______________________________________________________________

The government and private sector of the Davao Region will begin working on a program to be backed by an international financing body which will source the appropriate amount to fund important infrastructure projects in the region to sustain its economic development.

As this developed, a memorandum of agreement was forged between the Davao Integrated Development Program, the Mindanao Business Council and the MCC Capital Projects, Ltd.

The signing of the agreement was held last Wednesday, December 19 during the DIDP board meeting chaired by Davao del Norte Governor Rodolfo del Rosario who represented the DIDP. The other signatories were MinBC chair Vicente T. Lao and the MCC representatives M. Faisal Kasim, chief executive officer and John Tapp, director and company secretary.

Del Rosario in a press briefing after the MOA signing stressed the need to integrate and harmonize various infrastructure projects within the DIDP area.

As indicted in the agreement Del Rosario said the priority infrastructure projects include the Light Rail Transit and the Samal Bridge.

However Del Rosario said under the DIDP Master Plan are several projects but they cited the local railway transit and the Samal bridge as their priority.

He said the parties involved agreed to collectively undertake infrastructure and/or entrepreneurial projects in an efficient and expeditious manner that would benefit Mindanao and help in the growth of the BIMP EAGA region.

As stipulated in the agreement, the DIDP and the MinBC shall undertake initiatives necessary to provide the MCC such guarantees, support and operating environment for the projects to be undertaken in a manner mutually acceptable to the parties and not prohibited by law.

The LRT system that will serve the coastal build-up area of Davao City as well as neighboring areas in Davao del Sur particularly the municipality of Sta. Cruz and Davao del Norte in Panabo City will costs around US$4.49 billion or P240 billion based on 1997 project cost estimate.

The Samal bridge construction with project cost of US$126.9 million or P6.48 billion is about 1,200 meters long of lanes bridge at about 22 meters vertical clearance with suspension of cable-stayed.

A pre-feasibility analysis of the project is available for full blown feasibility study.

Del Rosario however vowed to support the project and to work with the local government units.

Kasim on the other hand said their intention of generating the funds is through the flotation of bonds saying that there are international buyers looking for investment packages.

He said international buyers are attracted to buy bonds that will fund projects especially in countries like the Philippines.

The Philippines he said is attractive to buyers globally and this is an opportune time that sectors like the local government units should consider seriously.

There will be series of briefings and discussions among the LGUs with regards the scheme that will be undertaken and the Department of Trade and Industry is taking the lead of encourage the municipalities to come up with their respective proposals.

By the first quarter of 2008, the parties will consult and coordinate with each other and come up with action plan for the projects to be undertaken.

there's something to be said for knowing what's expected of you.
there's something to be said for feeling a part of the world you live in.
there's something to be said for hegemony.
there's something to be said for the hegemony when everyone is part of that pervasive overruling societal construct, living in your brain, dictating your thoughts and actions.
there's something to be said for peace, quiet, order and willfully accenting to the order.
What that something is, i'm not sure. but there is something to it.

Materials

• Chestnut logs for the vertical pillars.

• Chestnut wood floor.

• Treated pine rafters for the rest of the wood frame.

• Straw for the walls and underfloor insulation.

• Split bamboo for the inside of the roof.

• Fir panelling for the top of the walls inside.

• Pine and poplar crust (leftovers from sawmills: wood with bark on one side) for the outside cladding.

• Salvaged windows and door.

• Thin multi-layered insulation for the roof.

• Geotextile as an under layer for the roof.

• Pine planks to support the wood shingles

• Chestnut planks for the wood shingles.

• Plaster for the inside render.

Design:

The idea was to have a small house (9 m²) but designed in such a way as to have the maximum of space as well as light. I didn't want a round house as it is not very practical for furniture and such, so I opted for a kind of diamond shape, which close enough to round to make it look much bigger than it is. Also the bed is a mezzanine so all the floor space can be used for other purposes.

I put windows on all side except the north side, plus a large skylight which covers a fifth of my roof. The north side is the smallest to minimise heat loss.

The north side of the house is attached to two big pines, so I can add extra platforms in the trees. Maybe it's not the best idea as the house moves when it's windy, which might cause problems for my walls. It may also be a problem to waterproof the contact between the trees and the roof. But so far so good, I will see with time and keep you updated on the results.

