Summary,Thesis and Reader Response

The article “The Concrete Advantage” taken from the Green Rooftop website provides readers with a deeper understanding and states the benefits of having a water-proofing concrete green roof. According to the article, concrete green roofs which incorporates ““Permanent built in water-proofing”” will not be damaged. It will have higher sustainability and lower construction costs. The removal of membranes on developments will shorten the process of design, construction and maintenance. The article states that with lesser exposure risk for owners and designers, water-proofing green roofs are more economical which boost return on investment and project value. It is also more cost effective for owners as there is no need for replacement of membranes thus lowering life-cycle cost. The website also mentions that the usage of “hydrophobic technology” removes dangerous components, making fewer contacts risk for anyone who owns a green roof. When there is crack on the concrete green roof, a simple inoculation from the bottom side will mend it without disrupting growing medium or plants. With these in mind, water-proof concrete green roof will definitely make a more feasible choice as compared to typical green roof for owners, designers and contractors.

The first reason why concrete green roof makes a better choice is because of the benefits that it can provide as mentioned in the article. Research studies has shown that besides being sustainable, the concrete green roof is very durable and is cost effective. In comparison with the typical green roof and the waterproof concrete green roof, the typical green roofs are more inclined to wear and tear despite applying root barrier coating. Plant roots can easily go through the waterproof membrane and can cause leaks in the roofs which can lead to structural damage to the buildings. To get rid of leaks, frequent checks must be done and this can be costly. Contractors must also be cautious during the application of the membrane and designers have to come up with a detailed design of the membrane. All membranes become brittle over time and this are caused by exposure to heat, cold and UV rays from sunlight. Therefore, typical green roofs require additional maintenance and precise manufacturing to protect and develop the membranes. This increases the cost of the roofs. With the implementation of waterproof concrete green roof, it reduces the need of additional maintenance and will ease the jobs for the contractors and designers as they do not have to apply or specifically design any membranes. Therefore, this will speed up the construction time and reduce the cost of developing and maintaining the roof.

In the article “Concrete that fears water no more” from Hycrete (2007), states that the cost of waterproofing membrane is 40% more expensive than waterproof concrete. This statement shows that waterproof concrete is a better choice as it is less costly as compared to waterproofing membrane. The article also states that waterproofing membrane is applied to every square inch of the concrete in order to make the structure waterproof. This statement shows that it will be a tedious task to apply waterproofing membrane and it will increase costs due to labor requirements and requires additional waterproofing maintenance to ensure that the membrane does not wear out.

In conclusion, waterproof concrete green roof makes a better choice because of the advantages that is stated in the above mentioned paragraph. Apart from the stated advantages, I feel that efficiency is the key to success in the construction industry and choosing the right waterproofing method can make or break a project’s timeline.

References

4 Advantages And 4 Disadvantages Of Green Roof Systems. Retrieved September 24, 2016 from http://www.foundationsocial.org/128/4-advantages-and-4-disadvantages-of-green-roof-systems.html

Building Design + Construction. (2007). Concrete That Fears Water No More. Retrieved September 24, 2016, from

http://www.hycrete.com/concrete-that-fears-water-no-more/

The Concrete Advantage. Retrieved September 20, 2016, from http://www.greenrooftops.org/advantage.html

Waterproofing green roofs. Retrieved September 24, 2016, from http://www.growinggreenguide.org/technical-guide/construction-and-installation/green-roofs/waterproofing/

3 Things to improve for the trimester

1) I have to work on my verb tense inconsistency.

2) I have to improve on my run on sentence.

3) I have to improve my dangling modifier

Summary and Thesis draft 1

The article “The Concrete Advantage” taken from the Green Rooftop website provides readers with a deeper understanding and states the benefits of having a water-proofing concrete green roof. According to the website, concrete green roofs incorporates ““Permanent built in water-proofing”” will not be damaged, have higher sustainability and lower construction costs. The removal of membranes on developments will shorten the process of design, construction and maintenance. The website states that with lesser exposure risk for owners and designers, water-proofing green roofs are more economical which boost return on investment and project value. It is also more cost effective for owners as there is no need for replacement of membranes thus lowering life-cycle cost. The website also mentions that the usage of “hydrophobic technology” removes dangerous components, making fewer contacts risk for anyone who owns a green roof. When there is crack on the concrete green roof, a simple inoculation from the bottom side will mend it without disrupting growing medium or plants. With these in mind, I agree to a certain extent that water-proof concrete green roof makes a more feasible choice as compared to typical green roof.

The Concrete Advantage. Retrieved September 20, 2016, from http://www.greenrooftops.org/advantage.html

Formal Email

To: Brad Blackstone

Subject: Self-introduction of Cherlyn

Dear Brad,

Good day to you. My name is Cherlyn and I am from Tut05. I am sending you this email to let you know more about myself.

I am currently in my first semester of Sustainable Infrastructure Building Service (SIE-BS) in Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT). I had previously studied in Temasek Polytechnic and graduated in year 2015 with a Diploma in Integrated Facility Management (IFM). Growing up as a child, I am always fascinated when I see buildings of different shapes and sizes and I often wonder how these buildings are built. Therefore, I chose to read IFM to learn how to maintain a building as well as to draw buildings using software such as Autocad and Building Information Modelling (BIM).

My Internship was completed at Singapore Airline House. I was taught on how to maintain huge facilities such as the airport and the airline house. This further increased my interest to learn more about building and facility management. Therefore, I chose to read SIE-BS in SIT.

During my leisure time, I love watching movies and volunteer in doing community work. I believe that helping others will make them happy, and seeing them smile makes my day. My goal in future is to work as a facility manager. Singapore is an urban country and buildings and structures are a common sight. I hope that as a facility manager, I would be able to maintain building facilities to ensure that the buildings is safe and secure to be within the premises.

Lastly, I would like to express my gratitude to you for taking the time off to read this email and I look forward to learning more from you.

Yours sincerely,

Cherlyn Tei

Edited on 17/9/2016

The Importance of English to me

In this day and age, we live in a modern and competitive society. English is utilized as the main language for communication. To be able to compete in such a competitive environment, one must be able to communicate effectively through speaking or writing.

English have always been very challenging for me as I did not have the interest and seldom communicate with it. Growing up in a family which frequently uses Mandarin and other dialects to communicate, it is not a surprise that my command of English was weak. However, I started to realize how powerful English can be after my polytechnic studies.

Upon graduation, I started working as a sales executive at a printing company. The job requires me to communicate with my clients that hold various positions. I have to communicate effectively to discuss printing specifications and understand the needs of the client. In Singapore, we tend to use Singlish very often. Based on my past experiences, I realized that people tend to be judgmental when one uses Singlish to communicate. There was an incident whereby I accidentally spoke Singlish in front of my clients because I was eager to get my message across. However, as I tried to communicate with Singlish, the looks on their faces seems astonished. My superior came to know about this incident and explained to me about the usage of Singlish. The usage of Singlish often portrays a less professional image and that explains the reactions of my client. 

My command of English isn’t very good, therefore it often affects my confidence when communicating with someone that has a better command of English. Fortunately, it is not too late to realize the importance of English. Since that incident, I would try my best to read a book occasionally. I hope that through this, I would be able to improve on the language. The experiences that I have gained serves as a motivation for me to improve. I hope that one day I will be able to communicate well in English.

Edited on 17/9/2016
Commented on: Azrie, Clarabelle and Camille blog