Architect makes suggestions for better building practices

Vice President of Antigua & Barbuda Institute of Architects, Colin John Jenkins has suggested that current building models in the twin island should be reevaluated, not only for design but also for operational maintenance.
He said this was necessary for environmental and building sustainability.
“I think we really should seriously consider building upwards and stop or limit how much sprawl we do, because we have limited amount of land as much as the green land we see around Antigua is concerned,” he said.
He said that members of his profession should be skeptical of what blueprints actually make it to groundbreakings as they are the ones with the creative direction needed to shape infrastructural views.
“It’s a responsibility for us, as architects, to help solve social issues,” Jenkins said. “For example, if you have a development that’s looking to take place, you have to be concerned that it is not just the buildings, it’s how humans are going to use the buildings and having social spaces for them to exist and communicate and form a bond.”
The architect also addressed the issue of people being forced to vacate poorly constructed buildings with inadequate ventilation and sanitation.
“You can still have an issue if buildings are not maintained, because somebody has to go and clean the filters, somebody has to make sure the water quality is right. Buildings need maintenance; buildings are operational; people come and go; buildings take wear and tear,” Jenkins said.
He said he has found that with the advent of the Internet, the exposure one gets to other countries’ style of design structure has influenced what residents in Antigua & Barbuda fittingly expect from his profession.
(More in today’s Daily Observer)