Consider Energy Efficient Buildings (Written in 2017)

Power outages continue to plague the country as the dry season holds and the water levels in the Shire river dwindle, in the process significantly lowering the Electricity Generation Company’s output. Over the years, this problem is becoming ever more distinctively seasonal as the country’s power demand rises annually while the precipitation levels and season remain largely constant. It does not need a lot of convincing to see that this trend is not only unsustainable but also very much works against the country’s development and that the urgency to have it checked cannot be overemphasized.

Ideally, increasing production through major infrastructural investment should be the solution of choice. However, considering the intricacies of registering such a long term commitment as this one would be, it may be important to explore means of ensuring that the available power is put to use in an efficient manner, at least in the short to medium long term.

A quick starting point of exploration would be the building industry. Research has shown that buildings consume significant amounts of energy, about 40% of the available final energy. As people’s standards of their occupied building space continuously go up, so does the buildings ‘energy consumption. This energy goes towards Heating, Ventilation & Air-conditioning (HVAC), Domestic Hot Water Heating (DHWH), Food Preparation, Refrigeration, Lighting, electronics and others.

If there can be found a way of ensuring efficiency in the country’s buildings’ energy consumption, perhaps some power savings would be realised, such that the outages would now, at least, be spread far and wide apart. Elsewhere, building energy codes have been called upon to ensure the efficient consumption of energy in buildings. Studies have shown that these codes can yield up to 30% in energy savings.

Building energy codes set enforceable minimum requirements for energy efficient design and construction of new and renovated buildings. Typically, such codes cover a number of aspects including the building envelope and the services.

The envelope refers to the outer shell of the building. Codes ensure that this envelope is designed and constructed in such a way that the building interior environment is maintained at acceptable conditions with the usage of very little to no energy at all. The amount of heat, air and moisture that can be allowed to pass through the building envelope is carefully regulated by the codes. A reduction in the amount of heat passing through the envelope into the building interior space translates into a reduction in the amount of energy that would be consumed by an air-conditioning unit to cool the space.

Building services refer to all such amenities that are added to the building structure to enhance its habitability. The services of particular importance to energy consumption include HVAC, lighting and hot water heating. The building energy codes set minimum energy requirements for these systems. In most instances, compliance forces the designers to exploit local site conditions in reducing the services’ energy consumption. In this way, they may consider coupling natural ventilation with mechanical ventilation instead of just using the latter, thus saving on the energy. They may also consider employing natural lighting and hot water heating instead of active energy consuming systems. Intelligent systems may also be called upon. These automatically control services, supplying them with energy only when need arises.

Presently, a lot of energy goes to waste in the country’s buildings. This is particularly the case with institutional buildings, mostly banks and government buildings, whose energy consumption is already inherently higher than that of domestic buildings. In these buildings, whose envelopes are uninsulated, air-conditioning system sizing design is not appropriately done. For the most part, a contractor will just buy the air-conditioning units off the counter and install them without undertaking any calculations for the heating and cooling requirements, leading to unnecessarily oversized systems. Sometimes, windows and doors into air-conditioned spaces are left open while the conditioning unit is in operation, leading to the unnecessary overburdening of the system. Electric lights remain switched on during day time due to inadequate natural lighting.

National Building Regulations (Written in 2016)

Over the recent past, Parliament has enacted new land laws which are being touted as a tool for sustainable management of the country’s land resources. These new laws have largely been presumably predicated by a number of parameters including the global impetus towards sustainable development, multiplicity of land related disputes, elitist land registration systems and inappropriate land acquisitions by foreign nationals amongst others. Parliament deserves a pat on the back for this, a job very well done.

