Dear Editor,
Traveling around in several housing schemes/development I have observed many housing deficiencies e.g., poor housing designs and construction practices, inexperienced /untrained building contractors and poorly constructed/unfinished houses.
House Design and Construction Practices:
Our material of choice is concrete, however it appeared as though during the design phase very little thought is considered for maintenance and the comfort of the residents during occupancy.
Guyana is in the tropics where the Sun reaches a subsolar point i.e. the sun’s rays are hitting the planet exactly perpendicular to its surface. Buildings in the tropics – specifically residential homes should be constructed to deflect the heat from the sun; the homes should be designed and constructed to self-ventilate and cool off by adopting construction methods that will not depend on high-cost energy consuming devices for cooling.
Most residential homes constructed in Guyana for several years are copied from homes styles and construction in the temperate zone (each of the two belts of latitude between the Torrid Zone and the northern and southern frigid zones). Residential homes in the temperate zones are constructed to trap and store heat for as long as possible to minimize the cost of energy consumed to heat homes in the cold seasons and the reverse for air conditioning in the hot season.
As such, the many glass windows, low roof styles and low ceiling construction homes in the Tropics trap heat which is uncomfortable for occupants. Thus, the need to use high cost, energy consuming devices e.g. A/C and fans to cool homes. Yes!! That is correct!! You are cooling your homes and it is continuous 24 hours’ energy consumption due to the sunlight, glass windows that allow sunlight heat into the homes and the concrete which absorbs/stores the sunlight energy/heat via conduction.
Here are a few home building improvement suggestions which, if implemented, will go a long way in cooling homes in the tropical conditions like Guyana and minimize energy use, cost, and consumption.
• Tall ceilings: Ceilings as high as 10, 12 and even 14 feet are common in older homes. As heat rose to the ceiling, lower areas stayed cool and comfortable.
• Transoms: A transom is a small window over a door that allows warmer air at the ceiling to circulate up to higher floors, providing more air movement throughout the house.
• A jalousie window: This is a fixed or movable window composed of parallel glass or wooden louvers set in a frame.
• Large windows: Many older and historic homes have large, double-hung windows. Opening the top sash allows hot air near the ceiling to escape. Opening the bottom sash, especially at night, allows cool air to flow inside.
• Improved airflow: Before AC and fans existed, many homes were built on stilts, blocks and pillars allowing breeze to flow underneath and help keep homes cool all day long.
• Reflective roofs: Many older homes have light-coloured, or aluminum sheets, zinc sheets or slate roof coverings. It is a great way to deflect heat away from the home to reduce interior temperatures. It is quite a contrast to today’s dark asphalt shingles that can absorb a lot of the sun’s rays.
Inexperienced/Untrained Building Contractors:
Editor, from observation it appears that many carpenters transition from carpentry to masonry, building concrete homes with limited knowledge in basic concrete construction. Here are few of my observations, there are contractors/labourers who don’t know:
• basic concrete mix ratio and how to properly mix concrete.
• what tools are needed to lay blocks and how to lay concrete blocks properly.
• how to plaster properly.
• how to prepare, install and remove forms without damage to concrete.
• When to remove forms and how to cure concrete.
The above are just a few conditions among others I observed. All can be corrected through training and certification/licensing of contractors. Government should consider how much resources and time is wasted by the untrained and make the necessary changes or legislation the entire country will benefit from.
Poorly Constructed/Unfinished Houses.
Citizens are dependent on contractors who most often leave homes incomplete because they misused the client funds, have more jobs than capacity or are incompetent. Many poorly constructed/unfinished homes could have been avoided if we had building inspectors in the 10 administrative regions who made phased inspection of constructed homes from laying of foundation to completion.
Editor, here are a few suggestions that, if implemented, will go a long way in protecting citizens and create new jobs.
• Implement a mandatory Contractor/Client agreement/contract (sample may be provided by Government).
• The Contractor should mandatorily apply for a building permit (since the client is not knowledgeable about the building process).
• Create a Government Building Inspectorate Department/Division to: –
• Train and manage building inspectors.
• Inspect and Approve Building Plans prepared by Certified/Licensed Draftsman/women.
• Inspect buildings during construction.
• Issue Correction/Stop Orders if needed.
• Issue certificate of completion/occupancy.
• The Contractor should submit a septic tank plan to the regional health authority for approval.
• Public Health inspectors should inspect septic tank construction and issue correction/stop orders if defects are observed and finally issue certificates of completion.
Legislation, Laws or Bye Laws may have to be changed or enacted for some of the suggestions which can create many new jobs.
Yours truly,
Hemwant Persaud
