Constructing 64 Dwellings For Homeless In Canberra (Essay).

Describe the Advanced Construction For Australian Capital Territory.

Problem Justification

Homelessness is one of the major community challenges in Australia’s capital city, Canberra. The city, which is located in Australian Capital Territory (ACT), was named as the best city to live in globally in 2014 by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) (Riodarn, 2014). The Australian Bureau of Statistics have also shown that Canberra is the city with the highest average income in Australia and Global Wealth Report by Credit Suisse Group declared Canberra as the world’s wealthiest city per capita. However, there is a percentage of population in Canberra that does not celebrate these statistics and reports – the homeless community. Even though the city’s unemployment rate is low, about 9.1% of its residents live in poverty (Sawa, 2014). According to Watson (2016), the city’s homeless rate per capita is the second highest in the country, after Northern Territory. Based on the latest census that was done in 2011, 1,785 Canberrans were homeless, a 70% increase from the previous census (Azize, 2016). Over 40% of these people were below the age of 25 (Helyar, 2016).

The homeless community comprises of people sleeping in the streets, in their cars, in improvised dwellings, those evicted because of failure to pay rent, children who run away from home because of unbearable family conditions, etc. Most of these people sleep in the streets and are referred to as rough sleepers. There are also several causes of homelessness in Canberra. Some of these include: domestic violence and family breakdown, drugs and alcohol related issues, mental health, financial pressure, and housing affordability, among others (Berry, 2015). Generally, Canberra is a prosperous city. Those doing better in the city have continued to increase property prices and rents, making it harder for people on marginal incomes and the homeless people to find a place they can call home (Peake, 2014). The rental prices in Canberra are the highest of any territory or state in Australia, including Melbourne or Sydney. The homelessness problem in Canberra is so dire that some youths are now forced into the business of exchanging sex for accommodation (Evans, 2017).

Currently, the major practice of providing housing for homeless people in Canberra is through ACT homeless service providers, such as ACT Shelter, Youth Coalition, Canberra Youth Refuge, Woden Community Services, Salvation Army, Communities@Work, and other community organizations including churches and homecare facilities. The housing solutions include permanent buildings, tents, makeshift dwellings, etc. Some of these solutions are temporary and therefore the victims may continue suffering after some time. The homeless service providers also do not have reliable financing sources and largely depend on small contributions by the government and donations from well-wishers. For example, in 2014-15, the ACT Government provided $20 million in funding to spend on specialist homelessness services (Berry, 2015). This is not enough to build decent and permanent dwellings for the homeless community. In addition, the Federal Government’s funding towards homelessness has also been reduced. The current housing demand for homeless people in Canberra is already too big and as the homeless community continues to grow, the current solutions are not adequate.

Proposed Dwellings

Therefore homelessness crisis in Canberra is big and real, and any solution to this real life problem is very valuable and is likely to get support from the ACT and Federal government, private organizations and the general public. This report presents a solution of building 64 dwellings for homeless people or those who are at risk of it in Canberra. The report is prepared by a not for profit community group (referred to as “the Group” in this report), which will be in charge of procuring these dwellings.

Building permanent dwellings for homeless people is the first and most effective strategy of solving the problem of homelessness in Canberra. If homeless people are given a place to call home, they stand a chance of reorganizing their lives and starting it all over again. No matter the struggles during the day, they know that they will have a safe and secure place to spend the night. For this reason, building these 64 dwellings is a justifiable course that will change the lives of 64 homeless families in Canberra. It is a permanent solution and financially viable in the long run because these homeless families will get a chance of starting a new life and becoming independent. For instance, instead of mothers worrying on how to take care of their children in the streets during the day, they will leave them in the houses and go out to search for work. This will also reduce the amount of money that the government and community service providers spend on caring for the homeless community. For example, in Utah, U.S., the government was spending about $20,000 a year on a single homeless person but this reduced to $8,000 after providing permanent dwellings to homeless people (Short, 2015). 

