An Architect’s View of Port of Spain

30th November, 2011 by Mandilee Newton | 2 comments

The latest issue of the Trinidad Guardian's Building & Construction magazine has an article on downtown beautification by acla:works director Gary Turton. Gary offers a ten-point perspective: [1] improved drainage and underground services, [2] better sidewalks and tree lined streets, [3] mass transit system within city limits (see: Transit Oriented Development), [4] multi-story car parking on perimeter of city, [5] maximise retail shop frontage, [6] green roofs, [7] public art, upgraded museums and a museum of modern art (see: Percent for Art program), [8] preserve and protect built heritage, [9] higher density, mixed-use, mixed income developments, and, [10] planning. Read the article here.

A New Board for UDeCOTT

27th January, 2011 by Melanie Archer | 19 comments

On Tuesday, the new board of directors of UDeCOTT was announced [check out the Express article here]. HDC's managing director, Jearlean John has been named as chairman of the board, while acla's own Brian Lewis has been named as one of eight directors.

Asked to comment Brian replied, "I look forward to receiving my official appointment and to meeting the other members of the board." At acla:works we're optimistic about the changes that will occur under this new board, and we'd like to take this opportunity to congratulate Brian on his appointment.

Crime and Construction

6th January, 2011 by Melanie Archer | 0 comments

This article by acla:works director, Brian Lewis, first appeared in the Business Guardian, January 06, 2011.

A January 03 article in the Guardian makes an interesting connection between rising crime and the collapse of the construction industry. The construction industry is huge, so the potential for unemployment is directly proportional to the lack of construction activity. The industry isn't just laborers [though they make up a large number], it's also made up of construction professionals, suppliers, contractor, sub-contractors, suppliers and manufacturers and by my estimation could be approaching 200,000 citizens that have families to support.

What needs to be understood here is the cycle of construction and how it affects unemployment. At this point unemployment has not fully affected laborers, contractors and sub-contrators who are still completing projects that are in the field and may continue to wind down until ongoing projects are completed. However the current collapse of the industry has severely affected the construction professionals who are normally involved in the upfront stages of construction. Let us be clear, the slowdown for upfront design of new projects is currently at a near complete standstill with virtually no new work on drawing boards. Apart from scores of professionals and their staff being unemployed and the adverse effect on their families, what else does this mean for the industry? For one it is an early warning of an impending nightmare ahead unless the current administration can manage to put in place a stimulus package for the industry.

Works and Transportation Minister Jack Warner, who seems to acknowledge the potential enormity of the looming crisis, states that the San Fernando/ Point Fortin Highway project [designed by foreign consultants] will provide employment but then quickly announces that 65% of the projects will be awarded to foreign contractors. Apparently in his mind this is acceptable because the project will employ "masons, carpenters and other people". The point I am making here is that this highway project, touted to assist the industry, will do very little for the construction professionals because infrastructure projects are considered capital intensive rather than labor intensive and thus any positive effect on the industry will in fact be nominal.

What we need from this government is a well considered sustainable plan to stimulate the industry with short, medium and long term plans. Let's start with the short-term plans; but please hurry – time is running out and construction professional firms are on the brink of closure. Simply informing construction professional firms to look towards the Caribbean for work is to abandon them and will do nothing to avoid a crisis in this country. Wake up and implement a comprehensive and sustainable stimulus package or else face a crisis.

– Brian Lewis

For a different take on reducing crime, see director Gary Turton's July 21 2010 article, "Can Architecture Reduce Violence?"

Make it Better #1: Ramps

29th November, 2010 by Melanie Archer | 1 comment

As designers, we often notice things within our built environment that aren't quite up to standard. Too-high pavements with electrical poles smack in the middle, streets that turn into streams due to poor drainage . . . we could go on. And we do go on, below, with this our first in a series of suggestions as to how we can make our cities better. Here, acla:works associate, Brent Matthew, gives a few thoughts on ramping up accessibility.

