tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44041521988647842672024-02-20T17:36:55.678-08:00MBH Architects SAMBH Architectshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02418713760442090895noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4404152198864784267.post-74775570845116087132013-01-28T09:11:00.001-08:002013-01-29T07:50:31.929-08:00Jaywalking is an Urban education problem<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">In our modern
conurbations, the interaction between pedestrians and motor vehicles on our
roads, are inevitable. Unless a cost effective method can be devised whereby
pedestrians do not have to ever cross any roads, then this interaction between
pedestrian and motorist, is here to stay.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">This means that
pedestrians will forever be at the mercy of motorists, and perhaps vice versa.
For this reason, the pedestrian crossing was invented. The problem is that,
although many western and/or developed governments invest a lot of time and
money into providing pedestrian crossings and educating pedestrians from a
young age how to effectively use these pedestrian crossings, there are
inversely as many, (if not more) developing countries where pedestrian
crossing are either not provided, or pedestrians are simply not educated in how
to effectively use them.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE1FPhuzcSVz9ofKlD7BV-EfYzssQeKIYKmK_zAM52qDcKGCqcF96_UnQouXePxZVrcR7ijNzatxc0ZI2e_vDLhFYLp17v11VMAD2II4L1mUmdy-iOajH7I3iOJpSYXlvuwMsxi7Ha6q8/s1600/Jaywalking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE1FPhuzcSVz9ofKlD7BV-EfYzssQeKIYKmK_zAM52qDcKGCqcF96_UnQouXePxZVrcR7ijNzatxc0ZI2e_vDLhFYLp17v11VMAD2II4L1mUmdy-iOajH7I3iOJpSYXlvuwMsxi7Ha6q8/s200/Jaywalking.jpg" width="115" /></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">Jaywalking is an Urban education problem, that appears to be more prevalant in developing countries. It is a term generally used to descibe the illegal or reckless crossing of a road by a pedestrian, between road intersections and / or outside of provided safe pedestrian crossing zones, without yielding to cars. In most developed countries, it is illegal to cross the road in front of moving vehicles, if there is a pedestrian crossing within 100m from the pedestrian and there are often signs strictly prohibiting this practice. It is also punishable with a fine, when caught by police. In Singapore for example, jaywalking is punishable with up to 3 months in prison.</span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSFwnR6euqADGZj8cXM-CVgkWMtIZ6LvbxXrgUIfLwhKVWechpcR7eeNBZuCN2Bdv5-O0bZowPjNCs4GtWmr-zy08vEF3LxWYNf18Q4qCGEnL7e3L_D2RQpjYcuLR57OXy4ZgAKGDfSmM/s1600/2013-01-09-300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSFwnR6euqADGZj8cXM-CVgkWMtIZ6LvbxXrgUIfLwhKVWechpcR7eeNBZuCN2Bdv5-O0bZowPjNCs4GtWmr-zy08vEF3LxWYNf18Q4qCGEnL7e3L_D2RQpjYcuLR57OXy4ZgAKGDfSmM/s320/2013-01-09-300.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">Pedestrian crossings are provided as specific and designated safe crossing zones for pedestrians. It is a point on a road, where the pedestrian has the right of way over any vehicles. Once a pedestrian enters this crossing zone, all vehicles, including public transport such as buses, are obliged to yield to allow the pedestrian to cross at these designated pedestrian crossings. In developed countries, hitting a pedestrian with a car on a pedestrian crossing, has very serious consequences for the motorist.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span></span> </div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/WJHBNmh9sTc?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">It appears as if
Switzerland holds the pedestrian’s rights in the highest regard. Motorists in Scandinavia, New Zealand
and Germany also have some of the most consideration towards pedestrians.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">On the contrary, in
some developing countries such as South Africa, the pedestrian crossings
provided, are more often than not completely ignored by pedestrians. It appears
as if pedestrians here have absolutely no cognisance of the intention of these
demarcated <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>crossing zones. In fact,
crossing the road unsafely in between cars, at times a mere 5 or 10 metres away
from a pedestrian crossing, seems to be the prevailing culture in South Africa.
It is therefore no wonder that pedestrian fatalities in developing countries
far exceed those of developed countries.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">In the next video clip, this pedestrian would rather risk life and limb, by running accross the road in-between moving vehicles, than to walk another 10m to the nearest safe pedestrian crossing zone.</span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/FEg6FDexB-k?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">Jaywalking has the further effect of diminishing the
pedestrian’s rights, in the event of being hit by a motorist, especially if
there is a provision to cross the road within 5 metres from such an accident
scene.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">Jaywalking just simply
is not worth the repercussions! Millions can be saved annually in
hospitalisation and vehicle repair costs in developing (and developed)
countries, if pedestrians would simply just use the crossings provided and if
motorist would similarly respect these zones.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
MBH Architectshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02418713760442090895noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4404152198864784267.post-39912350716932162612013-01-21T01:19:00.001-08:002013-01-29T01:10:10.691-08:00Bring back South Africa’s Trams<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">One of the biggest disservices that the South African Apartheid Regime
committed, other than the obvious segregation of its peoples, was the
termination of the tramway facilities in its cities. Would you believe that
fossil fuel driven cars were cited as “the new way” and the preferred mode of inner
city transportation by that government in the early 1960’s, leading to the
final closure of the tramways on 02 August 1961.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinF1RMNxjyTGlCIdyC30iHSa9jzVaSkn_0CKtWW4DdQwHTmzFJiBaOH_arOI38QGwkUKBJ0QotBSqw5b6-szVGnxMLglnDUByiIefEvIeD2-91a0nG1gjvWmMVoB4zoCGirua2yQnOso4/s1600/Trams%252520in%252520Johannesburg%252520Heritage%252520Watch%252520Did%252520You%252520Know%2525202012%252520-%2525202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinF1RMNxjyTGlCIdyC30iHSa9jzVaSkn_0CKtWW4DdQwHTmzFJiBaOH_arOI38QGwkUKBJ0QotBSqw5b6-szVGnxMLglnDUByiIefEvIeD2-91a0nG1gjvWmMVoB4zoCGirua2yQnOso4/s320/Trams%252520in%252520Johannesburg%252520Heritage%252520Watch%252520Did%252520You%252520Know%2525202012%252520-%2525202.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">If there is one sure instance in which Apartheid can be blamed for the
current state of public transport, then it is definitely this very short
sighted termination of its tramway system. A structured system of trams, have
made way for an unstructured, chaotic minibus taxi scheme.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/xEErEVxgr08?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">The present day Rea Vaya RBT system may be an attempt to resurrect the
much needed inner city public transportation structure, but unfortunately,
being Diesel powered, it is neither very sustainable, nor a clean mode of
transportation.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"></span> </div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/sAA9oij4C1c?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Tramways are used extensively and effectively as a quick, sustainable
hop on-hop off mode of inner city transportation, across most of the world’s
leading cities, of which Johannesburg is regarded as one, however without a
