An article about " STAIR-CASE AND ITS UTILITY "

STAIR-CASE AND ITS UTILITY

Staircase contributes to the overall appearance of the building. Not only this, climbing the stairs will be a lot better healthwise since it keeps you healthy by burning a few calories. Lifts in high rise building may be a necessity, but use of the staircase is the best option during emergencies such as fire in the building. Apart from enabling movement of men and material between thefloors, a staircase contributes a lot to the overall look of the building.

The materials that can be used for a staircase are countless. The use of these has become versatile with many varieties of glass, cast iron and steel being available at affordable prices. The immense possibilities of a staircase can be explored in terms of location, material and styles. The stairs may be spiral, straight, curved or in any other shape to suit the requirement and the circumstances and to exhibit the talent and vision of the architect to bring in an elegant look to the building or structure. The heaviness of concrete staircase is now being replaced by the sleekness of steel.  Spiral staircases are used in places where space is limited and straight run staircases are built where more floor space is involved. Geometric staircases have a pleasant look, but they are very expensive and their width is not uniform. Stainless steel can be used for handrails to reduce the cost.

Balusters are small, light pillars used on the sides of the steps for supporting the handrails made of cast iron, wood or aluminium. They contribute to the look of the staircase in a building. Those who can afford can use wood in the baluster and tread to give an aesthetic look.

Dimensions of the staircase are normally specified in the building rules keeping in mind the various factors. The minimum width of a stair has to be 90 cm, riser 15 to17.5 cm and tread 25 to 30 cm. for any house and for the public buildings the riser must be six inches or 15 cm and the tread one foot wide or 30 cm. If the guidelines are observed it will be easy to move up and down the stairs.

An article " Residential Illumination "

Residential Illumination

Subtleand unobtrusive lighting produce the best results.  Whether it is the home or office or the business spot the lighting should neither be too bright nor too dim. It should be invisible.

Residential illumination is a special kind of its own. It demands personalization in social spaces like the living room as well as in private spaces like the bed room. A flick of a switch which turns darkness into light, can change a room from romantic to dramatic, to relaxing and even  more energizing.

If the lighting plan is effective, it helps integrate the entire visual environment by creating an appealing ambience for the persons residing, there and establishes guidelines to avoid visual chaos and fragmentation.

Illumination that is concealed and placed carefully can make quality lighting an integral part of aesthetics and an essential function of architecture.

The home lighting is not just the conventional placement of wall lights, pendant lights or chandeliers.  The following points had to be borne in mind and be followed for an effective lighting plan.

Living  Room

The lighting illumination for the living room has to be in such a way that, it should provide a relaxing and inviting space, by blending general and accent lights, punctuated with task lights.

- An adequate general illumination level should be established

- Individual lighting arrangements should be made for highlighting art work, plants and bar counter.

- If an entire wall is illuminated with overhead fixtures, it will provide background for room furnishings.

- The decor can be enhanced and doubled up as accent lighting by using decorative fixtures.

- Architectural features like niches and mantels could be played up.

Dining  Room

The lighting in the dining room should be such that it should create an atmosphere that elevates the mood of the diners and also flatters the food before them, simultaneously it should be conducive to pleasure and conversation.

- The visual emphasis has to be  kept off the ceilings and the wall.  And it should be focused on the décor of food and guests, with the help of ceiling downlights.

- Any meal can be given a special touch by placing candles and a few lamps in decorative holders.

- Special lighting emphasis should be offered to the service areas andchinaware/silverware.

Kitchen

The kitchen illumination should be in such a way that it provides the right combination of beauty, safety and comfort for the user.

- The general lighting should be well distributed, uniform and as shadowless as possible.

- If fluorescent fixtures are used they reduce the energy consumption without sacrificing illumination.           

- For counter tops, under cabinet task lighting is ideal.

- Over the sink and cooking range, recess luminaries could be placed over.

- If low voltage, mini lights are placed over under and inside cabinets, the kitchen cabinets and be well accentuated.

