Building and Development of the Waterfront Hotel in Dunedin - Essay Example

? Scoping Report Cover Letter The Manager, Dunedin’s Engineering and Construction Department, 41 Wharf St, 17th Sep. Our ref: Scope 001 RE: Scoping Report for the building and Development of the waterfront hotel in Dunedin Dear Sir, I hereby refer to your correspondence in relation to the scoping report for the building and Development of the waterfront hotel in Dunedin. Enclosed, please find the submission for the assessment report as done in the scoping process. The report was written after a through research through secondary material on the area as well as a series of public forums, that gave very important primary and on site information. In the report, there is a summary of the issues that cropped up in the scoping process, some of which need to be addressed in the full AEE. Some of the relevant issues for consideration include environmental impacts such as pollution, legal considerations and accessibility. In case of any queries, kindly contact the person undersigned. Sincerely, _____________ Department Manager, Engineering Section. Development of the waterfront hotel in Dunedin: Scoping Report Introduction Purpose and need The scoping process is necessary for identification of various issues such as land, conflicts the environment, ecological issues, cultural issues, health issues and social issues. In order to have a viable scoping report, it was essential that various public meetings were held. The scoping process is more so important in that it identifies all the relevant issues. Such issues stem from the introduction of information or some changes in circumstances. Addressing of the environmental impacts is also essential due to various concerns that may arise. It can also be relevant to address that might need realignment due to new information. Planning area The proposed project is the building of a 27 storey, five star hotels on an unused section of industrial land. This land is located near Dunedin at 41 Wharf St. This report will be a documentation of the scoping process for the development of the hotel. The scoping report will include the process and an overview of issues realized in the scoping process. Scoping process and limitations Being the first stage in any planning process, scoping largely involves public input in the identification of issues, provision of the requisite resources and any other information, and development of criteria for the planning process. This process is required for the development of an EIS for determination of the scope of issues related to the proposed feat lime the building of the hotel. With such, issues relevant for the management of the area are identified, including those that call for more considerations. This process requires a lot of public input. There were some limitations, however, that came up in the scoping process for the building of the waterfont hotel. Public involvement was limited by the time scheduled for scoping. In order to have a fully representative report, it was essential that the process was accorded more time, for more involvement of the public. Discussion of issues Environmental impacts Among the key considerations the constructors must make include the effects of the facility on the environment. The environment is a primary factor that every construction project must make. Pollution may result either from the construction process or from the completed structure. The constructor must thus consider such with the view of minimizing the effects of pollution. The site for the construction of the twenty seven-story hotel is an unused park. This implies that the park that overlooks a water body is idle thus open for development. However, people live in the area around the park in both private and public formal settlement structures. The height of the perceived structure demands a deeper foundation. The presence of a water body just within the land may imply that it is a wetland a feature that may affect depth of the foundation thus the height of the hotel by extrapolation. The architecture must consider such integral factors thereby advising the height of the structure in relation to the stability of the land and its ability to support such tall structures. This implies that the constructors may therefore reduce the height of the structure in order to avoid any subsequent accidents. The choice of the site, construction process and the eventual functioning of the hotel must not cause any form of inconvenience to this particular public. This demands that the parties involved in the construction process considers the numerous factors that may result from the erection of the facility in the site selected. In doing this, the engineers must consider the natural resources around and within the site. The unused industrial park in the forty first Wharf street for example has a waterfront. The constructors may benefit from the readily available water but they must ensure that they preserve the water source and use sparingly in consideration of the rest of the society who also use the resource. Additionally, in using the water source the constructors must adhere to the laws that govern the use of such resources in the land. Convenience Additionally, the construction process is likely to inconvenience