How Safe is My House?

Earthquakes have been hitting the country recently, which makes us wonder, are we ready for "The Big One?" Scientists have projected that an earthquake of such magnitude will strike in the near future, affecting people from all over the world, and the Philippines will undoubtedly be among them.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) investigated 18 potential earthquake scenarios and published thorough damage analyses. In just at least 30 seconds, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake in the West Valley Fault could kill 34,000 people—this doesn't include possible deaths from other disasters that may follow.

We may consider our homes to be secure havens, but with an earthquake this devastating, early steps must be taken. This raises the question, "How safe is my house?"

Simple Self-Check for Earthquake Safety

In response to earthquakes, PHIVOLCS has devised a method to analyze our own houses in a simple and manageable manner to promote inexpensive earthquake evaluation of residences.

The self-check questions you will be asking are closely related to who was involved in the construction of your home, the design and materials used, as well as the history of your home and location with developments and earthquakes. These will help you identify whether your home is safe and what your next steps should be for a safer home. Take the test here to find out if your home is really safe!

To be able to apply proper measures, you start by identifying whether your house is safe and in good condition. Once you are sure how secure it is, only then can you really begin to explore ways to improve the deficiencies in your home so you can protect not just yourself but your family as well.

Stay Safe with JCVA

Find out how you can make your home safer against disasters with a team of qualified and experienced Environment, Health & Safety practitioners dedicated to building better homes. Our team will be present at every step of the process providing expert input, minimizing risk, and ensuring that your home is constructed correctly—from the early design stages to materials procurement and construction.

JCVA is with you every step of the way! Email us at info@jcvassociates.ph or visit www.jcvassociates.ph to learn more about our services.

Sources:

• https://www.sciencetimes.com/articles/20683/20190423/the-big-one-philippines-project-a-death-toll-of-34-000-from-possible-quake.htm

• https://www.phivolcs.dost.gov.ph/vault/pdf/Publication_Earthquake%20Preparedness/Flyer-How-Safe-Is-Your-House.pdf

Improving A Tiny Kitchen Space

The kitchen has always been the heart of every home. This is where we make our morning coffee before we head out for work, where we cook meals for people we love and where we remake the magical recipes handed down to us by mom or lola.

Nowadays, kitchens have evolved into a spacious place not only for cooking but for socializing too. If you want to handover your ultimate family Sinigang recipe to your daughter, or you just want to have a cook-off with your cousin who just got back in town from abroad, the kitchen is the place for those fun-filled activities.

But if space is an issue, we can help with that. Here’s a quick guide for a modern looking small kitchen.

If you want to make the most out of a small kitchen and widen the look, we’re glad to share with you these tips from the design principal of Gal at Home Design Studio, Ms. Camyl Besinga:

1. Open UP your space. Tear down some of the upper cabinets and change to open shelves. This helps visually open up the space because it lessens heavy blocks or modules that clutter up the walls.

2. Put some color. Quartz or marble looking counters are suggested for our model kitchen. Change out basic wood-look cabinets to something with color, like cerulean or navy, or even olive green. Pick one in an unsaturated, muted tone, so as not to overwhelm the space.

3. Lighten up the countertops. Condo kitchens normally have black countertops, but lighten things up by making use of a light-colored quartz or synthetic stone. Extend the countertop all the way up to the bottom of the wall cabinets, to visually expand the space."

4. Lighting for sightings! Lighting is very important because it opens up the kitchen, making it look bigger and wider than its actual size. Consider lighting, add overhead lighting and cabinet uplights. Shorter cabinets are suggested, from 80cm to 65cm to create space between the top of the cabinets and add top light to open up the kitchen’s vibes! Changer the overhead light to 2-3 movable track lights or downlights.

Quick tip: reflector lights help strengthen the light output of the light fixture!

1. Flooring isn’t boring. Change the flooring from standard beige to something in a light wood finish or look. Laying them out in an alternate or herringbone pattern perpendicular to the long wall could also help widen the look of this narrow kitchen.

2. Mind the fixture. We can also change the kitchen sink to one deep tub stainless steel 80 inches sink so it's spacious. Plus, you stack it up with lots of dishes and cookware!

3. Style accordingly. If you want to go for a Mid-Century modern looking kitchen, vintage plates are a must! These go along very well with Amber glasses. However, if it’s a contemporary style you’re aiming for, you may go with stoneware, or a collection of clear glasses.

Quick tip too: Consider installing a dishwasher into one of the bottom modules so you can proceed to binge watch your favorite K-Drama right after dinner!

For the furniture or kitchenware, make sure only to buy and use reliable items with multiple functions. You can’t stack up all your cabinets with items that you barely use or items that are too bulky that only have one purpose.

Also, organizing your cabinets is a big help. You can use easy to reach cabinets and put the items you always use, in front. That will save you time too because you won’t have to rearrange them now and then.

The key to a small kitchen is planning to maximize the space and making sure that the room meets all your needs from cutting to cooking!

We hope these tips helped you achieve your kitchen goals!

Can't wait to refresh your kitchen after reading this blog? Contact us at info@jcvassociates.ph to begin! You can also read more about Ms. Camyl’s work and see her designs at: https://galathome.com/.

SME's Guide to Progressive & Sustainable Design Without Breaking the Bank

As the construction industry transforms into a smarter and more sustainable future, the amount of investment required might be intimidating for small and medium-sized businesses. However, being environmentally friendly does not always mean it will cost you a lot–more often than not, it will even save you money in the long run.

To help you with your journey, here are the things you should remember to build progressively and sustainably without breaking the bank!

The Better Way to Build

In the construction industry, sound design and sustainability go hand in hand. They both emphasize the structure's durability, making the concept of green building possible even on a tight budget. By going back to the fundamentals of a good building design, the quality of the materials used and even how it is constructed are taken into consideration. A properly constructed building will have sustainable characteristics intrinsically, leading to a healthier, more cost-effective, and environmentally friendly home.

Location Is Key

Location is more significant than you may realize. The most effective green design will make use of natural sunlight, ventilation, and even materials that are ideal for the project's location. By responding to the area of the sun and wind and using them to assist heat or cool the property, you can maximize available resources and even save you from having an enormous operational cost in the long run. This also reduces reliance on energy for lighting, HVAC, and material transportation.

Everything Relies on Efficiency

It is essential to carefully select materials depending on location and invest in items that provide a quick return on investment. However, the price should not be the only concern–your materials' durability and long-term impact should also be considered! Look into the possibility of conserving energy, water, materials, and human resources.

Understanding and combining material properties, design, and construction methods is key to cost-effective and progressive construction. We can accomplish this by adequately understanding materials' interactions at all levels. We all have a role to play if we want to support a more innovative, cleaner future for the building industry, and green building is definitely a step in the right direction–plus, it has the potential to bring businesses additional value. Take small strides towards being more sustainable, think efficient, think smart, and act green!

Source:

http://buildipedia.com/aec-pros/design-news/building-green-on-a-budget-advice-from-leading-architects