Bed  Room

Bed room being an area of gentle and tender emotions, it should have a subtle aura, helped by combination of general and task lighting with the overlay of accent sources.

- Downlights should be avoided over the bed for they are a direct source of glare.

- For reading at bedside, a table lamp or wall light may be placed on a swivel adjustable arm. 

- The closet, the room within a room should be lighted up.

- The uplighters always cut glare and wash the ceiling, providing soothing ambient lighting.

- Dimmers can be useful to play with the intensity of light as per the mood required to be created.

Bath  Room

The best arrangement of lighting for the bath room will be a combination of general and task illuminance.

- If light sources are provided on either side of the mirror the shadow on the face will be minimized.

-Lighting in the bathing area can have a soft glow.

- The light fittings should be vapour proof and water tight.

Corridor,  Passage Hallway

- The light fitting in these areas should neither impede circulation nor cause a glare.

- As these are transition spaces, intermediate illuminance levels could be created. 

- For these areas, a two-way switch on either ends should be installed.

An article about " Restructuring of Real Estate loans "

Restructuring of Real Estate loans

The Reserve Bank of India(RBI) has ruled out restructuring of bad real estate loans which may increase non-performing assets of banks, but bring down prices of homes as developers sell off properties to pay lenders. The banks were seeking permission to continue classifying some bad real estate loans as standard assets even after developers failed to pay. One more restructuring would rather be a boon for developers to hold on to prices and profit. Banks are wary of the risk associated with commercial real estate because demand for commercial space such as malls has come down and there is a decline in demand in the residential sector. This problem cannot be solved by repeated restructuring of loans, but by reviving the market by lowering the price, making property more affordable and showing the customer some economic value in their purchases, it is observed.

The RBI allowed banks to restructure loans to both manufacturers and developers and continue showing bad loans as standard assets to save banks and developers from financial strain after the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008. That was for only those loans where the borrower was regular in repaying dues until September 1, 2008 and where the bank was able to restructure it by March 31, 2009.

While this helped banks and developers, consumers were at the receiving end since real estate companies held on to properties at high prices as they were not obliged to pay immediately. The subsequent pickup in economic activity pushed up all asset prices, including real estate, to levels almost close to those prevailing before the credit crisis. It is observed that there are signs that high levels of global liquidity are contributing to rising asset prices. The total outstanding loans of banks to the real estate sector stood at Rs 88,581 crore as of November 2009, according to RBI data.

An article about " Different types of concrete "

Different types of concrete

Innovation seems to be leading the way when it comes to usage of construction material. New materials and methods are changing the way we perceive the industry. There are already such innovative materials in use.

Manufactured Sand

Aggregates used in making concrete are either naturally occurring or produced from stone crushers. As natural sources are fast depleting, there is a need to produce aggregates of high quality to make concrete which is durable in all conditions.

Conventional stone crushers tend to produce flaky and elongated aggregates. These are mostly two-stage and three-stage crushing plants. Conventional crushers cannot produce crushed stone of required near cubical shape. The solution can be found in a Vertical Shaft Impact (VSI) crusher as it produces cubical crushed stones, ideal for self-compacting concrete. The greatest use of this crusher is its ability to produce manufactured sand.

Self-compacting Concrete

Self compacting concrete(SCC) is an advanced type of concrete that can flow through intricate geometrical configurations under its own mass without vibration or segregation. It is made with the same materials which are used for making normal concrete except for high powder content (fly ash or slag along with cement) and use of hyper plasticisers for making flowing concrete. 

It has proved beneficial economically because of following reasons :

› Faster construction

› Elimination of compaction

› Reduction in site power

› Better surface finishes

› Easier placing

› Improved durability

› Greater freedom in design

› Thinner and complicated section

› Improved working environment at a construction site by reducing noise pollution.

Curing Compound

Proper curing is essential in producing acceptable concrete performance. This affects both mechanical properties and durability characteristics, and reduces volume changes due to shrinkage. 

