Sustainable Construction Technologies - Term Paper Example

Sustainable Construction Name Instructor Course Subject Date Abstract Sustainable construction technologies is a sector of the construction industry that has grown in the past years due to the growing need to make the world a sustainable place for the sake of future generations. The first step of making a building sustainable is inspecting it through techniques such as observation as well as through tools such as camera infrared. The condition of the building is then identified, for example the many windows that make the house cold. Appropriate recommendations are then given to ensure that changes are made to the house for the sake of the preservation and survival of the house. Introduction Sustainability is one of the most important aspects in architectural engineering. It involves constructing buildings that seek to maintain the sustainability of the earth. This is done by ensuring that the buildings developed give the best possible results and last long while preserving the nonrenewable sources of energy. Sustainable buildings therefore seek to ensure that not only do they fulfil the needs of the present generation of housing, good infrastructure and good work environments but protects the environment in order to ensure that future generations can also meet their needs easily (LafargeHolcim Foundation, 2015). This report seeks to determine if a home of a client is sustainable with the aim of identifying weaknesses and recommending appropriate solutions. Building Inspection The inspection of the house involves the actual process of investigating and observing various aspects of the building (GSA, 2017). This was accomplished in stages, in which specific aspects of the building were addressed, on 1 May 2017. The first sector of the building assessed was the environment. This entails the entire surrounding of the house. The next step involved the doors, both the main and the ones located in the house. These two aspects were crucial in ascertaining the level of accessibility accompanying the building, in terms of ease of passage by the residents. The next level of assessment involved the interior of the building. This ranges from interior surfaces such as the ceiling, floor, windows, walls and the roof. The stated stages of inspection were accomplished using specific tools for assessment and measurement. However, it is crucial to note that direct observation played an essential role in complementing the listed methods and tools, such as investigating the condition of paint, accounting for positioning of openings such as windows and doors and suspected cracked areas. One of the tools used was a camera for recording any remarkable aspects or unwanted features of the building. This was through photographs. A flashlight also accompanied the camera, for lighting purposes, in case the targeted area or region was poorly lit, such as dark corners, apparent cracked surfaces and bushy areas. A telescoping adjustable mirror was used for viewing distant and remote areas in the environment (Haringey, 2017). This enabled sufficient observation of the inaccessible areas due to strain on resources such as time. A telescoping and articulating ladder was extensively used in the investigation of the interior of the building. This includes surfaces such as high spots of the walls, the ceiling and the roof. The ladders played an essential role in compensating for the height difference that would otherwise render the specified parts inaccessible. These ladders are also advantageous over the usual ones due to their foldable nature, which increases their portability. Infrared cameras were used for assessing the temperature hence the water content of the building, such as ceiling and floorboards, and the environment (InterNACHI, 2013). For instance, damp surfaces indicate either accumulation of water on the wood would indicate damp surface that is not well water proofed. Infrared thermometers were then used to identify the exact location of the dampness within the suspected region. Voltage and current indicators were used to test the integrity and efficiency of wiring in the building. The rooftop’s integrity was assessed by visual inspection for spotting any punctures in the roofing material. Building Description One of the features of the building is a wooden floor. The wood used to make it is mahogany, which is hardwood and is dark brown in color. It has a coating of sealant that makes it waterproof. Thus, areas around the house such as the bathroom and kitchen, where the floor may be exposed to water. The wood used to make it is further smooth giving the floor a smooth texture. The floor is raised from the ground, which helps protect it from water that flows on the ground when it rains. The material used to make the walls is wood. It is also mahogany and is thus brown in color. Similar to the floor the walls in areas that have a high risk of becoming wet are coated with sealant to ensure that the water does not make it rot. These areas are the bathroom and kitchen. However, the rest of the house has walls that are not covered with sealant. They instead have a coating of varnish that makes the wall look shiny and appealing. The outer part of the walls are painted light blue. The ceiling of the house as well