Category: Building

Introduction

Over the years, building designs have been changing in an effort to address diverse social, economic, and environmental needs. For instance, the 20^th century was characterized by the advent of the skyscraper, in which the steel framing technology was exploited in a bid to surmount the shortage of real estate in different cities in the United States (U.S. Department of energy 2008).

All of a sudden, the booming real estate market gave rise to other problems such as congestion and pollution that we now have to contend with.

As a result, the modern day building industry seems to have ushered in a new era of change whereby the main goal is to ensure that we reduce as much as possible the various forms of footprint including carbon, energy, as well as environmental footprint of both residential and commercial buildings (U.S Department of energy 2008).

At the same time, there is a dire need to conserve and optimize scarce resources such as energy, water, land, and clean air.

In an attempt to surmount these challenges, players in the building industry are now banking on transformative technologies. For this reason, developers, designers and owners are on the lookout for new ways to reduce the environmental consequences and operating costs of buildings and at the same time, ensure that such buildings appeal to the occupants. This is what has given rise to the concept of sustainable buildings.

A sustainable building refers to a structure that has been constructed in a resource-efficient and environmentally responsible manner. Such practices should be implemented in the entire lifecycle of the building beginning with siting, designing, and the actual construction.

The same practices should also be utilized when maintaining, renovating, or demolishing such a building (EPA, n.d.). For proper coordination of all these activities, there is need for the various professionals involved to cooperate at the various stages of the project. These professionals include the design team, engineers, architects, and the client (EPA, n. d.).

The practice of sustainable/green building is an expansion of and a complement to the conventional design of buildings that appears to emphasize more on utility, economy, comfort, and durability (Mumovic & Santamouris, 2009).

Even with the constant development in new technologies aimed at complementing the existing practices, sustainable buildings are designed in such a manner as to reduce the possible overall impact that such buildings could have on the built environment, the natural environment, as well as on human health. This can be achieved by ensuring that such resources as water and energy have been utilized efficiently.

Another way of achieving sustainability is by improving employee productivity and ensuring that the health of the occupant of such buildings is protected. Also, there is need to reduce pollution, waste, and environmental degradation (Mumovic & Santamouris, 2009).

Sustainability involves the ability to fulfill the needs of the current generation while still ensuring that the needs of future generations have not been compromised (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2010).

A report released by the U.S. General Services Administration in 2009 reveals that it would cost less to design, construct, operate, and maintain a sustainable building compared to a conventional building. Moreover, such buildings are also characterized by excellent energy performance.

Moreover, occupants of such buildings expressed a lot of satisfaction in terms of the overall construction of the building, in comparison with their counterparts who occupied the conventional commercial buildings.

Why we need to promote the concept of sustainable buildings

Statistics show that today, the amount of energy consumed by the over 4.7 million commercial buildings and more than 114 million households in the United States is more than that which is consumed by the industry sectors.

In this case, the combined energy consumption by commercial and residential buildings in the United States is estimated at approximately 40 percent of the entire energy consumption in the country (U.S. Department of energy 2008).

As such, the social, environmental, and financial benefits associated with the integration of renewable energy technologies, energy-efficient products and designs into both residential and commercial buildings are very evident.

Nevertheless, up till now, in spite of increased consumer awareness on the benefits and significance of minimizing overall energy emission and consumption, Ellington 2004), there appears to be a very low uptake of the sustainable building concept.

In the past few centuries, people who were interested in utilizing the earth’s resources to the fullest to support its progress and development were rarely questioned but in the 21^st century, we continue to witness a significant and remarkable shift towards a more accountable approach.

For instance, it is slowly dawning on developers, land owners, governments, the private sector, engineers and the general public that the earth’s resources are dwindling fast and for this reason, it is becoming increasingly important that all the parties involved make a concerted effort to ensuring that they preserve the environment so that future generations may also get a share of what mother nature has to offer.

In addition, these parties are now fully aware of the importance of striking a balance between the environment, and their social and economic wellbeing for increased sustainability (Barr, 2004). That is why we are slowly witnessing a mushrooming of sustainable residential and commercial buildings that have been constructed in an eco-friendly manner.

Even so, there is still need to create more awareness on the potential benefits of sustainable buildings if at all we are to witness profound improvements in the management of scarce natural resources and the associated negative effects once these resources are depleted.

As such, by embracing social, economically and environmentally-sustainable housing alternatives, we stand a chance to witness the challenging and beneficial large-scale change in sustainable buildings that we so much desire.

Reducing environmental impact through sustainable buildings

The aim of sustainable building is to ensure that the environmental effects of buildings are reduced significantly. Buildings usually occupy a lot of space. Reports by the National Resources Inventory show that in the United States, over 107 million acres of land is already under development.

A publication released by the International Energy Agency estimates that over 40 percent of the gross primary energy consumption in the world can be attributed to the existing buildings (U.S Department of energy, 2008). At the same time, the same report estimated that approximately 24 percent of the carbon dioxide emitted globally can be attributed to existing buildings.

Objectives of sustainable buildings

The main motives of sustainable buildings include economic, social, and environmental concerns. On the other hand, the current sustainability initiative requires the synergistic and integrated design of new buildings, along with a retrofitting of the already existing buildings (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2010).

The strategy, commonly referred to as sustainable design, is aimed at creating synergy between newer sustainable building and the existing conventional buildings.

Sustainable buildings encompass various techniques and practices aimed at not only reducing, but also eliminating the effects of buildings on both human health and the environment.

The practice of sustainable building usually stress on the importance of exploiting renewable resources, such as photovoltaic techniques, trees and plants through rain gardens and green roofs, as well as ensuring that we reduce rainwater runoff (California Sustainability Alliance, 2011).

We have quite a number of approaches that can be useful, such as replacing asphalt or conventional concrete with permeable concrete or packed gravel. Such an approach is intended to enhance the replenishment of groundwater.

The technologies and practices used in sustainable building are constantly changing and they also tend to vary from one region to another. However, the fundamental principles do not change from one region to another.

Some of the basic principles of sustainable building include optimizing water efficiency, siting efficiency, materials efficiency, structure design efficiency, quality enhancement of indoor environment, water and toxic reduction, and maintenance and operations optimization (California Sustainability Alliance, 2011).

Essentially, sustainable buildings are geared towards the optimization of one or more of the aforementioned basic principles. Through the use of the most suitable synergistic design, we can be able to achieve an improved gross effect of the various technologies adopted in sustainable building.

Sustainable building design

Developing sustainability in buildings means that we need to embrace techniques that encourage biodiversity, protect and conserve water quantity and quality, protect the air, minimize soil loss, encourage recycling and reduce waste, minimize use of fossil fuel energy, minimize noise, and encourage the selection of suitable building materials.

Sustainable building design takes into account each one of these components with a view to reducing the overall effects of such a building on the environment (Allen & Iano, 2008).

From an aesthetic point of view, sustainable design enables us to design a certain building in a way that ensures harmony not only with the natural environment, but also with the natural resources as well. In spite of the constant changes in the definition of sustainable building design, there are six basic principles that do not change:

Site optimization

Proper site selection is the first step towards the creation of sustainable buildings. Site selection also takes into account the rehabilitation or reuse of existing buildings. It is important to ensure that potential sites are screen first prior to purchasing (Allen & Iano, 2008).The selection process should also be optimized for the different criteria.

The whole interdisciplinary team should be involved in the process of selecting a site. There is a need also to assess a number of sites to check if they are consistent with the goals and priorities of the entire team. The collection of data and its assessment should facilitate such an exercise.

It is also important to address a number of questions such as whether the site is a natural landscape, or the site enjoys a sufficient access to reliable and efficient public transport. It would also be important to determine if it is possible to develop the land effectively and still control for excess erosion and sediment.

The existing native vegetation should also not act as a hindrance to the construction if left. The nature of energy for use in a building is dependent on a number of factors such as the landscape and orientation of the land on which the building has been constructed.

The location of the building will also affect the mode of transport to adopt. Another crucial element in optimizing site design is the issue of siting for physical security (Allen & Iano, 2008). Other issues that we need to consider include the perimeter lighting and parking.

In addition, vehicle barriers should also be considered. It is always important to ensure that the site of a proposed building design gels with the requirements for a sustainable building. This should be the case whether the design is meant for a new building or even in the case of a retrofit.

Consequently, it becomes easier to ensure the success of a building project. Another important factor that we need to also take into account when considering the site of a building is stormwater runoff. In this case, the building should be constructed in such a way that we can easily contain or reduce this menace.

Energy use optimization

The supply of fossil fuel is dwindling fast not just in the United States, but across the globe as well. As such, there has been a rapid increase in concerns for energy security and independence, as well as the possible effects of global climate change that often accompanies the use and depletion of fossil fuels.

For this reason, it has become increasingly important to find new ways that will increase efficiency, reduce load, and make use of renewable sources of energy (Ellington, 2004). Increasing the energy performance a given building is critical because it also ensures that such a building becomes energy dependent.

Both the private sector and the government are working hard to see to it that more building attain net zero energy levels in the decades ahead. This is largely seen as the starting point of a journey towards energy sustainability.

Although sustainable building design may appear expensive in the short-term nevertheless, they have been shown be energy-efficient in the long-run. For instance, majority of the office buildings today are constructed using cheaper black roofing. These roofs are able to absorb extra heat and when the usage of central air conditioning systems is increased, this helps to offset the extra heat absorbed.

One study revealed that a certain company managed to save up to $ 16 million dollars annually when it decided to adopt a reflective roofing system (Chang 2000). The money saved would have gone to offset the air-conditioning bill. Adopting such a practice would mainly benefit such cities as New York and Atlanta that have been affected the most by the heat-island effect.

This is a low system phenomenon that results in concentrated rainstorms and higher temperatures over a specific area. The phenomenon is mainly common in cities characterized by a shortage of black roofing, trees, and a substantial number of pavements (Chang 2000).

Conserving and protecting water

Fresh water is fast becoming a scarce resource in many sections of the country and for this reason, there is need to ensure that a sustainable building use water very efficiently ((Allen & Iano, 2008). In addition, such a building should also be designed in such a way that it can recycle and reuse water for on-site applications, depending on how feasible such a practice is.

Environmentally friendly materials

One of the basic rules in sustainable building is that the construction material of choice should minimize global warming. In addition, it should not have an effect on human toxicity, and should also reduce the environmental effects of the building’s life-cycle.

Such materials have also been noted to have reduced effects on both the environment and human health (Yan & Stellios, 2006). Besides, constructing buildings using environmentally friendly materials can lead to less disposal costs. It also results in improved worker safety and health.

Improved indoor environmental quality

Improving the quality of the indoor environment of a building is critical since poor quality of air can affect the health, productivity and comfort of the occupants. One of the key elements of a sustainable building is the ability to enhance daylighting (Yan & Stellios, 2006). This can be achieved by having in place suitable moisture and ventilation controls.

Improving maintenance and operational processes

Besides improving the design of a building, along with the construction components, there is also the need to maintain the build in a manner that will ensure that it remains sustainable.

It is important to take into account the maintenance and operational issues of a building at the preliminary design stage as this will go a long way into improving productivity, enhancing the working environment, preventing system failures, and reducing resource and energy costs (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2009).

It is also important to ensure that the personnel involved in the daily operations of a building take part in the initial design as well as the developmental stages so that the building is maintained in the most efficient manner.

The role of a designer is critical because they are in a position to specify the systems and materials that when used in the construction of the building will result in reduced and simplified maintenance requirements. At the same time, it becomes easier to identify building materials that do not need a lot of energy and water to maintain.

Improving indoor environment quality

Improving the air quality of the indoor environment is a vital step in helping to enhance the image of a sustainable building. As such, it becomes important to reduce volatile organic compounds in a building for enhanced circulation of air.

For example, well designed ventilation systems allow for the entry of sufficient and cleaner air into the building (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2009). Reduce emissions from a building also enhances the interior air quality. This can be realised by making sure that the materials used to manufacture the interior products has very low or no emissions that would compromise the quality of air.

Most maintenance/cleaning products and building materials emit gases, and some of this gas can be toxic to the occupants and to the building as well. This is because such gases have a deleterious effect on the comfort, health and productivity of the occupants (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2009).

By avoiding the use of such products, the interior environmental quality of a building can be enhanced. When we have water condensing on the interior surfaces of a building, this can result in microbial growth. To overcome such a problem, it is important to ensure that the building’s envelope is tightly-sealed and well-insulated.

Energy efficiency

Sustainable buildings should ideally be efficient in terms of energy consumption. Such efficiency often involves the activities of extracting, manufacturing, and installing the building materials. Energy consumption should also be geared towards the provision of such services as power for equipment and heating.

The efficiency of the building envelope can be improved by ensuring that only insulated floors and ceilings have been used, and that the windows are of high efficiency. Passive solar building design is yet another strategy that can also be used (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2009). Most low-energy homes utilize this strategy.

The strategic placing of walls and windows through orientation enables the occupants to maximize on the use of light coming into the building through the roof and the windows. At the same time, the strategy enables designers to utilize solar energy to the maximum during winter. In any case, one can greatly minimize electric energy demand by adopting daylighting technique.

The provision of extra natural light would also be useful. When you factor in solar water heating, the energy costs of a sustainable building are reduced further (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2010).

Examples of renewable sources of energy that can be adopted in a sustainable building include solar power and wind power. The use of renewable sources of energy would therefore result in a major reduction in potential environmental impact on such buildings.

In a bid to conserve energy, sustainable buildings should be constructed such that it is easily to identify and implement the various energy saving measures. Energy retrofits are by far more expensive compared to conservation and as such, a lot of effort should be dedicated to ensuring that we conserve energy.

