Critical Reflection

Reflection Part 1 :

Effective communication is an important skill to learn. Through this module, I have learned various skills related to effective communication. Some key lessons that I have gained from this module include the importance of active listening and non-verbal communication 

Active listening is the ability to listen to someone attentively and responding appropriately. This proved to be vital during the design project as I had to often listen attentively to my groupmates' discussion and opinions. At the same time, I had to respond appropriately to ensure that there would be no miscommunication and confusion. This smoothens the communication process as this allows my teammates to be on the same page especially during team meetings and discussions.  I would like to improve this by paying further attention to the key  points that the speaker is sending and not just blindly listening to the speaker. This will allow a better response for me which can lead to better problem solving capabilities. From this module, I have learned that active listening is essential in understanding my groupmate's perspective, and ensuring that the message is conveyed accurately.

Non-verbal communication is another skill that I have learned. Non-verbal communication involves body language and facial expressions. It plays a significant role in conveying attitudes and intentions. For example, during the pitching of the design solution to the stakeholders, by looking comfortable it shows that I am confident meaning that I believe that my team's design would be able to solve the design problem. Sometimes, I might fidget too much due to the nervousness and instead I should let it all flow naturally.

In conclusion, this module has been a valuable learning experience for me. The lessons learned from this module will be valuable in my professional career, where effective communication is essential to be a great worker

Reflection Part 2 :

Throughout this design project, I have learned a few things. This project required us to work in a team, which taught me the importance of effective communication and collaboration. I discovered that I tend to be a natural leader and took on the role of coordinating the team's efforts. However, I also learned that it is essential to listen to others' opinions and ideas, as this can lead to more creative and effective solutions.

Working on the project also helped me to understand the strengths and weaknesses of my team members. I learned that everyone has unique skills and perspectives to offer. By exploiting their strengths and covering each other's weakness, the team was able to work in the most effective way. Thus, these points shows the importance of collaborating and communicating. 

Additionally this experienced changed my view on learning. In the past, I viewed learning as something that is mostly just books, pen, papers and formulas. By thinking critically, it increases my ability and capabilities to solve and issue or a problem. This has helped me as it has improved the way I understanding a topic and the way I revise.

Moving forward, I plan to continue to work on my communication and collaboration skills, as I believe these are essential for success in any context. Secondly, I plan to approach learning with a more open mind and look for opportunities to learn and grow in all aspects. 

Overall, the project was a valuable learning experience that taught me a great deal about myself and others. It has changed my view of learning and has provided me with valuable skills and insights that I can use in the future.

Adverse Effects of Porous Asphalt

According to Fisher (2021), pools of water can hide cracks and potholes that may cause users to fall and injure their ankles. If the damage is sufficiently severe, vehicles can suffer damage to their tires or suspension systems. Bicycles could take a nasty fall or damage their bikes. A pothole will emerge when water puddles on asphalt pavement progressively deteriorate it. 

Fisher (2021) mentioned that water damages the asphalt surface by rupturing the bonds that hold the grains and the binder together. Water below the asphalt is also an issue. The supporting elements in the aggregate foundation and subgrade might become saturated and weakened by poor drainage beneath the pavement. Fisher (2021) also reiterated that this weakens the structural integrity of the asphalt. This will cause traffic load to further damage the already weakened asphalt. 

If water ponding is not resolved quickly, it can flood entire car parks. It will render the parking lot fully inaccessible (Majestic Facility Experts, 2019). It can also cause a huge loss and damage to property. Additionally, the amount of undrained water poses dangers. Firstly, the breed of mosquitoes can increase exponentially, which can lead to an increase in dengue cases.  Secondly, it will make the car park less safe for future use. The asphalt of the parking  lots need to be immediately restored to be safe for use because the excess water has compromised its structural integrity (Majestic Facility Experts, 2019)

