2nd Draft - Summary and Reader Response (Detroit House article).

In the article “This Detroit House is being turned into a living model of cost-saving sustainable design”, Peters (7 July 2016) illustrates how a group of three architecture graduates purchased a house with the intention of sharing their knowledge in sustainability with the community of Detroit. They have named the project ‘“Motown Movement”’ which is to transform their ideas into reality. A brief background studies conducted by the students indicate that the locals have already implemented some form of eco-friendly practices. However, the locals are still lacking in knowledge of modifying their existing house in a more cost-efficient manner. As such, the student’s real-life two-storey model house serve two purposes; ground level acts as a “training facility” while the upper level is use to accommodate family who are homeless. Some sustainable examples incorporated in the design are solar panels on the roof, a “graywater system” which harvest rainwater for flushing of toilets and even conversion of “sewage into biogas and fertiliser” using “septic tank”. Adopting the “do-it-yourself” style, the construction materials used should be available at any local supply stores. Through the use of these simple techniques and a variety of methods, their project can also be applicable to other climate conditions globally. All in all, the students want to increase the awareness of sustainable design by constructing more of such houses alongside people to educate them on the simplicity and benefits of it. While Peters is able to display some benefits of sustainable initiatives through the students’ project, I feel that it is lacking in explaining the driving factor behind the students’ decision in not attending “grad school like most of their classmates” and the need for sustainability.

Firstly, the article mentions on reusing of “materials from abandoned houses” and “how to install insulation to reduce energy use as much as 70%”, which suggests saving of construction materials and lesser energy consumption. These are definitely some examples of saving energy and natural resources but all these examples seem to surround the idea of finding “affordable” ways to improve their existing house to be cost-efficient. Savings in monetary terms should be an added advantage of sustainability efforts rather than a focus. The reason behind the students approach should be discussed in the article to give the reader a better understanding on the students’ decision in promoting sustainability

Furthermore, the topic on sustainability should also include other components such as reducing carbon footprint emissions, reducing wastes and saving water. In the publication “Singapore Sustainable Blueprint 2015”, it gives the reader a well-rounded explanation in the involvement of sustainability. As mentioned, the competition for “finite supply of resources” (Singapore Sustainable Blueprint 2015, p. 10) will be increasing due to global development and population growth. With Singapore being a city state with multiple limitations, a well thought out and detailed planning is required to keep up with this competitive economy and yet at the same time optimising the use of “precious resources” (PM Lee, 2014, para. 7). Together with the examples discussed in Peters’ article, it will be clearer to the reader on the importance of sustainability - to create and safeguard a greener and environmental friendlier society for all.

In conclusion, although Peters’ article discusses on some examples of simple sustainable techniques and its benefits, it does not convey the primary need for sustainable efforts and why the students chose to construct a life model instead of furthering their studies.

References

Ministry of Environment and Water Resources and Ministry of National Development (2014). Sustainable Singapore Blueprint 2015. Retrieved on September 25, 2016, from http://www.mewr.gov.sg/ssb/files/ssb2015.pdf

National Climate Change Secretariat (2014, November 8). PM unveils Sustainable Singapore Blueprint 2015 to renew strategies for a liveable and sustainable Singapore [Press Release]. Retrieved on September 25, 2016, from https://www.nccs.gov.sg/news/press-releases?field_news_date_value%5Bvalue%5D%5Byear%5D=2014

Peters, A. (2016, July 7). This Detroit House Is Being Turned Into a Living Model Of Cost-Saving Sustainable Design. Retrieved on September 21, 2016, from https://www.fastcoexist.com/3061563/world-changing-ideas/this-detroit-house-is-being-turned-into-a-living-model-of-cost-saving-s

(567 words)

1st Draft - Summary and Reader Response (Detroit House article).