Tramway. Trams are a convenient, sustainably powered, low cost and disabled person friendly means of inner city transportation. In addition, they can also at times be regarded as hassle free, cosy and somewhat romantic.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">The following video clip, shot in Warsaw, Poland, in January 2013, illustrates how an underground Metro rail system should be effectively linked to a Tramway infrastructure at street level.</span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/0IaQ8ItsOoQ?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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MBH Architectshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02418713760442090895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4404152198864784267.post-13102164329540211232013-01-16T02:20:00.003-08:002013-01-16T02:35:40.040-08:00Sick Building Syndrome<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">SBS - Sick Building Syndrome<o:p></o:p></span></span></u></b></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="text-decoration: none;"></span></o:p></span></u></b><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<u><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Buildings that make us sick<o:p></o:p></span></span></u></div>
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<u><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="text-decoration: none;"></span></o:p></span></u><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">What exactly
constitutes a building that makes humans physically ill? When we talk about
buildings that make us sick, we assume that it is the entire building, with all
its multiple components, that make us sick. This is in fact not true, nor
possible, unless some radioactive or other hazardous materials such as
asbestos, have been used in the construction of a specific building. No, it is
in fact only certain crucial components within a building, which we aim to
identify herein, which make us sick. SBS is merely a phraseology used to
describe that certain components within a building, are not attuned with either
human wellbeing nor comfort.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Before we can identify
the types of building components which make us sick and why and how they make
us sick, we need to embark on a short analysis of what actually causes<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>physical illnesses such as influenza, to the
more chronic psychological illnesses such as depression.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">It is now a
well-documented and well researched medical fact that, it is not cold air purs</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">é</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> nor even the short term exposure to cold weather that causes
illnesses such as influenza, but it is the increased exposure to the airborne
viruses, which are more prevalent during winter and which incubates in air at
specific air temperatures, usually in indoors areas where we as humans tend to
congregate more during cold exterior weather conditions, which cause these
types of illnesses. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There is a distinct
difference between being <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">in</b> the cold
and being cold. One can be in the cold, yet sufficiently clad and therefor not exposed. If
it were true that we contract influenza from exposure to cold weather, then people
working externally, such as construction and farm workers, or people living in
Alaska or Siberia, would theoretically have been the most affected, but they
are not. Ironically and statistically, office workers, whom work indoors, have
a higher sick leave absence rate than people whom live and work outdoors. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Yes, exposure to cold
and dry weather does have an effect on internal human organs such as, for
example, the mucus membrane in the human nasal passages which does consequently
have a slight effect on the human immune system, but in the usual short term
exposure that we encounter in our modern lives, i.e. walking from your car in a
parkade area to a building, or even walking the dog or walking to the shops, or
walking from our homes to catch a train, bus, tram or ferry and even jogging
for leisure for relatively short burst at a time, exposure to cold weather does
in fact resist the incubation of viruses obtained from the air that surrounds
us.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Be that as it may,
irrespective of the biological or physiological causes of illnesses, the point
is… it is not OUTDOORS where we contract illnesses such as influenza or other
bacterial infections, but it is in fact INDOORS. Inside our buildings.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">So, let’s cut to the
chase. The two single most building components that in fact does make us psychologically
and/or physically ill in the majority of instances, especially so during the
winter months, can be narrowed down to poor or insufficient ventilation <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">and</b> insufficient provision of natural
lighting. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">According to <span style="color: black;">Li
Y, Leung GM, Tang JW, Yang X, et al. in a paper entitled <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Role of Ventilation in Airborne Transmission of Infectious Agents
in the Built Environment, </i>effective ventilation may also help keep
bacteria, viruses and other pollutants out of the indoor air. Research now shows
that air flow and ventilation can affect how diseases either spread or are
inhibited from spreading indoors.</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Let’s have a look at
the first factor, Ventilation. HVAC is an acronym used to describe the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">H</b>eating, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">V</b>entilation and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">A</b>ir <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">C</b>onditioning in a building. It is the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">V </b>for Ventilation<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>in HVAC that we are interested in, but more specifically
inadequate and/or poor ventilation, in other words the rate or frequency of
extraction of stale or saturated air and the supply of fresh air cycles in one
hour, also known as Air Changes per Hour (ACPH).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Hospitals, which are
buildings where humans conventionally go to be healed, very often end up being
buildings where humans die and ironically not due to their ailments, but due to
complications encountered <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">after</b>
surgery by unsterile environments, as a direct result of inadequacies of
specifically required air changes per hour (ACPH), which inevitably and
consequently provides a breeding ground for all kinds of lethal airborne viral
infections and bacterii.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Apart from very
stringent air filtration requirements, certain areas within a hospital such as
the Operating Theatre Block, the ICU etc, requires up to 20 ACPH, of which 5 <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">must</b> be Fresh Air Changes. This ensures
that the air is sufficiently clean of any airborne contaminants, which could
cause humans to contract infections or other illnesses.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It is not being
suggested here, that the ventilation in other building typologies, such as
hotels and offices, should meet the same requirements as an Operating Room, as
this would make most other building typologies simply unfeasible, as these
specific HVAC provisions are quite costly, but that careful attention is given
to adequate ventilation, as required for a specific building typology, during
the design of the HVAC system. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Other than Hospitals
and Offices, Hotels are probably one of the building typologies where humans
are at highest risk of contracting viruses and illnesses such as colds and influenza.