Summary Reader Response - Draft 4

CalRecycle (2023)'s Green Building Materials website, introduces the concept of sustainable buildings. With 3 billion tonnes of raw materials used in construction (CalRecycle, 2023), sustainable buildings help conserve dwindling non-renewable resources. In addition, sustainable buildings offer many benefits for residents and the environment. That's why it's so important to produce more green buildings for sustainable living. The objective of green building is to resolve the conflict between limited natural resources and numerous resource consumption requirements. The green building life cycle includes building planning, calculation, construction, operation, and maintenance (CalRecycle, 2023). At the same time, eco-friendly buildings use high-tech materials and apply the concept of sustainability to the selection and use of materials that can reduce pollution (CalRecycle, 2023). As shown on the website Weforum (2022), a twenty percent increase in green roofs and walls can meaningfully reduce air pollution. In addition, green buildings can improve occupant comfort and improve their quality of life (CalRecycle, 2023). For example, as stated in a website by Eco - Business (2018) it was mentioned that green buildings have been designed to produce conducive environments for healthy by providing more opportunities for exercise and physical activity. Challenges regarding sustainability arises due to traditional buildings emitting plenty of waste and greenhouse gases that contributes to climate change. Hence, it is imperative to promote the production of environmentally friendly buildings to resolve these sustainability issues. In my opinion, despite having untested green building materials, the production of green buildings is a solution to Earth's sustainability challenges, as they produce less waste and emit less greenhouse gas emissions which reduces the impact of climate change.  

One key advantage is that green buildings produce less waste. Green buildings have less effects on the environment than traditional buildings. Buildings with Leadership In Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certifications produces 34% less carbon and 80 million fewer tons of landfill waste (JRM Construction Management, 2022). At the same time, managers of sustainably design structures reported using 25% less energy and 11% less water (JRM Construction Management, 2022). Building green also embraces recycling and repurposing materials, which leads to minimizing of waste. Hence, this shows how important a green building is. They impact the environment less than traditional buildings, uses less energy and produces less waste. It is believed that with greening more buildings, those buildings can reduce more waste. Additionally, LEED buildings cost 20% less to maintain than traditional buildings (JRM Construction Management, 2022). Also, in just one year, retrofitting traditional building with greener equipment lowers operation costs by almost 10 percent (JRM Construction Management, 2022). This allows us to tackle the sustainability issues on Earth. This shows how important a green building is to the environment. Not only does it produce less waste, but it is also cheaper to maintain than traditional buildings. This allows owners to tackle the sustainability issues.

Another key advantage is that high-performing green structures, especially those that are LEED certified, produces less greenhouse gas emissions. 40% of all greenhouse gas emissions come from buildings (Huynh, 2021). When adding in other construction processes such as transportation, the percentage will increase. By building green, it can reduce the impact the building has on contributing to climate change.  It was mentioned that by "building to Leadership In Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards, buildings contributed 50% fewer greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) than conventionally constructed buildings due to water consumption, 48% fewer GHGs due to solid waste and 5% less GHGs due to transportation" (Huynh, 2021). These evidence shows that by building green buildings and adopting a sustainable approach, the buildings can produce less waste. By implementing these techniques, the carbon footprints of buildings will be greatly reduced. (Huynh, 2021). Therefore, by building green, it can reduce the impact our buildings have on contributing to climate change.  

One issue with green buildings is that they use untested materials and construction techniques. Historically, the construction industry has relied on tried-and-true building materials and techniques. (Lombard, 2009). Additionally, new items have a higher likelihood of falling short of their advertised performance levels than those traditional materials that have been tested and confirmed to work. (Lombard, 2009). For instance, building material designers are embracing the trend and overrating their materials to increase revenues because the market for green building materials is in high demand (Lombard, 2009). But in fact, these green construction materials have not yet been field-tested over time. Instead, designers must weigh the risks of these new materials against those of more trust materials first, rather than immediately selling out to the trend (Lombard, 2009). Moreover, some green building techniques, are not as sustainable as it seems. For example, vegetative roofs are riskier than conventional roofs. They are more expensive, difficult to maintain, and put greater strain on the roof. (Lombard, 2009). These disadvantages go against the concept of sustainability whereby it is supposed to be cheap, easy to maintain and does not affect the structural integrity of the building. Therefore, using untested materials and construction techniques is a drawback for green buildings.

In conclusion, these reasons proves that green buildings play a huge role in tackling Earth's sustainability issues. They produce less waste and emit less greenhouse gas. Hence with these reasonings, the production of more green buildings and the adoption of sustainable building processes, plays an important role in keeping our planet a sustainable place to live. 