The project will comprise of 64 dwellings. These dwellings will be divided into four apartments each with 4 floors. Each floor will have 4 units. Each unit will comprise of a living room, bedroom, kitchen and a bathroom. All the units will be of standard sizes. This design model has been chosen for the project because availability of land is limited in the city and therefore the apartments will occupy less space than single-story buildings. The method of construction to be used in panelized prefabrication. This means that different components of the building, such as walls, doors, windows, roofs, flooring systems, stairs, electrical, plumbing, stairs, closets, etc., will be built in a factory then they are separately transported to the building site on trucks where they are assembled to make the whole building (Williams, (n.d.)). Once the major panels are installed, finishing or interior works, including painting, will be done. All the prefabrication and installation works are done in accordance with the local building codes (Ganiron, 2016).

Canberra has an oceanic climate (Cfb), according to classification of Koppen-Geiger. This warm & temperate climate will facilitate natural ventilation and air conditioning of the dwellings.  Annual average temperature and rainfall in the area are 13 °C and 638 mm respectively. The annual temperature and rainfall of Canberra (Climate-Data.Org, (n.d.)). The selected location for the project is Hughes, Woden Valley. The area has different types of rocks, including shale, rhyolite, rhyodacite, etc. Availability of these materials in the area will reduce cost of construction. The area also has several facilities including shopping, recreational, educational, healthcare, religious, and light industrial facilities. These facilities are likely to offer employments opportunities to the homeless persons that will occupy the dwellings and also make their life more comfortable.

Design Criteria of the Dwellings

There are several factors that the Group will consider when designing and constructing the dwellings. The main goal will be to ensure that the design reduces the overall cost of the dwellings without compromising their structural soundness, performance, safety and durability. The following are the key design criteria:

The Group will mainly focus on reducing the total cost of the project using different strategies. Cost reduction strategies will be applied before (planning and design phases), during (construction phase) and after (operational and maintenance) construction. Some of these strategies include: use of locally available building materials, reducing waste, using prefabrication construction method, use of renewable energy, reducing water consumption, minimizing labor requirements, reducing construction time, and using high quality and durable materials. In other words, there will be cost reduction at each stage of the project.

The layout and orientation of these dwellings will be made to capitalize available natural resources, such as solar exposure and wind. The dwellings will be oriented north-south so as to maximize daylighting and harnessing of solar energy. This will facilitate natural ventilation and air conditioning thus reducing energy consumption of the dwellings once they are handed over to the homeless people. This orientation will also enhance free entry of air into the building thus reducing need for mechanical or artificial ventilation. In general, the layout and orientation of the dwellings will reduce their energy consumption hence the energy bills for the homeless people occupying them will be very low.

This is another major design criterion that the Group will focus on. The design of the dwellings will aim at reducing energy consumption especially after construction (during operational and maintenance stages). One of the strategies that will be applied to improve energy efficiency of the dwellings is use of daylighting. As stated before, the buildings will be oriented north-south hence there will be almost zero energy consumption for lighting during the day. Solar panels will also be installed on top of the dwellings’ roofs to generate solar energy for the occupants. This will significantly reduce the amount of energy that the dwellings will need from the natural electrical grid. Another strategy that the Group will use to reduce energy consumption is integrating conventional ventilation and air conditioning design elements such as wind catchers, vents, double skin façade, etc. Last but not least, the dwellings will be installed with energy efficient electrical and lighting devices, fixtures and accessories. All these will reduce the total amount of non-renewable energy that will be consumed by the dwellings also help the homeless people who will occupy the dwellings to save a lot of money in electricity bills.

Reduction of water consumption by the dwellings is another design factor that the Group will focus on. One of the strategies that will be used is to ensure installation of water efficient fixtures and fittings, including water taps, shower heads, toilets, etc. The dwellings will also have a rainwater harvesting and storage system. This system will collect rainwater and store it for various uses. Also, the dwellings will have a water recycling and reuse system to ensure that all greywater is recycled and reused. The recycled water will be used for functions such as flushing toilets. All these will significantly reduce the total amount of water needed by the occupants of these dwellings.  

Since these dwellings are constructed for the homeless people in Canberra, who are not well-off financially, it only makes sense if the dwellings have low operational and maintenance needs. Two key strategies that will be used to ensure low operational needs are to reduce energy and water consumption. With these, occupants will spend very little amount of money on energy and water bills. The Group will also reduce maintenance needs by using high quality and durable materials that will last for many years without requiring any repairs.

