Sustainability and Built Environment: The 16 Maxwell Road Glasgow Building - Case Study Example

The 16 Maxwell Road Glasgow Building This building is a pre 1850 high rise purpose built flat with a South East orientation; the front of the building faces the East while the entrance side faces south. The building has two entrances: one faces the East towards the Pollokshaws Road and the other to the South towards the Maxwell Road which is the main entrance. The building is projected horizontally at an angle of 90 degrees. The 16 Maxwell Road Glasgow Building is a type of a traditional building; evident from the traditional building materials that were majorly used in Scotland. Such kinds of buildings were constructed before 1919 and are currently believed that only an approximate of 500,000 exists. The construction materials used in this building are apparently breathable and attempt to introduce contemporary standards of impermeability with a high probability of unintended consequences. Specifically, the building materials for the 16 Maxwell Road Glasgow Building are: Sand stone which has been used for the construction of the external envelopes; window glazing are fixed with a double glazing using tinted glass; the insulation materials used on the walls are plaster boards 10 mm thick in dimension. The floor is constructed using screed covering with chip boards 20 mm thick in measurement. The 16 Maxwell Road Glasgow has an orientation of the South-East; is projected horizontally at an angle of 90 degrees to the ground. This orientation was meant to facilitate the building to acquire more sunlight. The roof top of the building is constructed using chrysotile asbestos while the internal doors are fixed in a manner that they hinges are wooden, swings into the jamb and opens one way. The average age of the building materials is approximated to be around one hundred year especially for the walls (external). The windows are approximately fifteen years old together with the materials used to construct the internal walls. Several repairs have been done recently on some features of the building ranging from; the insulations, the doors as well as the floor. The external walls of the building are constructed using sand stone; this is a locally available material in the area. This material is perfect in terms of energy efficiency despite the fact that it is characteristically soft, weak and permeable. This is due to the fact that the composition of sand stone wall is made up of a variety of chemicals such as lime mortars, paints and plasters this makes the walls more permeable as it allows the passage of moisture as well as water vapor. However in most current buildings, the external wall envelopes are constructed using more sophisticated materials that are apparently strong, durable, impermeable and attractive. These walls are constructed using materials that require a significant quantity of energy for their extraction, transportation and utilization (Venkatarama 130) In respect to the use of stone walls; some modern walls are constructed using special types of stones that may not be locally available. Such stones are always shaped using machinery that consumes energy (stone cutter); they also require transportation from the quarries to places of use. To begin with, such walls pose a great threat to the environment in terms of environmental quality destruction and energy consumption. The extraction of stones leads to the reduction of the aesthetic value of land as a result of big hollow chunks of waste land left behind. Such pieces of land if are not reclaimed may become an environmental threat as they may cause accidents to both animals and human (Venkatarama 132) Additionally, the extraction of stone involves use machinery such as tractors for transportation and excavation and the stone cutters majorly for shaping the stones. These machineries utilize large amounts of fossil fuel which have an adverse effect on the environment. Combustion of fossil fuels releases large amounts of carbon dioxide which destroys the ozone layer hence leading to facilitation of global warming (Venkatarama 133) There are also modern walls which are constructed using wooden materials; these materials are used to construct both the external and the internal walls. They are fixed in a manner that there is an air space in between the external wall and the internal wall. The air space is regarded as an insulator which regulates heat in the house. Air is this case is a poor conductor of heat which prevents heat loss from the house which may occur through conduction. Such walls are to some extent efficient in terms of energy efficiency and the environmental sustainability (Parrott 578) Wooden materials are easily available and do not require so much energy for their extraction as compared to stones. Wooden walls are also considered cost efficient as they may not require so many materials during the construction of the walls such as plastering materials which are fundamental on the stone walls. However, due to continued population growth and the need for more housing facilities, the use wooden materials may cause several environmental impacts as a result of over-extraction (Efficient Building Network) Unsustainable usage of wooden materials may lead to increased deforestation which may facilitate global warming, climate change and desertification. Moreover, the cutting down of trees for wooden materials is a great threat to the natural habitat in that it interferes with the ecological food chains and food webs. Global warming affects other energy sectors such as the hydro-electric- power production systems due to reduction of water volumes in river channels (Parrott 579) In the current where environmental concerns majorly arising due to energy consumption activities have become a day to day talk require the construction of energy efficient wall envelope. This is not only necessary but also fundamental; therefore, construction engineers have come up with new construction mechanisms considered energy efficient in nature (Efficient Building Network) The precast wall construction is one such example where, the specific precast concrete walls utilize a more strength concrete of approximately 5000 psi fixed with reinforcing steel as well as fibers. These walls are fixed with full length insulation in order to ensure energy efficiency. They are attractive in nature and possess convenient characteristics such as the in-built accesses that allow wiring to take place and the placement of treated wood nails (Efficient Building Network) The precast wall construction dimension is preferred by most builders who are attracted to the ease of construction associated with in terms of a speeded insulation installation. The precast walls have a characteristic in-built footing purposely to be placed on a foundation of a stone. Another imperative modern form energy efficient wall construction used in most external envelopes is the insulating form concrete. This mode of external envelope wall construction involves the use of a reinforced concrete meant for the structure and an insulation which performs a double purpose. The insulation is permanently fixed on the wall and it is composed of characteristically expanded polystyrene also referred as the EPS (Efficient Building Network) The modes of energy consumption in the building involve some techniques; some considered energy inefficient while others are sustainable. To name a few: Utilization of the hot water supply line for body cleaning and other in-house uses. The duration of hot water usage in the house varies as it may range from two to six hours daily depending on the activity and weather of the day. This appears to promote over utilization of daily electric consumption. However, it may be difficult to control the amount of electricity consumed on usage such as in taking showers but unnecessary usage of hot water heating system may be avoided to minimize the cost of electricity. There is also the usage of some electric gargets such as the microwave and the electric kettle for boiling water and warming food. In most cases, the electric kettle may be used five to six times for a period of 10 to 20 minutes to warm water. This consumes a lot of electric power as the electric kettle used in the house is not energy saving in nature. The use of electric kettle can be reduced by keeping hot water or other drinks in thermo flask that can keep liquids hot over long periods of time. Also, unnecessary use of the electric kettles can also be avoided in order to minimize daily electric consumption. The Microwave in the house also consumes a significant amount of electricity which increases daily energy consumption. This can be avoided by keeping food in hot pots or preventing unnecessary use of the microwave over long periods of time. Additionally, there is a washing machine in the house which may be used about 2-3 times a week for cleaning clothes. This is the major electricity consumer in the house; to avoid increased electricity consumption in the house is it pertinent to avoid unnecessary washing especially using the machine. Energy consumption can also be reduced by collective washing of clothes in the house. The owners of the house also possess a hooving machine meant for cleaning the floor carpet; this also forms part of the equipment that increases the amount of energy consumption in the house. The machine is always used for duration of approximately forty five minutes to one hour about 2-3 times a week; this increases energy costs. To reduce energy consumption, there should be days allocated for manual cleaning of the carpet such as using brushes to manually clean it. A variety of electric bulbs are also utilized in the house most of which are the old models and do not save energy; the lighting system may be used for approximately 6-8 hours on day time and 5-6 hours at night times. This has also provided an apparent scenario of unnecessary use of energy in the house which can be avoided by use of the lighting system when in need. The daily electric consumption through use of the lighting system can also be reduced by installation of the modern energy saving bulbs in the house which are also cost efficient. Within the 16 Maxwell Road Glasgow building, there is a Television which is used on a daily basis for a period of about 6-10 hours. On some occasions, the television