Weatherproof and Waterproofing of Dwellings Building - Assignment Example

WEATHERPROOFING HOMES Name Institution Executive Summary The severity and frequency of unfortunate weather events in Australia strengthens the need for weatherproofing housing in affected regions, such as Mundeberra. The damaging impacts of flooding to the houses are due to flood duration, flood depth, horizontal force due to flood currents and uplifting due to soil saturation. Several cost-effective options that are relevant to the geography, demography and cultures of Mundeberra are suggested. The options are divided into five types, namely elevations, wet flood-proofing, relocation, dry flood-proofing and floating house. Table of Contents Executive Summary 2 Table of Contents 3 Introduction 4 The problem being addressed 4 Context of the problem 5 Requirements & Analysis 6 Definition of scope of the problem 6 Breakdown of problem 6 Detailed requirements deduced 7 Solution Options researched 7 a) Elevation 7 b) Wet flood-proofing 8 c) Relocation 9 d) Dry flood-proofing 9 e) Floating house 10 Conclusion 11 References 12 Introduction The Australian government has been spending huge amounts of money on public flood defences for decades. However, few innovations have been made to residential housing. Given the prevalence of flooding in several parts of Queensland, such as Mundubbera, innovative solutions to flooding problems facing communities in the areas are needed. This report examines the flooding situation in Mundubbera with the view of suggesting the relevant weatherproofing designs to protect the homes against floods. The problem being addressed EWB Challenge presents an opportunity to design innovative solutions to problems facing communities. The design is based on a range of sustainable development projects to meet community risks in rural areas. The design areas identified by EWB (2012) include housing design and construction, waste management and WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene). The cases of flooding increased substantially, from 1.5 per year in the 1950s to around 4.5 in the 2000s (Veerbeek et al., 2009). Storms and floods are among the most prevalent and extremely costly weather-related events occurring in Queensland, New South Wales and certain areas of Western Australia. In early 2013, Cyclone Oswald caused flooding, storms and water sprouts in parts of New South Wales and Queensland. Houses were washed away or extensively damage by these natural hazards. The total damage amounted to $2.4 billion. As illustrated, many places bear the brunt of the effects of flooding and storms. In addition to climate change, the physical properties of the affected areas often aggravate the areas. Estimated reduction of Australia’s GDP from the effects of these weather events is $30billion. The weather-proofed homes are targeted for areas vulnerable to flooding. These include the coastal areas of Queensland including Bundaberg, Eidsvold, Mundubbera and Gayndah. The designs aim to address the problems of climate change, flood risks, vulnerabilities and responding to future challenges by making the houses to be adaptive to future climate changes (Kay & Dowsett, 2013). Context of the problem Mundubbera town is situated in the Queensland. The town is built on the banks of Burnett River, which is prone to flooding. In 2010, Burnett River rose to about 18.9 metres, becoming the highest since 1942 when it peaked at 23.6 metres. Several homes were flooded and washed away. In the January 2013 flooding, North Burnett, 70 homes were destroyed. According to the 2001 census, the town had a population of 1,053. Around 6.1 percent of the residents are Indigenous Australians, while 8.2 percent consists of non-indigenous residents (Kay & Dowsett, 2013). The town has fairly good infrastructure, with good network of roads. It is about 1 kilometre south of the intersection of Mundubbera-Durong road and Burnett Highway. The network of road links the town to other flood-prone areas such as Goomeri, Eidsvold and Gaydah. Public transport is however poor with only one bus service operating once each week. The town also has an active rail link that links to Maryborough (Jones, 2000). Mundubbera is one of the most vulnerable towns to flooding in Australia. This reinforces the need for weatherproofing housing in the area. The region consists of valleys, hills, plateaus and plains. It has subtropical climate with no distinct dry season with an annual rainfall of 670 millimetres (Jones, 2000). The project is germane to many regions around the world that are vulnerable to similar weather events. However, the design team focuses on protecting Mundubbera against the condition. Requirements & Analysis In developing concept designs for a range of housing projects, EWB proposes key considerations that help in project completion. First, the project should align with cultural responsibility. It should also ensure sustainable land management. Further, it should take into perspective the local community’s capacity to maintain equipment and enable the locals to improve their livelihoods. In addition, it should consider the local community’s capacity to maintain the project and the capacity of the targeted community’s capacity to protect and preserve environment (EWB, 2012). Definition of scope of the problem Storms and floods cause a major housing project to residents of Mundubbera. The area needs weatherproofing housing projects to overcome the impacts of these natural hazards. The severity of flooding in Mundubbera in early 2013 imply that innovative weather-proofing housing should be designed that can withstand the unfortunate weather events as well as protect household and property in future. Breakdown of problem The problems can be broken down into two. These include the challenges of future climate changes leading to storms or flooding and economic uncertainty that disrupt the capacity of the community settlements in Mundubbera to pursue their day to day lives. The impacts of flooding to the houses are due to flood duration, flood depth, horizontal force due to flood currents and uplifting due to soil saturation (Ahmed, 2005). Detailed requirements deduced Mundubbera needs housing facilities that can keep flood water house. They also need houses that can keep groundwater out and prevent damage from ground water. Other requirements include housing project that can minimise flood water damage. The houses should also integrate the culture of indigenous Australia, be sustainable and maintainable. The house should also apply to a range of flood and soil conditions (Han et al., 2002). Solution