In much the same way that Parliament has enacted the new land laws, the National Assembly also needs to urgently consider the enactment of laws to regulate building construction activities in the country. Presently, the country does not have properly constituted building regulations such that much of the building work goes on in a quasi-unregulated manner. In planning areas in the country, probably with the exception of Blantyre City which apparently has its own building bylaws, guidance on building construction matters is largely sought from obsolete guidelines which were in use during the British colonial era. Even so, these outdated guidelines and bylaws seem to attach exclusive preeminence on the structural integrity of building structures leaving out other equally important aspects such as the buildings’ environmental performance, indoor environmental quality, aesthetic appeal, safety and others. A quick tour around the country’s bustling urban centres will show building structures that appear to be structurally very sound and yet suffering from the sick building syndrome and scoring dismally on the aesthetic scale. It may not be surprising to find a newly completed building that was constructed using toxic materials which have since been banned elsewhere.

Building regulations provide minimum standards for the design, construction and alterations of all buildings within a particular jurisdiction. Their fundamental objective is to protect public health, safety and general welfare and orderliness within the built environment in a manner that moderates the impact of building construction activity on the physical environment for sustainability. The Government has a responsibility of developing these regulations for Parliament’s approval.

In general terms, the building regulations ought to perform five functions at the minimum namely: laying out of a clear framework for approvals and monitoring of building work, specification of acceptable building materials, prescription of appropriate building configuration technologies, provision of tools for measuring and monitoring buildings’ environmental performance and empowerment of the public to question and where necessary seek intervention against inappropriate building construction activity.

Prior to the commencement of building work in a planning area, permission must be granted by the appropriate development control authorities. Following the granting of the permission, ideally, the development control authorities ought to monitor adherence to the approved plans. The granting of permissions is the norm in the country even without the building regulations while the monitoring part lacks the requisite robustness. The enactment of the building regulations would further entrench the need for such approval and monitoring processes.

The suitability of building materials is a function of the interaction of a wide range of parameters including toxicity, strength, imperviousness, thermal and acoustic conductivity and others. Drawing from these parameters, the building regulations ought to make specifications of materials that may be acceptable for building work with the ultimate consideration given to the protection of public health, safety and environmental conservation.

The building indoor environment ought to be characteristically different from the outside environment. In order to achieve this exclusion, the building regulations must provide standard configuration schematics such as building envelope configuration, water proofing, fire proofing and others.

Scholarly research has shown that the building industry contributes quite significantly towards environmental degradation. Discourse on sustainable development would be incomplete without the inclusion of this industry. The building regulations ought to provide the necessary tools for measuring buildings’ environmental impact.

Some building work can be iconically ugly or environmentally insensitive such that even the general lay citizenry can notice. In such cases, the building regulations ought to empower the public to question such work and if necessary seek interventions against the same.

All countries within the SADC region have building regulations. This can be seen to speak volumes of the pivotal role of these regulations in the country’s development control activities especially in the light of the global drive towards sustainability.

Building Fire Safety 101 (Written in 2015)

In the recent past, there have been several building fire accidents in Malawi. The most notable of these accidents have been in Blantyre. Sometime in 2007, an early morning fire ripped through the Cafeteria at the Polytechnic campus. In the immediate aftermath, another fire completely destroyed the Peoples convenience store at Ginnery Corner. Towards the end of last year in October, another fire razed the ESCOM building downtown Blantyre. Then, earlier this year, in the month of March alone, there have been two building fire accidents involving the Farmers Organisation warehouse in Chitawira and Keza building at Chichiri. Fortunately, there have been no reports of fatalities from these fire accidents.

Against this background, this article seeks to enlighten the general public on the basics of fire safety in buildings.

A fire is the culmination of a chemical reaction called combustion which involves a fuel and oxygen to produce flames and smoke. This chemical reaction progresses in four stages namely; ignition, growth, stable growth and finally, decay. In order for a fire to start, there must be three necessary conditions also known as the Triangle of Fire; Heat, Fuel and Oxygen. The absence of one of the three effectively removes the possibility of a fire.