One of the strategies of ensuring that we have reduced our energy usage is by targeting those items that consume a lot of energy in the building (Allen & Iano, 2008).

For example, in a hotel, space conditioning (that is, cooling and heating) has been noted to utilize the most amount of energy. Therefore, in trying to conserve the energy consumption pattern of a hotel, a lot of efforts should be made to ensure that there is no heat transfer that takes place within the building.

Other effective strategies that can also be adopted include decreasing infiltration, improving windows, insulating ductwork and exterior partitions, as well as retrofitting lighting fixtures. Another strategy that if implemented can lower costs is to ensure that during off peak times, electricity usage has been shifted (Allen & Iano, 2008).

The users of a sustainable building should form the habit of always saving energy. There is not much investment that goes into conservation measures and as such, they should be utilized more often. In terms of reducing operating costs, conservation measures have also proved to be the most cost-effective.

Materials efficiency

Certain building materials are considered as being sustainable. They include such renewable materials as straw, and bamboo, recycled metal, dimension stone, lumber obtained from certified forests, and recycled metals.

Other non-toxic, renewable, recyclable, and/or reusable materials that can also qualify as sustainable building materials include sheep wool, linoleum, truss, compressed earth block, baked earth, sand stone, flax linen, cork, wood fiber plates, and expanded clay grains, among others (EPA, n. d.).

Other materials on the suggestion list of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for inclusion as sustainable building materials include foundry sand, coal combustion products, and demolition debris (EPA, n. d.). It is also recommended that building materials be extracted and produced closer to the site of the building as a way of reducing energy that would be expended upon their transit.

Whenever possible, it is also recommended that the manufacturing of building material should take place off-site, after which they should then be delivered on-site. This is aimed at increasing benefits of off-site production, including reduction of recycling, reduced waste, less dust and noise, and high quality elements.

Waste reduction

Sustainable building is committed to ensuring that there is a drastic reduction in the wastage of building materials, energy, and water, among other vital resources. In addition, it is also important to ensure that water is not wasted when undertaking construction.

Engineers involved in the construction stage of a sustainable building should ensure that they minimize the volume of materials that end up in landfills (Allen & Iano, 2008). This way, it becomes easier to reduce the amount of materials in the landfill.

Once the useful life of a building is over, most of them are demolished and the ensuing waste finds its way into landfills. Though deconstruction, such waste could be harvested and reclaimed to form useful building material (EPA, n. d.). We can also reduce wastes by extending the useful life of a building.

Water Efficiency

The concept of sustainable building is also concerned with activities aimed at ensuring that the protection of the quality of water is assured, and that the consumption of water has been minimized. One of the fundamental aspects of water consumption is that in certain areas, the supplying aquifer may not be able to sustain demand for water because its ability to self-replenish is slower (Mumovic & Santamouris, 2009).

For this reason, the personnel involved in the maintenance of such buildings should ensure that the water collected on-site has been put to good use by re-using it whenever possible. Protecting and conserving water in a building can be ensured by installing a dual plumbing design. This way, the occupants of a sustainable building can be assured throughout its entire lifetime.

As a result, it becomes easier to recycle the water used to flush toilets, thereby ensuring water conservation. The use of water conserving fixtures like low-flow shower heads and ultra-low flush toilets can also help to reduce waste-water (Mumovic & Santamouris, 2009).

Also, the non-sewage water could also be put to better use, like for irrigation purposes instead of just letting it go to waste. This way, we can be able to reduce the demand for water from the local aquifer.

Water conservation

In order to minimize the overall water usage, efforts should be made to prevent pipes from leaking as this amount to wastage. How water pipes can also be insulated, and water meters installed. Water meters enable the collection of data on the consumption patterns of water.

This way, one can easily establish specific water reductions goals with the intention of estimating the success of water conservation. Collecting rain water can also help to supplement piped water. In case the plumbing system within the building is leaking, it may result in over 10 dumping of water.

In order to reduce such leaks, a concerted effort should be made to ensure that there is proper and regular maintenance of the plumbing system (Yan & Stellios, 2006). Use should b made of low flow fixtures for they have that they are easy to install, not to mention that they are also cost comparable. The production of hot water should take place closer to the points of usage.

This avoids wasting a lot of water and energy used to heat this water. One can save a lot of energy and water by increasing installing recirculating and pipe insulation units.

Conclusion

Sustainable buildings have gained a lot of popularity in recent years as it is starting to slowly dawn on us that our natural resources are dwindling very fast. For this reason, we need to ensure that we conserve energy, materials, and other resources such as water by adopting efficient and effective building principles.

The main motivating factor for sustainable buildings is to ensure that the economic, social, and environmental concerns of a building are addressed. As such, sustainability buildings aim to ensure that the environmental impact of buildings is reduced as much as possible.

Sustainable buildings often refer to those structures that have been designed in a resource-efficient and environmentally responsible manner. Such practices should be implemented in the entire lifecycle of the building starting with the basic step of site selection whereby the site selected for constructing the building should be environmentally friendly.

Some of the common techniques applied in the design of sustainable buildings include proper site selection, optimizing the use of energy, use of environmentally friendly materials, improved indoor environmental quality, optimizing maintenance and operational activities, and improving the quality of the indoor environment.

The entire building design should also emphasize on achieving an economic, social, and environmental balance. The same goes for the actual operation and construction.

In addition, the maintenance, renovation or demolition of such a building should also follow these practices. The various professionals involved in the construction of a building need to cooperate so that all these activities can be properly coordinated.

Reference List

Allen, E, & Iano, J. (2008). Fundamentals of building construction: materials and methods. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons Inc.

Barr, S. (2004). Are we all environmentalists now? Rhetoric and reality in environmental Action. Geoforum, 35, 231-249.

California Sustainability Alliance (2011). Green Buildings. Web.

Chang, K. (2000). Scientists Watch Cities Make Their Own Weather. Web.

EPA. (n.d.). What is a green building: Fundamental Principles of Green Building and Sustainable Site Design. Web.

Ellington, M. (2004). Energy hogs… a new advertising campaign raises consumer awareness on saving energy. Web.

Mumovic, D., & Santamouris, M. (2009). An Integrated Approach to Energy, Health and Operational Performance. London: Earthscan.

U.S Department of energy. (2008). Energy Efficiency Trends in Residential and Commercial Buildings. Web.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (2009). Green Building Basic Information. Web.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.(2010). Why build green? Web.

Yan, J., & Stellios, P. (2006). Design for Sustainability. Beijing: China Architecture and Building Press.

Introduction

The Caribbean has undergone several severe natural disasters that have severely damaged the infrastructure of the region and impacted people’s lives.

Most notably, Hurricane Irma, which occurred in 2017 and severely damaged the British Virginia Islands, is a case study that illustrates the need to address the issue of resilience to natural disasters. As highlighted by Munoz and Otker (2018), the climate change that affects water temperature increases the risk of hurricanes and requires policies that strengthen the infrastructure and provide insurance to the people living on these islands. The Irma hurricane was a Cape Verde Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale, which implies catastrophic damages.

The destruction that emerged after the hurricane suggests the need to evaluate the existing construction strategies used in the British Virgin Islands and determine the level of resilience to natural disasters that they provide. According to Cangialosi, Latto, and Berg (2018) and the Caribbean Development Bank (2018), four people died as a result of this incidence, and the overall damage of the islands’ property is estimated at £2.78 billion.

Firstly, this resulted in the economic contraction in the region since the damage is equal to the estimate of three and a half times the worth of the gross domestic product (GDP) of the British Virginian Islands. Cangialosi et al. (2018, p. 14) state that “numerous reports of collapsed homes, businesses, and power lines were reported,” including critical public establishments, such as fire stations or hospitals. Therefore, the current methods of construction and materials used in the British Virgin Islands are not suitable for withstanding severe natural conditions and protecting people.

Arguably, the destruction caused by the Irma hurricane and the implications of climate change suggests that this region will be subjected to other natural disasters in the future. According to the Lancet Planetary Health, “a warmer world makes hurricanes nastier and wetter, giving them more energy and greater intensity” (Hurricanes and architecture: adaptation to the destruction, 2018, p. 414).

Hence, the reason for selecting this topic is the need to examine the issue of construction methods and materials, which can be employed in the Caribbean to ensure resilience against natural disasters. Additionally, this research will help one examine products that can impend storms and develop an action plan that will help mitigate the damage to property and life threat to the people living in the Caribbean.

The objectives of this research are the need to investigate the current practices of construction in the British Virgin Islands to determine the levels of resilience that the buildings in the region have. Additionally, this research aims to review the existing evidence, best practices and create a list of materials, which can be used when building houses resistant to hurricanes. Different construction methods may provide different levels of resilience. Next, it is anticipated that through this research, various products that can help withstand storms that often occur in the Caribbean will be introduced. Finally, A preparedness plan for protecting people and structures subjected to the impact of the storm will be developed.

Literature Review

The theoretical framework for this assignment is based on the idea that new materials can be introduced to the global market that can help withstand the storms. This is based on different construction concepts suggesting in disaster-prone areas, methods such as elevation or employing reusable materials that can be easily replaced can help address the problem of natural disaster resilience. Firstly, from the perspective of architecture, building homes and other buildings in areas subjected to the impact of natural disasters should consider the safety implications in case of an emergency.

The editorial article by the Lancet Planetary Health (2018) suggests that people should adopt new strategies they can use when constructing and building houses, in accordance with the increased frequency of hurricanes caused by climate change. The main factors are resistance to floods and wind resilience. One example is homes designed by Patrick Marsilli and titled Solaleya, which have a spherical shape and can resist even the most severe hurricanes. In the context of the British Virgin Islands, it is anticipated that this research will help understand the impact of the hurricane on the people living in low and high areas, helping improve the resilience techniques.

Next, it is necessary to incorporate literature that will help understand the history of architecture and specifics of its development in the region of the British Virgin Islands. To understand the history of architecture in the Caribbean, one must review the historical evidence about the development of these territories. In essence, one can argue that this territory is a melting pot of different styles and approaches. According to Nitzki-George et al. (2018), it is the reflection of the various cultural groups and people with diverse ethnic backgrounds who lived in this area, including the Dutch, French, and British colonies. Mainly, these are narrow buildings with features that reflect Victorian or Georgian features.

Defining the concept of resilience is crucial for this research since it will help develop a cohesive preparedness plan. English, Friedland, and Orooji (2017) argue that one should pay attention to resilience building not only due to extreme weather conditions, which result in severe damage of properly, for instance, hurricanes, but also consider the impact of smaller events, such as strong winds that often occur in hurricane-prone regions.

The static elevation is also cited by Esteky, Winman, and Wooten (2017) as they argue that elevation of buildings in relation to the street level is not always the best practice, although it is commonly used to avoid floods, because it impacts the behavior of the people. One risk of this strategy is the fact that it can increase the wind vulnerability of the structure. Hence, as shown by these articles, the definition of resilience as a concept differs, and different approaches to it may result in the impairment of people’s daily lives.

The inconsistency of current guidelines and recommendations provided to people living in areas where natural disasters often occur is a significant issue because by addressing the problem of hurricanes, the buildings become less resilient to strong winds, which can also lead to substantial damage to property. Both English, Friedland, and Orooji (2017) cite the fact that permanent elevation leads to difficulties with accessing the housing areas for the people living in these buildings. Novel approaches to construction and new materials can help improve the area’s readiness for future natural disasters.

English, Friedland, and Orooji (2017) suggest using amphibious constructions and developing guidelines that emphasize this approach to architecture. In essence, amphibious buildings are similar to regular houses. However, when a flood occurs, they can be risen to float above the water. Hence, developing a comprehensive guide for construction in areas prone to hurricane impact is a necessity.

Next, implications for the readiness plan and introduction of the new materials will be examined using the following books. Moore (2016) speculates on the topic of the architectural future in regard to an increased number of natural disasters that will probably occur. He introduces the concept of metabolic architecture in this context, which implies the growth of architectural cites similar to the development of biological structures.

The cities are constructed in the form of one megastructure, where all elements are connected to one another. Although the concept was first introduced in 1959 in Japan, Moore (2016) argues that it is applicable today and that building structures that leverage reusable materials and use material dependency can help combat disasters. The author compares the architectural design to the process of metabolism, which would mean that in areas such as the British Virgin Islands, houses are constructed in a way that allows people to easily change different parts of the construction, in case of an emergency.

The quality of the housing and its resilience to the natural conditions are often overlooked. Shaw et al. (2016) discuss the issue of urban disasters, arguing that regions that experience a rapid expansion face serious dangers. This book will help design the questions for the interviews because it is vital to understand under which circumstances houses in the Caribbean are usually building, and is enough attention is dedicated to ensuring that those are safe. In this context, Shaw et al. (2016) argue that vulnerable populations face a significant risk since their housing is likely to be built using materials that do not correspond with the safety standards. The authors argue that the current population trends suggest that the poor migrate from rural sights to the cities and often inhabit the most disaster-prone areas.

In the case of the Caribbean islands, it is evident that the social purpose of architecture is to ensure that people have safe places where they can hide during hurricanes, similar to Irma. The book by Togal et al. (2018) contributes to the research because it discusses the topic of resilient urban architecture in depth. In addition, Chapter 4 contains an interview with a person working on developing best practices for resilience. This helps structures the interviews that will be conducted as part of the research and improve the comprehension of architecture. In the book, the concept of resilience is reviewed in-depth, which helps improve the scope of this paper. The authors argue that this term can have varied definitions, including constructing buildings that address a societal purpose.