The problem with hotels in general, and once again more so during winter
months, is that most hotels possess a very basic HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and
Air Conditioning) system. In fact and at best, in the majority of hotels in the
world, it is only HAC (Heating and Air Conditioning). The H (Heating) of a
hotel room is performed either by wall mounted radiators or by means of a
single wall mounted split type AC Unit, but the V (Ventilation) is completely
omitted or absent, other than manually openable window sections, which poses
obvious practical problems during winter months. Ironically, it is the V in
HVAC, that actually ensures human health.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Yes, the H and the AC
in HVAC provides for required levels of human comfort, depending on the season,
i.e. heating in winter and cooling in summer, but air in hotel rooms,
especially during winter when airborne viruses are most prevalent, is not being
changed frequently enough, if at all. Hotel rooms generally require a <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">minimum</b> of 2 ACPH at a flow rate of at
least 7,5 l/s. What happens in reality is, that the same old saturated, stale
air, full of various airborne viruses, is recycled and re-circulated hour after
hour after hour within the same confined space. Stale air is not extracted and
fresh air is not imported, resulting in virtually 0 ACPH at 0 l/s. Yes, a
window could be opened for short bursts at a time, but due to privacy, energy
efficiency and/or security reasons, the door into the hotel room cannot be left
open and thus, without sufficient cross ventilation, there is simply not
sufficient natural ACPH.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It is no wonder that
occupants of hotel rooms, actually contract influenza during winter months. To
make matters worse, is when an already sick person spends anything between 3 to
6 days in a hotel room, coughing, sneezing and increasing the concentration of
airborne viruses into that unventilated, confined space and then vacates the
room, only for that room to be re-occupied almost immediately by another
healthy person. This is a sure recipe for disaster! The three hours between the
required checking-out time of 11h00 and the new occupancy time of 14h00, is
definitely insufficient to achieve the required air changes within that hotel
room, considering that the room has to still be heated again to ensure the
comfort of the next occupant. The healthy person is guaranteed to vacate the
room feeling ill. In reality, all the doors and windows in this room should be
left completely open for at least 24 hours, before being occupied again, but we
all know that financially or from an energy efficiency perspective, this is not even a considerable option.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The solution is that the
ventilation of the air within our buildings, MUST meet with requirements
pertaining to frequency and rate of changes per hour. One solution for naturally
ventilated buildings such as hotel rooms, i.e. not fitted with any means of mechanical
ventilation, is that it must be designed with ventilation stacks as part of the
services ducts between rooms. These ventilation stacks must be open at the top
and must have either a passive or an active means of effecting air flow from
the interior of the rooms to the top of the stack and must be controlled by
means of dampers at the point of intake of fresh air, to ensure the required
ACPH without compromising the loss of heat from the rooms.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Let’s now look at the
second building component which is most often associated with causing illness
of the occupants and that being the provision or lack of natural lighting.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The two building
typologies where we as humans most probably spend the majority of our time, are
in our homes and at the office. If we are fortunate enough to live in a free
standing house, then generally the provision of natural lighting (or natural
ventilation for that matter) does not appear to be a cause of illnesses.
However, when we live in high rise apartment blocks or work in high rise offices,
then the provision of natural lighting could become problematic and a cause for
illness.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Once again, as with
the case for ventilation above, we need to embark on a short analysis of the human
physiological reaction to the deprivation of natural sun light. It is now also
a well corroborated medical fact that sun light provides amongst others,
Vitamin D, which is essential for us as humans to remain in good spirit and
generally happy and healthy.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Conventionally,
buildings in the Southern Hemisphere face North, in order to maximise natural
lighting into the building. Inversely, buildings in the Northern Hemisphere
face South, for the same reasons. However, practically, penetration of natural
lighting is limited to the surface area of the sun facing façade of that
building, with a limited depth of penetration, after which rooms on the rear
side of the building, being the South side in the Southern Hemisphere and the
North side in the Northern Hemisphere, received very little if any natural
sunlight.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Yes, there are a
number of artificial lighting solutions to mimic natural sun light inside
buildings, but there is no solid substitute for good old fashioned, full
spectrum, natural sun light. Natural sunlight is a source of Vitamin D and
produces this very essential vitamin from the minute sun light touches the
human skin. It is now a known fact that Vitamin D aids with many things, from
improving the human psyche which leads to enhanced productivity, to faster
recovery from other ailments, to less negativity, to the absorption of other
minerals and vitamins. And huge quantities are not even required.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">One way of overcoming
the lack of natural lighting in the rear or secluded parts of high rise buildings,
are to provide lighting stacks or atrii, which will channel natural sunlight
into these remote areas in a building. It will also have the added benefit of
reducing artificial lighting dependency and hence a reduction in lighting based
electricity consumption.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
MBH Architectshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02418713760442090895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4404152198864784267.post-2458753445418039042012-09-23T04:28:00.000-07:002012-09-23T04:28:39.433-07:00Suburban Sprawl and other devistating results of the infamous Single Use Zoning Model<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-size: large;">Suburban sprawl appears to be more prevalent in developing countries, such as is currently occurring in the major SADeC conurbations, due to increased and rapid urbanization by individuals, for possible improved financial rewards.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<u1:p><span style="font-size: large;"></span></u1:p><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-size: large;">Suburban sprawl, <span style="color: red;">an unfortunate result of environmentally unsympathetic town planning principals</span>, is one of the biggest contributors towards mankind’s carbon footprint today, and even more so in developing countries, for various reasons. Suburban living, contrary to urban living, relies on a number of negatively impacting characteristics.