The Construction and the Maintenance of a Green Building - Essay Example

? Construction Technology XXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXX Introduction A good design is essential for the construction and the maintenance of a green building. The importance of the design is ensuring that there is environmental preservation in the best manner possible. The basement and foundation is one of the integral parts of a building and should have the amount of attention it requires. The area where the building is to erect has clay soil, which makes it rather risky from different aspects (Hassan, 2009, 126). Choice of Method In choosing of the area to construct, it is important to understand the setting of the area. In the provided setting, looking out for all the environmental impacts comes in handy. The building is located in a busy location with a lot of traffic. It is thus important to understand that the cars passing by the house do not spend a lot of time at the location because the ground is rather weak. It is a requirement that the house uses rather tough tiles and the most recommended is the ceramic tiles. Green Raw Materials and Concepts Ceramic is harder than stone and hence effective enough to use in places with clay soil and having many people around. In the making of such houses, it is important to ensure that there is minimal use of space while still providing satisfactory area for people to use. The surrounding environment to the house should not have any building around it and should provide ample space for some form of field with grass. Grass is necessary seeing as the ground beneath is clay provides a rather smooth setting and environment for growth. Moreover, research has shown that having chemicals sprayed over the grass eventually leads to the clay soil beneath the foundation of the house stronger and can assist during the rainy season (Vasil, 2009, 77). Clearly, having ample grass space is not an aspect to conform to because it is a town setting but leaving space for it nevertheless is advisable in the setting. Clay soil is strong and provides a great support for the foundation and the basement. This is from the way its particles join to form one large compact Substance. This substance leaves no space for air and thus makes it even harder. However, during the dry periods, the soil gets wet and the particles, having not supported themselves alone, end up breaking into pieces. This consequently has the building developing cracks and eventually falling to the ground, which is a hazard needless to state. Below is an example of a building in the initial stages of construction just before the pouring of concrete Energy Conservation Conservation of energy is one of the most important aspects to understand when dealing with the construction of a green building basement. The basement in this situation is for the provision of energy from a more effective and reputable source. Natural lighting comes in effective for the preservation of any type of commodity that the building owners may term important. The basement should have photovoltaics that are rather an effective method to save on energy used in not only the preservation of the basement, but also the establishment of the foundation. Fuel cells to run the mortar in the creation of bricks can come from new house appliances. An environmentally friendly house is otherwise known as a green house. Inspection An inspector is a vital aspect in the analysis of the already set foundation for the building. Most precisely an engineer ought to observe the already set foundation for the determination of the stability position that the building will have. Failure to analyze this may lead to the contractors and the builders carrying on with their work with no idea whatsoever of the sensitivity of the issue (Pearon, 2011, 102). The surveyor then comes in after this stage and determines the kind of footing to put depending on the type of building that the owner requires. In this case, a green house would require a rather high footing provided the soil formation and characteristics at the area. This is also important from the fact that the footing of the building determines the outline of the building. The excavation process begins at this stage ensuring that the pouring of water on the foundation floor is at a maximum. The importance of this is that the soil in the area, being clay, has to have no form of pores or aeration passing through it due to lose sediments. One ought to understand that the pouring of the stated water has to happen every few hours of every day when carrying out the construction of the foundation in order to have it as a strong hold. The digging begins in an effort to mix the weak clay soil with any other soil that may happen to lie in the area with the hope of making it even stronger (Miller, 2007, 164). Electricity An electrician is important from the fact that the owners of the house have to have an alternative but not mainstream source of energy in the case of rainy periods that solar energy stored runs out. The electrician has the responsibility of laying pipes and for electronic connections such as plugs. The plumber is also involved in this as he plans and plots the source of the water and reviews the drainage system to ensure that the soil has a constant supply of water and that the main water pipes in the house do so too. Plumbing A proper plumbing system is vital for this type of building provided its location and the factors concerning the soil type in the stated area. For the pumping of water, a dual plumbing system ought to be installed and well insulated to ensure that bacteria and other harmful elements of the soil do not get to it. The system is referred to as dual as after the first round of using the water, instead of disposal, the water gets back to the system but using a different line. This water is not healthy for drinking or cooking, but can come of use in other means around the house that do not require healthy water. These include flashing the toilet and also the sprinkling of water on a flower garden or grass around the house (Miller, 2008, 34). With regard to the type of soil in the area, it is important to add other types of soil samples that may have an additional impact on the stability of the foundation. In this situation, one can note that the levels of soil ought to be high and the inclusion of a little sand from the mortar mixing the bricks can come in as an advantage. Proper equipment ought to