In general, the reviewed literature suggests that architects should approach construction in different regions differently, considering the possible threats. Merrill and Giamarelos (2019) help broaden the understanding of architecture resilience, as the author argues that the primary meaning behind this concept is the ability to withstand natural conditions. In addition, the massive destruction within the British Virgin Islands suggests that readiness plans should be developed to ensure that people can address the destruction. According to Merrill and Giamarelos (2019, p. 7), “originally developed in the ecological circles of the 1970s that pursued critical alternatives to the modernist worldview, the concept of ‘resilience’ has pervaded 21st-century thought, from psychology to political theory, and from planning to architecture.”

The authors suggest that proper resilience architecture has specific benchmarks set to withstand a catastrophe. Merrill and Giamarelos (2019) argue that the first historical mention of resilience was the one about Theseus’s ship, which was preserved for extended periods of time because people took old timbers and replaced them over time. Hence, this suggestion can be used to better design buildings and chosen materials, which can be easily replaced. Sources identified for further reading include works by Coaffee (2016), Grove (2018), Abramson (2016), Nucera (2016), McGreavy (2015), and Zolnikov (2017).

Research Methodology

The main aim of this research is to investigate the impact of the hurricane on people living in different areas of the Caribbean, especially those living in high and low areas, which will be achieved through interviews and questionnaires. The hypothesis is that by examining the best practices of construction reflected in the literature and discussing the impact of Hurricane Irma on its victims, the researchers will be able to locate inconsistencies within the current practices and levels of resilience used within the British Virgin Islands. Another estimation is that there is a significant difference in the effect that hurricanes and other natural disasters have on building in high and low areas; understanding it can help design a comprehensive preparedness plan.

The interviews and questionnaires were chosen as a methodology for this research because, despite a lot of information available from governmental and non-governmental organizations regarding the destructive consequences of the Irma hurricane, it is unclear how this disaster affected the day-to-day life of the people. Moreover, it is unclear how they restored their homes and what strategies they used to minimize damage in case a similar disaster would happen in the future. Hence, by having a direct dialog with these people, it is possible to comprehend their experience and gain a better comprehension of the distraction and suitability of different resilience methods, including specific materials.

Hence, the research will focus on a structured review of the published scholarly articles that present materials that can be used in construction in areas prone to hurricanes. The sampling should also incorporate people of different socioeconomic backgrounds since the literature review suggests that some populations are more likely to inhabit areas that are often subjected to the impact of natural disasters. The participants will be recruited through media sources, which will help attract attention to this research and its primary purpose.

The ethical issues connected to this research are connected to the need not to disclose the identities of the people who will be interviewed. Hence, this research will employ methods that will help ensure the confidentiality of subjects if they choose to withhold personal information, such as age, name, or area of residence (Understanding confidentiality and Anonymity, n.d.). Appendix A presents the Ethics Checklist that will be used when working on this project.

The research plan incorporates gathering relevant information, designing interviews and questionnaires, choosing the distributing and sampling methods, recruiting subjects, and collecting data. The observation stage will encompass a large portion of this research because it is necessary to evaluate the damage and the current approaches to choosing materials and constructing houses in the region. To conduct this research, one must examine the existing materials and construction methods that are currently used in the Caribbean region and identify their main flaws.

Next, it is vital to conduct research that helps one locate innovational materials and design approaches, which can be used for resilience building. In this regard, it is necessary to consider the variables of usability and level of protection from storms since the literature review highlights that many conventional protection methods, such as elevation, in fact, have many downsides and impair the day-to-day life of the people.

To locate evidence on the existing materials, which can be used to build hurricane-resistant structures, scholarly databases will be examined. In the validation phase of this project, it is necessary to examine all the data collected, including the responses from the interviews and scholarly work on the topic of natural disasters resilience, and make conclusions based on the objectives of this research, including current resilience practices, new materials that can be introduced to the market, and preparedness plan.

The restrictions and limitations are connected to the lack of well-developed practices and the mass production of materials, which can be used to resist the storm. In this regard, the testability of materials to resistance in real-life conditions is also limited. However, in regards to the research method that was chosen, no evident restrictions and limitations that would obstruct interviewing and analysis of the collected data are anticipated.

Overall, it is evident that hurricane Irma affected the British Virgin Islands and raised a question of resilience to natural disasters, which will be addressed in this research. The research method will include interviews and questionnaires distributed to the victims of Hurricane Irma. The sampling method will include selecting subjects who were at least eighteen years old at the time of the hurricane, from different socioeconomic backgrounds, living in different zones of the British Virgin Islands. The main focus is on the difference in how people and buildings living and situated in high and low areas were impacted. The ethical considerations revolve around the need to preserve the identity of the people who will be interviewed and not disclose any information that can be sensitive to the victims of the hurricane.

Reference List

Abramson, D. (2016) Obsolescence: an architectural history. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.

Cangialosi, J., Latto, A., and Berg, R. (2018) Hurricane Irma (AL112017). Web.

Caribbean Development Bank. (2018) Country economic review 2017 – British Virgin Islands. Web.

Coaffee, J. (2016) Urban resilience: planning for risk, crisis, and uncertainty. London, United Kingdom: Palgrave Macmillan.

Ethics for authors. (n.d.) Web.

English, E. C., Friedland, C. J. and Orooji, F. (2017) ‘Combined flood and wind mitigation for hurricane damage prevention: case for amphibious construction’, Journal of Structural Engineering, 143(6), pp. 1-12.

Esteky, S., Winman, D. and Wooten, J. D. (2017) ‘The influence of physical elevation in buildings on risk preferences: evidence from a pilot and four field studies’, Journal of Consumer Psychology, 28(3), pp. 2-8.

Grove, K. (2018) Resilience. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.

‘Hurricanes and architecture: adaptation to the destruction’ (2018) The Lancet Planetary Health, 2(5), p. 414.

Nitzki-George, D., et al. (2018) ‘Dealing with the unexpected during and after Hurricane Irma’, American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy, 75(4), pp.170-171.

Nucera, F. (2016) ‘Model of resilience for the cultural heritage in Umbria: the earthquake of 1997’, Atti dei Convegni Lincei, 306, pp. 109–125.

McGreavy, B. (2015) ‘Resilience as discourse’, Journal: Environmental Communication: A Journal of Nature and Culture, 10, pp. 104–121.

Merrill, E. M., and Giamarelos, S. (2019) ‘From the Pantheon to the Anthropocene: introducing resilience in architectural history’, Architectural Histories, 7(1), p. 7.

Munoz, S. and Otker, I. (2018) Building resilience to natural disasters in the Caribbean requires greater preparedness. Web.

Shaw, R. et al. (2016) Urban disasters and resilience in Asia. Waltham, MA: Elsevier.

Trogal, K. (eds.) (2018) Architecture and resilience: interdisciplinary dialogues.Oxon, Oxon: Routledge.

Understanding confidentiality and Anonymity (n.d.) Web.

Zolnikov, T. R. (2017) ‘A humanitarian crisis: lessons learned from hurricane Irma’, American Journal of Public Health, 108(1), pp. 27-28.

Executive Summary

This document is a proposal of acquiring the Bird Cay Island of the Berry Islands district in the Commonwealth of Bahamas. The proposal requires a funding of $30,000,000. The budgetary analysis for each segment is provided in this document.

It is proposed that the power generation in the island would utilize solar and wind resources with the intention of complying with environmental standards and establishing a pollution free green way of living on the island. Food production on the island would be done in such a way that it would be approximately enough for inhabitants and visitors and tourists to thrive on. Plans for setting up and maintaining farms, poultries, gardens and grooves have been proposed in this document. The business plans for this island is mostly non-profit. It addresses various ecological and environmental concerns. It proposes the institution of a marine aquarium to rescue injured aquatic animals that are in dire need of help.

The aquarium would also be used to conserve rare endangered species that face the peril of extinction. A state of the art learning and research facility would also be established. This would encourage university students from various relevant fields to make trips to the island to work in close proximity with these creatures for their projects. It would also help in making medical and technological advances in aquatic and marine sciences. The island would also be used for founding a creating and protecting nesting grounds for sea turtles program. It would also be used for establishing favorable environments for rare migrating as well as residential birds. Apart from this, although not on a huge scale, tourism would also be promoted on the island. Guest cabins would be built with excellent modern amenities provided for visitors. Holiday packages including fishing, sailing, snorkeling and scuba diving would also be designed. (Semeniuk, 194-208)

The Location

The location under consideration for this project is the Bird Cay, a small tropical island in the Berry Islands district of the Bahamas, and is currently valued at USD 28,000,000. Approximately 220 acres in area, the island is strategically located. It is just a half an hour flight from Nassau, the capital of the commonwealth of Bahamas. Bird Cay is surrounded on all sides by adjoining islands and ridges. Chub Cay is situated on the western edge of Bird Cay with an airfield with standard and chartered flights to Nassau. On the eastern front lies the Whale cay, which too has the services of a 4000-foot landing strip. (VPI, 1)

The island is gifted with stunning sandy coastlines, limpid waters, magnificent ocean views, tender zephyrs, abundant landscaped trail, luscious gardens, tropical palms, casuarinas, along with citrus and coconut plantations. Greenery is plentiful in this island and can be a natural abode to the wild. In addition to that, it also sports a historic two story central lodging that has an excellent ocean view with a natatorium. However the buildings need some remodeling and repairs.

Considering the features of Bird Cay and its relevance to the project, it would not be wrong if said that it is a natural and perfect choice. (VPI, 1)

Working Plans

Power

The project intends to achieve all environment friendly standards and is all for Green. Thus, in case of power generation for the island, the proposal is to make extensive use of solar and wind power. The island is perfect suited for the use of such technology as it is gifted with the natural resources required. In this case the natural resources are sunshine and wind. Due to the geographic location of the island the island receives both in plentiful quantities. Thus use of solar and wind power would prove beneficial both economically and in an environment friendly manner.

The onsite already requires repair. Thus during the renovation, PV (photovoltaic) and thermal solar panels can be used to re-construct much of the building’s outer surface counting the walls, casements and roofing as well. This would help cut down on PV panel installation costs. Solar heating panels are required to be located in proximity of the other apparatuses of the heating system. Thus, they would be combined with PV panels. This would minimize Heating system insulation, channels and ducts.

Building-integral wind turbines would be mounted in a way that the building channelizes wind to the turbines which would in turn increase effectual wind speed to it by a multiple of at least 2 and would also be 4. Doubling-up the wind speed to the blades can amplify their output power by eight times under normal conditions. (Coghlan, 183-191)

Constructing a building-connected electric power generation system and UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) generate numerous benefits over the conventional power systems. Standalone PV panels, generators using fuel-burning technology, ordinary lead-acid batteries and flywheels consume expensive real estate. On the other hand integrated UPS, the planned subversive flywheel battery is entailed in the structure and is provided for in the power generation framework. Thus it does not necessitate use of supplementary real estate. Again, ordinary UPS systems require protected inaccessible enclosed areas. Integrated PV panels, on the contrary, facilitate a protected enclosure, and also are not off-limits.

The estimated requirement is of 1000 square meters of PV section which have 10% power translation efficiency, and can produce about 64 KW for a range of 5 to 8 hours per day. Nearly all PV panels’ outlay is below $4 per watt output, and in addition to that they certain to function for 20 years without significant maintenance. Total estimated PV panel outlay stands at $256,000. This system also requires a 5-networked RPM (Regenerative Power and Motion) flywheel battery system, each rated at 15-kw 50-kwh. Estimated installed expenditure post-production ramp-up along with a 20-year guarantee would sum up to $50,000. Thus for this integrated solar power system that generates 10,000 KWH solar electricity on a monthly average along with uniform power supply, invulnerable to network blackouts and voltage drops and off-peak grid power procurement the sum would amount to $3,11,000.

Projected outlay for the 2 windmills proposed for the site, their generators, power electronics, and mounting, would amount to a figure of approximately $30,000. The wind power system would need 2 additional 50-kwh 15-kw flywheel batteries, to supply power on requirement and UPS. Thus the entire machinery along with installation charges and protection costs would require a budget of $75,000. This wind power system gear would also not require extensive maintenance for over a 20-year time span. (Goodwin, 377-391)

So combined solar and wind power generation budget for each unit on the island would amount to $386,000.

Food Production

The island is also endowed with food resources. Thus the project proposes that food production on the island should mostly be internal. Fruits, seafood, vegetable and rice farms are key components of the food production strategy on the island.

The island has abundant supply of ripe tropical palms, casuarinas, along with numerous citrus fruits and coconuts. The setting up of new gardens and maintenance of the already existent grooves of coconut and other fruits is included in food production plans.

The staple food in the region is rice and fish. Due to its excellent geographic location fishing is an easy option for the inhabitants for food. The most frequent edible catches are found to be grunts, porgies or snapper. Whelk, queen conch, spiny lobster, and several species of grouper are found in abundance around the island. In order to make sea fishes a major food source for the island the project intends to acquire a fishing trolley.

To make the food production internal for most parts vegetation on the island is necessary. Thus the plan proposes to set up a well equipped farming facility on the island. The intent of setting up farms is to grow rice, tomatoes, corn and some vegetables. (Font, 15-21)

Also, chicken, pork and lamb are widely consumed forms of meat. Thus a poultry and sheep and pig rearing farm is also planned to provide for tourists as well as inhabitants.

As for financial dedications the fruit production faction calls for less capital investment due to its extensive natural presence. However, to organize current production, setup new gardens and maintain existent grooves a sum of $25,000 is set aside. For the fishing faction $100,000 is proposed. The farming facility requires a huge sum as introducing agriculture on the farm would require a good sum. Thus, a sum of $300,000 is dedicated to the farming facility. And as far as the poultry and meat producing farms are concerned a sum of $75,000 is proposed. Thus, a total sum of $500,000 is planned to be committed for the food producing facility.