The Group will also ensure that the dwellings built are durable so that the occupants do not incur substantial maintenance costs. These dwellings will last for many years without requiring any maintenance. One of the strategies of achieving this is use of locally available materials. The Group will source most of the materials from local suppliers. These materials will improve durability of the dwellings because they are adaptable to the local environmental conditions. Also, the Group will ensure durability by selecting high quality materials for each component of the dwellings. High quality materials ensure that the dwellings perform the intended function appropriately throughout their service life.

It is the Group’s goal to ensure that this project is as much sustainable as possible. To achieve this, the Group will focus on integrating the three main pillars of sustainability: environmental, social and economic sustainability (Silvins, Brink and Kohler, 2010).

This is a very crucial element of sustainability for all engineering projects across the world mainly because of climate change that is now a life-threatening global problem. There are several factors that the Group will focus on so as to make the project environmentally sustainable. Some of these include: using natural, locally available, recycled and recyclable materials; capitalizing on natural resources such as solar energy and rainwater; using energy and water efficient appliances, fixtures and fittings; using materials that have very minimal maintenance needs; etc. (Fullerton, 2013; Zhong and Wu, 2015). Use of modern technology will be one of the most effective strategies of achieving environmental sustainability goals.

Social sustainability is a very important impact for any project (Hall, 2011). This aspect of sustainability aims at ensuring that the project has numerous positive impacts and very minimal negative impacts (if any) to the community (Valance, Perkins and Dixon, 2011). In this case, the dwellings shall definitely change and improve the lives of those who will occupy them, which is one of the major positive impacts. The dwellings constructed shall serve all the homeless people that will be selected irrespective of their age, race, gender, sex, religion, social status, etc. The Group will also fully involve the community where the dwellings shall be constructed. Since social sustainability also entails putting in place appropriate strategies for the project to attain its long-lasting development goals and objectives (Word Bank Group, 2013), the Group will develop a plan on the approach of dividing operational and maintenance costs, and the organizations or individuals who will be responsible for that.    

From the economic point of view, this project aims at reducing financial burden of the homeless people in Canberra, who will benefit from it. The Group will ensure that it convinces the government, private organizations, individuals and the general public to support the project by providing the required funding and other important resources. The Group will also put in place proper strategies of managing any potential risks of the project and also involve experienced professionals to reduce the overall cost of the project. With this project, ACT and federal government will also be able to reduce their budget on the homelessness services because the beneficiaries of the project will no longer be in the streets depending entirely on the government. So the Group will aim at making economically justifiable decisions so as to attract more sponsors (Megan, 2016; Wanamaker, 2016).

The Group understands that this project can only be implemented successfully through coordination and collaboration of all key stakeholders from a very early stage (Eikenberry, 2016; Root, 2017). Therefore the Group will identify all key stakeholders before the start of any phase of the project. Early involvement of all stakeholders will ensure that they fully understand the project and provide their opinions as to how the project should be implemented (Aapaoja, Haapasalo and Soderstrom, 2013). The following are the key stakeholders that the Group will work with when implementing this project:

The Group will be responsible for defining the project and its goals and objectives, coordinating all aspects of the project, providing necessary resources, and ensuring that all stakeholders involved in the project work together as a team from start to finish.

This will comprise of the federal, ACT and local governments. These three levels of government will be responsible for helping the Group to obtain the required land for the project, licenses, permits and approvals. 

The team will comprise of several stakeholders including the project manager, design team, engineers (civil, structural and electrical), consultants and quantity surveyor. They will be responsible for designing the project, overseeing its implementation, coordinating stakeholders working under them, and ensuring that the project is implemented by following the contract agreement. 

The stakeholder will be responsible for the actual construction of the dwellings. The main contractor will coordinate with all other key stakeholders to ensure that the prefab houses are constructed appropriately and in accordance with the local building codes and standards.

The stakeholder will be responsible for prefabricating various components of the dwellings as per the specifications in the contract documents.

They will be responsible for supplying different building materials for the project.