A truly effective curing approach requires two components : Prevents loss of moisture through evaporation. Supplies additional water for continued hydration. Excessive evaporation from concrete surface must be avoided. This is done by using curing compounds. There are two types of curing compounds viz., wax based and resin based. Liquid membrane-forming compounds are suitable for application to concrete surfaces to reduce the loss of water during the early hardening period.

White-pigmented membrane-forming compounds serve the additional purpose of reducing the temperature rise in concrete exposed to radiation from the sun. curing compounds are used extensively in large areas such as concrete pavements, canal lining etc.

The future of Concrete

You might think hat concrete is a boring material. Not at all. You can now find concrete that bends like metal and which is five times as strong as regular concrete without any reinforcing steel bars. Or you can use concrete which doesn't need a vibration machine to remove the air bubbles inside, which can save loss of time during construction.

There are also translucent concrete or concrete incorporating transparent elements, allowing to build floors lit from below. And by adding titanium dioxide to cement, you obtain a self-cleaning concrete that remains the same colour for centuries and can even clean the air by breaking down dangerous pollutants.

Ultra High-performance Concrete

Ultra-high performance, fibre reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) is a revolutionary material that offers superior strength, durability, ductility and aesthetic design flexibility. It is significantly stronger than conventional concrete. Available in a range of colours, it is extremely moldable and replicates form materials with great precision. By utilizing Ductal's combination of superior properties, designers can create thinner sections and longer spans that are lighter, more graceful and innovative in geometry and form, while providing improved durability and impermeability against corrosion, abrasion and impact.

Nano technology

Studying the nano structure of concrete could help reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions during its manufacture, according to work by engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Around 2.35 billion tons of concrete are produced each year and producing cement, the main component of concrete, accounts for five-ten per cent of the world's total CO2 emissions – an important contribution to global warming.

Franz-Josef Ulm and Georgios Constantinides of MIT have found that concrete is strong, thanks to the way in which the nano particles are organised.

“If everything depends on the organizational structure of the nanoparticles that make up concrete, rather than on the material itself, we can conceivably replace it with a material that has concrete's other characteristics – strength, durability, mass availabilityand low cost – but does not release as much CO2 into the atmosphere duringmanufacture,” explains Ulm.

An article about " Vaastu Tips for Health & Wealth "

Vaastu Tips for Health & Wealth

Vaasthu is a technical subject and with a proper understanding of the interpretations and logical reasoning, many of the confusions and contradictions can be over come. Vaastu in Sanskrit means “Place of dwelling” and originates from the Vedas. “Veda” itself means Knowledge. Vaastu originated from one of the four Vedas known as the “ATHARAVANA VEDA”.

Vaastu which derives its state from the Vedas also emphasizes on the point that “Everything Vibrates & Pulsates” and is close to Quantum physics. Vaastu also asserts through Vedic Philosophy that “Everything is interconnected.”

Vaasthu Purusha

As in other religions, Vaastu also has its many myths from Hinduism and one such thing is the Vaastu Purusha. The ancient texts say that the Vaastu Purusha - a human body with its head at East and arms stretched depict the various organs like bones, heart, blood vessels etc. The diagonal lines especially from NE to SW are the energy carriers. These points are most vital and need to be considered very carefully prior to putting up any structure.

The concept of Harmony vs. Disharmony in any plot needs to be analysed which is depicted by the “Vaastu Purusha” or “Demon Faced God”. Any mis-alignment or disturbance to vital area gives rise to energy imbalance and could be termed as a Vastu defect. The equivalent of the Vastu Purusha in FENGSHUI is the Dragon. The relevant deities and the elements as depicted below identify the 8 directions.

Vaastu originated with temple architecture and design. Today it is a very scientific and mathematical approach to construct a good building.The Sthapatya Veda deals with Temple Architectutre and the basic classification would be based on the application. Vaastu and Agama are two cultural sciences that have been in vogue in the land of Bharata from very ancient times.

In the Upanishads (the sacred Text) has reference to “shilpa Vidyarahasyaopanishad” and “Vaastu Sutropanishad” which means texts giving information on the secrets of Temple and Statue architecture and dimensions and Building Architecture and dimensions.