Marine Aquarium

The plan proposes the establishment of a state of the art marine aquarium. There is a huge pond located on the southern part of the island. This would be ideally suited to set up the aquarium and would reap huge benefits even though all of them would not be of economic nature.

The main intent of the aquarium would be setting up a mostly non-profit facility for marine animals in need of care and also preservation of endangered species. This aquarium would also be used for rehab, treatment and restoring various creatures who have been injured due to some human ill doing. It is also proposed that an excellent learning facility would be instituted which would spread environmental awareness, facilitate research and provide advances in marine medical and biological fields. The aquarium apart from these purposes would also be used for recreation and entertainment. Visitors to the island would be encouraged to make a trip to the aquarium. Various shows and tours would be arranged for visiting tourists and attendants would be present there to answer any question from the people. This would serve the purpose of spread general knowledge and enhance awareness about the aquatic creatures amongst the common man. Special attention would be given to children and occasional summer camps could also be organized. The research facility would help students from various universities to come and work closely with those creatures on their projects. It would also attract various professionals and researchers working on projects in the relevant fields. (Font, 15-21)

Setting up the aquarium would not be easy and would require funds of huge amounts. Firstly a committee would be needed to be founded who would look after and maintain the aquarium. Proper apparatuses for electricity, lights, water and the livestock would be required. Medical equipments and personnel would also be necessary. Appropriate food and care would be necessitated. Even the maintenance costs for an aquarium of this magnitude go up pretty high. Thus, for all supporting hardware and livestock a sum of $300,000 is allocated by the budget. For medicinal and research facility a further sum of $100,000 is proposed. For the maintenance of the aquarium and care of the creatures a sum of $150,000 is dedicated. Thus, the total budget allocated for the aquarium is $550000.

Wildlife

This plan recognizes the seriousness of environmental changes. It is very concerned especially about the endangered aquatic species. In particular, sea turtles face the grave danger of extinction. This is mainly due to the overdevelopment of the coastlines. The sea turtles swim thousands of miles from the depths of the ocean to come back to the shores to lay their eggs. They lay eggs in huge quantities- mostly in numbers more than hundred. However, they prefer to do it in complete darkness. Even if they see or sense a hint of movement or any light when they arrive on the shore, they turn back and swim into the sea without laying their eggs. Thus due to ever increasing development of the coastlines the sea turtles are left with fewer and fewer nesting grounds. This is the reason they have become endangered. The plan proposes to establish a sea turtle nesting ground program which would possibly create nesting grounds for sea turtles and protect any sea turtle nests they come across. For this, the services of the island would be required and if instituted properly it would be a huge leap towards the conservation of endangered aquatic life. (Diamantis, 151)

The plan also intends to utilize the extensive land expanse as a sanctuary for birds. It proposes to make the island a heaven for bird lovers. Rare migrating birds often face difficulties to find a dwelling place due to the high industrialization rate in the area. Thus hunting would be absolutely prohibited and the island would be nurtured to make the conditions conducive for migrating birds like Baltimore orioles, Kirtland Warbler, Pectoral Sandpiper, Black-whiskered Vireo, Ruddy Turnstone, Cape May Warbler, Orchard Orioles, Tennessee warbler, Swainson’s Warbler, Virginia’s Warbler and the Western Kingbird. The sanctuary could also provide a home for majority of the 28 species of Bahamian birds. (Diamantis, 154)

A sum of $100,000 from the budget is dedicated to wildlife protection.

Social Responsibility

On complete execution of the plan, when the proposal would be fully operational, there would be more than 50 people resident on the island with their families. To provide them a good quality of life measures must be taken. A professional teacher would be hired to provide education to the children of the residents. Later, plans can be devised to develop a social life for the people of the island.

Tourist Accommodations

In its fully operational form the island is likely to become a major tourist attraction. Guests from all over the globe would be encouraged to come to the island and share the magnificent experience of the natives of the island. Although a huge resort is not planned for at this moment, providing a decent and comfortable accommodation to the guests is imperative. As far as the plot for the guest cabins is concerned it has been decided that it would be build on the eastern side of the island opposite to the village on the western side. Though modest, it would have all the facilities and modern amenities a good resort has but on a minuscule scale. The architecture of the cabins would be similar to the tropical cottages and would provide an excellent view of the ocean. It would turn out to be an ideal recluse which could be offered as a respite to the people often living a hectic scheduled life. People may choose to come in a small group and relax during the weekend or during the holidays. Three cabins, each housing two people would be built. Services of proper architects and construction professionals would be hired. (Goodwin, 377-391)For this purpose, a budgetary expense of $150,000 is estimated.

A Complete Experience for the Visitors

The plan also puts forward the importance of providing the guests with a complete holiday package, which would be good enough to make them content. The beautiful natural environment and serene sea beaches offer an admirable experience to nature enthusiasts. Bird watching would be a major activity on the island after the bird sanctuary is fully operational. The marine aquarium would also prove to be a major attraction for tourists. Various shows and learning facilities would be recommended to the visitors. They would be encouraged to join in the daily activities of the residents of islands and complete hospitality would be extended to them. Apart from this, recreational activities such as fishing, sailing and scuba diving would also be part of the tourist packages. Berry islands house the famous Mamma Rhoda Rock, an underwater patch featuring an approximately 16ft/5m high reef formed like the deer’s antlers, which makes it a breathtaking snorkeling paradise. (Diamantis, 157)

The propinquity of the island to the Grand Bahaman Banks and Tongue of the Ocean allow tourists to go on a fishing or scuba diving spree. Some adventure sports such as rock climbing and skiing is also offered by some neighboring islands. Such packages cost around $200 per person on nearby islands. The resorts charges around the islands also range from $100 to $150. The proposal also provides for spiritual healing for clients to ensure complete relaxation. Services of a therapist, a respiratory therapist, a crystal healer, a yoga instructor, and several artists for art therapy would be available to them at moderate costs for the complete vocational feel. Once these plans come into execution, cash inflow would commence on a regular basis, which would help to sustain these services. (Font, 15-21) Thus, an initial investment of $300,000 would be beneficial to the economy of the island.

Budgetary Conclusion

After analyzing each area of investment for its needs requirements the following budgetary conclusion may be drawn.

Works Cited

Coghlan, Alexandra; Exploring the role of expedition staff in volunteer tourism; International Journal of Tourism Research; 10, 2, 183-191; James Cook University (JCU), Cairns, Australia, 2008.

Diamantis, Dimitrios; Ecotourism: Management and Assessment; Thomson, 2004.

Font, Xavier & John Tribe; Promoting green tourism: the future of environmental awards; International Journal of Tourism Research; 3, 1, 9-21; Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College, Queen Alexandra Road, High Wycombe, Bucks, HP11 2JZ, UK, 2006.

Goodwin, Harold & Dilys Roe; Tourism, livelihoods and protected areas: opportunities for fair-trade tourism in and around National parks; International Journal of Tourism Research; 3, 5, 377-391; c/o IIED, 3 Endsleigh Street, London WC1H 0DD; International Institute for Environment and Development, London, 2008.

Semeniuk, Christina A.D. Wolfgang Haider, Ben Beardmore, Kristina D. Rothley; A multi-attribute trade-off approach for advancing the management of marine wildlife tourism: a quantitative assessment of heterogeneous visitor preferences; Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems; 19, 2, 194-208; School of Resource and Environmental Management, Simon Fraser University, British Columbia, Canada, 2007.

VPI; Bird Cay; Islands for rent in Region 5: Caribbean; vladiprivateislands; 2008; Web.

Introduction

The three occupations discussed here are architects, general building contractors, and civil engineers. These spheres are critically important for contemporary society, and a specialist who wants to create a successful career in these fields should have specific skills and knowledge. For instance, architects should possess mathematical and computer talents to be able to translate the needs of clients into structures.

They are responsible for the visualization of projects by using three-dimensional models, which also presupposes special competencies. For this reason, requirements for education are severe as four years of college, and graduate/professional school are demanded (“Architecture”). Modern architects spend the bigger part of their time in offices and earn about $140,376 per year in California (“Architecture”).

Main body

A general building contractor is another occupation presupposing multiple responsibilities, such as cooperation with companies to build houses or industrial buildings. It demands special qualifications in communicating with people, decision-making, math. Educational requirements for building contractors are the same as for the previous occupation because they are closely related. This sort of specialist can earn about $11,795 per month, and there are perspectives for career growth (“General Building Contractors”).

Finally, civil engineers, work both indoors and outdoors. These specialists are responsible for the supervision of the construction process of multiple buildings and projects. That is why they should possess many professional skills such as improved decision-making, understanding of scientific principles and mathematics, teamwork. It also demands a 4-year degree and presupposes an average salary of about $11,880 per month (“Civil Engineer”).

In the furtherance of this discussion, one should realize that to be successful in any of these fields, a person should possess qualities that can help him/her to evolve. As for me, my MBTI type is ISTP, which means that there are several ways how these occupations match my unique characteristics. For instance, introverted persons like reflecting and might have some issues with socialization. I think it is a good trait for architects, general building contractors, and civil engineers as they can spend much time in offices, thinking about various projects, their details, and creating plans on how to achieve the current goals or visualize a certain project.

Sensing means that I take information by using all my five senses, which is fundamental for an architecture that presupposes creativity. Employing this feature, I can work in quiet spaces and design constructions or projects effectively. I am sure that for civil engineers, this aspect is also important as they have an opportunity to visit various places and acquire a unique experience.

Concerning two remaining features, which are thinking and perceiving, they can also be helpful regarding these occupations as they presuppose thinking, communication, and processing of information. For this reason, I believe that these jobs match my personality and current characteristics.

Another way to understand whether a certain sphere is appropriate for you is to understand your MBTI type. My configuration is ISTP, and I think that the selected occupations are a good fit for my personality as they demand specific features and qualities that I possess. For instance, I believe that civil engineer can be a perfect choice for me as people working in this field are predominantly introverted and focused on the internal world of ideas, instead of socializing, which can be difficult for me. They like to be independent and use the intellect to solve problems that arise in their daily activity, which also fits the ISTP type.

Furthermore, for my type of personality, some theoretical and abstract notions and processes are typical. Civil engineering and architecture also presuppose these specific elements as specialists have to spend much time theorizing and thinking about possible aspects of would-be projects. In such a way, I will have an opportunity to employ my strengths to attain success and build a successful career.

Finally, a building contractor is another sphere that can match my character as these specialists benefit from using their senses to monitor the process, acquire up-to-date information, and achieve desired goals.

Holland Theme Code can also help to understand your career preferences better. My Holland Theme Code is ER, which stands for Enterprising and Realistic. It means that there are specific interest areas that can be useful for occupations that we examine. For instance, as a realistic person, I like hands-on activities such as repairing, using tools, or building something. I am sure that it is vital for civil engineers or contractors. These specialists should understand the nature of various processes that comprise their daily activity and skills acquired due to the mentioned interest areas can help them to become better.

Moreover, persons with the ER Holland code learn best by doing things on their own, which can also be considered an advantage regarding the sphere of architecture. By creating some projects on my own and being involved in multiple activities such as modeling or planning, I will be able to acquire information vital for my future success. I prefer to be active when doing some job, which is essential for the discussed occupations as they demand involvement and outstanding performance levels. For this reason, I believe that my interest areas correlated with the discussed fields.

As we have stated previously, the given occupations presuppose a high level of responsibility and require specific skills such as the ability to communicate with people and cooperate in teams, multitasking, distribution and delegation of tasks, creative thinking, visualization, data processing, and calculations. Thus, I should say that I also have some competencies that can be related to the discussed fields. First of all, I can use my verbal ability to formulate ideas and communicate with workers and clients. My next skill is the ability to repair an object or create a product, which is also important for the discussed occupations.

I also possess improved coordination skills as I can manage a group of people and distribute tasks effectively. The rest of my top skills include planning, caring for people, analyzing the current problem, decision-making, and fast learning. I think that these competencies are vital for the discussed occupations as they can help to become an outstanding specialist.

Finally, every person has his/her value system that impacts all aspects of his/her life, including the professional sphere. My own top values are achievement, recognition, creativity, independence, support, and relationships. I appreciate achievement as it gives a sense of satisfaction and happiness when some realistic goals are achieved. Additionally, it can prove wrong those who doubt our abilities. Independence is vital as it provides me with an opportunity to cope with tasks alone, make decisions, and accept challenges. Finally, support and relationship are interdependent as friends and coworkers help individuals to overcome difficulties and never remain alone.

Conclusion

I think that all these values are reflected in the discussed occupation. Civil engineers are independent because they do jobs presupposing their own decisions, ideas, and solutions. It reflects my desires as I want a job that offers opportunities to advance, be recognized by society, and earn money.

This statement is relevant for architecture and general building contractors. Achievement and creativity are integral parts of the work of an architect as he/she should try to design buildings that will be different from others and make him/her famous. Moreover, their projects can reflect their value systems as any creativity is a reflection of our emotions. For this reason, I am sure that my values fit the selected occupations and can help me to attain success.

Works Cited

“Architecture.” Eureka A Goldmine of Career Information, 2019. Web.

“Civil Engineer.” Eureka A Goldmine of Career Information, 2019. Web.

“General Building Contractors.” Eureka A Goldmine of Career Information, 2019. Web.