Flames are the hot glowing bodies of ignited vapours given off by objects on fire. Building fire flames are classified depending on the fuel type. In the event that the fuel is a gas which is already mixed with oxygen in the air, the fire flames are classified as Pre-Mixed Flames and they come with a high likelihood of an explosion. On the other hand, fire flames which develop from flammable vapours given off by super-heated solid or liquid fuels are classified as Diffusion Flames. Most building fire flames in Malawi are Diffusion Flames.

Fire accidents in buildings can be caused by a wide range of factors including natural phenomena, human carelessness, technological failure, and arson.

Lightning is the most common of natural fire causing agents. Every time lightning strikes, a huge amount of electrical energy is released. As the lightning current passes through the building materials or along crevices between them, the electrical energy is dissipated and this is followed by heat production which can lead to ignition.

Human carelessness manifests itself through improper disposal of cigarette stubs and handling of appliances such as cooking utensils and heating equipment. Research has shown that human carelessness is the most common cause of building fire accidents.

Technological failure mostly relates to faulty electrical equipment and connections. In Malawi, most building fire accidents are widely believed to be caused by faulty electrical installations. More often than not, technological failure is a function of human carelessness.

Arson largely comes in the form of acts of revenge or financial gain.  For instance, a disgruntled employee may want to settle scores with their employers and set fire to the latter’s office building. On the other hand, unscrupulous property owners may set fire to their own buildings with the aim of making fraudulent insurance claims.

Building fires are very dangerous. They can lead to loss of life and property. They can also lead to serious environmental problems, especially on the air.

As the building fire rages on, huge amounts of smoke are produced. Some burning materials such as plastics, contribute very toxic compounds to the smoke. Inhalation of these compounds can be fatal.  The smoke can also significantly lower visibility levels in the building and thus make it very difficult for safe evacuation. Various influential analyses have highlighted the major role played by smoke in building fire fatalities.

The heat produced during a fire can cause severe burns to the body and also significantly compromise the structural integrity of the building. The heat impact on the building fabric will vary depending on the structural materials used.

The smoke from a raging fire finds its way into the air. Depending on the chemical composition of the burning materials, there could be serious impacts on the air quality for the duration of the fire.

It is very important to ensure safety against building fires. The issue of safety can be dealt with from different perspectives and levels in the development of the fire including prevention, escape, containment and extinguishment.

It is always said that prevention is better than cure. The first line of defense in dealing with fire risks is prevention. All the necessary measures must be taken to prevent the occurrence of a fire outbreak. In general terms, prevention seeks to disrupt the triangle of fire as described earlier. Attempts have to be made at limiting the availability of either the fuel, heat or oxygen supplies. This can be achieved through, amongst others, the careful selection of building materials. Most widely used building materials provide ready supplies of fuel for building fires. However, depending on chemical composition, certain materials are more likely to burn than others. Generally, it is safer to use materials having lower potentials of ignitability – the material’s ease with which it can be ignited when exposed to a flame,  combustibility – the material’s likelihood to burn when subjected to heat from an existing fire, fire propagation – the material’s contribution to the spread of fire through its own heat output when it is heated, surface flame spread – the material’s support for the spread of flames across its surfaces, smoke obscuration – the material’s production of smoke when burning and finally, higher fire resistance – the material’s retention of its load bearing capacity and insulating properties when exposed to fire. Safer material finishes include brickwork, concrete, ceramic tiles, glass and plasters. Materials to treat with extreme caution include timber and its associated products, plastics and decorative laminates. It is also very important to consider the fire and smoke ratings of furniture and upholstery items.

Real life situations can hardly ever be accurately planned for. Thus in terms of building fires, prevention alone cannot provide guarantee of safety. In the event that a fire has broken out in a building, the safe evacuation of the occupants becomes the thin line between life and death. The buildings must be provided with multiple sufficiently sized escape routes strategically positioned within the building space. These routes must always remain clear of obstructions and be fitted with clear signage and lighting.

