The target is to stimulate alternative solutions to housing per se, a challenging pro bono project, to identify affordable, acceptable and innovative solutions to the urgent need to lodge the urban poor, using low cost, sustainable design, construction and operation principles. In this essay, we'll look at some unique, eco-friendly alternative housing ideas that provide low-cost urban housing for under-developed nations with high demography. South Africa’s Award-Winning Solution The first qualifying solution came from MMA Architects, in South Africa; their design for a single-family home leveraged the low cost solution by recycling indigenous mud-and-wattle construction methods. It is noteworthy that In September 2008, MMA’s design won the Curry Stone Design Prize, an international award that recognizes creative solutions. Cross Laminated Timber – A Revolution in Low Cost Construction Methods The tremendous inherent advantages derived from cross laminated timber (CLT) use in construction will prove plausible when an innovative American structure will be finalized, it will take the shape of an almost 80 feet bell tower. Europe has utilized this economic solution for urban overcrowding, harnessing minimal diameter timber from sustainable forestland, CLT comprises stacked up boards at right angles, glued on, with a strong and resilient material at low cost. During the last decade or so, this combination of building materials has been exploited, even for a block of flats in the United Kingdom, which comprises several floors made out of wood, although the corner stone is of another matter, concrete. Wood accounted for £1,420 per square foot (approximately $2,208 USD at today’s exchange rate) as compared to £1,750 a square foot ($2,722... ... middle of paper ... ... through initiatives in harnessing low cost construction methods on reclaimed land that is easily accessible, with the best interest of the disenfranchised populations in mind, especially close to jobs. This has set a precedent in low income housing utilizing innovative methods to build with proximity to employment opportunities and connectivity to the nearest urban hub, without purchasing land at downtown prime real estate square meter rates, often at exorbitant prices. The use of high-rise skyscrapers can maximize the lodging of many families on a relatively small plot of land, as long as the geology is compliant to Building Standards, which allows for this. Another factor is urban planning, especially for tourism destinations, so a skyline is not inharmoniously influenced. A good foundation and high standard construction must be according to international norms.
Private problems are troubles which negatively affect individuals and their immediate surroundings. When these troubles go beyond the personal environments of the individual and impact on the community, they become public issues (Bogue, 2009).
The attacks of September 11 were some of the worst ever experienced in the history of the United States. These attacks generated a widespread feeling of insecurity and uncertainty throughout America, compelling the government to revise safety measures and protocol pertaining to the wellbeing of the United States. However, some aspects of security under modification, such as building codes, are being questioned by many. The collapse of the twin towers, due to the impact from the airplanes, spurred a movement focused on strengthening the integrity of skyscrapers and other high-rise buildings throughout the United States. Though the terrorist attacks proved to be a tremendous tragedy, the application of measures this great is not seen as a proven necessity. The circumstances of the incident proved to be so extraordinary that dramatic modifications to the structure of building should not take place because of such an event. Therefore, the building codes of skyscrapers should not be changed due to the terrorist attacks of September 11.
Homes are normally based on a solitary level with an edge rooftop. Houses in the more swarmed urban communities frequently have two or more stories and mirror an European impact. A great many people lived in single-family homes until the relocation to urban focuses in the late 1940’s and mid 1950’s. The requirement for satisfactory lodging induced the legislature to put resources into high-masses of open lodging activities amid the mid 1950’s. In the poorer territories, huge families live in little houses developed from ash squares and secured with an adobe made of mud, bovine compost, and
Affordable housing refers to housing units that are affordable by that section of society whose income is or below the median household income. For example, affordable housing should address the housing needs of lower or middle income households. And for sustainable communities, it is one that is economically, environmentally, and socially healthy and resilient.. According to the Western Australia Council of Social Services (WACOSS): "Social sustainability occurs when the formal and informal processes; systems; structures; and relationships actively support the capacity of current and future generations to create healthy and livable communities.” As we can tell, all affordable housing, sustainable community, and social sustainability are
Green building has come forth over the past decade as a positive movement to produce high-performance, energy-efficient structures that improve comfort and health for resident, meanwhile, minimizing environmental impacts. Nevertheless, a common sense that green features is expensive and not suitable for affordable housing. Recent studies are showed that green buildings have a modest initial cost premium, but the long-term benefits far exceed the additional capital costs. For this report, I will introduce a financial analysis -Net Present Value (NPV), and discuss the impacts of NPV analysis for green affordable housing.