Introduction

According to one famous psychologist, Maslow, humans have needs that should be satisfied in order to achieve contentment. These needs are arranged in a hierarchal order and explained using a triangular model. Occupying the lowest and biggest portion of this model are a person’s biological needs, primarily, food, clothing and shelter. (Simon : 1987) These three are basic necessities and are essential to life. Food is for the inward nourishment while clothing and shelter sustains the outward needs of the physical body.

Among the three, shelter needs thorough planning and careful decisions before acquiring. Nowadays, shelter is not as simple as having a roof and a wall to stay in. People invest so much to having a place that is comfortable and is enough to house a certain number of family members. It could be classified as either owning a house or renting a place (e.g. condominiums and apartments). To some, housing is a valuable asset. Others consider it as a luxury.

Main text

This scenario in the home building industry did not just happen.

It evolved around and within economic boundaries in different countries. The construction business has its ups and downs. It is expected that as human population rise, the demand for housing will also be high. In America, home building hasn’t experienced slow down since the 1990s. As a matter of fact, 17 million conventional houses were built in the span of one year. (Apgar: 2006) However in September 2007, housing construction has hit an all time low profit. (Nutting : 2007)

Some economists say that this is because of recession while others think that customers are practical in spending their money. (Rayne : 2008) According to a study, the reason why there is a scale pattern in the home building is because of greater access to capital and the kind of economic environment that is experienced. Savings and loan industries have developed payment schemes that can help a potential home buyer budget his expenditures. On the other hand, some home builders offer low mortgage interests to houses they sell. (Hogset : 2005) Aside from attracting potential buyers, they also help in choosing the best possible deal to acquiring a property. (Apgar : 2006)

However, there are certain risks that a buyer must put into consideration. If a buyer doesn’t pay the amount due for a certain period, the home builder might cancel the agreement and reacquire the property which the buyer

has started to invest. Some people do not want to take this risk and therefore resort to renting an apartment or a condominium or a house owned by other individuals. (Baker : 2002) Because of the changing market conditions, home builders continue on a virtuous cycle of consolidating and adapting schemes to improve the houses they would sell so that they could attract more people to owning a home than renting a place. (Apgar : 2006)

If the demand for housing is high, is supply enough? How will it affect the price? The price elasticity of supply depends upon the location of the house. (Baker : 2002) If the demand is strong but there are a few available spaces to build houses because of environmental constrains or residential opportunities are limited, then house price appreciation is high. (Apgar : 2006) For example, in a metropolitan area like Los Angeles, main business transactions and thoroughfares take place.

People would most likely come to close to the city as possible. Acquiring a land to build a house would be very difficult since competition is high. The demand for houses is greater than the number that could be added because of less space. Houses would tend to increase costs. Thus, in order to adjust to this situation, people opt to rent in high rise buildings just so they could live near where they work. Rented places maneuver the housing industry in the metropolis.

However, in some cities like Colorado, home supply is slowly exceeding the demand because of low levels of job creation and an increase in unemployment rate. (Covert : 2008) On the other hand, if land is accessible and home builders face little or no construction barriers, house prices are low (Apgar : 2006) and elastic, meaning, the supply can easily “answer” the demands with lower costs. (Baker : 2002) This is particularly true in rural areas where businesses are few and economy is not as active compared to the metropolitan areas. There is a greater chance that an individual, couple or a family could own a house at a lower cost in rural areas than in the metropolitan areas.

The home building industry is not only concerned with the supply and demand in a certain locality. Some other considerations must also be counted like the capability of individuals to acquire a property. In a research by Brown (2004) house prices rise faster than incomes. As a result, people could not afford to buy houses they would want even with lower mortgage rates. Homebuilders would say that prices of materials for construction are also increasing.

Thus, high house prices are just result of the chain effect of the rise in commodities. It was suggested that affordability be put into consideration so that middle-income wagers can still have a chance of owning their own homes. (Brown : 2004)

Another consideration is the effect of the home building industry on the community. While it is true that it answers the need to secure a shelter for people, it can also create problems such as the urgent needs of land spaces to build the houses.

In the metropolitan areas, land prices continuously grow because of some building constraints. In other suburban or rural places, the government continuously regulates the construction of homes because of environmental concerns (e.g. land conversions). They would also consider the location of the land where houses will be built because natural disasters might take place and would further create problems to the house owners. (Sichelman : 2002).

Another problem is that old houses are harder to sell because of the need for repairs. If unsold for a longer period of time, more repairs should be made and worst, the value would continue to depreciate. (Sichelman : 2002) The community where old dilapidated houses are located would have dilemma if the number continues to rise. People might think that people from these houses tend to move to newer communities as a result of certain negative conditions that exist in their place. The market value of that certain locality would decrease and others will be encouraged to move out.

On the other hand, continuous improvements such as house rehabilitations, fitting and refitting of homes in the inner-city sites create positive externalities. (Crowe : 1996) Newly improved and fully furnished houses seen in communities would entail potential buyers to acquire properties thus increasing the economic activities. In turn, the community in general should provide the right environment to sustain the houses.

This is because the bargaining power of buyers shift from the type of house built to the location and the community where the house will be located. (Porter : 2003) Local housebuilders often base their developments on community concerns while large firm builders depend on marketability of their products. The latter focuses more on the needs of prospective buyers or renters rather than the needs of the existing neighborhood (Crowe :1996) Stiff competitions then arise from these types of home constructors. Either way, the local economy becomes active which in turn makes variables in businesses.

The home building industry does not only provide the basic need for shelter. It also provides employment to people in a certain area. However, the existing pattern in the society is that the more skilled a person is, the greater chance of acquiring a good and stable job in the business. (Hyclak : 2000) Wage variation favors those who are more educated, more experienced and generally more skilled. Aside from the mentioned characteristics, there is also a move to hire people that are technologically equipped since computers and other electronic materials are used especially in home building. As a result, the average skilled worker gets better wages than the average unskilled worker. (Rayne : 2008)

Other economists hypothesize that immigration and outsourcing of workers can also be a factor of wage inequalities.

(Rayne : 2008) For example, if a Mexican comes to Arizona and works, he/she will be paid lower compared to other workers who are living in Arizona. This immigrant will try to work harder even for a lower pay to become a “legal citizen”. The need to become a part of a society forces them to accept jobs that no one else would take. (McCombs and Stauffer : 2007) While large home builders stick to employing skilled workers so as not to sacrifice quality, local home builders tend to take advantage of this situation in order to cut their expenses. However, the government plays an important role in assuring that illegal immigrant be deported or finds ways to keep them working to make wages fair and house prices low. (Rayne:2008)

Homebuilding, just like any other industry, entails certain monetary and fiscal policies imposed by the government. In 2007, housing has shown signs of instability market because house values are decreasing as house prices and interest rates increase. However the monetary policies were able to maintain price pressures and lower the inflation rates. (Hoeing:2007) It is important to note that in order to keep housing industry moving, affordability of houses must be considered.

The government must exhaust their efforts towards making the demands for houses much higher. (Raynes:2008) Government officials must therefore continuously monitor the supply and demand of housing including the overall materials and labor costs. Aside from monetary policies, federal policies also have effects on lowering inflation rates. Federal policy states that the government should maintain an annual budget. (Raynes:2008)

Expenditures should be governed by this budget to reduce debts. This federal budget is also used to pay for social security, housing, education, public assistance and other programs. However, in 2002, consumer spending began to tighten thus affecting the overall federal budget. (Raynes:2008) This “economic slump” caused major setbacks in the home building industry. The government therefore paved the way to lessen the impact by offering tax incentives to first time house buyers. (NAHB,2007)

The growth and downfall of the home building business or industry depends on the kind of environment it belongs. Proper management of resources and wise investment of properties creates ripple of success both for the home builders and the consumers. Maslow did consider shelter as a basic necessity of humans because it forms not just the individual image but the image of the entire community as well. Every American family has the right to own a place they could live in.

However, owning a home is not for free. There are many factors to consider in the home building industry. Practicality plays a major role. Prices of houses depend on the elasticity of supply and demand in a certain place. When land areas are few and the demand is high, house price appreciates. Americans would then consider other options such as renting a place which would be a good budget for their daily income. When this trend continuous to succeed, there will come a time when the housing supply will be greater than the demand affecting the industry either positively or negatively.

Some economists say that economic recession is due to the fact that people spend less than what they usually do in the previous years. One factor is the rise in wage inequality or worst, unemployment. The labor sector tends to hire individuals who are technically skilled in their chosen fields.

Labor costs become high forcing local companies to lay off their employees and eventually close. Some local home builders experience this dilemma so instead of closing, they hire immigrants to work for them with a lower pay. Most would invest in the quality of the construction materials which, on the other hand, is also increasing its prices. Large home builders still maintain their skilled workers with high wages however passing still the burden to the consumers by increasing their house prices.

To lessen setbacks, the government offers help through loan agencies and by forcing home builders to cut down their interest rates. But is it enough? Will the industry be sustained with such practice? Many economists still believe that house building will bounce back to be a competitive market. Through careful planning economists are confident that house prices will fall from 5% to 4% in 2008 (Rayne:2008). The government must strengthen the implementation of the monetary and fiscal policies. Primarily, these two will help regulate house prices and at the same time increase the housing demand.

Summary

The housing market is a gamble. When one does not have resources to invest, one cannot own a house.

However, if resources are high, one can choose the location and type of houses to build. No one else can own that place unless the owner decides to sell it or let other people rent it. The choice is neither with the homebuilders nor the government. Customers still have the last say.

References

Apgar, W. & Baker, K. (2006). Home Building Industry Today. Web.

Baker, D. (2002). The run-up in home prices: A bubble. Challenge 45(6).Web.

Brown, B. (2004). Home prices soar above incomes. USA Today. Web.

Covert, J. (2008). Metrostudy: Home Building Slows as Home Supply Exceeds Demands. Web.

Crowe, David B. (1996) Comment of Langley C. Keyes et.als. “Networks and nonprofits: Opportunities and Challenges in an Era of Federal Devolution. Web.

Hoeing, T. (2007) The National Economy and Monetary Policy in 2007. Web.

Hogsett, D. (2005). Housing Numbers Stay Strong. Web.

Hyclak,T. (2000) Rising Wage Inequality The 1980s Experience in Urban Labor Markets. Web.

Glaeser, E. & Sacerdote, B. (2001) The Social Consequences of Housing. Web.

Rayne, I. (2008). How the Economy is Affected by the Home Building Market. Web.

Sichelman, L. (2002). Study Justifies High Home Prices. Web.

Introduction

Suez Canal is an artificial shipping canal in Egypt connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red sea. The canal was established in 1859 and has greatly improved the navigation between Europe and Asia. Before its development, navigators had to go round Africa for them to access Asia and vise versa. Its development facilitated quick access to the Far East which was rich in oil trade. This meant that many European nations could manage to conduct trade with countries in the Far East. To gain control of trade, these countries had to have control of the canal. This made most of the European countries have an interest in controlling Egypt. For a long time, the canal was managed by foreign companies. All the money collected from the Canal could be plowed back to Europe. Despite the canal being in Egypt, Egyptians did not benefit from the Canal proceeds. This made President Nasser declare his intentions of nationalizing the canal in 1956. The British, French, and Israelites knew that they could no longer enjoy control of the Canal leading to them waging war against Egypt. Since then, the canal has been significant in Egypt’s economy contributing to approximately four percent of the country’s gross domestic products (Dessouki PP. 46-60).

Building of the canal

About four thousand years ago, early Egyptians had started constructing some artificial waterways in an area called Isthmus. However, the canal ceased being used and was covered with soil. The idea of establishing a shorter distance between Europe and Asia was forgotten. It was in the eighteenth century that Napoleon, after raiding Egypt discovered that there had been a past attempt to link Europe and Asia through a manmade waterway. He resolved to revive the construction of the canal. In 1859 Ferdinand de Lesseps began construction of the Suez Canal. It took him ten years to establish the canal. His first work was to build a small canal from the Nile that could supply clean water to his approximately twenty thousand laborers. Construction entailed excavating a twenty-four feet deep channel that connected varied lakes towards the Red Sea. Camels were used to supply the labor force with drinking water on construction sites. With time, the labor force was substituted with machines. In areas where the canal was wide sixty meters, long chutes were used. Ripraps were erected along the canal banks to reduce erosion that was being caused by passing boats. Floating dredgers and other metallic machines were used to widen the canal. Steam engines containing scoops and shovels were used to remove sand, gravel, and mud from the canal bed. Approximately thirty thousand Egyptians were forced to work in building the canal. About twelve thousand Egyptians died when working in the Canal (Franklin Par.1-3).

For France to start constructing the Canal, it had to get a green light from Said Pash who was the king of Egypt. Lesseps was to come up with a company that could manage its construction. Egyptians hoped that they would influence its development. This was not the case on the ground. Egyptians were forced to work on the canal with France taking full control of its building.

French and British interest in Egypt and Imperialism

British political interest in Egypt was noticed when it started gaining influence in India during the eighteenth century. During this period, Britain had started acquiring colonies in the Middle East and India. She, therefore, required efficient contact with the region to monitor her colonies. Egypt offered great opportunities to Britain as it was readily accessible from India. As Egypt did not have enough funds to facilitate in construction of the canal, Britain volunteered to fund them. Egypt accumulated a lot of debts to an extent that they could hardly manage to repay. Having no alternative, they decided to sell their part of Canal ownership to the British. This gave the British an opportunity to manage operations of the canal.