Construction:

First I started making the frame of the house, starting from the trees with a level beam connecting them and working from there to keep a level floor structure. To keep the structure level I propped it on cement and wooden blocks, so then I was free to fix the vertical pillars to the floor perimeter. The vertical pillars are just sitting on top of flat stones, above the ground so they are less likely to rot. Then I connected the pillars on the top and built the structure for the roof and the mezzanine. The mezzanine is exactly the size of a slatted bed base so I could use one I salvaged from the local dump. From then on I just put a tarp on the roof and I could sleep in my house. After that I laid the interior split bamboo cladding inside the roof structure: it's very easy to lay and very cheap, in our region bamboo grows in many places near rivers.

The next step was to build the outside wall cladding so I could start the floor with some protection from the rain. For the cladding I used pine and poplar crust from a local sawmill, you can get them for very cheap or even free if the people at the sawmill are friendly. Then it's very easy to trim them with a chainsaw. To lay them you start from the bottom and overlap each one with the one above. I just nailed the crusts on the outside of the pillars.

For the floor I first built the structure to support the floorboards: rafters every 50 cm (50 cm is a maximum, with palette boards 30 cm would be better). For the underfloor insulation I used loose straw, held in place buy chicken wire, it's probably best to have a more rigid support for the insulation, so it can be packed properly. To make my floor I bought nice chestnut floorboards, it is worth buying good quality floorboards as you will get less draft coming from the floor than if you use normal boards.

To lay the floor I worked my way from the door to the back wall as this was the easiest way to proceed with the shape of my house. When you are laying floorboards you have to think in advance how you are going to fit them when you get close to the end.

Once my floor was finished I started with the window frames so I could finish the outside of my walls. The window frames stand on their own, they are supported by two vertical beams connecting the floor structure with the roof structure, this method was the best way to be able to pour my walls in. Once the windows wereinstalled I finished the outside cladding leaving enough space at the top and below windows to be able to pour my walls in.

For the walls I installed old particle boards on the inside to give shape to the straw-lime. The boards were nailed on the inside of my roof structure at the top and on especially placed wood slats nailed on the floor. This wood slats will be used to nail skirting boards once the walls are finished. Between the pillars and the boards I left a space of about 5 cm so the pillars are not visible on the inside and that there is no draft between the walls and the pillars. Once the inside forms were ready I started pouring my walls one side after the other, starting first with the east and west sides and finishing with the backside (north) and the door side. To make my straw-lime mix I used an oil drum cut in half, for the proportions I used half a bag of hydraulic lime (35 kg bags) and filled the drum with water till straw dipped in it would come out with only a thin film of lime. The mix should be as thin as a French pancake batter (much thinner than American pancake batter). Then straw was dipped in batches, then left to drip for a few seconds and finally poured in the wall, between the panels and the outside cladding. You have to make sure to pack the walls regularly as you build up so the walls are compacted evenly. When working with lime be careful to protect your hands and cover exposed skin as it burns, I learned that the hard way and will avoid using lime if I can. Once a wall is finished leave it to dry for 24 hours before removing the boards inside, but don't leave the boards longer than necessary so the wall can dry properly. When you remove the boards the wall should already be quite solid. On one of the wall I left the panels too long and the straw had started to rot on the surface.

Once the walls were finished I started work on the roof. First I put the insulation for the roof: I bought some multilayered aluminium foil/bubble wrap insulation, it's not very eco but it has the advantage of being really thin, which in my case was essential as I had very little space for insulation. To hide the shiny side from the inside (you could see it in the space between the bamboo slats), I used some white geotextile which I had kicking around from our communal house foundations.  I fixed the insulation and geotextile in place with staples.

Before starting the roof I realised I hadn't made a hole for the chimney or planed for it, so I had to find a good trick as I didn't have anything to support the bamboo ceiling around the chimney hole. So I made two boards with a hole large enought for the chimney pipe, drilled holes in each corner and bolted them together on both sides of the roof (in and out) and sandwiched the bamboo. I was then able to cut the bamboo.

For the roof cover I first layed pine planks over the whole surface, to use as support for the shingles. In retrospective I should have found a way to leave an air gap between the planks and the shingles, to avoid any problems with moisture accumulation, but so far it seams to work.  For the shingles I found a sawmill close to our area and bought some chestnut planks, they were straight out of the sawmill so I had to cut the edges off to get parallel sides, and to remove the sapwood (decomposes quicker). I cut the planks in

50cm long shingles. To avoid splitting (chestnut is very nervous) I predrilled the shingles before nailing them. Each shingle overlaps by 2/3 the ones bellow. Also I made sure that the shingle would deform the right way round so I turned them the heart downwards.