<u1:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> <o:p></o:p></span></u1:p></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: large; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The infamous Single Use Zoning - The Cancer of our modern Conurbations</span></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<v:shapetype coordsize="21600,21600" filled="f" id="_x0000_t75" o:preferrelative="t" o:spt="75" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" stroked="f"><span style="font-size: large;"><v:stroke joinstyle="miter"><v:formulas><v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"><v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"><v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"><v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"><v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"><v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"><v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"><v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"><v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"><v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"><v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"><v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:formulas><v:path gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect" o:extrusionok="f"><o:lock aspectratio="t" v:ext="edit"></o:lock></v:path></v:stroke></span></v:shapetype><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_2" o:spid="_x0000_s1026" style="height: 168.55pt; left: 0px; margin-left: 217.75pt; margin-top: 4.5pt; mso-height-percent: 0; mso-height-relative: page; mso-position-horizontal-relative: text; mso-position-horizontal: absolute; mso-position-vertical-relative: text; mso-position-vertical: absolute; mso-width-percent: 0; mso-width-relative: page; mso-wrap-distance-bottom: 0; mso-wrap-distance-left: 9pt; mso-wrap-distance-right: 9pt; mso-wrap-distance-top: 0; mso-wrap-style: square; position: absolute; text-align: left; visibility: visible; width: 231.05pt; z-index: -251658240;" type="#_x0000_t75"><span style="font-size: large;"><v:imagedata o:title="" src="file:///C:\Users\Manus\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image001.jpg"><w:wrap type="through"></w:wrap></v:imagedata></span></v:shape><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-size: large;">One of the primary negative causes of suburban sprawl and its subsequent impact on the environment and most probably the cause for all the subsequent negative implications, is the Single Use Zoning.<u1:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></u1:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMB560vFnFjFBDmHOYVD0TS0vzaAzRuA2qRbigc8cwdgoSoAubSBiCjq_u1yRtyn5YGcLb3FEZ9xCyofZ2Nh01JUvS5kh7zO9frhKzYb2GKTjFz-A6ue6oZnePsIFd8lANI9zr3ztVVP4/s1600/05022012706.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMB560vFnFjFBDmHOYVD0TS0vzaAzRuA2qRbigc8cwdgoSoAubSBiCjq_u1yRtyn5YGcLb3FEZ9xCyofZ2Nh01JUvS5kh7zO9frhKzYb2GKTjFz-A6ue6oZnePsIFd8lANI9zr3ztVVP4/s200/05022012706.jpg" width="200" /></a>Single Use Zoning causes a segregation between land uses, effectively dividing residential suburbs from commercial and other use zones, usually by means of large tracks of land, and in the majority of cases, without any provisions of a public transit system such as trams and it has very limited, if any, provisions for pedestrians or cyclists.</span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-size: large;">As a result of this, residents’ places of work, places of recreation and places of worship or education, to mention but a few, are segregated from one another and in view of the absence of a properly integrated public transit system such as trams or pedestrian friendly facilities, the car becomes the only viable option to perform the most basic of functions, such as shopping or commuting to and from work or school.</span></span><br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: large; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The most effective substitute for the sprawl caused by the Single Use Suburban Zone model, is the Transit Oriented Mixed Use Urban Zone Model, incorporating a healthy mix of uses within one neighbourhood or building, linked by means of an effective public transit system.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<br />
</div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: large; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Unfortunately, the Single Use Zoning model, although largely promotive of sprawl, is still the most feasible model available to property developers today, as it affects their profit margins the least.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But in the words of Christopher B Leinberger:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 18pt; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">“Good urban architecture costs upward of 50 percent more than typical suburban buildings. In urban areas, residents and businesses demand a higher quality of building, since you are walking past them, not driving by at 45 miles an hour with the buildings set back 150 feet”</span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"></span></span><br /></div>
</span><br />MBH Architectshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02418713760442090895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4404152198864784267.post-22360235024614057622012-03-22T04:31:00.001-07:002012-03-22T04:31:49.355-07:00The Floatable City<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We
have already determined that the earth's sea levels are presently rising and
have been rising since the advent of the earth's current Interglacial (warming)
phase known as the Holocene Epoch, which commenced around 15,000 ybp and that
sea levels will continue to rise as the earth warms up and its ice sheets
contract, during this naturally induced warming phase (read our previous blog
on "<em><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Global Warming is
inevitable"</span></em>:<em><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">
</span></em></span></span><a href="http://mbharchitectssa.blogspot.com/2012/02/asarchitects-today-we-need-to-have-at.html"><em><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">http://mbharchitectssa.blogspot.com/2012/02/asarchitects-today-we-need-to-have-at.html</span></span></em></a></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">)</span></em><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">According
to an estimate by the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), sea
levels may rise up to 59cm during the 21st century. A 1m rise has not been
ruled out.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
<o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-2fwltmfx1QsuuiaO2D8OOfSYwVcbo6xKVnl_LlR8IzA-i4PC0tZSsZa-lfbDqwx7vRlZAJU1dgBp6yL2SGCw7wtN8Mz5LL_AG-hRHtPtfinGMCctuKikWsgqLSqZhDUWogiVNAbNu14/s1600/iowa7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-2fwltmfx1QsuuiaO2D8OOfSYwVcbo6xKVnl_LlR8IzA-i4PC0tZSsZa-lfbDqwx7vRlZAJU1dgBp6yL2SGCw7wtN8Mz5LL_AG-hRHtPtfinGMCctuKikWsgqLSqZhDUWogiVNAbNu14/s320/iowa7.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This
means that two facts remain to be dealt with. One, that buildings in low level
or coastal conurbations will be ever increasingly exposed to flooding in the
near future and, two, that the long term rise and fall of the sea's levels
during the earth's Glacial and Interglacial cycles, is estimated at an average
range of between 4 to 6m.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now, as previously mentioned, the last time the
earth's sea levels rose by 6m, during the peak of the Eemian Interglacial
approximately 125,000 ybp, our human conurbations in coastal regions, were not
yet existent. So, as a species, we have never faced such a threat before.</span></span></div>
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrO00zgP6CP_xb3xc-KSUrEF3iFZ_jOmJU0tDcLFH1nWjb47QZ-JzAR9q4oIVs9-8pOs_v3Ju0tfs8d1qM4yGBE5Y3nk_PFZu1q-BeKVLrzInRnLAjQ0vG9gvEqleqZXeTIUkFui-KgIk/s1600/329684-brisbane-flooding.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrO00zgP6CP_xb3xc-KSUrEF3iFZ_jOmJU0tDcLFH1nWjb47QZ-JzAR9q4oIVs9-8pOs_v3Ju0tfs8d1qM4yGBE5Y3nk_PFZu1q-BeKVLrzInRnLAjQ0vG9gvEqleqZXeTIUkFui-KgIk/s400/329684-brisbane-flooding.gif" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Given