Sources List

Benefits of green building. (n.d.). USGBC U.S. Green Building Council. https://www.usgbc.org/articles/benefits-green-building

Green building materials. (2023). CalRecycle. https://calrecycle.ca.gov/greenbuilding/materials/

Huynh C. (n.d.). How green buildings can help fight climate change. USGBC U.S. Green Building Council. https://www.usgbc.org/articles/how-green-buildings-can-help-fight-climate-change

Jrmcm. (2022, February 21). The benefits & advantages of building green. JRM construction. JRMCM. https://www.jrmcm.com/jrm-news/benefits-of-building-green/

Lombard D. (n.d.). The hidden risks of green buildings: Why building problems are likely. WPL Publishing - Construction Pronet. https://constructionclaims.com/Content_Free/102909part1.aspx

Rahman S. (2022, February 17). Green buildings can reduce city temperatures by up to 2°C, study shows. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/02/green-buildings-can-boost-productivity-well-being-and-health-of-workers

 

 

 

 

 

Summary Draft Two

CalRecycle (nd)'s Green Building Materials website, introduces the concept of sustainable buildings. With 3 billion tonnes of raw materials used in construction (CalRecycle, n.d.), sustainable buildings help conserve dwindling non-renewable resources. In addition, sustainable buildings offer many benefits for residents and the environment. That's why it's so important to produce more green buildings for sustainable living. The objective of green building is to resolve the conflict between limited natural resources and numerous resource consumption requirements. The green building life cycle includes building planning, calculation, construction, operation, and maintenance (CalRecycle, n.d.). At the same time, eco-friendly buildings use high-tech materials and apply the concept of sustainability to the selection and use of materials that can reduce pollution. As shown on the website Weforum (2022), a twenty percent increase in green roofs and walls can meaningfully reduce air pollution. In addition, green buildings can improve occupant comfort and improve their quality of life (CalRecycle, n.d). For example, as stated in a website by Eco - Business (2018) it was mentioned that green buildings have been designed to produce conducive environments for healthy by providing more opportunities for exercise and physical activity. With rapid population growth and declining land and resources, it is imperative to promote the production of environmentally friendly buildings. Therefore, the production of green buildings is key in tackling Earth's sustainability issues as it can reduce climate change and it produces less wastage as compared to traditional buildings

Formal Introductory Letter

Formal introductory letter for learning portfolio.

Dear Professor Blackstone,

I am writing to introduce myself to you about the critical thinking and communication module. My name is Muhammad Zulhilmi.  Before enrolling into university, I studied urban design in polytechnic and took the civil engineering specialization. During my internship, I was attached to a few construction sites. I was then introduced to the build industry and oversaw many construction processes such as piling works. I was also given tasks such as land surveying, which built my civil engineering skills. These experiences piqued my interest in engineering. Additionally, as Singapore has limited land, there’s always a problem that needs to be addressed regarding building and housing. Hence, this allows me to enhance my skills by tackling those problems which strengthened my interest in engineering.

During internship, my adaptability in communication allows me to thrive well. I communicated effectively with my colleagues using clear and concise sentences. Additionally, I drew instructions on paper and even used google translate to communicate with the foreign workers. These steps ensured that work flows smoothly. However, I am not fluent when communicating formally as my superiors prefer to speak informally. Being able to work on this weakness will help me when presenting to my clients in the future. Hence, from this module I hope that I can effectively communicate formally as it will come in handy in future interviews and presentations. Secondly, I hope I can enhance my evaluation skills to improve my critical thinking. This will allow me to produce better reports and presentations. I believe under your tutelage, I can work on my weaknesses and improve my strength.

I am willing to humble myself to learn and practice new skills being taught to me. Hence, this makes me different from the rest as there is always room for improvement. 

With this, thank you for taking the time to read this letter. 

Yours sincerely,

Muhammad Zulhilmi

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Effective communication skills for global engineers

 "While all engineers should have good communication skills, global engineers face additional challenges , making effective communication an imperative." Debra Kraft, Careers Content Writer, Demand Media (2016) 

Debra Kraft believes that global engineers envisions a world in which everyone has safe water, sanitation, energy, food, shelter and infrastructure. The engineers must become activists and advocates, leveraging their professionals skills and capacity to generate evidence and positive impact on the people.

More often than not, rural places such as villages and poor countries do not have access to clean water, proper sanitation, food, shelter and infrastructure. It is imperative for the engineers to communicate properly to find out what are the exact needs of the people from the said places and the problems they face. Next, the engineer has to communicate his findings to the relative ambassador or authority that's governing the area. He has to ensure that they fully understand the scenario which allows them to paint the bigger picture and allow them to act out accordingly and accurately. Additionally, he has to communicate and inform his findings to his team as well. It is imperative that he is precise with the information provided so that no information gets missed out which can impair the progress. Effective communication will allow them to be transparent regarding the details, smoothen the workflow processes, voice out opinions, issues or solutions and most importantly it ensures that everyone ends up on the same page.