The Group will also involve the local community because the project can only be successful if these stakeholders support the project (Morrissey, 2015). The local community will be responsible for creating an enabling environment for the project and provide required labor.

In order to accomplish this project and achieve its targeted goals and objectives, the Group will divide it into the following 7 phases:

During this phase, the Group will involve relevant stakeholders to conduct extensive research and come up with a clear problem statement based on what the homeless people will need from the project. It is in this phase that the Group will establish the feasibility and viability of building the 64 dwellings. Feasibility will entail establishing the possibility of realizing the idea whereas viability will involve determining the value that the project will bring to the homeless people, the government and the city.

In this phase, the Group, together with key stakeholders, will start creating multiple models, including sketches, mathematical presentations and physical simulations, to determine the capabilities of different potential solutions to the housing problem for the homeless community in Canberra. Several alternative solutions will be evaluated, including their advantages and shortcomings, then the Group will select the best concept. It is in this phase that different design models of the dwellings shall be developed and evaluated, including the size of rooms, type of material to be used, construction method to be used, etc. This is a very crucial phase and it will help the Group to identify potential errors and minimize them, evaluate possible risks, establish approaches of reducing cost of the project, and determine appropriate methods of ensuring successful execution project (Goubau, 2014).  

Here, the Group will develop a comprehensive plan showing the step by step process of executing the concept selected. The Group will collaborate with other key stakeholders to identify the required materials, personnel, plants and equipment, permits, etc. to accomplish the project. A work schedule outlining inputs and outputs of all activities shall also be prepared. It is also in this phase that the Group will come up with a rough estimate of the budget and explore various financing options.

This is a very important phase that will entail developing engineering and technical specifications of the dwellings based on the requirements of the selected homeless persons and the building codes and standards of Canberra. After developing the specifications, the Group will build a prototype of the dwellings.

This is where the built prototype shall be tested, debugged and redesigned until the final solution capable of solving the problem is developed. Tests to be conducted include: capacity of selected materials to perform their intended functions, energy and water efficiency of the prototype, efficiency and reliability of natural ventilation and natural air conditioning, thermal comfort and indoor air quality of the dwellings, etc. The Group will ensure that the working prototype that will be implemented is approved in this stage. Therefore the phase will be completed after all key stakeholders have approved the working prototype. The working prototype is the final engineering design that will be used to build the dwellings.

It is in this phase that the working prototype shall be finalized and necessary documentations prepared, and handed over to relevant stakeholders such as the main contractor, manufacturer, mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) contractor, and suppliers. In other words, this is the phase where the 64 dwellings shall be constructed based on the design specifications developed. After completion, the selected homeless persons in Canberra shall be allowed to occupy the dwellings.

This is also a very important phase in this project. One of the objectives of this project is to help homeless people in Canberra leave the streets by giving them a permanent dwelling they can call home. This will assist them reorganize themselves and start a new and better life. Therefore the Group will use this phase to monitor the impact of the dwellings on the beneficiaries and determine whether the project has met its goals and objectives. The Group will also critically analyze the pros and cons of the project, and determine how similar projects can be improved in the future. The phase will also be used to check whether the selected persons to maintain the dwellings are doing their job appropriately.  

This project can only be executed and its goals and objectives attained if it gets the required funding. For this reason, the Group will take the issue of funding very seriously. Being a not for profit community organization, the Group has sufficient networks of raising funds from a variety of sources. The following are some of sources of funding that the Group will explore:

The Group will approach all levels of government, including the local, state, ACT and federal government to provide funding support. All these levels of governments have funding programs, such as grants, for homelessness services. They spend hundreds of dollars every year for each homeless person in Canberra. This money can be set aside, together with others, to support the project.

The Group will organize for various campaigns to promote the project to the general public and request for their financial support. Individuals, groups or institutions will be able to made donations online or visit the Group’s offices to deliver their contributions. The project aims at resolving a major concern among people in the community and therefore it is expected to attract a lot of charitable contributions (Christiansen, Kim and Foster, 2009).