the above impending intermittent flooding and long term rise in sea levels of
potentially up to 6m above the current level, conceivably over the next few
thousand years, we, as architects, have three primary options. One option, and
possibly the most extreme option, is to advise our clients against developing
in coastal or low lying regions which could be affected by a 6m rise in sea
levels, but due to present day settlement already located within these zones,
this is not entirely practical nor feasible. A second option is to design
buildings sufficiently elevated on fixed plinths to accommodate the inevitable rise
in sea levels, should our clients still insist on developing within these risk
zones.</span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">The
third option would be that we, as architects, start creating <strong><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">floatable </span></strong>buildings
and cities, as opposed to <strong><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">floodable</span></strong>
building and cities, within these low lying and/or coastal regions, with
plinths that provide buoyancy and sufficient vertical movement range, to
initially be able to absorb any potential flash flooding by rising with the
water levels, and to eventually be able to accommodate a 6m rise in sea levels.</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dycrJQBQDjf94uQ-X1TGo8MAQ7VajoBtCdiwth2uDzvoH4UxvkTU7TM5yNfE_V59vjwcdsI7XM8jvkKcJHrpw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The
floating city and floating buildings are already a viable concept in many parts
of the world, especially in extreme low lying countries such as Holland. But
the concept of float<strong><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">able</span></strong>
cities or buildings, should not be confused with float<strong><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">ing</span></strong> cities or
buildings. There is a fundamental difference between cities and building
constructed to become buoyant in the event of catastrophe, and floating cities
or buildings, which are purposefully constructed at sea or on lakes for that
purpose exclusively, such as for example the </span></span><a href="http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?hl=en&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=auto&tl=en&twu=1&u=http://bubuiainstitute.wordpress.com/2010/10/08/42/&usg=ALkJrhgi_1fEk6kp14jmlISI9GZtfGeZsA" title="Permanent Link to Lake Huron Floating House by MOS"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background: rgb(230, 236, 249); font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Lake Huron
Floating House</span><span style="background: rgb(230, 236, 249);"> </span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicxN4RvVgllNgj1KiEav0kt9R6oWqDNABWkCxozrQ4gpw1NSsmuMhUKfXtglgqCyiZfknEylFgDK0OtE18T1ffO_d3wsHOb3dOwrDFJQAEz_kKR61LKJm2PvvzONUAoEUbQEoV6CSKUdU/s1600/acrombasis18_2_email1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicxN4RvVgllNgj1KiEav0kt9R6oWqDNABWkCxozrQ4gpw1NSsmuMhUKfXtglgqCyiZfknEylFgDK0OtE18T1ffO_d3wsHOb3dOwrDFJQAEz_kKR61LKJm2PvvzONUAoEUbQEoV6CSKUdU/s400/acrombasis18_2_email1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">What
we are talking about here, are buildings constructed with plinths similar to a
ship's hull, capable of becoming buoyant during a flood, yet still anchored to
the earth by means of fixed mechanical foundations. These buildings would be
analogous of ships sitting in a dry dock, awaiting the rising waters.</span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-ZA; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">If one considers the
enormity of ocean liners that exist today, such as <em><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The Allure of the Seas</span></em> and <em><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The Oasis of the Seas</span></em>, which could both be regarded as
floating buildings, then constructing our future floatable building on dry
ground similar to these principals, are not all that far-fetched. The only
difference will be that a floatable building won't be going anywhere except up
or down as required in the event of a catastrophical rising of water levels.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHu_7wURncOrxyvC9QuNV2XYLdn4lIsvBDD3p3Ef8nyIVd4uJAsMzY3U5sd9RBW41ISuKmhcWQD2PXSQ3s9ZEZ5uI37DP_g2vSdgbxd4MBjecvVpgK0axsqQSPuM_krrhilRPcv3G0Eb4/s1600/Allure_of_the_Seas_Front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHu_7wURncOrxyvC9QuNV2XYLdn4lIsvBDD3p3Ef8nyIVd4uJAsMzY3U5sd9RBW41ISuKmhcWQD2PXSQ3s9ZEZ5uI37DP_g2vSdgbxd4MBjecvVpgK0axsqQSPuM_krrhilRPcv3G0Eb4/s640/Allure_of_the_Seas_Front.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></div>MBH Architectshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02418713760442090895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4404152198864784267.post-25184748673491661762012-03-11T23:09:00.001-07:002012-03-11T23:09:10.433-07:00Formation of South African Chapter of the Congress for the New Urbanism<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">South African built environment professionals interested in joining the formation of the South African Interest Group and/or Chapter of The CNU (<em>Congress for the New Urbanism</em>) please<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> contact Manus Heunis on <a href="mailto:mbharchitectssa@gmail.com">m<span class="EEXEvb">bharchitectssa@gmail.com</span></a> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Very briefly, the CNU is head quartered in Chicago, Illinois in the USA, and an organisation which enjoys worldwide support for its efforts in and guidance on promoting more sustainable urban environments by means of, amongst many others, more environmentally sympathetic town planning principals, reduction of urban sprawl by means of mixed use developments and creating transit oriented and pedestrian friendly cities and neighbourhoods, all of which ultimately lead to a reduced urban carbon foot print.</span></span></div>
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<br />
<a href="http://www.cnu.org/" title="Home"><img alt="Home" height="68" src="http://www.cnu.org/sites/www.cnu.org/themes/cnu/images/cnu_header_logo.gif" width="200" /></a><a href="http://www.cnu.org/" title="Home"><img alt="Home" src="http://www.cnu.org/sites/www.cnu.org/themes/cnu/images/logo.gif" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For more info on what the CNU is all about, click on the link provided below</span></span></div>
<br />
<a href="http://www.cnu.org/who_we_are"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">http://www.cnu.org/who_we_are</span></a><br />
<br />MBH Architectshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02418713760442090895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4404152198864784267.post-87641550451786033392012-02-29T23:55:00.000-08:002013-05-14T00:53:51.196-07:00MAGIC? Watch the disappearing sidewalk!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPi73Q5LnxLRUgBC8tW38b7tkzgENR1XmIZj3kf66R8YvnNsx4EdXiqiSqFoFLtswUv9WMlmn4WGsU7k7SNIjUMk4US6S3ZuPf2gjoFCfMx_BLyniiXdaGwzzMTeDnvdEJBfr0t7ZoBvg/s1600/Dissappearing+Sidewalk+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPi73Q5LnxLRUgBC8tW38b7tkzgENR1XmIZj3kf66R8YvnNsx4EdXiqiSqFoFLtswUv9WMlmn4WGsU7k7SNIjUMk4US6S3ZuPf2gjoFCfMx_BLyniiXdaGwzzMTeDnvdEJBfr0t7ZoBvg/s1600/Dissappearing+Sidewalk+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPi73Q5LnxLRUgBC8tW38b7tkzgENR1XmIZj3kf66R8YvnNsx4EdXiqiSqFoFLtswUv9WMlmn4WGsU7k7SNIjUMk4US6S3ZuPf2gjoFCfMx_BLyniiXdaGwzzMTeDnvdEJBfr0t7ZoBvg/s1600/Dissappearing+Sidewalk+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPi73Q5LnxLRUgBC8tW38b7tkzgENR1XmIZj3kf66R8YvnNsx4EdXiqiSqFoFLtswUv9WMlmn4WGsU7k7SNIjUMk4US6S3ZuPf2gjoFCfMx_BLyniiXdaGwzzMTeDnvdEJBfr0t7ZoBvg/s320/Dissappearing+Sidewalk+2.jpg" height="232" width="320" /></a></div>
