commissioning, operating, and maintenance objectives and standards. An interior designer is a crucial person in the coordination of Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems together because he is fully responsible for how and in what place will be placed some aspects of the interior.
However, there may be some misunderstandings when working on the project. For example, while working on an office that set a precedent for this study, a potential conflict could arise due to the lack of coordination of a phased work plan between members of the construction team. Problems often occur due to a large number of staff and opinions at the expense of construction. Therefore, the best option for resolving conflicts may be to find one person who understands all stages of construction and will be able to manage the work. Such functions can be performed by trained MEP contractors or certified interior designers. Coordination ensures the integrity and sustainability of the process, thus helping to address potential problems.
References
Allen, J., & Macomber, J. (2020). Healthy building certification systems. In healthy buildings: How indoor spaces drive performance and productivity (pp. 147-174). Cambridge, Massachusetts; London, England: Harvard University Press. Web.
Binggeli, C. (2016). Building systems for interior designers (3rd ed.). Wiley.
Burton, C. (2017). Designing high performance MEP systems for supertall buildings: A review of challenges and opportunities. 6(4), 301–306. Web.
Chalifoux, M. (2019). Conservation of character-defining engineered building systems. APT Bulletin: The Journal of Preservation Technology, 50(4), 33-41.
El-Ghobashy, S., & Mosaad, G. (2016). Nature influences on architecture interior designs. Procedia Environmental Sciences, 34, 573–581. Web.
Rodriguez, B. X., Huang, M., Lee, H. W., Simonen, K., & Ditto, J. (2020). Mechanical, electrical, plumbing and tenant improvements over the building lifetime: Estimating material quantities and embodied carbon for climate change mitigation. Energy and Buildings, 226, 110324. Web.
Yildirim, N. I. (2016). Intelligent spaces: Effects of pervasive environments on the role of interior designer. New Trends and Issues Proceedings on Humanities and Social Sciences, 2(1), 464–469. Web.
Every year, we experience various forms of disasters, where we lose lives, property, and people are injured. In such circumstances, the business operations usually come to a halt, and this causes the cost of running the business to rise. This cost is occasionally passed over to the shareholders, employees, consumers and other organs of the state.
However, all these can be managed, thereby, the injuries can be reduced in the event of a disaster, deaths can be reduced and losses in the business can be managed. With a unique and effective disaster and recovery plan for the building, we can manage various forms of disasters. A good disaster and recovery plan for the building is instrumental in ensuring that we formulate a unique plan that is based on the building, which is located in Colorado and houses 50 employees.
This paper will evaluate various potential risks to the facility from the natural disasters as well as the man-made threats. The paper will also develop a disaster and recovery plan that is unique to this facility. It is critical to ensure that every plan is effectively implemented in order to realize the full benefits of the plan.
For this reason, this paper will give a detailed explanation on how the unique plan will allow the facility to respond to possible events, either natural or man-made. Finally, the paper will describe the actions, which must be taken in order for it to be fully implemented (Gustin, 1996).
Evaluation of the Potential Risks to the Facility from Natural Disasters and man-made Threats
A fundamental understanding of various complexities associated with disasters is instrumental in the preparedness. The continuity of any business is based on the ability to prevent and mitigate any form of a disaster that may arise. The understanding of the various forms of disasters that the building is vulnerable to is critical to the developer of the facility.
This assists in developing a unique plan, which is effective in dealing with forms of disasters that may occur at any particular time. The understanding is also important for the purpose of fast response in the event of an emergency. It is for this purpose that the plan will be developed based on the evaluation of the various forms of disasters that exist. For the purpose of this plan, the disasters will be classified into two broad categories discussed below.
Natural disasters
The natural disasters that are common in this region include hurricanes, winter storms, tornados, floods, earthquakes and fires. It is worth noting that fires may also be occasioned by arson, and this paper has classified it under this category due to the natural causes that may result to fire. Each of these causes is illustrated herein. A hurricane is basically a tropical storm, which is associated with winds that travel at a constant speed of up to 74 miles per hour.
The speed can be higher, depending on the circumstances of the hurricanes. In normal cases, a large spiral is formed by the hurricanes around the calm centre. This can cause a drastic impact because the winds usually grow with strength. An effective disaster plan is critical because the hurricane brings torrential rains with high winds as well as storm surges. The hurricane may even last for several days (Federal Emergency Agency, 2006).