In the article “This Detroit House is being turned into a living model of cost-saving sustainable design”, Peters (7 July 2016) illustrates how a group of three architecture graduates purchased a house with the intention of sharing their knowledge in sustainability with the community of Detroit. They have named the project ‘“Motown Movement”’ which is to transform their ideas into reality. Background studies by the students indicate that the locals have already implemented some form of eco-friendly practices. However, the locals are still lacking in knowledge of modifying their existing house in a more cost-efficient manner. As such, the student’s real-life two-storey model house serve two purposes; ground level acts as a “training facility” while the upper level is use to accommodate family who are homeless. Some sustainable examples incorporated are solar panels on the roof, a “graywater system” which harvest rainwater for flushing of toilets and even conversion of “sewage into biogas and fertiliser” using “septic tank”. They are also adopting “do-it-yourself” style hence the construction materials should be available at any local supply stores. Through the use of these simple techniques and a variety of methods, their project can also be applicable to other climate conditions globally. All in all, the students want to increase the awareness of sustainable design by constructing more of such houses alongside people to educate them on the simplicity and benefits of it. Peters has portray the direction the students are trying to achieve to a certain extent, however I feel that there is a lack in explanation on the driving factor behind the students’ decision in not attending “grad school like most of their classmates” and the need for sustainability.

The reason behind the students approach should be discussed in the article to give the reader a better understanding on the students’ decision in promoting sustainability. Firstly, the article mentions on reusing of “materials from abandoned houses” and “how to install insulation to reduce energy use as much as 70%”, which suggests saving of construction materials and lesser energy consumption. These are definitely some examples of saving energy and natural resources but the presentation of these examples seems to surround the idea on finding “affordable” ways to improve their existing house to be cost-efficient. Savings in monetary terms should be an added advantage of sustainability efforts rather than a focus.

Furthermore, the topic on sustainability should include other components such as reducing carbon footprint emissions, reducing wastes and saving water. In the publication “Singapore Sustainable Blueprint 2015”, it gives the reader a well-rounded explanation in the involvement of sustainability. As mentioned, the competition for “finite supply of resources” will be increasing due to global development and population growth. Singapore being a city state with multiple limitations, a well thought out and detailed planning is required to keep up with this competitive economy and yet at the same time optimising the use of “available resources”. Together with the examples discussed in Peters’ article, it will be clearer to the reader on the importance of sustainability - to create and safeguard a greener and environmental friendlier society for all.

In conclusion, while Adele Peters’ article discusses some examples of simple sustainable techniques and its benefits, it does not convey the primary need for sustainable efforts and why the students chose to construct a life model instead of furthering their studies.

References

Adele Peters. (2016, July 7). This Detroit House Is Being Turned Into a Living Model Of Cost-Saving Sustainable Design. Retrieved from https://www.fastcoexist.com/3061563/world-changing-ideas/this-detroit-house-is-being-turned-into-a-living-model-of-cost-saving-s

National Climate Change Secretariat (2014, November 8). PM unveils Sustainable Singapore Blueprint 2015 to renew strategies for a liveable and sustainable Singapore [Press Release]. Retrieved from https://www.nccs.gov.sg/news/press-releases?field_news_date_value%5Bvalue%5D%5Byear%5D=2014

Ministry of Environment and Water Resources and Ministry of National Development (2014). Sustainable Singapore Blueprint 2015. Retrieved from http://www.mewr.gov.sg/ssb/files/ssb2015.pdf

(556 words)

Areas I need to work on in this Trimester.

Upon receiving serveral feedbacks from my peers and tutor, the following are the areas I would need to work in this Trimester:

1) Inconsistency of verb tense
2) Appropriate capatilisation
3) Errors on tenses

Summary & Reader Response on Detroit House Article.

In the article “This Detroit House is being turned into a living model of cost-saving sustainable design”, Adele Peters (2016) illustrates how a group of three architecture graduates decide to share their knowledge through purchasing a house with the aim of sharing the techniques with the community of Detroit on the construction process of energy efficient and eco-friendly house. They have named the project ‘“Motown Movement”’ which is to transform their ideas into reality. Background studies done by the students show that the locals had already started to implement some forms of energy-saving techniques and eco-friendly practices. However, the locals are still lacking in knowledge of modifying their existing house in a more cost-efficient way. As such, the students construct a real-life model of a two-storey house to serve two purposes; the ground level acts as a training facility while the upper level is use to accommodate family who have lost their home. Some sustainable examples are incorporating solar panels on the roof, a “graywater system” which harvests rainwater for flushing of toilets and even conversion of sewage into biogas and fertilizer using septic tank. They are adopting the “do-it-yourself” style hence the materials used should be available at any local supply stores. Through the use of simple techniques and a variety of methods, their project can also be applicable to cater for different climate conditions globally. All in all, they want to increase the awareness of sustainable design by constructing more of such houses alongside people to educate them on the simplicity and benefits of it.