This is a very important source of funding for not for profit organizations. Today, most consumers are likely to purchase from companies that are socially responsible (Fritz, 2016). As a result of this, the Group will approach several corporates within Canberra and Australia as a whole for funding support. This being a project aimed at improving the lives of homeless people, it is likely to attract more corporates to provide contributions.

The Group will also seek financial support from different types of foundations, including family foundations, corporate foundations, and community foundations, among others. These foundations usually have a global network of donors and they provide grants to not for profit groups that have projects aimed at improving lives of less privileged people in the society. This project is specifically for improving the lives of homeless people in Canberra hence it is expected to attract substantial funding from various foundations.

The Group will also target the local community within Canberra because they stand to benefit a lot if the homeless community is removed from the streets. This community affects businesses in the city due to various reasons such as insecurity. For this reason, the business community are likely to support the project and the Group will use this opportunity to seek their financial support.

The Group will also organize for various fundraisings as a way of improving its efforts of raising a significant amount of money for the project. The type of funding will be capital campaign, which will be particularly for financing the 64 dwellings project. The capital campaign will have a start and end date and the Group will use its extensive marketing strategy to solicit funds from as many people as possible.     

It is also very important to note that the Group will not only accept support in form of money but also construction materials and professional services. Therefore the Group will promote the project to construction companies, construction professionals, suppliers and prefabrication house manufacturers so that they can provide either products or services to support the project. This will be a very good opportunity for individuals and companies to showcase their product or services by being part of the project. For example, prefabrication house manufacturers may use this project to market their products by donating them to the Group.  

As mentioned in the proposed dwellings section, the 64 dwellings will be prefabricated storey buildings. The following is the construction process that will be used to construct the dwellings:

After the design team in collaboration with other stakeholders have prepared the require design and engineering documents, the Group together with relevant stakeholders will look for and secure a building permit. This will comprise of a site plan, sign permit, building permit, concrete permit, plumbing permit and mechanical permit, among others (Palomar Modular Buildings, 2017). 

This is a very crucial process in prefabricated construction method. During this process, the project team will prepare the site by carrying out surveying, demolishing any unwanted structures, excavating the site, grading the site, draining the site, constructing the foundation, installing utilities and preparing access roads (Pre-Fab Infra, (n.d.)). The foundation will be made of reinforced concrete.

In this process, all modules, frames, panels and building components will be built in the factory. The factory uses the design specifications provided by the project team to manufacture these components. These components are made using computerized systems hence precision and quality are very high. At the end of the production line, final products will be obtained and packed for transportation. It is also important to note that fabrication process will take place concurrently with site development, which will save a lot of time (Triumph Modular, 2017).  

After fabricating all components in the factory, they will be transported to the site by the road. The components will be transported by specialized trucks (flat bed trucks) and in phases depending on the work schedule (Ekzact, 2015).

This will largely be done by the main contractor who will assemble or install the various components on the already prepared foundation. The structures will be erected from the ground floor upwards. This will include installing the structural frames, walls, floors, doors, windows, roof, etc. Cranes, hulls and trucks will be used for installation as most of the components will be heavy for manual installation.   

This will be the last process of the construction. After the building structures have been erected, MEP contractor will start installation of electrical, plumbing and mechanical devices, fixtures and accessories. Interior and exterior finishes will be added, ceiling and tiles will be installed, the walls will be painted, and various elements such as cabinets, backsplashes, vanities, wardrobes, rainwater harvesting system, etc. will also be added at this stage (Connors, 2007). The dwellings shall be ready to be occupied after this stage.

According to Chiu (2012), prefabricated construction industry has gained significant popularity over the past few decades due to its potentials. This method has eliminates some of the major challenges of the construction industry, such as labor intensive, excess wastes, and high costs. By using prefabricated construction method, the Group stands to gain the following benefits:

Prefabricated construction method eliminates the major causes of delays in traditional construction methods: ill-timed delivery of materials, late design changes, unexpected weather conditions and demolition due to poor quality. All these delays will be eliminated because most of the building components shall be prefabricated in the factory, the method does not create room for late changes because the design team submits the design documents and specifications after reviewing and approving all designs, and the components are manufactured to high quality standards hence no demolition. Since most of the components are manufactured in the factory, there is less time spent on site hence the likelihood of unfavorable weather conditions slowing down the installation process is also reduced. Last but not least, the method allows activities to be done simultaneously. For example, as the components are manufactured in the factory, the project team continues to prepare the site for installation. All these reduces the overall construction time of the project.