</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In South Africa, public sidewalks which are usually provided as part of Single Use Zoned suburbs, almost always become overgrown extensions of suburban property owners' private gardens. Subsequently, pedestrians are most often forced to literally walk <strong><u>in</u></strong> the streets and in so doing, have to compete with motor vehicles, causing a substantial risk to them and an increase in pedestrian accidents and fatalities.</span><br />
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<br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The root of this practise of treating suburban public sidewalks as extensions of private gardens, stem from an unfortunate culture of public ignorance regarding the actual purpose of the suburban public sidewalk, which has been carried over from generation to generation.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /></div>
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<span style="background-color: #bf9000; color: white; font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">WHERE MUST OUR PEDESTRIANS WALK AND WHERE MUST OUR CYCLISTS RIDE??</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQXTtm0VZv-0tGEv_zePxoS_7Rqww_43qtyM6uCL1b2DJQjbW4TpObOovXqulKHfAJww4Uvgb9gaqwFD8jx7i1TqYPDKb6ljgioT4R3F_4A5arC_u1z1NWUBa1Z5mBRz_4znCfZPjvqo0/s1600/2012-08-12-598.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQXTtm0VZv-0tGEv_zePxoS_7Rqww_43qtyM6uCL1b2DJQjbW4TpObOovXqulKHfAJww4Uvgb9gaqwFD8jx7i1TqYPDKb6ljgioT4R3F_4A5arC_u1z1NWUBa1Z5mBRz_4znCfZPjvqo0/s400/2012-08-12-598.jpg" height="223" width="400" /></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: medium; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Suburban public sidewalks are provided for a reason. They are not meant to become overgrown obstacle courses, in the form of extensions of private gardens, further restricting the already inadequate provisions of pedestrian facilities within the suburb. The private garden should end at the property boundary.</span> <strong><em><span style="background-color: #990000; color: white;">The sidewalk is public space!!</span></em></strong> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It does not belong to the property owner! And if vegetation should form part of this public space, then it should be by means of properly integrated landscaping, which will enhance the overall street scape and the public's use of the sidewalk and permit it to be used for what it was intended... pedestrians and cyclists. The suburban public sidewalk in the video clip below, almost gets it right...</span> </span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwHFkittRadII3nwGi5ney1dLhc1I9V-Qe3PXPIt7Edf9BxPSBZoDJZaEZffkZOkuhvMiSYfVw932XCAzfiWQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-ZA; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-ZA;">The
sidewalk below on the left, is approximately 6m wide and a complete waste of usable
public space. It can quite comfortably accommodate cars parked off the street
either at 45 degrees or parallel, plus a cycle lane and a pedestrian walkway and landscaping. It should look a lot
more like the sidewalk on the right, which is a good example of a
well-integrated sidewalk., allowing for parking off the street, a cycling lane and pedestrians.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR4ZnJ4Cn4viX13s6dcTJhTY4aD-AsZTSZUtUi-BQ9ky6IZuUbefavDMZBqDVagB12I7g14p5bDuUImNbXi9qGSkA9hx0kmOBmXEeFA-v4QyupTZcfhVc-Ag5j_o19TvcJw8JY9mmIFBY/s1600/Well+integrated+sidewalk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR4ZnJ4Cn4viX13s6dcTJhTY4aD-AsZTSZUtUi-BQ9ky6IZuUbefavDMZBqDVagB12I7g14p5bDuUImNbXi9qGSkA9hx0kmOBmXEeFA-v4QyupTZcfhVc-Ag5j_o19TvcJw8JY9mmIFBY/s640/Well+integrated+sidewalk.jpg" height="111" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXNdjL9hSjB8di3LB-suDRoIbOSgUdSt41oXOnCilDG6JpEM6zwhcb9uMDsGUDCzQcBqVKtj12wA8uiUR7oDEAa4c75ZLbJ92yZOGCiyZZ3F-AxW673HDAdgadilyjc50WKfsp5BOpl60/s1600/2012-08-12-596.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXNdjL9hSjB8di3LB-suDRoIbOSgUdSt41oXOnCilDG6JpEM6zwhcb9uMDsGUDCzQcBqVKtj12wA8uiUR7oDEAa4c75ZLbJ92yZOGCiyZZ3F-AxW673HDAdgadilyjc50WKfsp5BOpl60/s320/2012-08-12-596.jpg" height="179" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ironically, suburban private property owners go to extremes to "beautify" these extensions of their private gardens on public property, often spending a fortune on items such as irrigation, actually believing that they are making a positive contribution to their suburb. Can there be a more senseless thing to do, wasting large amounts of one of South Africa's most sparse resources, water, on such a pointless practise.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #073763; color: white; font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">THERE IS A VERY DISTINCT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A SUBURB AND AN URBAN NEIGHBOURHOOD</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqUA1nwrZbaYKDyZjjib7ZFPeAz1NSMEjCAJ8ztz5o5vHjC9kYMRGYDfezryhzncEcFJrVYVcDNuJ9OkOd4JHaZgBQR0B_KG7nl34FSUU0fPh-ass1v5Axa30xl7zMsPu6zeOmIO5Omy8/s1600/20130507_060534.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqUA1nwrZbaYKDyZjjib7ZFPeAz1NSMEjCAJ8ztz5o5vHjC9kYMRGYDfezryhzncEcFJrVYVcDNuJ9OkOd4JHaZgBQR0B_KG7nl34FSUU0fPh-ass1v5Axa30xl7zMsPu6zeOmIO5Omy8/s1600/20130507_060534.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZZ3ZsRnlRXWPl2khyPeJeQ_hDFlfKnN-_aeL-_1qBwqtYz6qA-2Bg2s42Y9mSqjvaY5MaQaCcZH-rbQL5dtBB3PA18PQwWV2stggQYT215LVpdBtf2blZJP3fB13ZHtMxT3nnej5wi20/s1600/20130505_071501.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZZ3ZsRnlRXWPl2khyPeJeQ_hDFlfKnN-_aeL-_1qBwqtYz6qA-2Bg2s42Y9mSqjvaY5MaQaCcZH-rbQL5dtBB3PA18PQwWV2stggQYT215LVpdBtf2blZJP3fB13ZHtMxT3nnej5wi20/s1600/20130505_071501.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZZ3ZsRnlRXWPl2khyPeJeQ_hDFlfKnN-_aeL-_1qBwqtYz6qA-2Bg2s42Y9mSqjvaY5MaQaCcZH-rbQL5dtBB3PA18PQwWV2stggQYT215LVpdBtf2blZJP3fB13ZHtMxT3nnej5wi20/s1600/20130505_071501.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The sad reality is, that it is not only private suburban property owners whom do not comprehend the actual purpose of the public sidewalk, but very often the local municipalities as well and very often they themselves defeat the whole purpose of providing a sidewalk, by the absolutely dumbfounded act of placing signage poles, trees, barriers etc right in the middle of the walking surfaces of sidewalks. Could these signs not have been placed adjacent the walking surface with an arched overhead support? The two photos above left and right, are of the same location, but taken at different times of the day. The protruding bolts on the inside of the barrier, projecting right into the walking surface of the sidewalk, could cause some serious injuries, not to mention the signage post, slap bang in the middle of the walking surface of the "sidewalk", especially given that the pedestrian / cyclist is effectively forced to squeeze in between the post and the barrier!? And to make matters worse, a landscaping company, thinking that it is enhancing the suburb, has now placed fragmented rock and a thorny shrub to the left of the post, making it impossible for a cyclist and very difficult for a jogger to negotiate down this strech of sidewalk, especially when blinded by the headlights from oncoming traffic early on a winter's morning and not being familiar with the area. <em><span style="color: #cc0000;"><strong>Landscaping, unless well integrated with the sidewalk, should stay off the sidewalk!!</strong></span></em></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9v-rKTZzE-lKpItDccwWiMUQf-pGk0UZrT5uZz5d3Op8EAEwWxf-2CGiTAwBqy58-SJGxyA1wFOZyNXvjyPbTa5_7msuR-oeRxqMNZWWotfB0jsMXKmzqe6dIOFvHFneYDri1v15tBvk/s1600/cresta+sidewalk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9v-rKTZzE-lKpItDccwWiMUQf-pGk0UZrT5uZz5d3Op8EAEwWxf-2CGiTAwBqy58-SJGxyA1wFOZyNXvjyPbTa5_7msuR-oeRxqMNZWWotfB0jsMXKmzqe6dIOFvHFneYDri1v15tBvk/s320/cresta+sidewalk.jpg" height="188" width="320" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The practice of walking <strong>in</strong> the streets, as opposed to on the sidewalk, has now become so ingrained into the South African culture that, even when the odd walkable sidewalk is provided, pedestrians still walk in the streets. Thus, after years of being denied access to sidewalks, the average South African pedestrian now no longer recognises the purpose of a sidewalk, when it presents itself.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Below are more examples of mindless suburban planning, or the complete absence of planning. Should you have more evidence of the disappearing sidewalk in your suburb, please forward them to us.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgewY1ta9yAoGR4DVP8q33h-EFfyiFssoSiNIowNuD-j5JrzO7zPrLBTcp9gEEBoY10FcgTNuhMQAhF5uIw2H0AHT3I9YFWxPCUNaVDL4ENZe4CNecsR3kRs_fFabmF90zaPZK9b0-qn4E/s1600/Dissappearing+Sidewalk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgewY1ta9yAoGR4DVP8q33h-EFfyiFssoSiNIowNuD-j5JrzO7zPrLBTcp9gEEBoY10FcgTNuhMQAhF5uIw2H0AHT3I9YFWxPCUNaVDL4ENZe4CNecsR3kRs_fFabmF90zaPZK9b0-qn4E/s320/Dissappearing+Sidewalk.jpg" height="220" width="320" /></a></div>
