Sustainability in construction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Sustainability in construction - Essay Example For example, the UK national Grid has planned to cut domestic emissions by 45% by 2029, while the European Union countries are in agreement to harness more than 20% of their energy from renewable sources by 2020; U.K’s target is15% (Huang & Infield, 2002). In addition, Scotland and UK have plans to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 80% by 2050, and a proposed reduction of about 42% by 2020 to curb the climate change threat (Tecs Home Energy Survey Report, 2010). Therefore, as the two articles indicate, energy usage in both domestic and in industrial applications has led to an environmental threat that has been caused by increasing global warming, as a result of carbon emissions from fossil fuels. Jones in the article Reducing emissions through energy efficiency correctly articulates that energy usage in buildings contribute to almost half of carbon emissions in U.K. This is in line with the figures indicated by Tecs Home Energy Survey Report (2010). As Jones illustrates, the UK government has come up with different measures in trying to reduce carbon emissions in line with 2010 proposed emission reductions. ... tial stages of industrialization results from the increasing greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere; this has resulted in the continued climate change, with temperatures in the U.K expected to increase by between 2 to 3.5 degrees centigrade this century. Therefore the intergovernmental panel set up to address this issue according to this report suggested building codes and designs that would eliminate any need for mechanical cooling in homes, which has been attributed to considerable portion of global warming gases in the atmosphere. The report suggests a new perspective in building and construction on how buildings might have special features, which might be responsive to climate changes, and which anticipate and are in accordance with future climate trends. Likewise, Jones in Reducing emissions through energy efficiency concurs with this argument and asserts that energy demand has to be maintained to a minimum by adopting more responsible designs, and adopting the use of renewa ble energy sources. This would include minimizing uncontrolled air infiltration through effective designs, and adopting natural ventilations. Generally according to Jones, this may be only achieved through an integrated design team to ensure harmonization, and good interactions between the various disciplines involved in building designs. This is an effective approach in reducing domestic energy usage, noting that more than 46 % of energy usage in U.K is through air conditioning, heating, cooling, and other general usage that may be controlled through proper designs (TECs Home Energy Survey Report, 2010). However, the article thermal comfort in a 21st century Climate puts much emphasizes on the need to control energy through responsible use of energy by tenants. The article suggests the use

Communication In Business case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Communication In Business case study - Essay Example The Indian subcontinent consists of nations which are demographically very different from the Oceanic countries – cities have the dense population, it is quite common to families to live together thus coining the word ‘joint families’, and feel at unease while calling their bosses by the first names. Communication is varied during different stages of the relationship. The first stage is the initiation phase wherein verbal and written communication in form of telephonic and online interaction precedes face to face interactions. It is here that it will be found necessary to dig a little into the history of India, as cultural implications play a major role in deciding the mode organization communication being followed in a particular nation (Roberts and Tuleja 2008, 474). The nation was, practically two centuries, a colony of the erstwhile British empire. Thus English customs may be found rooted in the manner of communications. Over time, however, local mannerisms have mingled with these habits to produce a different set of rules altogether. Meeting etiquette requires a handshake when one conducts business in India. Indians, on the other hand, use a traditional variant of greeting – The Namaste. This gesture consists of bringing the palms of the two hands together at chest level along with the utterance of the word ‘Namaste’ with a slight bow of the head. It has been noted, however, that people from outside the subcontinent often use this gesture beyond necessity – it must be remembered that India still suffers from a caste-based segregation in its societal structure. It will thus be judicious to decide beforehand to decide of the necessity of such a gesture.