Vaastu is an ancient Hindu Science, over 6000 years old, which creates harmony in a place when the orientation and placements are perfect.  The Indian mythological ages  Krita, Satya, Dwapar and Kali  are in fact accounts of rise and fall of virtuous qualities through various period of history of life. Considering these aspects, the validity of Vastushastra rules can easily be traced to the laws of nature itself. The five basic elements of Vaastu are Space, Air, Fire, Water and Earth and they exist not only inside us but around us too. The elements are also related to specific corners in a site. Vaastu corrections could be said to be based on aligning the elements and are not disturbed.

The following are some of the tips on  vaastu

Always open your bedroom windows for at least 20 minutes a day to allows fresh energy to come in. If not, you will be sleeping with stale energy every night. And if that happens, then how can you expect your life to let more good fortune to come to you. The bed should always be one foot above the ground to facilitate free flow of energy on the bedroom floor. Restriction in the flow of energy would also curtail your wealth earning chances. Always sleep with a firm wall behind the head. This position will help you succeed in the work you do. Windows and doors behind the head are not allowed.

A clear desk encourages clear thinking. It also helps boost monetary energy and creativity. The desk should be used to house the computer, phone and current paperwork. Anything else has to be considered carefully. Make sure all clocks within your house are in working order. If not, fix them or give them away, Clock, which do not work bring your finances to stand still. Slow clocks signify that you are behind your due date always.

The money safe of the house should be in the southwest corner of the entire building. In your personal room, keep it in the southwest corner of the room's floor space.

Ensure that the taps in your bathroom or kitchen do not drip. The constant dripping produces negative energy. Dripping taps signify leaking wealth. Blocked plumbing indicates blocked financial energy somewhere in the occupant's life. Clean up all your drains and ensure proper outflow of waste water.

Never leave dirty dishes in the sink. Wash them as soon as you can. But not cleaning up as soon as possible shows a sense of incompleteness and disorganization in your finances. Breezy windows will assist the flow of energy in bathrooms and toilets. Otherwise toilets can actually pollute energy. We have to encourage the speedy flow of energy here, wash away the pollution and replace the energy as quickly as possible.

Sweeping the floor should be done towards the inside of the house. Never direct your cleaning actions towards the main door. This will cause a reduction in wealth. Brooms and mops are contraptions, which are involved in the removal of things. Keep them out of sight and preferably upside down. This will prevent the family's livelihood from being swept away.

Rubbish bins should have covers. Keep them covered all the time. Avoid garbage cans,which are perforated on the sides. Wealth energy gets corrupted otherwise.

Do not have toilets above the main entrance. They generate negative energies, which will interfere with the positive energies entering through the main entrance.

There should be no shoes or slippers lying scattered around the main door of the house. Allow the space at the main door to be free and clear. The energy that rides with the wind will be corrupted with the dirt and smell of shoes and slippers and while entering your house will cause losses.

An artcle about " NRI HOUSING FINANCE AND FINANCE IN INDIA "

NRI HOUSING FINANCE AND FINANCE IN INDIA

Buying a house is not difficult for Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) any more as the NRI Housing Loan makes the property investment a lot more convenient. Any individual staying abroad for Employment or for carrying on business or vacation outside India or for any other purpose in circumstances indicating an indefinite period of stay abroad are eligible for NRI Housing loan. Apart from that, Government Servants posted abroad on duty with the Indian missions or deputed abroad on assignments with Foreign Governments or Regional/International Agencies are also entitled to these loans.

NRI Housing loan is offered by some of the Premier Financial Institutions and banking in India such as ANZ Grind lays Bank, ICICI Bank, HDFC, HUDCO, CITIBANK, LIC etc. As an NRI, you can avail a maximum loan of Rs.1, 00, 00, 000/- or 85% of the cost of the property including the cost of land, whichever is lower. The rate of interest will vary from 11.25% to 14.25% per annum depending in the Financial Institution. At the time of making application for the loan aprocessing fee is payable between 1 to 2% of the loan amount that is applied for depending on the Institution.