The speed at which the fire spreads from the origin to other parts of the building is another key factor to consider for safety. A fire that rapidly spreads through the building space significantly lowers the chance of a safe evacuation from the building. It is therefore important to ensure that the various space delineating elements within the building are capable of containing the fire within the same place for reasonably longer periods of time. One way of enhancing fire containment would be to use building elements that are thicker and having a higher fire resistance. Thicker elements serve to attenuate the passage of heat from the originating space to other adjoining spaces.

Extinguishment is the very final stage in dealing with a building fire outbreak. At this point, the aim is to disrupt the combustion process primarily through cutting on the supply of oxygen and lowering the heat output. This can be achieved using a range of media, but the most commonly used ones are carbon dioxide, foam and water. On – the – site fire extinguishment can help to control the building fires before colossal damage occurs. Buildings may be fitted with portable fire extinguishing tools such as carbon dioxide cylinders and fire hose reels. These tools must be regularly serviced and strategically positioned for efficiency.

In this modern age of automation, some technological innovations can significantly increase the efficiency in dealing with building fires. The market is awash with a range of devices which can detect fires and smoke using infrared technology. These devices can then trigger the necessary response such as raising a fire alarm and or an automatic fire extinguishment procedure.

Building fire safety ought to be a collective responsibility. The building designers must ensure the adequate fire safety provisions. The building users must ensure responsibility in disposing of cigarette stubs and in handling various technological appliances. The authorities must ensure the enforcement of minimum building fire safety standards. The fire brigade must modernize and improve their efficiency at handling fire accidents.

Barricaded Shop Fronts of Mzuzu City (Written in 2015)

In spite of the appalling levels of poverty in Malawi, the country’s urbanization rates continue to rise steadily. Several other countries similarly classified as Malawi amongst the Least Developed Countries do identify with this phenomenon. Various researchers have cited the poverty as being a catalyst in undermining the authorities’ capacity to address the myriad of challenges that follow from such sustained urbanization rates.

Mzuzu City is an urban Centre which has been billed as one of the fastest growing Centres in Malawi. A very recent trip to Mzuzu and a review of statistics confirmed this. During this trip, it was very clear that the authorities are struggling to deal with the urbanization trend, most probably so, because of the afore-said economic limitations. The vast proportion of public spaces such as streets and empty spaces remain littered and security is not always guaranteed. Quite a significant proportion of urban traders ply their business uninsured and very recently, this status quo exacerbated the plight of the Mzuzu Market fire victims. The City’s urban building control structures seem to be particularly weak. It is not very clear whether or not the City does have any properly constituted building regulations knowing that Malawi as a country, does not yet have National Building Regulations. This might explain the actualization of a number of iconically ugly building designs and the barricaded shop fronts in the City. This article takes up issue with the later.

On a walk along the narrow streets of Mzuzu City, one feels like they are walking deep inside a war zone. Most, if not all of the shop fronts are heavily barricaded behind thick metal sheets and plywood panels.

Prior to July, 2011, the same could not have been said of the shop fronts. The rioting which ensued in the aftermath of the country wide demonstrations led to massive looting and destruction of property. In efforts to rebuild and avoid a repeat of such losses, most traders resorted to barricading their shop fronts.

In the short term, the barricading efforts paid off massively to the traders in terms of enhanced security of their trading premises and merchandise. On the general urban fabric, this revolutionary effort brought about some unsightly views to the general public.

In the long term, the barricaded shop fronts may translate into increased energy demand for use in space lighting and thermal environment control. Such barricading may also render the buildings’ occupation unsafe as it effectively limits emergency escape to the access entrance only. In the developed world, such barricading has been noted to increase a feeling of insecurity for pedestrians, especially after night fall.

Much as shop security is important to the traders, it is also very important to consider the wide ranging impacts of the measures that are employed to achieve it. Barricading the shop fronts is a sure way to enhance security, but it should not come with a cost of unsightly urban views, increased energy demands and unsafe urban environments. A compromise ought to be found, one that seeks to provide an optimum balance between the conflicting parameters.