Options researched The main function of a flood-proof house is to be habitable in the event of flood while at the same time minimising the impact on property and the home (Han et al., 2002). The focus is on making the housing facility to be impervious to water while at the same time maintaining the cultures of the affected community (the indigenous Australian). This report suggests several options for the case of Mundeberra. The options are divided into five types depending on the type of the houses and the existing structure of foundation and the anticipated hydraulic flood pressure (Han et al., 2002). a) Elevation The objective of elevation is to raise low inhabitable areas to be above the base flood elevation (BFE), which refers to the 1 percent water-surface elevation of annual chance flood. This depends on the size of the house to be elevated, the building’s foundation structure and the scale of the anticipated hydraulic flood pressure. Elevation can be done by expanding the exterior walls or extending the current foundation (Ahmed, 2005). The process of elevating the foundation involves providing a foundation structure that is longer up to the BFE. Elevating the foundation by broadening the exterior walls upwards creates extra floor. Based on the height of the new slab, the space underneath may be a crawl space of over 4 feet while debris on the older slab may be below 4 feet. Although elevated houses are economical, given their simple design, their major drawback is the difficulty of use as they present daily inconveniences in climbing up and down the stairs (Chientachakul, 2011). Figure 1: Elevated housing (Ahmed, 2005). b) Wet flood-proofing Wet flood-proofing is designed to control water passage underneath the house. This design is targeted for inhabitable levels that are located above the BFE. The exterior and exterior hydraulic pressures are similar when water is allowed to penetrate the sections of the house, hence reducing damage to the foundation structure (Han et al., 2002). Since damage to building systems and contents happens in the event of super-BFE flood, sections of the house that are below the BFE are made to be water resistant. This also implies that sewage pipes, electrical outlets and any domestic machine should be installed at higher levels. They are however expensive since they require extra insulation at the lower surface (Veerbeek et al., 2009). c) Relocation Relocation entails moving a house to elevated grounds that are less vulnerable to flooding. The process involves jacking up a house, which is then placed on wheeled vehicle that is then transported to a favourable site (Han et al., 2002). The existing foundation is not transported. Rather it is rebuilt at a new location. This design is applicable for Mundeberra, as some areas are elevated above the BFE. Although this design is among the most effective given its mobility, it is only relevant in areas with safe land, and for individuals with sufficient financial resources. d) Dry flood-proofing This design aims to protect the house by preventing floods water from penetrating into the house. The doors and windows should be designed to be water-tight using shields, caulking or panel closures (Han et al., 2002). In addition, one-way valves can be used to prevent water from seeping into the house. In case the anticipated water is higher than e feet, the foundation and the outside walls should be retrofitted to resist the horizontal water pressure. Another technique is through the use of flexible skirt that extends out of a glass fibre duct from the ground. A key advantage of this design is that in the event of flooding, the skirt can be easily attached to hooks to fasten it to the walls. They can be removed once the flooding subsides (Chientachakul, 2011). Figure 2: Floodskirt (Han et al., 2002). e) Floating house A floating house refers to a building that can float on water because of the natural buoyant forces in flooding. The floating houses can be divided into two. The first includes a boat floating house that moves freely in vertical and horizontal directions. The second includes a floating house, which can only move in vertical direction (Han et al., 2002). The boat floating houses use an anchor system to attach themselves at the same direction. The lift floating houses on the other hand use column support techniques to ensure the houses move vertically. Examples of flexible column design use one centred column, which serves as the axis of the house (Han et al., 2002). This allows the house to rotate around the column. The main advantage of a floating house is that it is environmentally friendly as it uses the inherent energy force in solving the same naturally-occurring problem. Compared to stationary watertight homes, the floating home designs are cost-effective, easy to maintain as they do not need extra cost to anchor them to the slabs on the ground that resist hydraulic pressure (Chientachakul, 2011). Figure 3: Floating houses Conclusion Waterproofing housing designs aim to address the problems of climate change, flood risks, vulnerabilities and responding to future challenges by making the houses to be adaptive to future climate changes. The Australian town of Mundubbera is prone to flooding. This reinforces the need for waterproofing housing in the area. The region consists of valleys, hills, plateaus and plains. This report suggests several cost-effective options that are relevant to the geographica landscape, climate and cultures of Mundeberra. The options are divided into five types depending on the type of the houses and the existing structure of foundation and the anticipated hydraulic flood pressure. The five include elevations, wet flood-proofing, relocation, floating house and dry flood-proofing. References Ahmed, I. (2005). Handbook on Design and Construction of Housing for Flood-prone Rural Areas of Bangladesh. Panthapath: Asian Disaster Preparedness Center Chientachakul, A. (2011). New flood-proof housing designs. Retrieved from: EWB. (2012). 2012 EWB Challenge. Retrieved from Engineers Without Borders. Han, D., Davis, Z., Lan, G., Maren, E. & Twyman, C. (2002). Design Studies on Flood-Proof House. Retrieved from: Jones, M, (2000). Mundubbera 1:250,000 Sheet, Queensland. Retrieved: Kay, R. & Dowsett, D. (2013). Mundubbera named Queensland's tidiest town for 2013. Retrieved from ABC News: Veerbeek, W., Ashley, R., Zevenbergen, C., RIjke, J. & Gersonious, B. (2009). Building Adaptive Capacity For Flood Proofing In Urban Areas Through Synergistic Interventions. Westvest: UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education Read More