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MBH Architectshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02418713760442090895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4404152198864784267.post-4319487622184696992012-02-16T03:22:00.002-08:002012-04-13T20:39:16.449-07:00MBH Architects SA opt for Green Roofs<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">MBH Architects, have opted for Green Roofs over the office components of a proposed new factory development in Lanseria Corporate Estate, just outside Johannesburg, South Africa, and lawn filled paving blocks in the small vehicle parkade areas.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The green roofs, will aid by better insulating the roof slab, thereby effectively reducing energy consumption, specifically pertaining to HVAC equipment, and especially during the summer months.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">It will also aid in reducing the Urban Heat Island (UHI) factor, as the lawn and foliage on the roof slabs, will absorb solar radiation, as opposed to re-radiating it into the immediate surrounding environment and will so doing reduce the ambient air temperature around the site substantially during summer. The lawn filled pavers will have the exact same effect.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">As the estate incorporates a grey water attenuation pond, the lawn filled pavers, will aid by absorbing and draining rain water into perforated pipes underneath the parkades, which will filter via a grey water connection into the estate's grey water reticulation system and into the attenuation pond, to be utilised for irrigation, amongst other uses.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">See more and larger images on <a href="http://www.mbharc.co.za/lanseria%20corporate%20estate.htm">http://www.mbharc.co.za/lanseria%20corporate%20estate.htm</a></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDbyAtCy9gFI9IqkY4WINHshgKWFDI85Ooai9kLY5qoqUkBJBwxKvMk4K-g_CRuP48u3deQRM3H7V2WsHDynsoFoL7yYLcUhu1Acakiby9Ql-FUIL5f6swtu_m68Q1HP-PvAZMJdRoPaI/s1600/PJ+Tech+Max+Cam+4+24+Bit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDbyAtCy9gFI9IqkY4WINHshgKWFDI85Ooai9kLY5qoqUkBJBwxKvMk4K-g_CRuP48u3deQRM3H7V2WsHDynsoFoL7yYLcUhu1Acakiby9Ql-FUIL5f6swtu_m68Q1HP-PvAZMJdRoPaI/s320/PJ+Tech+Max+Cam+4+24+Bit.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>MBH Architectshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02418713760442090895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4404152198864784267.post-30482166860065469262012-02-15T23:34:00.001-08:002012-04-13T20:36:59.022-07:00Global Warming and Climate Change is inevitable<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-ZA;"><strong>Climate change and global warming specifically, or global cooling for that matter, is inevitable.</strong> The earth’s climate, is not a constant. The earth has warmed and cooled many times before. What is happening today, has happened many times in the earth’s history and we, as a species need to be prepared for it this time, because the last time global warming occurred approximately 130,000 years ago, our species was in its infancy and we hadn’t built any of the conurbations of today. The city as we know it today, didn’t exist then and, as a species, we stand to be affected much more, than the last time the globe warmed up.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-ZA;">As
architects today, we need to have at least a basic comprehension of Climatology
and Meteorology, since climate change and global warming (or cooling) will have
an ever increasing effect on architecture. As the creators and shapers of
peoples’ habitable environments, we need not only to understand the climate of
today, but we also need to understand its history. The more we understand of
our past, the better prepared and equipped we are for our future.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-ZA;">How we
deal with the inevitability of rising sea levels as the earth warms up yet
again, should be our primary challenge. Not our primary fear.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-ZA;">In order
to corroborate these statements, we need to put things into perspective and to
do so, we will require a palaeo-climatological departure point.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-ZA;"><strong>In its
history, the earth has experienced many warming and cooling cycles, usually
lasting thousands of years at a time.</strong> These warming and cooling phases, are
determined by many cosmic and geophysical occurrences, ranging from the earth’s:<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-ZA;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-ZA;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-ZA;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-ZA;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 72pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 72.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Solar
Inclination (Axial Tilt or also Obliquity); and</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 72pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 72.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Orbital
Eccentricity; to</span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Astronomical
Precession<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span>with all these factors
collectively known as the Milankovich cycles. However, the last Glacial or
freezing period, started around 110,000 years ago and may have been intensified
by a geophysical event, being the earth’s last volcanic super-eruption at mount
Toba in Sumatra, around 75,000 years ago, which spewed millions (if not
billions) of tons of ash and sulphur dioxide into the atmosphere, effectively
diminishing Insolation from the sun and thus, together with the Milankovich
cycles, caused the earth to cool down even further, bringing about a glacial
phase, most commonly known as the Wisconsin Glacial Period, which peaked at
what is known as the Last Glacial Maxim (LGM) around 21,000 ybp (years before
present). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-ZA;"><strong>However, it
is important to understand that today, the earth is once again in a warming
phase,</strong> in what is known as the Holocene Epoch, which is a natural warming phase
or called an Interglacial period, which has existed since the end of the Last Glacial
Maxim and presumably commenced around 15,000 ybp. What this means, is that the
earth has been naturally warming up since then and none of our industries, as
we know it today, were even present then. It is estimated that this current
Holocene Interglacial or warming phase, might last for the next 20-30,000 years.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-ZA;">The
previous Interglacial phase, prior to the last Glacial Period, and most
commonly known as the Eemian Interglacial, lasted approximately 16,000 years.