The plan for this ideal building is designed to ensure that once the hurricane watch is issued, a good response is affected by securing the physical property. The plan has an ideal evacuation area, where the entire occupant should assemble. The building has link paths that assist the occupants to collectively assemble without occasioning any form of confusion to the occupants.
The house will be fitted with effective communication materials to ensure that all the occupants of the facility are effectively informed about the disaster in the shortest possible time. The arrangement of the facility is designed to ensure that all the occupants have an easy access to the exit paths (Gustin, 1996).
Tornadoes are natural disasters that are characterized by twisted funnel shaped clouds that create thunderstorms. They are associated with high wind velocity. They last for shorter durations, but they are very destructive on physical properties. With this in mind, the disaster management plan for this particular building is designed to ensure that there are minimal loses to the facility.
Owing to the fact that deaths associated with tornadoes are caused by the collapse of the building, the facility in this case is designed to endure pressure from such tornadoes that may hit the building. The building is designed to have a banker in the basement, which can serve as an interior room where the occupants of the building assemble in the event of tornadoes. This ensures that the occupants are secured from windows, doors and other flying objects that are associated with tornados (Federal Emergency Agency, 2006).
The facility is designed to ensure that all the occupants of the house have access to the interior room. The room is constructed with reinforced a heavy concrete floor and a roof with overhead systems. There are personnel who are assigned to modular offices where the occupants should be moved to.
Winter storms occasion devastating effects, and they may last for several days. The winter storm is usually accompanied by high winds, rains or the sleet, snowfall and extremely cold temperatures. The building is structured to withstand the storms and it has a power backup system that is instrumental in the event that the power lines are knocked off by the storms. The building is also fitted with a heating system because of the low temperatures associated with the storms.
Floods are usually common and widespread and they can be very devastating if they are not well managed. The floods are caused by heavy rains, the melting of the snow, tides and storms among other things. The Building is situated in a high rise landscape besides being fitted with good drainage facilities. In the event of floods, the facility is designed to withstand the floods through the additional drainages that are connected to main tunnels and trenches (Federal Emergency Agency, 2006).
Fire is hazardous. It is attributed to deaths, injuries and the loss of property. The disaster management plan for this facility is designed to prevent fire through effective training program for the occupiers. The building is well fitted with fire extinguishers, and the occupiers are given periodical training on their use.
The building is designed to have a fire assembly point, where the occupiers can assemble in the event of the fire for the purpose of evacuation. The disaster management structures in the building are designed to ensure that the information is well relayed and understandable by the facility’s occupants. The building is clearly marked with exit signs as well as a definition of the emergency procedures as part of fire prevention strategies (Federal Emergency Agency, 2006).
Earthquakes are usually sudden shakings of the earth that are caused by the rapid breaking and shifting of the rocks in the earth’s surface. The earthquakes cause buildings to collapse, and this may be followed by a disruption of electricity, gas and others services. However, good pre-planning controls are instrumental in managing the level of disasters.
It is clear that a stable foundation of the building may be helpful in minimizing the level of risks associated with earthquakes. The building is designed to have firm concrete walls, because the greatest dangers during an earthquake are outside the building. The walls are well-constructed to withstand the movements (Federal Emergency Agency, 2006).
Man-made Disasters
The man-made disasters are mostly associated with technological incidences and human errors. The main forms of man-made disasters that are associated with the building scenario include the hazardous materials accidents, transportation accidents, terror threats, power failures and civil disturbances. Hazardous Materials include flammables, toxics, explosives, noxious, corrosives and radioactive materials among others.
These hazardous materials pose a danger to the property as well as the human beings in the premises. Terrorism is the most heinous modern day crime that targets such facilities. The act causes panic to the occupiers of the building. To avoid this, the facility is well-planned and secured through safe and restricted access systems that are fitted with explosive detectors with manned access points. The facility is also designed to withstand minor explosives.
The security personnel are well trained to secure the facility from threats, and the occupants are well trained on how to conduct themselves in the event of an attack. They are provided with the contact details of local authorities, who include the police, government agencies, fire agencies and the bureau of alcohol, tobacco and firearms. These groups are mandated to assist in planning and training of the employees (Federal Emergency Agency, 2006).