It is often easy to castigate large cities or third world countries as failures in the field of affordable housing, yet the crisis, like an invisible cancer, manifests itself in many forms, plaguing both urban and suburban areas. Reformers have wrestled passionately with the issue for centuries, revealing the severity of the situation in an attempt for change, while politicians have only responded with band aid solutions. Unfortunately, the housing crisis easily fades from our memory, replaced by visions of homeless vets, or starving children. Metropolis magazine explains that “…though billions of dollars are spent each year on housing and development programs worldwide, ? At least 1 billion people lack adequate housing; some 100 million have none at all.? In an attempt to correct this worldwide dilemma, a United Nations conference, Habitat II, was held in Istanbul, Turkey in June of 1996. This conference was open not only to government leaders, but also to community organizers, non governmental organizations, architects and planners. “By the year 2000, half the world’s people will live in cities. By the year 2025, two thirds of the world population will be urban dwellers ? Globally, one million people move from the countryside to the city each week.? Martin Johnson, a community organizer and Princeton professor who attended Habitat II, definitively put into words the focus of the deliberations. Cities, which are currently plagued with several of the severe problems of dis-investment ?crime, violence, lack of jobs and inequality ?and more importantly, a lack of affordable and decent housing, quickly appeared in the forefront of the agenda.
The problem however, with these “renewal projects” is that the implemented changes are never usually intended to benefit the long time inhabitants of these communities, these changes are intended usually, to push out the element of poverty that exists in many of these communities (which is a direct result of decades of neglect) in exchange for the opportunity to cater to a more affluent (usually less “ethnic”) demographic. In laymen’s terms, city planners, elected officials, prospective businesses, and even law enforcement, all converge for the purpose of removing poor people from an area by simply making it too pleasant and by exten...
* Urban Professional^s recognition of the increased variability, robustness, and interest in both the urban area and their work. * Conservation Activist^s commendation of the lower consumption of resources, and reduced pressure on sensitive environment areas, suggestive of a reduction in urban sprawl. * The Development Industry^s equations of profit established through better and higher levels of land use. Essentially urban consolidation proposes an increase of either population or dwellings in an existing defined urban area (Roseth,1991). Furthermore, the suburban village seeks to establish this intensification within a more specific agenda, in which community is to be centred by public transport nodes, and housing choice is to be widened with increased diversity of housing type (Jackson,1998).
In conclusion, the designers and builders of the tower have an undesirable job: creating a building that is functional, modern, sustainable and unique. At the same time it is honoring the memory of the people that died in and around the buildings that stood there before. While the green sustainable features have been criticized for being too expensive, they will do more than save just water, electricity and emissions. They and the grace of the building will inspire a generation of green and safe skyscrapers for the twenty-first century. This building has become one of the safest, environmentally friendly and expensive ever built, but as critics slate the building for various reasons, one cannot take away the determination through political, social and economic status that designers and workers have created such a beautiful building with great meaning.
Well, a place where to live is essential for everybody. Today I am going to show you a less expensive, practical and ecofriendly solution for this basic but indispensable necessity.
Wood plays an essential role in our daily lives as they form the base of many types of furniture we use. Whether considering indoor or outdoor furniture, the choice of wood typically leads the pack in preference due to its variety in look, feel, and lifespan. Simply put, they can provide a memorable, unique, and elegant ambiance to any place you choose for the rest of your life.
The second very important issue to note is that slum growth is mainly a social aspect than it is physical. When architects appeal to the social lives of individuals, the architects can easily get a better solution to the slum problems. To achieve a social agenda when dealing with slums, architects can refer to the modern movement which, with its profound technology allowed architects to define the social status of people with the new age. Moffett et al (2004) writes that in the Modernist era, buildings and urban plans were viewed as instruments of social change. They were able to dictate, and hopefully improve social behavior among users. The modernist architects looked at the world as chaotic and dangerous and needed to be orderly. With this same utopian idea, the architects can try to reorganize the disorderly Kasanvu zone slum. However,
Yan, J. & Plainiotis, S. (2006): Design for Sustainability. Beijing, China: Architecture and Building Press.
Sustainable buildings are becoming somewhat of a necessity in the world today. As the demand for green building develops, so does the demand for green building materials. Just as the old techniques and building materials seem to disappear in the assembly of things, they are now making a come back. Green building focuses on the efficiency of major resources like water and energy. As the cost for sustainable materials and products are on the decline, building green seems to be the most cost effective kind of design and construction. Looking specifically at green materials and their impact on the production of structures, it is evident that they are a prime choice for building material. The use of green materials should be promoted because they are better for the environment, more healthful for the consumer, and better for the economy.
The beginnings of today's green revolution can be traced back to the environmental awareness of the 1960s and European design. New construction techniques have lead to the development of innovative materials and design concepts. Green buildings are designed, constructed and commissioned to ensure they are healthy for their occupants. Successfully designed green projects can involve an extensive array of factors, ranging from the resourceful use of materials, to careful consideration of function, climate, and location.