Indeed the author is able to portray well on the sustainability direction the students is trying to achieve. However, it is lacking in explaining the driving factor behind the students’ decision in not attending “grad school like most of their classmates”. The author quoted from one of the students behind the project that they wanted to construct a house in real-life rather than drawing up the house plans. The pros and cons of the students approach should be discussed in the article to give the reader a better understanding on the students’ decision.

Firstly, the article mentions on the reusing of materials from abandoned houses which in-turn saves money from the material costing used during the construction and how insulation can reduce energy of up to 70%. All these revolve around the idea of constructing a living space with minimum cost. This may be misleading to the readers as the central idea revolves around money instead of constructing a model house that is sustainable.

In addition, the structure the author presented the students' project is more on a marketing concept as she emphasised a lot on the money aspects and how the project aim can be expanded to cities around the world. The cost-savings efforts highlighted in Adele Peters’ article seems to outshine the other benefits of sustainable efforts. The savings in monetary terms should be an added advantage of sustainability efforts rather than a focus of article. As such, the message of sustainability efforts is not brought across to the readers that effectively.

In conclusion, while Adele Peters’ article discusses some examples of simple sustainable techniques and the cost-saving benefits, it does not address the need for sustainable efforts and why the students chose to construct a life model instead of furthering their studies.

Adele Peters. (2016, July 7). This Detroit House Is Being Turned Into a Living Model Of Cost-Saving Sustainable Design. Retrieved from https://www.fastcoexist.com/3061563/world-changing-ideas/this-detroit-house-is-being-turned-into-a-living-model-of-cost-saving-s

-Summary done by Team KAD

Task D: Writing a formal e-mail

Subject: A brief self-introduction.

Dear Brad,

My name is Chen Xiuying, Alcina. I am currently pursuing my bachelor degree in Sustainable Infrastructure Engineering - Building Services (SIE-BS) at Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT). I previously studied in Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP) and obtained my Diploma in Sustainable Urban Design& Engineering – Sustainable Technologies (SDE-ST).

My goal for studying in this SIT programme is to obtain the skills set required to contribute in making Singapore a sustainable and liveable city through careful planning and design. With that, I also hope to participate in the safeguarding efforts to ensure a clean and green environment for Singapore in the future.

My interests differ greatly from my goals above. I enjoy doing activities such as cooking, cycling and listening to music (alone or with my family). Family is very important to me and this includes my two lovely male cats which my family adopted from my neighbourhood when they were both kittens.

Lastly, I would like to thank you for the time taken to read this email.

Yours Sincerely,

Alcina Chen (Ms)

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Commented on:
- Masyita's formal email on 18 Sep 16, 1000 am.
- Ahmad's formal email on 17 Sep 16, 1100 pm.
- Derrick's formal email on 15 Sep 16, 1000 am.

My English Language Learning Journey

I started learning English when I was in nursery, which I believed is applicable to most of Singaporean children. One might think that Singaporeans must be very proficient in English after so many years of education. However, this was not entirely true – or at least not for me. I grew up in a family that mainly conversed in either Mandarin or dialect – Hokkien. This meant that I would need to put in extra effort to learn the language which made learning English less interesting and more tedious. Despite my parents’ efforts to instill interest in me through reading of storybooks and watching television programmes, I was simply not interested. I feel that if I am able to communicate with others through other means (actions / Mandarin) why is there a need for me to learn English?

As I reached secondary school, I was introduced to a subject “Literature”. I enjoyed literature very much but was not able to score well in it. Initially, my literature teacher thought that my understanding in the concepts was lacking and often conduct face-to-face tuition with me. To her surprised, she noticed that I understood the concepts in literature quite well and she was puzzled as to why I was not able to score well. After going through a few sessions, my teacher realised that it was not my understanding that is lacking but my English foundation was weak – I was not able to express my thoughts with only words. The thing about literature was that it used written English to express my thoughts and not through actions. With that in mind, my teacher got me to practice using simple and short sentence to express my thinking. This method worked for me and I was able to bring across my understanding through the use of English.

The take away from my English learning journey was that any subject can be less tedious and a little more interesting once we found the method most suitable to ourselves.



Revised on:
-25 September 2016.
-18 September 2016.