inconvenience the local community. The work uses tall noisy and often dusty cranes to transport the building materials. The engineers must therefore seek clearance from the specific authority to use such noisy facilities in the land given its surround features. The details of the clearance will include the duration for which the construction will last and thus communicate the same to the surrounding community with the aim of making them psychologically prepared for the inconvenience. However, the constructors must not danger the lives of the local by using and releasing toxic substances to the environment. Such may include pieces of glass and toxic gases or dusts. It is advisable that the constructors cordon off the site until they finish their construction work. The constructor must thus purchase iron sheet and do the same. This seeks to protect the society from the inconveniences of the constructions. The parameter protects the public from falling sand, cement and pieces of glass among many others that may endanger their lives. Legal undertakings Laws are the legal channels through which the government protects the interests of the society. They thus become the primary factors affecting the construction of the hotel in the unused land. Before initiating construction, the owner of the plot must obtain legal clearance from the authorities concerned. This will include the permit to continue with the development despite the obvious effects of such works in such sites. With the clearance, the owner of the facility issues details of the construction to the rest of the public. With the erection of an information board around the construction site, the private developer makes all the details about the construction public thus open for public criticism and supervision. A hotel is a public facility a feature that compels the erection of the information board soon after the commencement of the construction. The board provides such information as the name of the constructor, the private developer and the structure. Settlement laws in a country are specific on the type of construction in particular backgrounds. The investor must therefore check with the state authorities to ensure that the government permits such constructions in the idle land. The development of tall structures in regions surrounded by single story residential homes may appear disrespectful to the rest of the society, as the height of the hotel will result in lack of privacy for the surrounding communities a feature that will cause numerous court cases for the developer. It is only after receiving the clearance from the government that the construction commences. The government may recommend reduction of the height of the hotel or any other restructurings all of which the private developer will conform to. Ecological factors Another important ecological factor that affects both strength and convenience of the finished structure is wind. Since the land is a Coastal Bank, here must be a specific wind direction. The direction and intensity of the wind are integral in determining the design of the structure. A hotel being a food handling facility will emit smoke through its chimneys while its stores will contain foodstuff that will possibly contain both spoilt and good food. The smoke and smell are thus anticipated from the structure all of which rely on the direction of the wind to disperse. The hotel must have a particular design with the two having convenient access to the environment without causing inconvenience to the society. Additionally, wind affects the strength of buildings. Strong winds may weaken structures thus affecting the height of the building. The building engineers must therefore consider the direction and strength of the wind flowing in the region and design a structure that will resist the wind. One integral benefits of wind is its cooling effect. The hotel design may therefore take advantage of this and include a system that benefits from the free wind to cool itself automatically and naturally. This way, the hotel may minimize on its energy costs, as it will reduce its investment on air conditioners. The strength of the hotel is an interest both to the investor and to the surrounding society. The collapse of the hotel will not only result in financial loses to the investor but may result in the loss of both lives and property for the surrounding society. The engineers must therefore consider every factor that may affect the strength of the building. Time effects The duration of the construction work must be commensurate with the expected hotel quality and size. Faster constructions may result in weak structures that will endanger the lives of either the constructors or the clientele of the finished facility. The constructors and the subsequent hotel’s clientele belong to the society. The government sets quality targets for buildings meant for different types of consumption. The constructors must therefore ensure that they allow the mortar to dry before continuing with their construction of successive floors. Additionally, the constructors must use materials with the recommended quality. Such materials as steel and windowpanes must be of the right quality for the hotel’s size. Pollution The finished facility will discharge sewer a factor that requires adequate