be used to lay the level of the soil in an acceptable manner before the laying of the foundation. Process Concrete pouring is the most important part when constructing the foundation of a building. This is from the fact that after this process, one cannot reverse to the point of setting up additional connections beneath the foundation. Given that the house under review is a green house where one observes the optimization of available natural resources for the provision of quality living, going through all the steps with the various professionals is important. For instance, in this case, one ought to understand that in an effort to save the most energy, the electrician should connect the solar panel or any other device used for trapping electricity to the underground (VanderWerf, 2007, 82). After the connection to the ground, the house has the circulation of electricity from the solar panel, to the underground chamber and consequently to all rooms in the house. The electrician ought to set up a certain meter box in the house through which the energy from the solar that had accumulated during the day gets saved. After the assurance that everything is running in the correct manner, the next step is the actual setting of the finishing layer but prior to getting there, one should realize that the tools used in this stage ought to be energy saving just like the house itself. Choice of Tools Choosing of tools is a rather difficult task and the amount of attention offered ought to be high. The priority in this case goes to reusable and recyclable materials that keep the environment in great shape and the building in a greener state (Glancey, 2009, 159). These commodities should not emit any type of exhaust gases that are otherwise harmful to the environment and could serve as a weak point for the building in its effort to remain environmentally friendly. As stated, the building is in an urban neighborhood and thus stressing the importance of uniqueness in terms of structure and energy saving. This comes in as an advantage as the owner with collaboration with the contractor can walk into various stores and chose the best products for building the house. Having the tools for this stage in place, the next step involves the setting up of concrete block walls for the basement. The building of this involves the incorporation of precast bricks that resemble large blocks. These are important for the stability of the basement provided the level at which the concrete is poured which is rather high. Despite the fact that these pro-cast bricks are energy conservative and cheap, they are rather prone to leaking and thus the importance of the poured concrete on the basement maintaining a high altitude (Sykes, 2010, 116). Auxiliaries The basement can be put to use in a variety of ways and one of these is as a garage. There is no specific information on the type of car that the owner of the building drives and thus the importance of reviewing both the contemporary gas car and the hybrid one. For the contemporary gas car, the basement ought to have more specifications in terms of structure and walling. Photovalatics are the best means to ensure that the exhaust emanating from the car after halting does not spread to other areas of the house or the environment. Photovalatics in the basement absorbs the gas and all its constituents and then turns the gas to energy that if well wired by the technicians can go to the storage box and serve the house. As for the hybrid car, one does not have to carry out much activity with regard to refurbishing the basement. The only thing that one can do on the basement ground is ensure that there is a lot of clay and a moderate amount of sand prior to laying the foundation. This is from the fact that the hybrid car is particularly known to be light in general and consequently the amount of pressure put on the ground is technically small. As this is a house in the city, the extra amount of sand can be incorporated into laying the foundation of the rest of the house. This is resource friendly which is the main aim of the project (Daniels, 2010, 55). PCDA It is the final stage it involves DMADV methodology using objective statements to verify whether consumer needs are being met better. Simulations are run after the new process/product is deployed. The measurements are then compared with the previous measurements to ensure that improvement has taken place and in the right direction. Tools used in this frame include PCDA (Plan do check act). The construction company has to follow this framework which is continuous to ensure quality. A DETAILED EXPLANATION OF DMADV APPROACH. Define Steps: • Initiate the project (identify product and process concept, goal statement, and business case) • Scope and plan the project • Team charter Tools used: • Pert/Gantt chart • PM tool Purpose: Define what, why when, who and how of project Measure Steps: • Identify customers (internal and external) • Gather customer needs • Specify, quantify CTQs • MSA Tools used: • QFD • CTQ flow down • GRR Purpose: Understand customer needs and specific CTQs Analyse Steps: • Develop conceptual design (alternate design concepts) • Statistical analysis • Risk assessment Tools used: • QFD • Pugh matrix • FMEA • Process maps Purpose: Determine the best means of meeting requirements of product and process Design and optimize Steps: • Develop detailed design • Build system and subsystem models and generate transfer functions • Optimize design (robust design) Tools used: • Process map • Simulation software - DoE Verify Steps: • Execute pilot and analyse results • Statistically confirm process and product predictions • Manufacturing control Tools used: PDCA • Control charts • Capability analysis • Standards and procedures • Process management charts Purpose: Verify product and process performance against target Literature Review It is important to go through a case study presented with almost a similar resemblance to the scenario. Africa is one of the less developed continents in the contemporary world; however, some of its countries and in this case Ethiopia have taken upon itself the responsibility of building eco-friendly houses in an effort to save money and develop the economy. The housing project in focus is a building in Addis Ababa. The city has around 80% of its population living in slums and thus the government has come up with a project dubbed the Ground Housing Program (Taffesse, 2012, 97). In the stated program, there is the