Civil disturbances include rioting, picketing and demonstrations, and they pose a security threat to the occupants of the property. The security personnel are trained to handle such cases. The facility is also fitted with secure doors that are instrumental in locking out unauthorized persons. The windows are secure and fitted with blinds and drapes in order to avoid direct confrontation of the occupants with the demonstrators (Gustin, 2004).
Power failure is also a potential source of danger because it interrupts computers, communication equipments, security systems, lighting systems and elevator systems. The building is fitted with stock battery-operated radios and flashlights for combating the power failure. The house is also fitted with an emergency standby power supply system that ensures that the operations of the organization are not interrupted (Federal Emergency Agency, 2006).
The Developed Disaster and Recovery Plan for the Facility
The disaster and recovery plan for the facility is designed to support the growth of the business and it explains the importance of this disaster and recovery plan. The cost of a disaster and recovery project is a priority for the purpose of having good business components. The disaster and recovery plan is essential for the continuity of the business plan. The disaster and recovery plan has been tested and refined for implementation. It is designed to serve as a long-term backup program (Federal Emergency Agency, 2006).
The periodic tests and consultations have been instrumental in the development process of an effective disaster recovery plan. The audit and defined process are thus said to be a sound investment. It has managed to identify the loopholes by individuals, who have more familiarity with the disaster and recovery plan.
The plan has been developed by a team that has a clear understanding of the facility. This is a critical point for the purpose of addressing the infrastructures that are related. Being a multi-site location, the facility requires a comprehensive disaster and recovery plan (Gustin, 1996; Federal Emergency Agency, 2006).
The disaster and recovery plan for the facility has an eye on the equipment that is used for the recovery during the disaster. The facility is coordinated by a disaster recovery coordinator, a team leader and other team members.
The other persons are designated as primary. The main goal of this is to ensure that there are representatives from all the technical areas of the organization, who have the expertise to develop the various recovery’s procedures. This also ensures that these representatives are committed to the overall success of the disaster and recovery plan (Gustin, 2004; Federal Emergency Agency, 2006).
The recovery plan also addresses the building’s functional areas that need a recovery. This is realized through the order of priorities and cost benefit analysis. This is critical in assessing whether the recovery is worth. The disaster and recovery plan has also incorporated the legal requirements as well as the specific business requirements.
The plan has also identified the single points of failure for the purpose of mitigating the risk. This level involves the personnel, software, and other equipments as well as infrastructures. The plan has also incorporated the impact of the failure, the probability of the failure, the estimated incidents, the annualized loss expectancy and the cost of mitigation (Gustin, 1996).
Explanation of How the Plan Would Allow the Facility to Respond to Possible Events
The plan is designed to allow the facility to respond to possible events through the recovery of data. It is noteworthy that the recovery may not be up to the point of the failure, but it clearly identifies the process. It has the ability to call all the data feeds on the system through identification. It also minimizes damage on the data, particularly in the distribution process within the environment where the whole process is dependent. It also identifies the action to be taken upon inconsistence of the data (Gustin, 2004).
The plan also incorporates the audit trail of work that has been performed during the period. Upon the recovery of the data, there is a validation process, which is designed to ensure that the complete recovery is attained with a consistent within the working environment.
The restoration of the operations of the business is also supported by the system through service levels that are defined by the documents. The date is also transferred back to the production machines, which are omitted. In regards to the issue of hardware, the configuration is done through the device names, file systems, operating systems as well as the patch levels (Gustin, 1996).
The safety of the 50 employees is also a priority in the process of disaster and recovery plan. The plan gives a detailed account of the transportation of the employees as well as their families. It is also important to note that each of the employees in this case is assigned a role for the purpose of the disaster and recovery plan. Some of the personnel are assigned the back-up in the event of absenteeism of the other members.
The plan is also reinforced with frequent audits. The building is designed to have multiple line communication as part of the disaster and recovery plan. The building has a conferencing and emergency communication service, which sends automated massages in the event of a disaster to a platform phone number.
Description of the Actions which Must be Taken in Order to Implement the Plan
There is a third party recovery specialist, who ensures that the organization is provided with workspaces in the event of an emergency. The workspaces are well fitted with the necessary equipments for the purpose of the organization’s business. The workspaces are connected to access the organization’s data in the off-site facility (Gustin, 1996).
