Climate change and energy depletion | Sustainable Development
Posted by BenzuJK in Sustainable Design on November 17, 2012
Moving towards the Sustainable World!
Is anyone of you fond of the concept of Sustainability? Well, to be really honest, people just do not want to consider sustainability a good alternative for the energy crisis we are in.
Designers are struggling so hard to embed the concept of sustainability into people’s minds. Now, it is high time we start aiming at sustainability. All of us are pretty much aware of the fact that we will not be able survive if we don’t consider sustainable options for our future survival. It is just that people find it really difficult to get out of their comfort zones and make decisions that would make a difference to the world.
Climate is a grave problem. When we have overwhelming problems ahead of us, we tend to seek simple answers. Now when we think about the climate change, it is important to figure out the major cause behind it. Let us have a look at the sources of emissions that are causing climate change.
So, where are the emissions coming from?
The emissions are coming out of tailpipes and smokestacks, so basically the emissions are coming out because of the burning of fossil fuels. So, we need to figure out how we could replace fossil fuels with an alternative source and clean source of energy that would not be hazardous to the life on earth.
And the fact is we do need clean energy in order to get out of the energy crisis that we are already in.
Our world is rapidly urbanizing. In fact by mid century, the world population will be 8 billion or more. This is one of the major problems why we are heading towards energy crisis with such great speed.
The amount of energy that will have to be generated for the kind of lifestyle we have at present in the west will be astonishingly difficult. Generating clean energy is extremely difficult and it is possible that we may not be able to generate as much as clean energy that will be required on our rapidly urbanizing world.
Where should Sustainable Development begin first?
Posted by BenzuJK in Sustainable Design on July 28, 2012
Beginning of Sustainable Development in the West
Development is often discussed in relation to developing countries but in fact, it is a concept which relates to all parts of the world at every level, from individual to global tranfromations (Potter etal., 1999) Development is something to which we all aspire. Ideas about the best means by which to achieve our aspiration and needs are potentially as old as the human civilization.
World Map
Here are are a couple questions that we need to ask ourselves. I did it and answered them all. Now it is your turn to answer.
Why are we always talking about the developing countries in terms of sustainable Development?
Sustainable development is not just a concept for developing nations, it is majorly derived for the developed nations because people in the west have the strength, money and power to afford the kind of lifestyle that requires heavy intensive use of energy.
Developing nations are constantly imitating the west. Why exactly are we so worried about people in the developing world regarding their use of resource? Are we scared that in their process of imitating the west, they would start utilizing the same amount of resources that the west uses? That is a scary thought indeed!
25% of the population of the world has used up more than 50% of the energy resources of the planet. That is definitely something to worry about.
Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP)
Posted by BenzuJK in Town Planning on July 27, 2012
MMRDA (Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority) is responsible for the formulation of MUTP. It envisages investment in suburban railway projects, local bus transport system, construction of new roads, building bridges, pedestrian subways and traffic management activities.
World Bank assists MMRDA to help bring about improvement in traffic and transport system in Mumbai.
WHY IS MUTP necessary?
Mumbai is a metropolitan city. The city faces innumerable problems such as traffic, transportation, commuting due to inadequate infrastructure and other facilities. Lack of wider roads or new roads has created chaos in the city of Mumbai. There are constant traffic jams because of slowed vehicular traffic causing excessive pollution and congestion. The problem of parking problems is huge. The government has taken many attempts to solve the issue of road congestion but has not been very successful in achieving the goal. MUTP will give a new vision towards controlling and development of smoother and better transport systems in Mumbai.
MUTP Partners
- Government of Maharashtra
- Indian Railways (IR)
- Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority
- Brihanmumbai Muncipal Corporation
- Brihanmumbai Electric supply and Transport
Problems with MUTP (Mumbai Urban Transport Project)
The government needed land for the execution of the project. So they started acquiring land by moving the land encroachers. In return, government provided the slum dwellers with houses (low cost housing) in another distant area.
The slum dwellers had to go through a number of problems. People went on a hunger strike to catch the attention of the government to fulfil their demands.
Development of Architectural Styles and Construction Techniques
Posted by BenzuJK in Architecture on July 2, 2012
Evolution of Architectural Styles with changing Construction Technology
How did different Architectural styles develop? What was the concept behind the development of different architectural styles around the world? Or rather what gave a boost to the evolution and development of specific architectural styles in specific regions?
Now if we are to have a look at the globe, we would realize that every country has its own architectural style. Architecture shapes the character of town/city/country. Now the questions how did so many different styles came into existence….??
Well, here’s the answer.
Building materials availability in different regions of the world
The availability of building materials play a huge role in the evolution of architectural style. The technology back then wasn’t as developed as it is today. So, designers of those times took all the necessary efforts to devise construction techniques for the construction of various structures in different sizes and forms. The forms were mostly derived from the construction technique used.