Ramps

While working on the HOJ access ramp, I took a look at buildings around Port of Spain and realised that a lot of them are not accessible to persons with disabilities. Whereas it is the choice of an owner to make his/her building accessible, public buildings should always meet this criteria so as not to alienate this sector of society. In Trinidad and Tobago there is no accessibility law; even our House of Parliament does not have an accessible ramp. So, it is up to the architect to design a functional – and hopefully aesthetically pleasing – accessible ramp to code. What code? In Trinidad and Tobago we usually refer to the American Disabilities Act [ADA]. Let’s take a look at the minimum requirements for a successfully designed ramp:

Below: ramp diagram © Brent Matthew [text continues below break]

The wheelchair ramp should have a clear width of 915mm [3’-0”], which means the width between the handrails should be that minimum. Ramp slopes between 1:12 [8.3%] and 1:15 [6.7%] are preferred – the ability to manage an incline is related to both slope and length. Wheelchair users with disabilities affecting their arms or with low stamina have serious difficulty using inclines. Therefore, to build according to wheelchair ramp specs, the least possible slope should be used for any ramp.

Ramps should have level landings at the bottom and the top of each ramp run, otherwise individuals using wheelchairs could tip over. These landings should be at least as wide as the ramp leading to them and, if there is a door at such a location, there should be at least 1120mm [44”] space at the latch side of the door. Handrail specifications are generally for adults but, where children are the principal users in the building – e.g. a primary school – a second set of handrails at an appropriate height could help in preventing accidents. The clear space between the handrail and the wall should be 1 - 1/2 in [38mm]. The gripping surface should be 32mm to 8mm [1-1/4” to 1-1/2”] and the height should be between 865mm and 965mm [34” to 38”].

Let's provide access ramps to our buildings and include a neglected section of our society. How someone in a wheelchair gets to the building from a vehicle, well that is another blog entry . . . . Stay tuned.

Below: a few ramps that do exist in Port of Spain

– Brent Matthew

Can Architecture Reduce Violence?

21st July, 2010 by Melanie Archer | 0 comments

acla:works director, Gary Turton, thinks it has the potential to do so. Gary recently contributed the article, "Building Serenity," to the Jul-Sep issue of the TTCSI Quarterly. It's a relevant piece, given Trinidad & Tobago's ever-increasing murder rate, as well as recent challenges throughout the region to find suitable people to head up local police forces.

Perhaps, as Gary infers, we should be addressing the problem at its root and not just its end. His argument stems from the case study of a city that was once one of the world's most violent – Medellín, Colombia – where, over the past decade, architecture and politics have contributed to a 90% reduction in the crime rate.

Gary writes: "[Former mayor of Medellín] Fajardo's approach was that any reduction in violence was immediately supplemented with a 'concrete community improvement.' As the murder rate dropped, the city's poorest neighbourhoods became home to brilliant new schools, housing, community spaces and 'library parks' . . . . Fajardo stated in an interview with architect Giancarlo Mazzanti, 'From the time I was a child, it was clear to me what aesthetics meant as a tool for social transformation, as a message of inclusion. That is something that is often misunderstood here. Underneath it all is the most important word in all of those urban interventions in which architecture plays an important role: dignity.'

Could a lack of dignity be Trinidad & Tobago's main issue? The case of Medellín makes us wonder which version of Trinidad & Tobago we might be living in today had our government taken the money used to build those half-empty buildings on and near the waterfront and chosen, instead, to create real opportunities for change in some of our islands' forgotten (or deliberately snubbed) neighbourhoods.

Download Gary's article, "Building Serenity: How Architecture Can Reduce Violence" (PDF 380KB).

Also in this issue of the TTCSI Quarterly Gary writes on "Future Design: The Importance of ICTs to Architecture." (Download the PDF 880KB).

Exterior view of the library Biblioteca León de Greiff, Medellín. Designed by Giancarlo Mazzanti.