It is estimated that it began around 133,000 ybp and peaked at 125,000 ybp.
During this period, the polar ice sheets contracted and our sea levels may have
been between 4 to 6m higher than what they are today. However, the fact
remains, that we have now settled in our large cities, often located in low
lying coastal regions, which are presently up to 6m below the sea level of the
Eemian Interglacial.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-ZA;">The advent
of the industrial revolution, heralded the introduction of another globe
warming factor, but unlike the Naturally Induced Global Warming factors
described above, this is an Anthropogenic Induced, or man-made global warming
factor and it is being blamed exclusively for the current state of affairs.
<strong>Yes, it is a large contributory factor and yes, it is certainly expediting and
exacerbating the current global warming phase</strong> and yes, the rate at which we
have been burning fossil fuels are damaging to the environment and we do need
to find more sustainable energy sources. But Anthropogenic Induced Global
Warming, is not the only contributor. The earth is naturally warming up, and we
need to prepare ourselves in dealing with this occurrence. The earth will definitely
survive our species, but our species, may not survive the earth, if we fail to
act now.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-ZA;">On the
flip side, extreme global cooling is not only possible within a warming
Interglacial phase, but it is in fact a historical reality and it might abate perceptions
that the earth is warming. However, these cooling phases within an Interglacial
phase, commonly known as a Stadial phase, are usually relatively short. The
most recent examples of cooling phases or Stadials within our present warming Holocene
Epoch, are the Younger Dryas event which occurred around 11,500 – 9,600ybp and
is speculated to have spawned the Agrigultural revolution in the Levant and
there is also what is commonly referred to as the “Year without a summer”, as
recent as 1816, when the volcanic eruption of Mt Tambora on the island of
Sumbawa in Indonesia in 1815, plunged the Northern Hemisphere into a volcanic
winter, that triggered more than a year of unusual and devastating cold weather
and drought, causing food shortages across the Northern Hemisphere. It is
further generally speculated that this event triggered a larger movement west
wards from New York, towards the Great Lakes, thus causing an increased human settlement
in the area known today as Chicago.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-ZA;">It could
be said that the “Big Freeze” that Europe is experiencing in 2011/2012, is a
result of the volcanic eruptions in Iceland, during March 2010, similar to that
of 1815/1816.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-ZA;">In
addition, we should not lose sight of the fact that, despite all the warming
and cooling cycles, or Glacial – and Interglacial periods, the earth is also still
existing in an ice age, known as the Quaternary or Pleistocene Glaciation
Period, which started around 2,58million ybp and during this period, the
earth’s ice sheets have expanded and contracted numerous times, as they are
currently contracting, causing sea levels to rise and lower periodically.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-ZA;">The fact
remains that our planet’s climate is not a constant, but rather in a constant
state of flux and it affects our societies and human conurbations, in more ways
than we can imagine. As architects, we need to incorporate this knowledge into
our buildings and cities of the future.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">As
architects, our challenge is to acquaint ourselves with these factors and its
effects on human habitation and to pro-actively fashion a new architecture and
urban landscape, which will work in unison with these <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Naturally Induced Global Warming and Cooling</i> cycles. But we also
need to implement an architectural vernacular which will subsequently seek to
initially alleviate and eventually eliminate dependence on fossil fuels,
causing <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Anthropogenically Induced Global
Warming. </i>We should not be mere passengers in a bobbing life raft, at the
mercy of the elements, but we should take charge and create climatically
synchronised or harmonious habitations, whether on- or under land, or in- or
under the water.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-ZA; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Perhaps our buildings and cities of the future
should be made floatable, instead of floodable.</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-ZA; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"> Or even submersible
and sustainable under water for certain periods of time.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMwF4F1s_xtuUCPG8kFRLejM6ClP1Ru9qG0pg8ZuIhGe6O2-a4jCLH5ts7VcU-S77VHqzo7YYICzTsik9rzxez95s-g9pHVOi-Ot_5oiJ0bmt40DqpoEo76KdPoDTr7PNNbmChSq-Bycg/s1600/Mare+Village.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMwF4F1s_xtuUCPG8kFRLejM6ClP1Ru9qG0pg8ZuIhGe6O2-a4jCLH5ts7VcU-S77VHqzo7YYICzTsik9rzxez95s-g9pHVOi-Ot_5oiJ0bmt40DqpoEo76KdPoDTr7PNNbmChSq-Bycg/s320/Mare+Village.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>MBH Architectshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02418713760442090895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4404152198864784267.post-3035064238802469762012-02-09T23:59:00.000-08:002012-02-16T03:25:32.196-08:00Mixed Use Buildings and Transit Oriented Neighbourhoods reduces Urban Sprawl<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">As
architects and urban planners, we should strive towards the creation of TRANSIT
ORIENTED neighbourhoods, promoting a balanced mix of activities such as
dwelling, shopping, working, schooling, health care, worshiping and recreation,
all within a walkable configuration, where many clusters of neighbourhoods,
interlinked with parks, walkways, cycle lanes and tram rails, form suburbs that
decreases the private stresses of time in traffic and minimises the public born
expenses of road construction and atmospheric pollution, as is currently being
induced by suburban sprawl.<o:p></o:p></span></div>MBH Architectshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02418713760442090895noreply@blogger.com0