Oil was the source of energy being used by most countries. The major suppliers of this vital product were from the Middle East. Suez Canal provided an opportunity for quick access to these countries. For Britain to dominate in the oil market, it had to take control of the Canal which could only be possible if they were established in Egypt (Kinross PP. 60-75). Most of the British industries were deficient in cotton. They had to look for sources of cotton to supply their industries. Egypt is one of the countries that produced quality cotton made Britain has the great desire of establishing themselves in the country. They started investing in cotton production in Egypt. Khedive’s authority, at that time, had a go-getting working program. This favored British industries and businessmen leading to them settling in Egypt in a bid to get labor force and raw materials. After the establishment of the Suez Canal, Britain enhanced its interests in Egypt. This is because the time taken to sail from Britain to Egypt was greatly reduced (Marlowe PP.29-33).

France wanted to have full control of Egypt with two intentions: Egypt’s agricultural productivity and its convenient importance to the Anglo-French competition. In the eighteenth century, France dominated most of Egypt’s trade with European countries. It considered Egypt as an important place where they could obtain grain and other raw materials for their industries. Egypt’s fertile soil and industrious population meant that France could regularly get raw materials and food for their country throughout the year. The French and the British were competing for colonies. The French also were interested in developing a Canal that would link the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Egypt is the most convenient place for this meant that they had to settle there. France aimed that by having quick access to India, they could manage to conquer some of the territories that were being colonized by Britain. They intended to gain a lot of assets from India that could lead to Britain accepting to strike a deal with them.

The economic condition of the Egyptians was said to be good before British imperialism. After the arrival of the British, they took control of the Suez Canal which was the major source of income to Egypt. They embarked on extorting ships that used the route for trade. Instead of using the money corrected to expand the canal or develop Egypt; they plowed back all the money to their country. This led to the deterioration of Egypt’s economy. Eventually, it was declared that Britain had taken Egypt as a colony and was using it to acquire resources for developing its country. Many Egyptians decided to move out of the country. The British knew that it would be hard for them to retain the canal in absence of the Egyptians. They realized that the profit they had been accruing from the canal would decline as Egyptians continue leaving the country. To reduce this, they imposed heavy taxation on Egyptians which was not common to them. It meant that Egyptians had to remain in their country for them to manage to pay the tax. They were subjected to working on lands managed by the British to earn money to pay the tax.

Besides the destruction of the Egyptian economy, its political status was adversely affected by British imperialism. Initially, Egyptians thought that their government would be reinforced by the arrival of the British. This gave them higher hopes of initiating rapid changes within their system of governance. They were surprised to find the British government has taken full control of their country and disregarding any opinion from the Egyptians. To counter this, they decided to come up with a government without British knowledge. This led to the reduction of the once strong Egyptian government to an association of fewer than twenty people. As the British declined to integrate their opinions in managing the government, they decided to rise against the government. They could organize forums where they came up with strategies to follow in opposing the British government. On taking control of Egypt, the British made significant changes in the Egyptian military force. However, it was managed and commanded by the British with Egyptians having no voice in determining how their military should operate. It comprised of people who were well of among the Egyptian citizens. These people were incorporated into the military since they were perceived to be capable of leaving the country or they could revolt against the British government. They were taken to British camps where all their wealth was confiscated, provided with a pair of shoes and a rifle. The military was taken through rigorous deadly exercises thinking that they would be used in defending their country. Egyptians were surprised to see them being forced to fight in battles that did not involve their country.

France and Britain continued conflicting on the management of the canal. Each country wanted to have more influence on the waterway. Each country had established trade with India and the only way to maintain this was to get hold of the Canal. Britain secretly purchased most of the canal shares to gain control of the canal. How they gained control of the canal seemed an insult to France. They could not bear it all. This led to confrontations between the two countries. Surprisingly, the only development that the British and the French introduced in Egypt was health care, farming, and education. However, this development was not meant for the Egyptians but for traders who stopped in Egypt on their way to or from the Middle East across the Suez Canal.

Nationalization of the Suez Canal

Most of the European nations had trading and economic interests on the canal. Having been established through financial support from the French, meaning that the Egyptians had no autonomous influence on the canal. In 1875, the British government agreed with the Egyptians who agreed to sell their shares to the British government. This gave them some control over the canal. The canal was greatly significant to the British as it helped them access their colonies in India, New Zealand, Far East, and Australia. The fact that the canal was not managed by a single government made it hard for any stakeholder to have full control of the canal. It meant that there had to be some consultations before embarking on imposing any regulation within activities that took place along the canal. After selling out their shares, the Egyptians had no authority over the canal. This made it hard for the Egyptian Government to nationalize the canal. For them to nationalize it, they had to ensure that they have compensated the British and the French who had already acquired the canal (Marlowe PP. 34-45).

Nasser embarked on developing Egypt. To manage this, he sought assistance from countries around the world. The fund he got from European Union and World Bank was not sufficiently compelling him to seek assistance from communist countries. His arms contract with Czechoslovakia did not please the Americans leading to them withdrawing the assistant they had been providing to Egypt. This led to Nasser nationalizing the Canal. This was not received well by the French and the British making them organize to attack Egypt in a bid to recover the canal. Israel decided to take part in the attack with aim of gaining support from European nations. The attack did not gain support from America and Russia. This led to the British and French withdrawing their soldiers from the canal. Egypt regained control of the canal and compensated the British and the French who had assisted in constructing the canal. The attack resulted in Egypt establishing a strong relationship with USSR.

Impacts of the Canal on Modern Egypt

Since the first oil crisis in 1973, the canal has proved to be of great economic importance to Egypt. It has become one of the major sources of income for the Egyptian government. The amount of money remitted on transit goods makes the canal the third biggest source of income to the government. The number of goods passing through the canal has always been the gauge for the economic prosperity of Egypt. According to information from the canal authority, the revenue from traffic amounts to 5.3 million dollars per day. This has been seen to improve due to most of the European countries relying entirely on oil from the Middle East.

Suez Canal is termed as one of the major projects that have led to Egypt becoming modernized. Despite it consuming a lot of the country’s resources and consuming Egyptian energy, it has led to the tremendous growth of Egypt’s Economy. The canal triggered international attention that has made the country popular in the world. Many traders and farmers migrated from Britain and France establishing farms in Egypt. Consequently, numerous industries emerged that used resources acquired from these farms. Today, the canal has great value to the country. Its establishment marked the beginning of Egypt’s exodus to the modern world making it one of the major players in international affairs. Even though the project plunged the country into debt with other countries, today it has led to the growth of some of the major Egyptian cities (Kunz PP. 12-16).

The canal has also greatly influenced the political environment within Egypt. The role of foreign countries in Egypt concerning the management of the Suez Canal greatly influenced the development of the present Egyptian constitutional structure. Its constitution was associated with a lot of instabilities with various constitutions being developed and disposed of within fifteen years. It led to Egyptians ceding most of their socialistic ideologies to embrace both Islamic and open-minded values. The canal has led to the emergence of various industries within the country. This is due to improved access to the ready market as Egypt has been opened to Europe and the Far East. Consequently, most Egyptians have been assimilated in these industries leading to improvement of their living standards. It has been one of the major sectors that have greatly supported the Egyptian economy in this era of economic crises. Before the coming on of the economic crisis, the canal helped the country in raising its economic growth to seven percent. This has greatly helped the government in managing all its expenses during this period of crisis (Schonfield PP125-134).

One of how the canal has been detrimental to Egypt is through pollution. In the last few months, the country has spent over thirty million Egyptian pounds in an attempt to curb the pollution in the canal. This has been caused by oil spills from tankers leading to the damage of coral reefs and a decline in the number of fish. It has drastically affected the tourism industry. Most of the pollution has resulted from the negligence of the ship owners. As the canal is very narrow, any spilled oil spreads rapidly along the canal. This is facilitated by the high-speed currents that are found within the canal. Fish production in the country has been one of the fields that are severely affected. This has led to the Egyptian government looking for measures to contain the situation.

Conclusion

The desire to link the Mediterranean Sea and the Red sealed the development of the Suez Canal. The main aim of linking these Seas was to reduce the distance between Europe and the Far and the Middle East. Initially, traders had to go around Africa through the Cape of Good Hope for them to access the Middle or the Far East. The first link was aimed at connecting the Nile to the Mediterranean Sea, thus linking the two seas indirectly. The construction of a modern canal began when the French arrived in Egypt. The French hoped that by constructing the canal, they could be able to reduce the British dominance in trade. Being unable to manage the canal alone, they decided to sell part of their shares through an open market giving the British an opportunity to control the canal. The British managed to buy most of the shares helping them have a greater influence on the canal than the French. This led to British imperialism in Egypt. They started taxing heavily all the ships that used the canal for trade. The emergence of the United States as a super power led to the fall of British imperialism in Egypt (Karabell 58).

Despite the canal being in Egypt, it had no great importance to the country as most of the money obtained from the Canal was being remitted back to Britain. This was until Nasser decided to nationalize the canal. The canal has led to the growth and development of numerous industries and cities in the country. Not only has the Canal led to improvement of the living standards among the Egyptians but it has also been one of the pillars that have greatly supported its economy during this period of economic recession.

Works cited

Dessouki, Sami. Suez Canal: Changing World 1956-2000. Canada: Heinemann. 1982.

Farnie, D. A. East and West of Suez: The Suez Canal in History, 1854-1956. Broadbridge: Clarendon Press. 1969.

Franklin, Dave. “The building of the Suez Canal.” 2009. Web.

Karabell, Zachary. Parting the Desert: The Creation of the Suez Canal. New York: Random House. 2004.

Kinross, Patrick, Balfour. Between Two Seas: The Creation of the Suez Canal. New York: William Morrow. 1969. 306pp.

Kunz, Diane, B. The Economic Diplomacy of the Suez Crisis. North Carolina: UNC Press. 1991.

Marlowe, John. The Making of the Suez Canal. London: Cresset Press. 1964.

Marlowe, John. World Ditch: The Making of the Suez Canal. Australia: Macmillan. 1964.

Schonfield, Hugh, J. The Suez Canal in World Affairs. East Valley Parkway: Philosophical Library.

Executive Summary

Guru Contractor is a construction company located in West Virginia. Guru has been in the building construction business for a very long time. Many years have seen Guru erect buildings for institutions, real estates, commercial enterprises and many more. If you talk about construction in West Virginia the first picture that comes in your mind is Guru Contractors. Recently, Guru has been awarded a contract by Newton University for the construction of a state of the art ICT center. This building will consist of three floors, ground floor first floor and second floor. The ground floor will host five teaching laboratories; the first floor will host journalism offices, software laboratory, hardware laboratory and radio room; the second floor will host ICT offices and server room. Guru is expected to provide a project management plan that will ensure a successful completion of the construction of the ICT center (Berkun 205).

Guru feels upbeat for this task because of the resources they possess. This includes and is not limited to; highly skilled workforce, construction material, experience in this field etc. Guru has a sound financial base and incase of projects outside their liquidity, they have established a good base with financial institutions and hence can secure loans of greater magnitude. Concerning quality they have a quality management team whose responsibility is to ensure projects are executed efficiently independent of the project location to the desired specification in a timely manner and within the set budget. Any project carried out either meets or exceeds the client expectations. This project management report outlines the tasks to be undertaken by Guru to make sure Newton University attain the realization of a state of the art ICT center.

Table 1: Project charter

Business Needs

Due to the advancement in information and telecommunication technology, Newton University was not to be left behind in their technological endeavors. Newton University has achieved great recognition through its production of creative and highly competent ICT graduates in the world. Great founders and inventors in technology, both software and hardware have set their feet in Newton University. With the U.S.A government having initiated a major project that will see almost 80 percent of West Virginia traversed with fiber optic connection, it was necessary for a technology oriented university like Newton to grab this opportunity by coming up with an ambitious project of constructing a state of the art ICT facility. The board of executives met and deliberated on this issue before deciding on this project.

Newton will use this facility to initiate a master’s degree program in information and communication technology. Through the acquirement of a radio transmission permit, Newton University will realize their goals of setting a radio station in this ultra modern building. Newton also had the objective of restructuring their ICT department to improve on the quality of service delivered to staff, students and faculty, and hence the new structure was to be allocated space within this facility.

The end result of this project is an improvement of university status through offering of a master’s degree programme. As a result of the construction of software and hardware laboratories which will be equipped with modern teaching and research equipment will be a plus to the already established ICT standards of Newton University. The start of a radio station will see journalism students receive training that will usher them positively into the job market. The stated objectives will contribute to both tangible and non tangible profits propelling Newton University to greater heights in the technological world. Newton obtained funding through donation brought in by board members who are alumni of the university. The commencement of this project attained a resounding yes from all the stake holders (Luckey and Phillips, p. 205).

Product Description

The facility to be constructed is to seat on 50,000 square feet of land. The facility will be named Lilian K. Beam building after one of the founders of Newton University. Lilian K. Beam will be a two stories building laid on a stone foundation. The walls will be of brick veneer and well polished and curved fieldstone. The ground floor of the building will host five teaching laboratories. The first floor will host the software laboratory, hardware laboratory, journalism offices and the radio presentation room. The second floor will host a server room, ICT staff and ICT faculty offices. All the rooms contained in this building will have air cons installed. The teaching laboratories will have a stone walled behind, left and right sides but the front area will consist of a glass wall and door separated by silver metal linings. All the glasses to be used in the construction will be sound proof eliminating noise transmission by 99 percent. The floor will be made of hardened grade one quality tiles. Most of the rooms will have large expansive windows as an additional means of ventilation to the air cons. All the floors will include gents and ladies lavatories with the ones on the ground floor being large in size to serve a large population of students as compared to the ones in the first and second floor. The stairs will be made of hardened glass with precast open arm like elements to support the users. The building will have overlapping roofs made of clay baked tiles to ease the work of cleaning and minimize heat. With the choice and approval of this design, Lilian K. Beam building is anticipated to fulfill its objectives and bring great benefit to Newton University (Kerzner 322).