incorporation of the green house method of building where the houses are lined with electricity and water savers on the ground before building the foundation and pouring the cement. This has come in to save the government a lot in terms of power and water supply. The recycled water is used by the people to grow some vegetables and other foodstuff. The foodstuff is used by the people to save them from purchasing items in the markets while others use it to gain profit by selling it. The houses all have unlimited power unlike before when it was rather difficult for people to have power supply in the slums. This study shows the amount of development that one can source from environmentally friendly houses. It is a recommendation that not only the government, but also private investors and individual land owners take up this trend of constructing environmentally friendly houses. These are not only cost effective, but also assist in keeping the health of a family and the community at large safe. With increased developments of the 21st century, there is a lot of pollution and health hazards in almost all areas that people visit, it is advisable that one’s home offers a clean environment away from negative aspects. Green houses have come to develop in the contemporary world, building them does not take a lot of effort as seen and the results are always fruitful. Advantages Seeing as the school intends to utilize the land as a green project, there are various measures that they ought to take in order to make it habitable to their specifications. First, the manner through which the buildings of the school are set up starting from the basement up comes in as a very important factor that will ensure the government takes care of all the provided issues that the school intends to cover. Going through the manner through which these buildings, also known as green buildings are constructed will ensure that the government identifies the importance of having the school take up building of the land and consequently go easy on them regarding their proposed green agenda. The building will be energy effective for the school. In the stated program, there is the incorporation of the green building method of building where the buildings lined with electricity and water savers on the ground before building the foundation and pouring the cement. This has come in to save the government a lot in terms of power and water supply. The people, to grow some vegetables and other foodstuff use the recycled water. Moreover, to save them from purchasing items in the markets while others use it to gain profit by selling it use the foodstuff. The buildings all have unlimited power unlike before when it was rather difficult for people to have power supply in the slums. This study shows the amount of development that one can source from environmentally friendly buildings. A good design is essential for the construction and the maintenance of a green building. The importance of the design is ensuring that there is environmental preservation in the best manner possible. The basement and foundation is one of the integral parts of a building and should have the amount of attention it requires. The area where the building is to erect has clay soil seeing as the initial inhibitor was a windmill which basically runs on clay soil this makes the erection of the school rather risky from different aspects (Hassan, 2009, 126). The use of clay soil will ensure that the building remains strong in case of a calamity such as an earthquake. The real estate developer is one of the most important people for people who are willing to take up tenancy in a particular area but do not have the required information concerning the area. Having a real estate developer go through the various aspects that may have the prospective buyers with questions is important for the assurance of their faith in the area. Various people in the area of real estate development do not carry out the required amount of research in the area and may not get in place with the scenario. These are the kinds of real estate developers that are normally flushed out by their representing organizations (Miles, 2009, 77). They end up losing their jobs and not having any other source of income. As shown above, the provided real estate developer carried out a rather appropriate job in understanding all the requirements of the school administration by majorly having in mind that this was a green house project. The developer went through all the necessary hoops in an effort to please the customer which is an upright aspect in terms of real estate development and thus has the advantage of developing even subsequent areas. Disadvantage The only disadvantage of this method of building is the fact that the building loses its attractiveness. It is rarely possible to maintain beauty and at the same time save energy on one building and this is the reason as to why the building may lack many inhabitants. This is because many of the contemporary students love beautiful buildings to go along with their needs in this age. References Daniels, B. 2010. Cheapest Way to Build a Greenhouse Foundation. Retrieved on 5th May 2013 from http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/grapevine/undercover-operations/cheapest-way-build- greenhouse-foundation_25075.html Taffesse, W. 2012. Low-Cost Eco-Friendly Building Material: A Case Study in Ethiopia. Retrieved on 5th May 2013 from http://www.waset.org/journals/waset/v62/v62-130.pdf Hassan, M. 2009. Kyle’s Basement Building Thread. Retrieved on 5th May 2013 from http://www.terraforums.com/forums/showthread.php?129352-Kyle-s-Basement- Greenhouse-Build-Thread Pearson, D. 2011. The Natural House Catalog: Everything you need to Create an Environmentally Friendly Home. New York: Simon & Schuster. Vasil, A. 2009. Ecoholic: Your guide to the Most Environmentally Friendly Information, Products, and Services. New York: W.W. Norton. VanderWerf, P. A. 2007. The Concrete House: Building Solid, Safe and Efficient with Insulating Concrete Forms. New York: Sterling. Sykes, K. 2010. Constructing a New Agenda: Architectural Theory 1993-2009. New York: Princeton Architectural Press. Miller, M. R., Miller, R., & Baker, G. E. 2008. Carpentry & Construction (4th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill. Glancey, J. 2009. Architecture. London: DK. Miller, M. R., Miller, R., Leger, E., & Phelps, J. 2007. Complete Building Construction (5th ed.). Indianapolis, Ind.: Wiley. Read More