Parthenon at Athens, Greece
Influence of lifestyle of the people across the world
We all know that lifestyle does influence our choice and quality of living. Religion in the earlier days was more pronounced than it is today. In a city where the majority were Christians, the kind of constructions that took place were different types of Churches.
In different eras, these structures were reused differently for different purposes.
Architecture Weekly | 19th May 2012
Posted by BenzuJK in Architecture on May 19, 2012
Architectural drawing Approach
Architecttural drawing is a subject taught in Architecture as well as Civil Engineering colleges. Hence, it is important for students to pay special attention to the subject since it requires concentration and dedication to achieve excellence in this particular subject.
This article is about past art, Contemporary art and architecture, importance of learning fundamentals of architectural/engineering drawing and the distractions to be avoided in order to excel.
Site Planning guide
Site planning is an important aspect of Architectural design. It is important that designers are completely aware of all the factors that are to be taken into consideration while designing.
This article has been written in order to explain various factors that are essentially to be considered while taking up Site planning. The site planning considerations that have been discussed in the article are as follows:
- Environmental factors
- Identification of site and its preparation
- Natural factors which include Geology, topography, Hydrography, soil, Vegetation, Wild life etc.
- Climatic factors
- Cultural factors
- Existing land use
Site Documentation and Site Analysis
The importance of Site documentation and site analysis cannot be denied. It is the role of any designer to perform a complete detailed documentation and analysis of the site before designing and construction.
The article has been written in order to address various aspects to be considered while analyzing the surroundings of the site. It also addresses important requirements to be incorporated in site planning in order achieve a greener environment. The important design features that are to be necessarily incorporated in your zoning layout are also mentioned.
It is a must for every architect/engineer or a designer to have complete knowledge of site documentation and site analysis.
New concept of High Speed Rail Development
Posted by BenzuJK in Architecture on May 18, 2012
Concept of Elimination of High Speed Train Stations | Revolutionary or a total failure?
Yesterday, I was searching for some information on High Speed Railways development. HSR is an upcoming field in which rapid development is taking place.
I came across a very interesting article on “A new concept of rail travel”.
Boarding a Moving train – the core concept
Sounds really fascinating, isn’t it?
A British designer Paul Priestman came up with this new idea of boarding a moving train. According to him, this is the futuristic solution of speeding up rail travel. He is proposing the idea of MOVING PLATFORMS. He wants to completely eliminate the need for stations and not make any changes in the engines or tracks. According to his concept, Passengers would cross between the tram and train without either vehicle stopping. He does not want the passengers to get down on the stations and wait for the trains to come rather he wants complete integration of Tram – train crossing so that passengers can travel seamlessly and reach their destinations without having to stop at any intermediate station and wait for another train to come…
The image shows the Train-tram connectivity concept which will in future eliminate the need for train stations (This image has been taken from "edition.cnn.com" for reference and education purpose)
Sounds really cool…! But is it really possible? Forget about the possibilities. Technology can make everything possible. But the right question to ask would be; is it really feasible to do so??
Would it be as wonderful as it sounds? It is truly a very debatable concept.
A reason why Moving Platforms concept could fail
I would not deny the creativity of the concept but of course I would definitely question its feasibility. We can do so many better things than evolving a concept that will increase the burden on our economy. In United States of America, the rail stations are in a complete state of despair. So, wouldn’t it be great if we could work towards renovating and rehabilitation of stations. It would be more cost effective as well as it will help preserve the Architectural style of the past.
Restoration Architecture and Design
Posted by BenzuJK in Architecture on May 13, 2012
Architectural Restoration and Design
It is an Architecture design theory which deals with the process of reviving the material, historical design integrity of the heritage structure.
Restoration of the structure will help in prolonging the life of the structure and also make it functionally usable for the future. This can only be done through planned interventions.
The aim of Restoration Architects is to revive the age old Architecture and make it functional to be used in the future.
The external facade of the historic structure is the functional value of the structure which is very important to be restored to maintain the aesthetical integrity of the structure.
Krnov Castle | Before restoration
What is the first thing to be done when working on “restoration of a structure”?
Assessment of the building is to be done in terms of its historical significance as well the structural technology used in those days.
Why is “Building Assessment” important?
Every heritage building has its own historical importance, its own character. Studying the character of the building makes the designer get involved into designing. It helps strengthening the imagination of the designer to achieve the results.
The knowledge of the life of the building is essential with architectural point of view. If the life of the building is studied carefully, you would get a complete idea of its features and problems of the building.
Types of Columns | Architectural Details
Posted by BenzuJK in Architecture on May 2, 2012
Different types of Columns
In our previous article, we discussed “Different types of Arches“.
In this article, we will move on with our discussion on three basic columns types in brief. The whole idea of writing this article is to make you aware of the basic column types.
Different column types are as follows:
Doric columns
Doric column from the Greek Architectural style is the oldest column style of Ancient times. These types of columns could be found on the Parthenon, Athens, Greece. The column has fluted sides with a smooth rounded top which is called capital with no separate base.
Doric order of the Pantheon