Upon the personnel rescue and the back-up of data, recovery is the next goal. It is planned based on the back-up of the data in hard disks that are stored in an off-site facility once per week. The data should also be classified depending on the nature of the data at hand. The data recovery plan takes the order of priorities. The security measures of the process include a group of well trained employees within the building, who play a crucial role in the safeguarding of the systems of the company and particularly, the sensitive data (Gustin, 2004).
A secure data recovery plan is set through the development of a proper outline of the action plan. This ensures that the organization resumes its operations quickly, even in the cases of major interruptions. It is critical to establish the activities that are fundamental for the purpose of minimizing the potential losses.
The organization also takes all the necessary measures to anticipate and plan for the disasters by placing a plan and a network that are designed to manage the disaster. Although development of the plan is not a guarantee, the exercising of the disaster and recovery plan ensures that the firm with the trained staff is ready for any form of disaster (Gustin, 1996; USDLOSHA, 2005).
The disaster and recovery testing is important in the development of an effective disaster and recovery strategy. The fact that this recovery plan can fail makes it fall short, but it plays an important role in preparation for possible disasters that may arise. The evaluation of the effectiveness of all the procedures is thus critical in the management of the disaster.
The employees also act as a part of the team that is instrumental in the performance of the disaster and recovery plan, because they determine what works and what does not work by planning for the unexpected. Therefore, the disaster and recovery plan is a flawless teamwork that requires rapid execution.
References
Federal Emergency Agency. (2006). Top Ten Natural Disasters-Ranked. Washington, DC: FEMA Relief Costs Publication.
Gustin, J. (1996). Safety Management: A Guide for Facility Managers. New York, NY: UpWord Publishing.
Gustin, J. (2004). Disaster & Recovery Planning: A Guide for Facility Managers. Atlanta: The Fairmount Press.
USDLOSHA. (2005). OSHA Handbook for Small Business, Small Business Safety and Health Management. OSHA, 2 (4), 23-27.
In this paper, we shall study the facts and figures of the Lloyd’s Building, London and understand the circumstances prevailing at that time. Even though Richard Rogers was a renowned architect, there were some people who were not impressed by his designs. Probably, the reason was that Rogers was a modernist and designed building based on futuristic vision.
The buildings designed by him were in contrast with the old designs. But Rogers took precautions that his designs did not have a demeaning effect on the surroundings. Gradually Rogers started getting appreciation and won great accolades. The Lloyd’s Building is one of his master pieces that stand tall even today.
The name of Lloyd’s Building was derived from Edward Lloyd’s Coffee House during the years of 1700. The coffee shop was used as a meeting place where owners of ships used to meet the insurers in order to decide the insurance premiums of various shipments.
Phillips said, “The Lloyd’s insurance market has always been a place of ‘information exchange’: in its early days this was carried out in the coffee house run by Edwin Lloyd, where sea captains and financiers met to exchange information on shipping and the movement of cargo” (Phillips). During the ensuing 300 years, Lloyds became a synonym for insurance and today, it is a world renowned name in the insurance sector.
After two earlier buildings (1928 and 1958) were felt to be small and keeping in view the increasing customer base, during the year 1970, London’s Lloyd insurers hired Richard Rogers as architect for their innovative headquarters to be constructed on One Lime Street in London, England.
Richard Rogers was a renowned architect famous for his modern designs. Powell et al suggested that, “The Lloyd’s Building epitomizes Richard Rogers’ concern with overt technical imagery” (Powell and Rogers). The main contractor for the project was Bovis.
The structural services engineers were Ove Arup & Partners. Lloyds wanted to build up their worldwide image by constructing this building with a unique design. In creating the design of the Lloyd’s Building, Rogers took inspiration from his earlier jobs. “Rogers’ sources for the building were many. The immediate precedent is his Pompidou Centre, Paris (1971), which he designed with Renzo Piano” (Riba).
At the time when the construction of the Lloyd’s Building started, the British government was in the process of bringing about some major changes in the government policies, mainly pertaining to the labor class.
Some changes that were being proposed were: increasing the labor opportunities, increasing self employment opportunities, improving the market conditions of women laborers, etc. Margaret Thatcher tried to improve the employment conditions in the United Kingdom but in this process, the Union powers experienced a decrease.
Also, the reforms were not able to improve the wages to the unemployed. But of course, there was a substantial decrease in the unemployment. In such circumstances, the construction of the Lloyd’s Building was welcomed by the labor class as many job opportunities were created.