Prefabricated construction method has less labor requirements than traditional construction methods. Very few laborers are required to complete a prefabricated construction project because majority of components are manufactured in the factory and installation is largely done by trucks, cranes and hulls. This will save the Group a significant amount of money in labor savings.

One of the major problems associated with traditional construction methods is wastes. This problem is largely reduced in prefabricated construction method because most of the processes are done in the factory using high-tech machines and software that ensure precise measurement take off and estimations. All prefabrication processes are machine-controlled, which ensures that there are no materials that go to waste.

With reduced wastes, project delivery time and labor requirements, prefabricated construction method definitely lowers the overall cost of the project (Lopez and Froese, 2016). The Group will incur less labor costs and very minimal losses due to wastes. The method also eliminates chances of material waste or damage when they are stored on site (Buncio, 2016). In general, this method prevents most of the factors that increase the cost of construction when using traditional methods.  

All prefab components of the building are precut using advanced and computerized machines with zero error. This ensures a tight structure with no cracks or leakage for unnecessary escape of heat. As a result, the buildings will have reduced heating and cooling needs (high energy efficiency) hence less energy bills for the occupants (Civil Engineer, 2017).

This is a major benefit of prefabricated construction method because all building components are manufactured under controlled conditionings and in accordance with local building codes. The method also uses assembly line technique that facilitates specialization of personnel who are highly skilled in performing their respective tasks. The prefabrication process is also done using advanced machineries and technologies that ensure very high precision. Assembly and installation works are also done accurately to prevent any defects or errors. All these result into high quality structures that are able to perform their intended functions perfectly throughout the service life. 

Prefabricated construction method eliminates wastes and ensures that any waste produced can be recycled and reused. Instead of disposing off leftovers of concrete, metals, wood, etc. like it is for traditional building methods, prefabricated construction methods collects any wastes produced and take them back to the factory for recycling and reuse in other projects. The method that the Group intends to use will also have very minimal impacts on the environment in terms of noise and air pollution. For instance, this method reduces pollution associated with transportation because very few trips are made from the factory to the site unlike traditional methods that involve numerous trips from material sources to the site.

Prefabricated construction method also improves safety throughout the project. The main reason for this is because most components are manufactured in the factory under a controlled environment. This reduces risks of employee injuries or fatalities. During installation, heavy components are also lifted by cranes, which also reduces chances of workplace injuries and fatalities (Construction World, 2017).

Conclusion

Homelessness in a major issue of concern in Canberra, Australia and any project that targets at helping the homeless community move out of the streets is likely to receive support from the government, private firms and the general public. The climate of the area is oceanic climate, according to the classification of Koppen-Geiger. This project entails construction of 64 dwellings for the homeless people in Canberra. The location of the project is Hughes, Woden Valley, and it will be implemented by not for a profit community group. The project will comprise of four apartments each with 4 flours and 4 units on every floor. The design criteria of the project are: cost, layout and orientation, energy efficiency, water efficiency, low operational and maintenance needs, durability and sustainability. The Group will work on this project by involving several stakeholders, including the federal and ACT government, project team, main contractor, manufacturer, suppliers and local community. Each of these stakeholders will be assigned their respective responsibilities but will work together as one team from start to end of the project. There are several sources of funding that the Group will explore so as to get adequate resources for the project. The main sources of funding are: government, charitable contributions, corporate philanthropy, foundations, business community and fundraising. Besides money, the Group will also accept support in terms of building materials and professional services. The project will be divided into the following phases: idea, concept, planning, design, development, launch/construction and follow up phases. The construction process will be divided into the following segments: approval and permits, site development, fabrication, transportation, assembly/installation, and finishing. The Group will implement the method using prefabricated construction method. The anticipated benefits of using this method are: reduced costs, quick project delivery, improved safety, reduced pollution, high quality, labor savings, reduced wastes, and increased energy efficiency of the dwellings.  

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