Deliverables

The project deliverable will be a state of the art ICT building with the ability to host teaching laboratories, software and hardware laboratories, server room, radio presentation room, journalism offices, ICT staff offices and faculty offices. The building will be equipped with all the furniture and computer equipment.

Project Description

Scope

The project is to make sure Newton University realize a state of the art ICT center named Lilian K. Beam building which will steer the university to great technological heights in addition to bringing financial benefits. Everything has to be achieved according to the proposed budget and timeline as indicated in the project charter in the executive summary section.

Despite the fact that Guru will supply furniture and computer equipment for the building, they will not be in charge of the maintenance contract for the equipment. Guru will only maintain the building for a period of two years after its completion.

Completion criteria

The building is to be completed within a span of 18 months after which its commissioning will take place. During hand over of the project by Guru to the stake holders it is expected that all the furniture and fittings will be in place. Before the completion its construction will witness many phases consisting of activities which are dependent and independent of each other.

Risk assessment

The risk assessment for the construction project initially seeks to identify, prioritize, distinguish and document a risk alleviation approach that will be adopted by Guru staff relative to the particular risks that can be recognized before the beginning of the project. This process will be continually examined and updated accordingly all through the project cycle, with periodical evaluation and assessment that are included in the below status document and will be open to modification by the project in charge or manager. This is for the purpose of adapting to the present risks as business risks do fluctuate.

Given that all the risk alleviation measures have to be agreed upon by the project management team, with reference to their assessed likely impact, the projects capacity to accommodate such a risk and viability to avoid such a risk, it is vital to assign time to each team meeting, for identifying fresh risks and devising their easing tactics.Our project Team Leader will be able to convey any amendments and suggested eventualities to the Team monthly, or as frequently as the prevailing conditions may demand (Geer, p. 233).

Table 2. Risk assessment

Constraints

Time: This project is expected to take a period of 18 months. This is one month before the commissioning ceremony. The reason for this is to avoid complications that might arise as a result of not finishing the project in good time.

Cost: Guru Contractor has to use its vast experience in project management to make sure it achieves the set objectives of not only accomplishing the project on time but doing it in a cost effective way (Phillips 120).

Quality: If more workers than necessary are employed to accomplish the task, the quality of the work will be compromised. This is due to the fact that the project manager will be obligated to input additional coordination affecting the timeless delivery of other phases of the project.

Dependency linkages

This project will consist of five phases i.e. Phase I, Phase II, Phase III, Phase IV and Phase V. Each phase will be completed in a chronological order. Each phase has numerous activities. Some of the activities in the phases are depended on each other and hence a task cannot be started before another is completer while other activities are independent of the other and can commence without any linkage to other tasks.

Impacts

The ICT department will increase its staff after restructuring. Lecturers from other faculties who had no offices will be allocated offices initially occupied by members of ICT faculty. Due to the construction of many teaching laboratories student enrolment numbers will hike. There will be a change on how staff and faculty ICT needs are served due to implementation of a call center, multimedia, roaming support, security and data center units. All this will lead to an increase in the operation budgets which will be parallel with revenue generated.

Measures of project success

Measures of project success will be the successful completion of the project within the set time frame and budget. This will be achieved through great experience of Guru Employees and discipline while undertaking this project. Perfect implementation of each phase of the project will have a direct impact to the success of the project. By the end of the project implementation Newton University should have a state of the art ICT center that is built to the required standards meeting or exceeding its expectations for the set objectives to be attained.

Assumptions

One assumption is that Guru contractor will be able to seal an agreement with a sub-contractor in good time. Second assumption is that suppliers will be able to deliver construction material in good time. Third assumption is that everyone will stick to the set construction blue print

Critical success factors

The first critical success factor is approval of the construction blue print by both stakeholders and government building and construction regulatory agencies. The second factor is the involvement of the stakeholders by constant report and inspections during the development of each and every phase of the project. As a result of good relationship between the stake holders and the project team it was apparent that there will be minimal hitches in the course of project implementation. The third factor is sufficient funding. With the budget set and funds availed this was key in ensuring acquisition of the correct construction material and payment of all the workers.

Roles and project Stake Holders

The table below indicates roles of subjects involved in the construction of Lilian K. Beam building.

Project Approach

Planned Approach

This project will be implemented in various phases. A checklist will be provided at every phase to ensure that every task is implemented according to plan. These phases are: planning phase, design phase, construction phase, acceptance phase and finally persistence phase. A sub-contractor and suppliers will be brought on board. The sub-contractor will then hire or outsource manpower and skills to carry out the project. The hired resources will either be on permanent or temporary basis. The contractor will ensure various tests are carried after implementation of each phase.

Expectations

One expectation of this project is that it will be implemented within the planned time or even earlier. Another expectation is that the budget allocated will be enough to carter for all the requirements needed for the implementation. Finally, it is expected that the quality of the project will not be compromised based on the vast experience of the implementation team (Kendall 123).

Work breakdown structure

Phase one

Contract negotiation with selected music groups

• Design contract document
• Discuss contract document
• Consult with both parties
• Agree on contract document
• Sign contract document

Contract negotiation with roadies

• Design contract document
• Discuss contract document
• Consult with both parties
• Agree on contract document
• Sign contract document

Screen and hire security personnel

• Identify security needs
• Draft security needs on paper
• Consult various security firms
• Make a choice of security firm
• Agree and hire security personnel

Phase two

Find a construction firm & build the stage

• Research on stage designs
• Decide on stage design
• Approach different construction firms
• Make a choice of construction firm
• Award constructing contract for stage to build

Phase three

Logistical arrangements for music group transportation

• Identify number of music crew
• Identify mode and means of transportation
• Book tickets for music crew

Hire parking staff, and make parking arrangements parking fee

• Identify parking zone or parking space
• Identify and vet parking staff
• Hire parking staff

Phase four

The table below shows the estimated cost of organizing “Rock ‘n’ Reggae” music festival.

The figure below shows the task schedule chart

Works Cited

1. Berkun, Scott. Making Things Happen. Boston: HRD Press, 2005.
2. Berkun, Stella. The Art of Project Management. New York: Weaver Publishers, 2008.
3. Greer, Michael. The Project Manager’s Partner: A Step by Step Guide to Project Management. Boston: HRD Press, 2001.
4. Harvey, Levine. Practical Project Management: Tips, Tactics and Tools. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2002.
5. Kendall, Gerald. Advanced Project Portfolio Management and the PMO: Multiplying ROI at Warp Speed. Denver: MacMurray, 1999. Print.
6. Kerzner, Harold. Advanced Project Management: Best Practices on Implementation. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2004.
7. Luckey, Teresa, and Phillips Joseph. Project Management for Dummies. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2006.
8. Phillips, Dwayne. The Software Project Manager Handbook: Principals that work at work. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2004.

Introduction

A substantial amount of the budget is spent on developing the infrastructure of any country. These days, there is a competition going on to see which country holds the tallest buildings, and skyscrapers are being built resultantly. What is of utmost importance, is that these buildings or any constructed structure remains safe and unharmed by forces such as natural disasters, and wearing away with time.

Buildings need to be built in a way that keeps them protected from weather conditions, and the basic structure should be strong enough to withhold disasters such as earthquakes and storms. There are several risks involved in building construction, which is of significance and their management is crucial for providing maximum safety in unpredictable future events.

Risks Involved in Project from Inception to Commissioning

It is essential to consider the risks involved through natural disasters and hazards while constructing new buildings and repairing existing ones (Construction Design, Building Standards, and Site Selection, 2007). Environmental degradation is causing a lot of harm to the buildings being constructed in the current era, and there is a dire need of involving a hazard alleviation sector while undergoing a developmental project (Construction Design, Building Standards, and Site Selection, 2007). Several developmental goals have been set up by building constructors, but they have failed to achieve what they had aimed for, due to the negligence to hazard risks while carrying out construction. This has many times caused great human and economic loss.

Presently, what is keeping builders from considering hazard risks while undergoing construction, is the perception of high costs involved in doing so, and the lack of expertise. In some countries, negligence exists due to the non-occurrence of natural hazards. Other factors that cause damage to infrastructure are poor governance and abuse of land, including illegal expansion of buildings.

Analysis and Assessment of Risks

What people are unaware of is the fact that keeping natural hazards in view while constructing buildings can be a low-cost act, providing long-term benefits to the project being developed. The assessment of risks, or their identification, is very important. All the factors of a developmental project, whether controllable or uncontrollable, should be noted down before inception. Managers have to be vigilant while undertaking the steps that lead to the creation of the building. If risks are not identified, no further steps can be taken for the project, and what will emerge, will be low quality, high-risk building, which will probably face consequences in a short time.

The risk factors of a project have to be identified individually, with the help of each person’s own experience (Daniel Atkinson Limited, 2001).

The assessment of risks involved in the conversion of the Bexley College, which was opened as a technical institute in 1907, to residential flats, would involve proper strategic planning. The success of such a major project would be in identifying what risk factors would be faced while undergoing the conversion process. The individual experiences of the participants of the project would play a critical role in structure formation, and assist in the following essential points:

1. Clarification of objectives of the conversion to flats
2. Identification of nature of uncertainties that may arise whilst conversion is taking place
3. Introduction of effective communicative systems for the project
4. Improvement of decision-making
5. Introduction of effective risk control measures
6. Protection of the objectives of the conversion project
7. A look into the risk history of the present building of the college (Daniel Atkinson Limited, 2001).

Methods of Risk Management

Risk management involves the management of risks involved in the project under consideration. There are a few points that will need to be noted, before the conversion of the college building to flats.

Firstly, an analysis will have to be made as to how strong the currently built structure is, and if it can resist further amendments, being an old building. The identification of risks involved in making changes to the building needs to be made.

Secondly, the risks must be evaluated in terms of the chances of occurrence (Klemetti, A., 2006). There has to be an estimation of the likelihood of a risk involved, and how frequently it is prone to occur, in altering the building structure.

Thirdly, the response of the risk is essential to be kept in mind, which usually involves three strategies, acceptance, mitigation, and avoidance.

Lastly, appropriate steps need to be taken for the execution of the project, to see that no hindrances arise in the conversion of the building of the college into residential flats. Another important fact to be considered is that the flats will be under constant wear and tear by dwellers and this will require better quality infrastructure for long-lasting effects.

Conclusion

The transformation of the college building to residential flats needs an understanding of the risk factors involved in doing so, which would involve a thorough study of the current status of the old building, and what steps would be executed to further strengthen the existing structure to house, local dwellers.

Works cited

Anna Klemetti. Risk Management in Construction Project Networks. Helsinki University of Technology, Laboratory of Industrial Management. Report 2006. Web.

Daniel Atkinson Limited (2001) Risk Management in Construction Projects. Web.

Design/Build Negotiated Contract Cuts Risk Of Construction Cost Overruns For Municipalities By ANDY JONES, Senior Vice President of Operations, McLennan & Thebault Inc. Web.

Tools for mainstreaming disaster risk reduction. Construction Design, Building Standards, and Site Selection. Web.

Abstract

Off student, housing has become a pressing need as more and more students join college and the campus housing is insufficient to house the students. About 50% of students are forced to live in off-campus residences. The paper provides a feasibility study for building an off-campus residence and compares convention buildings and modular houses.

Executive Summary

Currently, more than 50 % of the students enrolled in colleges are forced to live in off-campus residences. Since private residences are expensive, students are forced to live in less hospitable areas where security is not very good and where because of poor living conditions, there are chances that students’ studies may suffer. The paper has examined the need for off-campus residences and framed certain basic requirements for off-campus residences that spell out the factors for such residences. The paper then examines conventional brick and mortar buildings and modular housing. Conventional houses are expensive to build while modular houses can be built quickly at lesser rates and they can be scaled to provide living space as per the requirements. A detailed analysis of modular houses has been performed along with sample designs and cost breakup and it is recommended that modular houses should be considered for off-campus student residences.

Introduction

Students housing has become a major issue as more and more students enroll in classes and the college-owned dormitories and campus housing become increasingly scarce. While campus residences are Spartan but economic, off-campus residences tend to be more elaborate, and then again a lot would depend on the type of residence, the type of neighborhood, proximity to the college and the city center, and other conditions. This paper provides feasibility for the construction of off-campus student housing. Various factors such as the need for off-campus housing and various functional and technical requirements including floor plans for the construction of off-campus residences have been presented. The paper examined conventional buildings and modular houses and while conventional houses are more expensive, modular houses are economical and can be installed easily.

Method Used

Information for the project has been obtained by literature review. A number of peer-reviewed journals, construction magazines, and reputed newspapers were perused to understand the overall subject content and the points that had to be covered to complete the study. A tentative table of contents was formed that gave the top-level headings of specific areas that would be covered. Using these headings as keywords, a search was done using sources such as ProQuest, Questia, and other online journals, newspaper reports, and reputed websites. Information from these sources was then perused and then completely written to produce the required content that forms the project,

Understanding the need for Off Campus student housing

Lucy (2006) that about 60 percent of high school graduates try to enter college after their graduation and that many colleges have foreign students who take up courses in various subjects. The author reports that almost 90% of the students who enter college are not from the immediate neighborhood and need a place to stay and study. Well-to-do students who come from better-off families prefer to stay in private housing apartments. As a result, particularly in areas with higher population density and where housing is scarce, the cost of housing has increased and as a result, students try to find the cheapest possible place to stay and study. The author argues that housing conditions and places of residence where students stay can impact the performance of the student in academics. There has also been an increase in violence perpetrated against students who live in off-campus areas and this has resulted in a greater need for security of life and property. Lucy points out that educational institutions are depending on the private buildings and housings to meet student-housing needs, and about 49 percent of students live in private housing and the colleges do not give these. Among the reasons why students prefer campus housing are because the rent and food are economical, the dormitories are on the campus and this means the reduced expense of going to the classes, and because it also means added security. Among the reasons why students move away from campus residences are crowded and noisy places where it is not possible to study in peace, poor food quality, no facility to cook their own food, no means to entertain guests and have additional friends and family members, and a rather strict discipline and control.