consideration lest the hotel pollute the environment. The hotel will have numerous sinks, toilets and kitchens all of which will contribute to the sewer. This implies that the facility will require both water and sewer resources in equal measure. The government assesses buildings with the view of ascertaining the capacity of the underlying resources such as the sewer lines since stretching the capacity of such will result in blockages and breakdowns thus polluting the environment. Additionally the hotel will border a vast water body a feature that may attempt the constructors to let the sewer into the water body or harvest the water resource for their own internal use. Letting raw sewer is illegal and the hotel will have to consider its infrastructure with the view of sustaining a friendlier environment. Accessibility Accessibility to the hotel is equally fundamental in the operation of the facility and its interaction with the society. The idle land lies along a busy street and a vast water body. The constructor must therefore consider both the factors and design a facility that is both aesthetic and accessible without causing inconvenience to the public. Such facilities as roads, electricity lines and sewer lines must have effective placements since they may equally inconvenience both the society and the users of the facility. A burst sewer line for example will cause an eye soar thus affect business in the hotel. Additionally, an electric fault may endanger the lives of the users of the facilities. Such demand that the resources do not fall on each other’s paths. A sewer for example should run deeper into the ground and in the opposite direction to the road. Conclusion In retrospect, the construction of a hotel in such an idle land will have several ramifications to both the society and the environment thus demanding that the constructors consider the effects of their actions and design. Such factors as the duration of the construction and environmental factors as the water body and the climatic condition of the region will influence the nature of the hotel and its design. Failure to make such fundamental considerations before and during construction may result in massive financial losses for the facility and myriad of legal tussles. Declaration I have not copied any part of this report from any other person’s work, except as correctly referenced. Collaboration: No other person has written any part of this report for me. Student Name:______________________________ Student declaration of the above;___________________________(signature) Date____/____/_______ The date of completion is also included. References http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/259784/dunedins-waterfront-hotel-rejected http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/8758022/Dunedin-waterfront-hotel-consent-denied http://www.dunedinnz.com/visit/home http://www.visit-dunedin.co.nz/ http://www.dunedingov.com/ http://www.newzealand.com/int/dunedin-coastal-otago/ http://law-journals-books.vlex.com/vid/cathedral-social-architectural-dynamics-53595523 http://www.google.co.ke/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&ved=0CDAQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fhsu.edu%2Fdocking%2Freports%2FCombined-Ness-Rept-7-30-07%2F&ei=jLY2UqDnBIKKtAb-joCwBA&usg=AFQjCNEqNKKWp-QOtsWWEh4Smb3ujQoO9Q&bvm=bv.52164340,d.Yms http://www.sustainabletourismonline.com/awms/Upload/Resource/bookshop/MOTEL%20MAKEOVER%20GUIDE-final.pdf http://impactnews.com/houston-metro/northwest-houston/fire-levels-northwest-houston-hotel-under-construction/ http://www.google.co.ke/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&ved=0CDAQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fhsu.edu%2Fdocking%2Freports%2FCombined-Ness-Rept-7-30-07%2F&ei=jLY2UqDnBIKKtAb-joCwBA&usg=AFQjCNEqNKKWp-QOtsWWEh4Smb3ujQoO9Q&bvm=bv.52164340,d.Yms http://www.tampabay.com/news/localgovernment/citizen-group-is-surfacing-ideas-for-dunedins-waterfront/2141069 http://dunedin-amenities-society.org.nz/ http://wrighthoteldevelopment.com/work_we_have_done/cypress-bayou-hotel-project-from-wright-hotel-and-casino-development.html Glossary Buildout Analysis Refers to an analysis aimed at approximating the sum of units present, based on certain land-use regulations. This analysis is vital for managing the effects of growth and development. Coastal Bank As defined the Wetlands Protection Act Regulation, this is the seaward side of an elevated landform, coastal dunes excluded, lying at the landward edge of any wetland, coastal beach or land subject to tidal action. Earthquake Strap- A metal strap used to shield gas hot water heaters to the foundation of a house. Intended to reduce the probability of having the water heater fall over in the event of an earthquake resulting in a gas leak. Fire brick- This is a brick used in the fireplace made of a refractory ceramic material that resists high temperatures. National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Is abbreviated as NPDES and refers to a requirement in the federal Clean Water Act required for dischargers to obtain permits. In Massachusetts, the EPA is in charge of administering this program. Perturbation The disruption of the quality of natural resources arising from human activity or natural processes. Read More