After covering the roof I had to do the hardest bit: making the skylight. For this I made an A shaped triangular frame, composed of three glass panes, with the middle that can be opened. The fixed panes I fixed by putting nails around and bending them above the glass, I also glued them on with silicon for water tightness. The openable one has got a welded metal frame, with hinges welded on, the glass is held in place by two welded little metal triangles in the corners and is also glued with silicon. Then  around the frame I put some tin sheets above the sides of the glass panes to stop water from coming in. It is mostly waterproof, it only drips a little bit below the skylight during very strong storms and I have yet to identify the leaking spot.

Carport Constructions are a well respected West Australian building company who specialise in matching the design and character of the existing residence. We are a results driven business who prides ourselves on the high quality of our building projects. Whether it's a carport, alfresco area or garage our innovative design and excellent service will be sure to please.

We can offer a complete service from council applications through to construction. Because we specialise in this area we pride ourselves in completing our projects from the initial set-out to the final site cleanup in a timely manner.

We are fully insured and have a quality of workmanship and attention to detail that is second to none.

Our standard design of custom built carport is both economic and complementary to the character and materials of the existing residence. We invite you to browse our site and contact us for a quote for any of the carports you may see.

We've kept the size but we changed the design, now it's got a fire chamber bellow the cooking chamber so that it's easier to regulate the temperature and hopefully possible to fire clay.

We reused all the material from the first oven: a load of stones, lots of sand, the special tiles for the floor of the oven. I had to buy some cement to mix with the clay, hollow earth brick for making the underlying structure of the floor and some hollow square metal bar stock to support the bricks for the floor of the cooking chamber.

The costs: about 200 Euros for what I bought for this oven and for the first oven we spend about 100 Euros for the special floor tiles.

Tools: cement mixer, angle grinder, trowel, shovel, pickax and a wheelbarrow.

Here is the construction step by step,

1- I cleared a 2.5m x 2.5m space close to our communal space. Removed the top soil to use in the garden and marked the future space for the base of the oven.

2- Build the base of the oven: a square wall built in dry stone infilled with rubble. I was carefull to leave a round volume inside for the fire chamber, it's the same diameter as the cooking chamber (1.5m) and it's got an opening towards the front, just below the mouth of the oven (see picture). Also when I got to the level of the base of the cooking chamber I put a copper pipe to act as an heat exchanger for heating up water with the oven.

3- Once the base was up to the height of the oven floor, I proceeded to finish the cooking chamber properly, I made the floor and the walls of the chamber with a cement/earth mix, in order to seal all the joints and to have the copper pipe encased in the floor.

4- The next step was making the floor of the oven, the idea which as yet to be tested for resistance to heat, was to make the floor from hollow brick filled with earth (to ensure good conduction of heat) and held in place by hollow square metal bars (the right size to fit inside the bricks, see picture).

5- We ajusted the floor and made sure it was level. There is a space at the back of the oven to ensure that the flames/smoke go from the fire chamber to the cooking chamber and then out form the oven mouth.

6- Next I build the tile floor over the bricks, to get it level I used some fine sand and just laid the tiles on top leaving about 1cm for the joint between each tiles. For the joints I used refractory cement (10kg).

7- To build the dome I first made a big pile of wet sand the shape of the inside of the dome. I covered it with wet newspapers, and made a form for the mouth of the oven with sheet metal.

8- Over the sand dome I laid the first layer of earth/cement mix. I added some cement because the earth we collected from the first oven didn't very good properties because it had been heated up so many times, the first oven was made exclusively of a mix of clay/sand (40/60).The advantage of adding a little bit of cement is that it dries a lot quicker. For the first oven we waited 2 weeks for the first layer to dry and the same for the second layer, this time after one day the first layer was dry and I was able to make the second layer. The dome is about 15cm thick.

9- Once the dome was dry, I removed the sand from the inside, and now it's drying for one month before the first firing, to avoid cracks.

10- The next step was building the chimney, the idea is that the top of your chimney should be about 1m above the top of your roof to ensure you have a good draught. We buildt the chimney using sotnes and a mortar similar to the mix we used for the dome of the oven, for the cap we used cut brick to make the supports and two large stones cut square with an angle grinder to cap it off. It is possible to include a baffle inside the chimney to limit heat loss during cooking.

11- After levelling the base around the dome, we build a wood frame to support the roof and maybe eventually hold insulating material around the dome. To attach the frame to the base we drilled holes in each corner and in the four corner poles in order to secure them together we steel rods. We made a very simple frame with chestnut poles on top a which we put the structure to receive the flat selflock tiles. Tiling the roof was a very simple operation, around the chimney I used a small angle grinder with a diamond disk to cut the tiles to the right dimensions. Then I cemented the space between the tiles and the chimney to ensure watertightness.