Therefore, it can thus be stated that there is an urgency and need to provide off-campus residences for students.

Framing the Requirements for Off-Campus Student Housing

Charbonneau (2006) has conducted a survey of about 405 students to find their preferences for off-campus housing. The author used a combination of survey instruments and interviews to understand factors that influenced their decisions. The results are shown in the following figure.

The above figure gives the factors that were considered for the survey and it can be seen that the top four factors that influence the decisions and are considered as most important are: overall cost, clean and well maintained, laundry facilities on-site of close by, distance to campus and monthly rent with utilities included.

Crandall (2005) conducted research among university students who lived in off-campus residences to find their preferences by cost. The findings are given in the following table.

As seen in the above figure, the students who were surveyed were ready to pay about 410 USD per month for the accommodation on a single occupancy basis per room. This figure is expected to vary with different student demographics and regions and the author contends that in many cases, two or more students share a room so that the rent is reduced and they also have enhanced security.

The above discussion shows that off-campus housing for students must be: economical, within a short distance from the college, must be secure, clean and the rooms should be adjustable so that more than one person can share a room without feeling crowded.

Building off campus housing

The previous sections have examined the need for housing and understood the requirements of housing. Considering the above requirements, the options for the housing are:

• Brick and Mortar buildings: These could be built either new or existing buildings in housing societies, old garages and others can be refurbished and used
• Modular housing: This is a type of prefabricated construction and can be built quickly in a location and it is very economical besides being scalable.

Funding for housing is an issue since these structures and the land costs large amounts of money. However, money has to be paid either by the college or by private investors who can let out the buildings to students.

Brick and Mortar Buildings

Jofrey (2008) has provided a news report about a 122 unit with 424 beds for the student housing community that has been listed with a real estate agent. The housing is near the Western Michigan campus in Kalamazoo where more than 25000 students study. The price as listed is 10.5 million USD or about 86,066 USD per unit and this works out to 24, 764 USD per bed. While this figure may be higher than other comparative housing, the fact remains that other places would be in the same range and cost about the same, maybe lesser or more. So obviously, such places are beyond the range of many students.

Modular Houses

Modular housing is one of the best alternatives to conventional housing as it is cost-effective, requires lesser time to build, is rigid, and can be customized easily to meet specific requirements. With advances in technology, construction material, and manufacturing processes, modular housing is aesthetically appealing, has intricate designs, and is suitable for homes, offices as well as large buildings. Modular housing needs to conform to HUD specifications as well as any local specifications. A modular home is created when one or more modules are transported to a building site and assembled on a foundation. Each modular section is a semi-independent structural unit, essentially a box that is built to interconnect with other modules (Gianino, 2005).

Considering that this type of housing has become popular, the product will be examined in detail.

Facts about Modular Housing

A few important facts about modular homes are given in this section (Gianino, 2005).

• Modular homes are built in a factory, transported to the site, and installed in a foundation. All major components such as walls, floors, ceilings, and others are put into place in the factory itself.
• The modular housing has individual modules such as bedrooms, kitchen, verandah, etc., and these are joined together to make a house. Different agencies involved are the manufacturer and builder.
• The cost of modular housing is considerably less than conventionally built housing. The time required for completion is much less than conventional housing.
• The prospective house owner and builder decide the building plans, size, cost, draw the plans, get them approved by approving agencies and send the plans to the manufacturer.
• The manufacturer manufactures the modular housing as per the plans and sends the specifications for the foundation, drainage, ground plumbing lines, electric mains supply lines, etc. to the builder.
• Weatherproofing can be specified as per the environment and customer requirements and these are considered while manufacturing the housing.
• The builder prepares the site by laying a good foundation.
• The completed modular housing is transported to the site and placed on the foundation using cranes.
• The builder then does the finishing work such as fixing siding, connecting the plumbing and electric lines, HVAC work, doing up the interiors, and so on. This may take a couple of weeks.
• A building inspector needs to inspect the completed house and verify the safety before the owner can move in.
• Financial institutions are willing to finance modular homes just as they do for conventional homes.
• Many people may not be able to tell the difference between a conventionally built home and a modular home.

Sample Designs

Modular housing is designed in different types of structures such as Cape, single, and double floored. Like conventional houses, budget and land play a major role in selecting the design. The structure depicted has two bedrooms one large and one small, a master bedroom with an attached master bathroom, one common bathroom, one diving room, one living room, a kitchen with an area that also has a breakfast area. Given below are drawings of the plan, front elevation, front elevation, and right elevation. Based on the requirement, any of the plans can be considered (Sample Designs. 2008).

First Floor Plan

Front Elevation

Left Elevation

Right Elevation

Two-Bedroom Modular house

Single Bedroom Modular House

Choosing the site

Land cost forms a sizeable percentage of the costs. An upscale real estate will be much more costly than a suburb and this is left to the homeowner’s choice. As per local zoning regulations, the minimum plot size must be 25,000 square feet. The actual plot can be 500 x 500 square feet. Larger plot sizes can always be bought if the buyer can afford them. This section gives some pointers on the technical aspects of selecting a site (Title 24. 2008).

• Clear title is crucial as a prime but economical real estate embroiled in legal issues can be a big problem. The property must be surveyed by competent authorities and boundary markers should be placed.
• Local zoning regulations may require a minimum plot size with a minimum distance between the building and the plot sides. This may considerably reduce the actual size available on which the building can be built.

• Nature of soil and the bedrock. This is important as rocky bedrock would require blasting and the use of heavy excavating equipment and this increases the costs. Also, the debris may have to be sent to a regulated landfill area for disposal. Clay is difficult to excavate and causes a weak foundation.
• If trees are present, then they have to be cut and the stumps removed. Local clearances need to be obtained before cutting trees.
• When available, sites sold by government agencies should be taken as the titles are always clear with electric, drainage, and sewage lines ready.
• In the absence of a sewer line, separate septic tanks need to be constructed and this not only uses up land but also adds to the cost.

Costs

Costs of modular housing depend on the design, extent of customization, options required, type of exotic materials used, total area of the housing, and so on. Manufacturers have different styles and each style has a different price bandwidth. As a ‘ballpark figure’ the following figures can be considered as a base. Actual prices may differ from time to time (D & G Modular Homes. 2007).

It can be seen that these costs are very much less when compared to the cost of a brick and mortar building. More than one student can stay in the room to further reduce the rental costs and it is assumed that 2 students would live in one room.

Conclusion

The conclusions arrived at are follows:

• There is an urgency and need to provide off-campus residences for students.
• Off-campus housing for students must be: economical, within a short distance from the college, must be secure, clean and the rooms should be adjustable so that more than one person can share a room without feeling crowded.
• Regular brick and mortar buildings construction costs are quite high and students would not be able to afford the rent for such places unless they are subsidized by the college. Private buildings are not available in larger numbers and the ones that are available would be far off from the college.
• Modular houses, built by either the college or by private investors are the best solution to mass housing needs. These houses are economical, can be built up quickly, can be extended as per the requirement, and cost much lesser than conventional houses. When required, the houses can be dismantled and moved to another place.

Recommendations

It is recommended that the concept of modular houses should be explored in detail; a survey of land for the buildings and other laws should be studied. Since this would be a big project, tenders room modular homebuilders and suppliers should be called for so that competitive rates can be obtained. Once these details are finalized, the exact budgeting can be made and contracts for construction can be taken up.

References

Crandall Robert H. 2005. A constrained choice model for student housing. Journal of Management Science. Volume 16. Issue 2. pp: B112-B119.

Charbonneau Pamela. Johnson Laura C. 2006. Characteristics of University Student Housing and Implications for Urban Development. Canadian Journal of Urban Research. Volume 15. Issue 2. pp: 278-300.

D & G Modular Homes. 2007. Modular Homes Price List.

Gianino Andrew. 2005. The Modular Home. Storey Publishing, LLC.

Jofrey. 2008. Marcus & Millichap Lists 122-Unit Student Housing Community In Kalamazoo, Mich., For $10.5 Million. Targeted News Service. Washington, D.C.

Lucy Delgadillo. November 2006. Off-Campus Student Housing Satisfaction. Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences. Volume. 98, Iss. 4; pg. 5 pgs

Sample Designs. 2008. Sample modular home designs.

Title 24. 2008. Housing and Urban Development – Title 24.

Introduction

Concrete offers strength and durability and that is why it finds a wide range of applications in walls and floors among other places in a building. Normally, the interior floors of a building constructed with concrete are carpeted. Exterior concrete walls are usually covered with finishing materials such as slate and granite among others.

Instead of covering concrete with the above-aforementioned materials, the floors and walls of concrete can be made more decorative as well as functional by use of specialized finishes. This can be achieved by treating the concrete walls and floors with stains and colors or stamping them with patterns and designs resembling natural surfaces to make them look more beautiful. The resulting floor or wall finish is a surface that integrates durability and beauty. When concrete floors are covered with carpets and vinyl, these covers do not last long because these covers are not durable. Carpets are also easily damaged by water. They also need to be replaced every now and then and therefore more costly in the long run.

Decorative finishes can be used to coat concrete walls and floors. These form finishes usually last long, bring in beauty and are easy to maintain. There are some ways in which concrete walls and floors can be treated to match the architectural characteristics of the building. Concrete walls can be stamped with patterns to create a natural appearance and also improve surface texture. They can also be stained with colors to offer a colorful shape. For this Small low-cost housing building development, surface finish material for floors and walls recommended for the following places are:

Surface finish materials for kitchen and shower rooms (concrete)

Integrally Colored Concrete

In this approach to floor finishing, usually colorant (in form of liquid or powder) is mixed with concrete at the mixing process. During the mixing, you should ensure that the result is an even tinting. Usually colorants to be mixed with concrete are in powder form but in some cases liquid colorants are used. Admixtures are also added in the mixing process and specifically add plasticity as well as workability into the concrete. In cases where pattern slabs are applied, along workability period is required to finish the mixing process for bigger areas. Colorants to be mixed with concrete are usually offered in standard forms in that a particular amount (bag) is designated to be used for a specific quantity of concrete. When making the colored concrete you must mix colorant first with water and aggregate. Make sure that the mixture is uniform before you mix it with sand and cement. After you create patterns, you must apply integral colorants. The colorants are the base tones that are enhanced by hardeners to bring in mottled natural look.

Concrete Stamping (alternative finish)

This kind of concrete floor and walls finishing utilizes patterns that are imprinted on the outlines and surfaces of bricks, tiles or timber planks into newly cast concrete floor or wall. The imprinting instruments are available in several sizes for single stones or groups of stones. Grout is also used to create a more natural finished look. Patterns must be applied together with hardeners.

Bedrooms first floor floors, Comfortable, light traffic (heavy wear characteristic not necessary)

Surface finish materials for Bedrooms floors and walls

Oil-based finishes

This is achieved through the reaction between oil and chemicals. This kind of finish produces a very beautiful wall finish that needs to be maintained regularly. The color also fades with time and needs a regular repaint. The time to complete this process depends on the time the solvent takes to evaporate. These types of finishes have moderate smell when freshly applied. Oil-based finishes are commonly available in matte and gloss.

Solvent-based finishes (alternative finishes)

This approach employs solvent-based polyurethanes. It creates a hardened wall finish resulting in a wall that is resistant to abrasions. This kind of finish does not require a lot of maintenance. Solvent-based finishes are available in gloss.

Contractor offices

Entrance hall

Finishing materials for entrance hall’s floors

• Integrally Colored Concrete

Here, colorant (in form of liquid or powder) is mixed with concrete in the mixing process which should produce uniform tinting to create consistent end result. At this stage admixtures should be added to improve malleability in the mixture. The Colorants are first mixed with water and aggregate before mixing them with sand and cement. When patterns to be stamped are formulated, integral colorants usually act as the base tone that is improved by hardeners and agents to bring in mottled natural look.

• Colored hardeners

In this approach colored hardeners in powder form are broadcast onto the newly cast concrete floor. Moisture percolates into the hardener which facilitates bonding that results in a harder finished floor. Since the hardener is concentrated into the upper layer, the end result is integrally colored floor. For increased durability, hardeners should be applied before patterns are stamped. Chemicals may also be to bring in deeper finished colors.

Finishing materials for entrance hall’s walls

The entrance hall’s walls should be painted initially with water-based paints and then coated with oil-based paints. The color of the paints should be blue in conjunction with gray in appropriate proportions.

Boardroom

Finishing materials for Boardroom floors

Integrally Colored Concrete

Here, colorant (in form of liquid or powder) is mixed with concrete in the mixing process which should produce uniform tinting to create consistent end result. To enhance malleability in the mixture of cement and courant admixtures should be added. To get a uniform mixture, you should first mix courant with water and aggregate. The cement and sand should then be added to the mixture. You must add integrated colorants to act like base tone. The base tone is further improved by adding agents that bring in mottled natural look.

Scoring (alternative finish)

In this approach shallow cuts are made on the concrete floor to create designs and patterns in a variety of colors. These cuts are made by circular saws.

Boardroom walls

The Boardroom’s walls should be painted initially with water-based and then coated with oil-based paints. The color of the paints should be blue in conjunction with gray in appropriate. proportions