is wooden. It is made of gypsum cardboard. The ceiling is painted white. A wooden strip lines the ceiling throughout the house. It is also white in color. There are lamps hanging from the ceiling in all the rooms. There is one big lamp hanging at the center of the living room. It has a chandelier that is orange in color and contrasts with the ceiling. The wires used for electrical connection are above the ceiling hidden away from being seen by anyone. The house has windows in all the rooms in the house with some rooms having more than one window. The master bedroom has two windows. The living room has four windows. The rest of the rooms have one window each. The windows in all the rooms are made of the same material, which is glass. The windows have a metallic frame that is painted whited. The windows are on all sides of the house, which ensures that winter sun heat gets inside the house through the windows. The roof of the house is made of galvanized sheets. The sheets are painted maroon. There are gutters around the house. They are effective in helping the residents in harvesting water when it rains. Stainless steel nails are used to hold the sheets in place. The sheets overlap each other in areas that the sheets end. A metallic ridge cap shingle is used to seal up the point where the iron from opposite sides of the house meet. Building Condition During the inspection, there was evidence of water damage on numerous sections of the white ceiling. In the living room, a large dark brown stain had formed because of rainwater that had seeped through the damaged water roof. In the bathroom, one of the pipes had leaked and facilitated the damage of the ceiling. There was a big hole at the corner of the room. Although the ceiling was supposed to be white, the section in the bathroom had changed color to greenish gray due to molding. The wooden wall in most of the rooms was in good condition. The owner seemed to have kept it dry, and dusted it frequently. However, there was evidence of several scratches on the surface that may have resulted from the general wear and tear. The wall in the bathroom was in a worse condition than in the other rooms. The wood had flaked due to absorption of water. Around the area that had the water damaged ceiling, water also dripped through the ceiling and down the wall. Consequently, the wall was damaged as it had flaked and stained. There was also evidence of molds and the quality of the air in the room was low. The floor of the whole house was considerably good. The owner of the house had made an effort of keeping it dry since the sealant was intact. The bathroom floor was also dry. It did not have any mold, nor was it flaked since it had a heavy layer of water repellant sealant. However, there was evidence of scratches and flaking seals. Windows are important in a house for ventilation. However, their number should be balanced with the size of the room. One of the characteristics of the house is that it has too many windows. The living room has four large windows. Most of the wall is occupied by the windows. Since glass conducts heat at a higher rate than wood and bricks, this may make the house become too cold during the cold seasons such as winter (CSR, 2017). This will therefore lead to the residents of the house using a high supply of electrical power to keep the temperatures of the house bearable as compared to if the house had fewer windows. Land Description The house is built on a piece of land that is sized an eighth of an acre. The property occupies half of the land. It is centrally positioned, so that there is a backyard and a space whose size is approximately equal to the backyard in front of the house. There is no other property on the land besides the house. Thus, there is ample space for expansion. For example, the owner could extend a room at the backyard and remain with a considerable portion. The space could also accommodate a structure that is not attached to the house, such as a storeroom. At the front of the house, the owner can build a garage or make an extension from the house. Moreover, one can modify the doorsteps through constructing a front porch. The terrain of the land is gently rising. In case of rain, the water gently flows from the land. Thus, there is no possibility of flooding. Moreover, the soil on the piece of land is granulated. When it rains, the water readily sips into the soil due to its low retention capacity. In case a new owner would like to build independent structures on the piece of land, the soil could provide the best foundation for the construction. Conversely, the soil contributes to the solid foundation of the property. Recommendations The first step to ensuring the sustainability of the ceiling is repairing the leaking roof. Since the roof is still in good condition, there could be replacement of the section with the hole only. The whole roof would then be repainted and the loose nails tightened. The rusty ones could be replaced with new ones (Vandervort, 2016). There should also be a redesign of the water system, where there would be removal of the pipes going through the ceiling. The pipes could be connected on the outer side of the wall. Repainting and replacing the ones with a loose connection could help preserve the wall. The new water system would accommodate the