The construction of the building started in the year 1978 and it was completed in 1986. Lloyd’s Building was inaugurated on 18 November 1986 by Queen Elizabeth II. The total cost incurred was $107,876,055.44.
Picture 1: Lloyd’s Building, London, England.
The building was unique in the sense that all the utilities were designed to be located towards the exterior. Utilities include conduit and water pipes, lifts, stairs, and toilets. This was done in order to create more inner space.
It was intended to provide ample space for various functions of the office. Richard was quite successful in his endeavor of creating a modern look for the building. The building got a good appreciation from the public as well since it blended with the surrounding buildings and did not diminish the look of the ‘Square Mile’ area.
Huge quantities of concrete, to the tune of 1,183,394 cubic feet, were used in the construction of the building. The quantity of glass used for creating the curtain wall effect was 129,166 square feet. The steel cladding was done using 322,917 square feet of stainless steel. In addition to the stainless steel, 53,819 square feet of aluminum and 21,527 square feet of painted steel were also used. 140,000 meters of gasket (for sealing the windows) and 80,000 meters of ducts and pipes were used.
There are six towers that are part of the building. Three of these are main towers and the rest are for service purpose. Cleaning cranes are installed on top of the three service towers. The service towers housed all the utilities like lifts, bathrooms, machinery rooms, etc. This was done in order to keep the work flow smooth and without any sort of disturbance caused due to repairs and maintenance. These six towers surround a rectangular space.
The building consists of fourteen floors that are easily accessible by twelve glass lifts. These kinds of glass lifts were used for the first time in the whole of the United Kingdom. The building also has zigzag staircases that can be used for access to the lower floors. The building also boasts of having special lifts for cars that take them to the underground parking area. The atrium or the reception area of the building is massive and the famous Lutine Bell is installed here. This area is also called as the ‘Underwriting Room’.
The height of this room is 197 feet and it has a glass ceiling that allows natural light into the area. The bell is of great significance. The Lloyds had insured a cargo ship named HMS Lutine. Unfortunately, the ship, with huge treasures, sank and only the bell could be recovered during 1860. Since then, it has been a tradition to sound the bell once if there is any good news and twice if there is any bad news.
The actual height of the building is 289 feet but if the cranes installed on the service towers are taken into consideration, the height becomes 312 feet. The building was designed in such a manner that any changes in the floor plans were easily possible. According to the initial design, the lower four floors had balconies while the rest of the floors were closed with glass sheets.
The building was constructed keeping in consideration the vertical expansion system. The framework of the towers constitutes of vertical columns, horizontal beams and slabs. It is noteworthy that all these were prefabricated at other facilities and then were brought at the site and fixed.
One peculiar thing about the Lloyd’s Building is that the Committee Room, housed on the eleventh floor, was shifted as it is from the old Lloyd’s Building. Pieces from the old building were removed from the old building and placed in the new one in exactly the same fashion.
Picture 4: Section Drawing of Lloyd’s Building.Picture 5: Floor plans of Lloyd’s Building.
The building won various accolades and prizes such as the coveted Eternit 8th International Prize for Architecture in 1988 and the PA Award for Innovation in Building Design and Construction, in 1988. The Twentieth Century Society promoted Lloyd’s Building to be included in the Grade I listed buildings.
It took almost three years, when in 2011 the Lloyd’s Building was declared as being a Grade I building. In Roger Bowdler’s words, “The Lloyd’s building designed by the Richard Rogers Partnership stands the test of time with its awe-inspiring futuristic design which exemplifies the High Tech style of Britain. It clearly merits the extra protection against unsuitable alteration or development that listing provides” (as cited by Waite).
But not everyone was happy or convinced with the decision of granting the Lloyd’s Building a Grade I listing status. According to Owen Hatherley, “There should be no doubt whatsoever that Lloyd’s deserves its listing. But for a building so famous, Lloyd’s is not well served by writers and historians. It is usually interpreted in one of two completely inadequate ways” (Hatherley).
Lloyd’s Building has been used as a picture shooting location for many films such as Ashes to Ashes, The Outer Limits, Spy Game, The Avengers, Incredible Games, etc.
It has been almost 26 years that Lloyd’s building was constructed. During these years, there have been a lot many changes in all spheres of live, including the construction machineries. The manual labor for such heavy works has been reduced to almost negligible. At the same time, accuracy and perfection have increased. Even the time of completion of any particular work has decreased. The role of manual labor has decreased.