The amount of loan to be borrowed will depend upon a person's repaying capacity. To arrive at the repaying capacity, Banks do take into consideration factors such as income, age, qualifications, work experience,number of dependants, spouse's income, assets, liabilities, stability and continuity of occupation, alternate employment prospects when the concerned person returns to India and savings history.

While applying for a home loan in India, the following documents are to be submitted along with the application:

1. Employment/Residency related documents:

•        Employment contract;
•        Latest salary slip;
•        Latest work permit;
•        Identity card issued by the present Employer;
•       Visa stamp on the passport;
•        Continuous Discharge Certificate (if applicable); and
•        Overseas Bank Account Statement of the last few months.

2. Property Related Documents:

•          Receipts for payments made for purchase of the dwelling unit;
•         Copy of approved drawings for the proposed construction / purchase /extension;
•         Agreement for Sale/Sale Deed;
•     A detailed cost estimate from Architect Engineer for property to be purchased / constructed/extended;
•        Allotment letter;

Once the loan is sanctioned, the period of repayment of the loan is determined which normally falls in the range of three to ten years. Loan can be repaid through Equated Monthly Installments (EMIs) comprising principal and interest. EMI payments can be made through post dated cheques from yourNon-Resident (External) Account/Non-Resident (Ordinary) Account in India.

An article about " Plastics as Building Material "

Plastics as Building Material

plastics function quite well in in-ground applications, or where materials are likely to be exposed to persistent damp, bacteria or poor ventilation. They are also used for mouldings, insulation and durable facings on board products.

Plastics are made from non-renewable petroleum byproducts, are energy-intensive to produce, involve the use of toxic chemicals and create toxic waste during their manufacture. Most plastics are not biodegradable, making for an ever-growing dilemma of how to safely and ethically dispose of them.

Too much plastic is abandoned in landfills after only one use - as take away food containers, plastic bags, packaging material, etc. Countless land and marine animals die every day after being choked, strangled or poisoned by plastic rubbish. Plastic refuse is also a horrific visual pollutant in the urban and rural areas and marine environments of the world.

Plastics don't breathe like natural materials (wood, stone earth, cotton, hemp, etc.) and infact often emit noxious fumes or hormone-disrupting, biologically active chemicals (phthalates dioxins) - such as from PVC products or when they are burnt (highly dangerous).

Product which contain the organochlorine PVC include: pipes, guttering, windows, vinyl flooring, wall-coverings, shower curtains, blinds, non-carbonated drink bottles, cooking oil bottles, cling film, margarine tubs and boxes, interior trim, sealants and underseal in cars, tubing, probes, catheters, blood bags and gloves in hospitals.

Greenpeace, which argues that 99% of current PVC products have a safer alternative, has been fighting long and hard to prevent the use of PVC plastic building materials in the construction of the Sydney Olympic village. Unfortunately, Australians rank second to Americans  in  their  consumption of PVC products. Recent (and hopefully short-lived) comebacks for PVC have been featuring in designer clothing and inflatable designer furniture.  Chemicals used to manufacture PVC include the persistent and toxic organochlorine group of chemicals.  Production also creates highly dangerous dioxins and hexachlorobenzene (HCB) as waste products.

Older plastic water pipes release pseudo-oestrogens into the water supply. These are implicated in the ever-decreasing sperm counts and increasing feminisation of male animals and human worldwide.

The U.S. Consumer product Safety commission warns that 'miniblinds', which are made in China, Taiwan, Mexico and Indonesia contain PVC, which degrades to lead dust after being exposed to sunlight and heat.  Lead is added during production in order to stabilize the plastic materials in the blinds.

Young children have been found with high lead levels in their blood due to ingesting dust from the miniblinds. Horrendous health problems have ensued, including mental and physical retardation and kidney failure. Sweden, Germany and Austria have banned the use of PVC in construction and other applications.