detection of water leakage through the pipes without waiting until there is damage of the ceiling or the wall. The repair of the ceiling would entail removal of the damaged areas, the stained region, the bathroom ceiling that has molds and the hole. The bathroom ceiling would be replaced with waterproof gypsum cardboard while the rest of the areas would be fixed with the one that is not waterproof. However, there would be recommendation of ventilating all rooms and keeping them dry to eliminate the probability of molding. All these repairs would cost $20,000. In the bathroom, there should be replacement of the wall with new materials. There would be application of water repellant oil in order to waterproof it and thus eliminate the possibility of water damage (Boral Limited, 2002). In addition, the new environment would not accommodate the growth of molds. For the remaining wall, there could be improvement of the general appearance through sanding the scratched areas, treatment of any stains, and waxing the surface. It is also recommendable that the owner occasionally dusts, removes stains, and oils the walls frequently to ensure that they are always appealing (The Editors, 2017). The repairs would only cost $5000. Although the floor is in a good condition, it is recommended that it is sanded, then it be applied a new layer of sealant. This will help regain the original attractive appearance (WoodWeb, 2009). The approximate cost of this activity will be $500. On the issue of having too many windows, the owner should replace the windowpane with double glazed window (Florida Solar Energy, 2014). The inert gas between the panes reduces the tendency to lose heat during the cold season. As a result, minimal energy is used to warm the house in winter. During summer, the glasses also reduce the level of moisture in the house by inhibiting the flow of hot air that condenses in the room (Build, 2017). Hence, there is improved protection of the wooden surfaces. The cost for replacement of the windows is $3500 (EECA, 2017). Conclusion Evidently, the house inspected is not sustainable. Some important features of the house that make it categorized as unsustainable are the many windows, the ceiling, the leaking roof and the rotting wall. In order to make the house sustainable, the owners need to make adjustments such as changing the windows to reduce the energy required to heat the house, replacing the rotting wood in the walls, replacing the rotting part of the ceiling, fixing and repainting the roof. These repairs will cost the owners of the house a fortune. Delay to repair will lead to the state of the house deteriorating and making the repair costs increase. However, making the repairs will lead to the family saving their home and reducing the amount of money they require to sustain their home. Bibliography Boral Limited. 2002. Timber care & maintenance. Available http://www.boral.com/timberflooring/maintenance.asp [Accessed May 5, 2016]. Build. 2017. What are double glazed windows? Available on http://www.build.com.au/what-are-double-glazed-windows [Accessed May 5, 2017]. CSR. 2017. A basic understanding of thermal mass and how heat, air and moisture operate in our climate will mean less temperature shock at home says CSR’s Scott Clarkson. Available on http://www.csr.com.au/building-knowledge/building-science/building-for-warmth-in-winter-coolness-in-summer [Accessed May 5, 2017]. EECA. 2017. Double glazing. Available on https://www.energywise.govt.nz/at-home/windows/double-glazing/ [Accessed May 5, 2017]. Florida Solar Energy. 2014. Window orientation and shading. Available on http://www.fsec.ucf.edu/en/consumer/buildings/homes/windows/shading.htm GSA. 2017. Checklist for the routine inspection of buildings. Available https://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/111478 [Accessed May 5, 2017]. Haringey. 2017. Building control inspections. Available http://www.haringey.gov.uk/planning-and-building-control/building-control/building-control-inspections [Accessed May 5, 2017]. InterNACHI. 2013. International standards of practice for inspecting commercial properties. Available https://www.nachi.org/comsop.htm [Accessed May 5, 2017]. LafargeHolcim Foundation. 2015. Understanding sustainable construction. Available https://www.lafargeholcim-foundation.org/AboutPages/what-is-sustainable-construction [Accessed May 5, 2017]. Pinkham, M. 2016. How to clean hardwood floors 101. Available on http://www.today.com/home/how-clean-hardwood-floors-101-t71716 [Accessed May 5, 2017]. Seamons, S. 2011. Warmer with wood – Part 1. Available http://www.vivint.com/neighborhood/green-neighbor/warmer-with-wood-part-1/ [Accessed May 5, 2017]. The Editors. 2017. Get scratches out of wood. Available https://newengland.com/today/living/home-repair-diy/wood-furniture-scratches/ [Accessed May 5, 2017]. Vandervort, D. 2016. How to find & fix a roof leak. Available https://www.hometips.com/repair-fix/roof-leaks.html [Accessed May 5, 2016]. Vandervort, D. 2016. How to repair metal roofing. Available https://www.hometips.com/repair-fix/metal-roof.html [Accessed May 5, 2016]. WoodWeb. 2009. Touching up scoffed conversion varnish on baseboard in the field. Available http://www.woodweb.com/knowledge_base/Touching_Up_Scuffed_Conversion.html [Accessed May 5, 2017]. Read More