is left on unnecessarily; this can be avoided to reduce energy use within the building. There is a computer used on a daily basis for a period of 3-6 hours on weekdays and 6-8 hours on the weekends. To further facilitate the efficient energy consumption within the house, it is pertinent to employ sustainable energy consumption mechanisms such avoiding unnecessary use of these equipment or purchasing more energy efficient machines like a laptop instead of a desktop. Consequently, there is also an iron box use fro straightening clothes in the house, although this garget consumes a large amount of electricity, it is not always used. However, energy consumption due to the use of the iron box may be avoided. There are some clothes which do not need ironing; this methodology can be applied to reduce energy consumption in the house. In cases of cold weathers, there is an air heater installed n the houses which is normally switched on to heat the house. This machine also consumes a lot of electricity and in some of the time been mis-used by careless switching and leaving it one even when not in need. Alternative house heating mechanisms such as using firewood can be employed in the house on some occasions in order to reduce the cost of electricity used on a daily basis for air heating. More importantly, there are also a variety of technological interventions that can be applied to facilitate efficient energy consumption in the house: For instance, insulating the building envelope of the 16 Maxwell Road Glasgow Building. This technique will facilitate energy saving by preventing heat transfer through the air that leakages and air that may enter the building. The insulation process will involve all the parts of the building that may have an effect on the heating of the house. The first activity in the insulation process will involve replacing the existing old windows which cannot perform effectively in insulation due to their old age which has made them worn out. This, specifically will involve fitting new tripple-glaze instead of a double glaze; the tripple glaze windows is fitted with two panes that creates a sealed unit fundamentally for weather regulation as well as a third panes purposely for its acoustical advantages. The third pane is placed separately in a manner that it is placed away from the insulated parts by a few centimeters of air space in order to enhance the thermal properties of the window. The second pertinent activity in the insulation of the building envelope will involve a complete external cladding of the building in order to enhance towards the minimum required benchmarks. This will be done in accordance to the benchmarks of the Building Regulation (L2B). Basically, the external cladding materials will comprise of the blocks of aerated concrete, polythene, insulation board and a light plaster. There will also be a ply deck that will be fixed in accordance to the measurement of the Building Regulation benchmarks (Yoshioka 510) The external cladding materials that will be needed are quit expensive however, the long term benefits supersede the costs in that: A combination of the above materials has a high capacity of insulation hence minimal heat loss. They also increase the life span of the building through improved durability and improved ability to withstand severe environmental effects. Consequently, the use of the above materials does not require the complete demolition of the building hence more cost effective in terms of repair. This methodology presents an overall cost effective way of improving the insulation capability of the building as it involves use of effective materials and proper installation processes that follows the benchmarks of the Building Regulation hence providing a long term positive effect (Yoshioka 513) This intervention mechanism will need a major refurbishment of the building due to the effects ascribed to it. This process involves a variety of activities that may affect the health of the occupants for instance; materials that may fall or injure the occupants as well as sharp construction materials that may cause accidents. Work cited B. V. Venkatarama et al. ‘Embodied energy of common and alternative building materials and technologies, Energy and Buildings’. Vol. 35, No. 2, pp. 129-137. 2003 Parrott, L. ‘An environmental perspective on UK construction materials’ In CIB World Building Conference Proceedings’ Gävle, Sweden, pp. 338–47. 1998 Huberman, H., Pearlmutter, D. ‘Life Cycle Energy Performance of Building Materials: Alternatives for a Desert Environment’ paper presented at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev; September 2004. 2004 Yoshioka, T. ‘Future Possibility of High Performance P V B. Interlayer: Glass Processing Days’ Conference Proceedings. June 2003, pp. 525 – 527. 2003 C. A. Langston et al. ‘Sustainable practices in the built environment’. Butterworth Heinemann. pp. 3, 4. 2001 Resources, utilizing our combined, and create a win-win situation!. "insulated homes - insulating concrete form - energy efficient home design." insulated homes - insulating concrete form - energy efficient home design. N.p., n.d. 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