But in place of the manual labor specialized labor is required. In other words, it has become very crucial for laborers to undergo some vocational training. Even the construction materials have improved in quality and strength. But due to massive competition in the construction market, the profit margin has gone down. As a result, construction companies don’t want to spend much on its employees’ training and other requirements. As a result, there have been many unsatisfied customers as far as the workmanship is concerned.
Talking of the Lloyd’s Building, if it were to be constructed in today’s circumstances, there would have been many differences. The major difference would have been the time period for completion. It took almost eight years to complete the building. But during recent times, owing to the technological developments, the time taken would be reduced to a great extent. Another major difference would have been the cost factor.
If the currency inflation is taken into consideration, the cost of constructing the Lloyd’s Building in recent times would be much less. This is because most of the work would have been done by machines and it is understood that machines are cheaper than human beings. Also, the quality of the materials used would have been better that would result in more durability. The life of the building, which was initially set to fifty years, would have been more in case it was constructed in recent times.
There are certain changes that would have been welcomed by the majority. First of all, the lifts should have been towards the inner side of the towers instead of the outer side. This may be said to be a privacy concern. Anyone can see people going up and coming down by simply standing outside in the lane. So in my opinion, the lifts should have been on the inner side.
It was a well thought idea of Rogers in keeping all the wash rooms in the service towers. But he forgot to take into consideration the time taken by people to go all the way from their offices to the wash rooms. In my opinion, the washrooms should have been near the offices. This would have saved a lot of man hours.
If repairs and maintenance was thought to be a disturbing process, the doors of the wash rooms could have been blocked by some partition in such a manner that a person going to the washroom can enter the washroom but no one can see him/her entering the wash room. What I mean to say is that the direct view of the wash rooms could have been blocked instead of shifting them completely in another tower.
Another change that I would have suggested is that the lifts installed for taking the cars to the lower levels where the parking lots were located, could have been avoided. Instead, ramps should have been constructed. This would have saved the recurring expenses of the lift such as electricity, repairs and maintenance, etc.
My other concern is related to the health of people working on the higher floors after the fourth one. From what we have studied, it is evident that up to fourth floor, people have access to balconies. But fifth floor onwards, there are no balconies. The building is covered with glass walls.
This means there are no windows as well. In order to keep healthy, fresh air is a must. But people working on the upper floors, after the fourth one, don’t have access to fresh air. It is understood that there might be heaters and/or air conditioners but in my opinion these all are artificial things made for comfort. The health aspect has not been considered.
From ‘Picture 6’ below, it is evident that there are no separate cabins or rooms for people working on different floors. Tables and chairs can be seen adjusted for people to work. In my opinion this is not a good office culture. If a person talks over the telephone, another one can listen.
Moreover, if two people talk to each other, other people working near by might get disturbed. Means there is no sound barrier. There may be circumstances when people at a floor talk loudly which may disturb people on the other floors. So in my opinion this should have been changed and small cabins should have been erected.
If the cost factor was supposed to be a constraint then the option would have been half partitions. By doing this, at least the horizontal travel of sound could have been contained to a great extent. Another disadvantage of this open office system is that people sitting at their table have a direct view of the escalators. Sometimes this might be quite distracting. As a result, the competence of the staff will be affected.
Picture 6: Lloyd’s Building, London, England.
‘Picture 7’ below portrays the exterior of the Lloyd’s Building. At first look, it seems to be some industrial unit where bib pipelines are required. A layman will obviously take it to be some factory or something. In my opinion, the exterior design should have been changed in such a way that there were no pipes visible. A better option could be to cover all such pipes and ducts with some sort of covering that would compliment the whole building.
Picture 7: Lloyd’s Building, London, England.
It is understood that the Lloyd’s Building’s exterior is made out of steel and glass. Both these materials require regular cleaning. This involves too many expenses. In the process of creating a unique building, Rogers created a mine of expenses. Rogers could have used some stones, granites etc on the outer walls of the towers.
Even though there are many exterior lifts now days, the concept doesn’t convince me. It is very risky. In case of any mishap, there is nothing that the lift can hold on. In the traditional lifts, there are at least walls on all the four sides and there are chances of safety. But in the external lifts, during any mishap, people in the lift will straight away plunge to their deaths. So in my opinion, instead of external lifts, Rogers should have designed the covered lift system.