Two approaches can be suggested in this regard. To begin with, the shop owners may consider adopting the use of toughened and laminated glass. This kind of glass can accord high levels of security without much disturbance to the street views. The glass is made so strong that it cannot be easily broken having thicknesses of up to 4cm.

Internal grilles or open shutters would be another alternative. Coupled with toughened glass, these grilles can also provide the much needed security while simultaneously allowing the filtration of light onto the streets. The space between the grilles and the window can be used for illuminated displays.

In future, maybe when our poverty levels subside, the urban authorities may wish to start closely monitoring such minute details about City life as shop fronts’ appearances. In the meantime, the shop owners should bring back the glorious days of window shopping in Mzuzu City.

Networked Learning

My uninformed understanding of networked learning paints a picture in which the learner acquires knowledge by way of linking interconnected nodes wherein presences the tiny bits of the building blocks of knowledge.

Interestingly, not very far from this layman’s viewpoint, Gardner Campbell in his ‘Networked Learning as Experiential Learning’, notes that networked learning is of the kind that seeks to go beyond the satisfaction of career pursuits and the attainment of competencies, rather, being inherently imbued with an additional aspiration towards reaching for the self-actualization of the learner. Being this multidimensional, networked learning, thus, transcends the narrow realm of contemporary assessment as founded on easily observable outcomes.

Campbell further defines this concept by delving into a thinly veiled methodology towards the attainment of networked learning. He points out four key aspects that, presumably, ought to be characteristic of learning if at all it is to be networked.

Networked learning ought to be learner oriented wherein the process is built by the learner and merely facilitated by instructor, all this, within the context of the digital web. A vital component of networked learning is introduced here, the digital web. Tim Hitchcock in his ‘Twitter and blogs are not just add-ons to academic research, but a simple reflection of the passion underpinning it’, adds reverence to the role of the digital web in the academia. He notes that the web is so important that it forms the very gist of academic research. He argues, the digital media can be used for reaching out to the wider audience and enhancing one’s research impact in the process. The anticipation of reaching out to the wider audience can also passively enhance the quality of one’s academic work, he contends. Doug Bershaw in his ‘Working openly on the web: a manifesto’, breaks down some tips on making the best of the digital world namely; having an own web portal, working openly and, finally, using optimized language that is easily readable by both machines and humans.

Further, networked learning must embrace both curricular and co-curricular activities. This duality must provide a deliberate opportunity for the learner to experience and solve real life problems.

In addition, networked learning must be seen to be desirous of developing the individual learning within the wider context of the societal picture.

It is clear, at this point, that networked learning seeks to produce a multi-dimensional, well-rounded individual complete with the skills set needed for a career and knowledge of oneself and indeed the wider context in which existence occurs. It is a very beautiful concept.

Notwithstanding the beauty of this concept, it would seem that there lurks a danger of it coming off as being more of an abstract concept with unlimited definitions.

If networked learning must transcend the narrow realm of easily observable outcomes, then it presents itself as being beyond the scope of many contemporary learning progress assessment mechanisms. This would portray it as being widely abstract, immeasurable and subject to chance. From this viewpoint, the ontological challenges of understanding this concept would be mundane.

In the current environment, the concept may be seen to be contradictory of a widely held truth whereby many a learner primarily embark on formal learning with the motivation to acquire a set of skills that would enable them to earn a living. In this environment, it would seem that the primary purpose of learning is to satisfy career needs. The self-actualization and the wider picture appear to be secondary aspirations. Formal learning contracts, in predominant use today, prioritize the career-oriented learning. The non-curricular aspirations are left out to chance, whenever that arises. However, knowing that networked learning is a totality of both curricular and co-curricula activities, where the former precedes the latter, it becomes interesting how the totality may be attained.