Plasti-based (petrochemical) paints don't allow vapour-exchange in timber, which can lead to its premature breakdown - exact opposite of what is desired.

Recycling of Plastic is very energy-intensive, polluting, and is only third best in terms of a program to "reduce, reuse, recycle". Yet many more recycled plastic products are coming on the market. Those plastics which best lend themselves to recycling are polypropylene, polystyrene, polyurethane, polyethylene (PET, HDPE). Also Perspex, polycarbonate and ABS plastics can be recycled. (Processors of all these can be found in the NSW EPA's Recycling Directory).

Polymer Corporation of Queensland has developed a process which fuses and laminates mixed, recycled plastics making them suitable for use as a wallboard. Their innovation is that they have managed to devise a technique which can utilize different kinds of plastics. This has been a challenge for the recycling industry because it has been extremely difficult to reprocess plastics with different characteristics, and it has been very hard to get clean, single-type used-plastics from the waste-stream.

In Holland, countless thousands of recycled plastic coffee cups, bottles and yoghurt containers were melted down and remoulded to make 50 metre-high, earth-filled noise barriers which were placed alongside a railway line.

The Japanese car maker, Honda, has opted to establish a new company to manufacture new items, including tables, chairs and simulated wood flooring - all with plastic left over from car product. Also in Japan, a lingerie maker has  developed a new line of women's underwear - made from soft cloth and lace produced from chemically processed fibres of crush plastic bottles. American and European outdoor clothing manufactures have been using recycled plastic fibre for some time to make thermal clothing.

The U.S. organization, 'Rain forest Relief', is promoting the use of post-consumer recycled plastic lumber for waterfront construction. They believe it to be an excellent way of reducing consumption of rainforest timber. It is longer lasting and therefore more economical than wood and other materials, which is important for government budgets.  It can be recycled again after use, and does not leach chemicals.

Non-PVC and non-petroleum-based bio-plastics and vegetable plastics are being developed by scientists and these are slowly finding their way onto the market as their cost of production decreases, although nature has already developed such things.

An article about " Minority members of housing society can not obstruct redevelopment: BHC "

Minority members of housing society cannot obstruct redevelopment: BHC

The Bombay High court has once again reiterated that the minority members cannot obstruct redevelopment of the apartment building. The court has appointed a court receiver to take possession of three flats from the owners who had objected to redevelopment in Santa Cruz building and hand over the apartments to thebuilder.

While passing the order the Justice R D Dhanuka has said – the three dissenting flat owners cannot stop the redevelopment, as more than 3/4^th majority of members have passed a resolution and agreed to appoint a developer on terms and conditions agreed upon in the development project. He has further said, the flat owners who are in a minority occupying three flats and a few garages, cannot be permitted to obstruct the society or majority members from implementing the redevelopment project. They have also not challenged the resolution passed by the society at its special annual general body meeting and all the resolutions are binding on them. They cannot be allowed to act contrary to the resolutions passed by the society’s general body.

Earlier judgments on similar cases were cited by the court and said that "merely because terms and conditions of development agreement were not acceptable to members in a minuscule minority, cannot be the basis not to abide by the decision of the overwhelming majority of the society's general body". The court also referred to judgments wherein it was ruled that – when a person becomes a cooperative society member he loses individuality and has no independent rights, except those given to him by rules and bye-laws.

The case pertained to an application filed by Calvin Properties, which had bid for and won a tender for redeveloping Green Fields Housing Society on S V Road in Santa Cruz (West). The apartment building was 48 years old with 34 flats and was in a dilapidated condition. In the agreement which was signed in 2010, the developer had agreed to reconstruct a building and re-house the flat-owners there. The developer had agreed to pay the flat-owners a total of nine Crores. Majority of flat owners i.e., 31 had agreed to vacate the flats by April 2013. Three flat owners had had claimed they were entitled to a larger area and had claimed that the agreement was not applicable to them as they had not signed the agreement.

The court ruled in favour of the developer and dismissed the pleas of the minority members and also rejected their contention that the dispute could only be heard by a cooperative court.