Reader Response

Summary:

Waterproof concrete can be a more viable option for future green rooftops benefiting society even further. As compared to the usage of membranes, waterproof concrete is relatively easy to implement. It is much sturdier and does not deteriorate with age. As concrete is used, it will hardly be affected or damaged during construction, making it a much more simpler option, leaving the designers lesser things to worry about.

With the application of concrete, all the designers have to do is to wait for it to set and use it as a working platform. With that in mind, the designers can proceed straight to construction without having to wait for the concrete to set prior to introducing the membrane to the green roof.

Due to the waterproofing nature of the concrete used, further waterproofing will no longer be required. This in turn play a big part in reducing cost and time used for construction. As concrete does not wear out or deteriorate over time, maintenance is at minimum as compared to when membranes were used. This will lead to the increase in its sustainability and at the same time lower its life cycle cost.

With regards to maintenance, issues such as leakage can be easily detected since it is caused by crack or from a loose seal. With a simple polyurethane grout injection it can be easily fixed from below without disturbing the green roof above. As for a membrane system, when an issue arises, it is difficult to pinpoint the location of the problem. The reparation fee is not only costly; it might also cause damage and disruption to the entire green rooftop system.

Thesis statement: I believe that using waterproof concrete for green rooftops is a good investment for both the owners and the society as it offers many benefits such as cost savings.

I feel that adopting waterproof concrete on green rooftops is a better option for both the owners and the society. The writer listed countless of distinct features using waterproof concrete, which further emphasizes the benefits of using it as compared to waterproof membranes. The benefits mentioned were applicable to many interested parties like the owners, society and investors who wish to adopt the waterproof concrete for the green rooftops. Benefits like cost savings, time saving and improved qualities of the product are the determining factors to bring about the change in the people’s mindsets of using waterproof concrete.

Firstly, the reason why waterproof concrete is a better investment for both the owners and the society is because of the numerous benefits that it offers as compared to using waterproof membranes. Waterproof concrete has a permanent built in waterproofing feature, which does not deteriorate with time and is not easily damaged due to different weather conditions. With this in mind, investors or owners would naturally go for products with longer lifespan to increase their return of investment; with a lower cost price to produce a higher valued product. I feel that having a good investment means forking out an amount lower than the expected return rate for a highly valued product. In this case, the writer captures the attention of investors by repeating the key factors, costs and time, to reiterate the advantages that the waterproof concrete will bring about to the society.

In addition, benefits like lower construction costs and reduction of time spent to construct the waterproof concrete were the factors, which sparked the interest in investors and owners. With a shorter time spent on completing the project, this would mean that the viability and feasibility of the project would increase. It is definitely a win-win situation for both the investor and the owner, as both parties would stand to benefit from project with an increase in sustainability and effectiveness. With that being said, (The Growing Green Guide, 2014), the ineffectiveness of using waterproof membranes increases as it is prone to failure due to its soft composition and the installation requires a high degree of skill which makes it time consuming as compare to waterproof concrete.

In conclusion, adopting waterproof concrete is a good investment for both the owners and the investors as it saves costs and time. With so many advantages being mentioned, investors would be reassured to replace waterproof membranes with waterproof concrete. Ultimately, the investors will prioritize their return of investment and the feasibility of the project. Waterproof concrete will be able to produce good returns at a lesser cost for the investors to make it a good investment.

References:

http://www.growinggreenguide.org/technical-guide/construction-and-installation/green-roofs/waterproofing

Summary on Green Rooftops

According to Green Rooftops, waterproof concrete can be a more viable option for future green rooftops benefiting society even further. As compared to the usage of membranes, waterproof concrete is relatively easy to implement. It is much sturdier and does not deteriorate with age. As concrete is used, it will hardly be affected or damaged during construction, making it a much simpler option, leaving the designers lesser things to worry about.

With the application of concrete, all the designers have to do is to wait for it to set and use it as a working platform. With that in mind, the designers can proceed straight to construction without having to wait for the concrete to set prior to introducing the membrane to the green roof.

Due to the waterproofing nature of the concrete used, further waterproofing will no longer be required. This in turn play a big part in reducing cost and time used for construction. As concrete does not wear out or deteriorate over time, maintenance is at minimum as compared to when membranes were used. This will lead to the increase in its sustainability and at the same time lower its life-cycle cost.

With regards to maintenance, issues such as leakage can be easily detected since it is caused by crack or from a loose seal. With a simple polyurethane grout injection, it can be easily fixed from below without disturbing the green roof above. As for a membrane system, when an issue arises, it is difficult to pinpoint the location of the problem. The reparation fee is not only costly, it might also cause damage and disruption to the entire green rooftop system.

My English Language learning journey

Learning a language was never easy.

Learning a language can be a very tedious process. It tires you out both physically and mentally. If it wasn't for my english teacher when i was in secondary school, i would not have been able to pull through the journey. It was her unwavering support and patience which motivated me to work even harder to repay her efforts.

I still remember the time when my kindergarten teacher taught us the alphabet song to make us remember the 26 different alphabets. This was the only enjoyable moment i had while learning english language when i was young. As i grew up, learning the language gradually became dull and uninteresting. If only language could be learnt and taught in a fun manner, wouldn't it be great?

I could barely catch up to what my teacher was teaching in class. It came as a struggle to me while i was coping with my english classes when i was in secondary school. The number of techniques and skills taught were increasingly challenging and some would even require countless practices to fully grasp the concept. It really hit me hard when i had  received my first mid-term exam results for the english papers. For the first time ever, i actually failed my english language. I could still remember vividly that i had scored a total of 48 marks out of 100 marks. It was so unbearable to even hold the papers in my hands as i could not even look up and focus on what my teacher was going through. I could not believe that after countless practices and revisions, all i would amount to was a FAIL. To me, it came as a shock in the first place. However, the failed papers gradually turned into a really big motivation for me to work even harder towards my end of year examinations. It was truly a satisfying moment to see that all my hard work had paid off when i received my english papers for the end of year examinations. To others, it might not be a really good score but to me, it was far more than just a grade. To me, having even a grade of B4 beats having an A1 as i know that all my efforts had paid off having completed the heaps of past year papers and the countless consultations with my english teacher. She was genuinely happy to see me improve by leaps and bounds.

Who could have thought that someone like me, who failed my english language papers, would have chosen english literature as one of my subject combinations in secondary 3. I was actually quite surprised by my own decision but that did not stop me from choosing the subject. The beauty of language captivated me and it only sparked my interest to study the language further through literature. And guess what? I managed to pull through and scored a B3 for my literature exams in the o levels!

Learning a language is never easy but, with perseverance and commitment, one can always achieve the impossible! It is through failure that i managed to see the areas that i need to work on and adjust my studying methods to achieve better quality results. Failure is not always something bad. It could be a good thing that i failed because i get to know and realize the importance of my mistakes. It is alright to fail sometimes, but I must never fail again knowing what failed.