12- Then we made the doors for the firebox and the oven. For the firebox I made a simple door with a welded metal frame openning downwards, for the door I used a piece of 1mm thick sheet metal which I bend around a round metal bar to make the hinge, on the frame I welded hinges from old windows.

For the oven door I made a guillotine door, they are very simple to make and they are very convenient to use as you don't have to touch any hot metal to open it. For this door I used to U shaped metal bars for the guiding rails and a piece of 4mm thick sheet metal for the door. The guiding rails are welded together with two horizontal flat metal bars. I still have to figure out how to best attach it to the oven.

We made our first cooking experiments: it works really well, the draught is very good and it's easy to adjust the temperature.

• Clay: enough to make a dome at least 15 cm thick.
• Special refractory oven tiles: they will the most expensive part of the oven (100 €), you can possibly find them at tile factories in your area if you still have small producers, otherwise refractory bricks or cement will do, I suppose earth would do as well. The tiles have to be at least 3.5 cm thick.
• Sand: to mix with the clay to reduce shrinkage, to make a base for the tiles, to make the shape for the dome and also for thermal mass. The sand should be fine to medium grained.
• Cement: to make a the base for the dome, probably not necessary, and jointing the tiles.
• Stones and rubble: to build the base of the oven.
• A thick metal plate for the door.

Design:

There are many different designs for bread oven's for our first oven we chose a simple one where the bread is cooked after the fire has been removed. There are also designs where the fire is below the cooking chamber and the flames come in the cooking chamber via a hole at the back and so can heat up the dome and finally escape through the chimney at the front. The oven we built is 1.5 m diameter and 50 cm high inside the dome, the door is oriented towards the east and is big enough so someone can go inside if needs be. For the orientation of the door you should check other ovens in your area, it is based on the direction of prevailing winds and will affect the draught of the oven. I don't think it's so important if your oven is indoors. With our oven we can bake about 20 kg of bread at a time. It is important to have a large thermal mass around your oven as it will cool to quickly otherwise, on ours at first we only had the earth dome and it wasn't enough be able to cook bread properly, so we added a layer of sand all around the dome.

First we built a square base of dry stones infilled with rubble, make sure you make it wide enough, we had troubles when we added the insulation/thermal mass around the dome, as we hadn't planned for it in the first place.

On this picture we can see the finished base and the worker's admiring the job.

Then on the top of the base we made a ring of cement to make an even base for the dome. To make the ring we used two metal rings coming from old cart wheels. The centre was filled with sand on which the tiles were laid. To cut the tiles we used an angle grinder with a diamond disk.

In the bottom left corner you can see the clay we used for the dome and on the floor of the oven there is whole tile. You can also see a copper pipe coming from the base, it is heat exchanger to heat up water with the oven. We only tested once and it worked, but we have no idea to what extent it cools the oven, it could anyhow be used after the bread is cooked.

To make the dome we used a mix of clay and sand in the following proportions 60% clay for 40% sand. You can also use earth from your land, but then you should test small batches to see how they react to heat. To give the shape of the dome we first made a dome of wet sand covered with newspaper for easy removal.

We made the dome in two phases laying 7.5 cm each time and letting it dry for a couple of weeks. The dome should dry slowly so you may need to cover it with a wet cloth if the weather is too dry or if there is a lot of wind. Otherwise it will shrink excessively.

Once the dome is hard and finished you can remove the sand from inside. On this picture you can see the inside of the dome just after the sand was removed. You can leave the newspaper, it will burn when the oven is first fired.

After the dome we made the chimney with stones mortared with earth. Then we added a insulation around the dome: sand enclosed by an earth and stone wall on which we added a render to protect from the rain. To protect the oven we built a tiled roof with enough space under to keep the bread warm before baking, so they don't drop (that's the problem when you have to carry your risen bread outside when it's cold.

It's probably best to let the oven dry for about a month before firing it. The first time you fire the oven you need to make a small fire and heat it up progressively so you don't cause big cracks in the dome. After a few hours of burning you can increase the heat till the dome becomes white hot inside, and then you can start baking your bread. To test the temperature you crumple a newspaper sheet and put on your bread shovel, it should turn brown immediately but not catch fire.

The total cost of the oven was about 120 € (2003), the cost being mostly the tiles, it would be possible to make it entirely of earth and then the cost would minimal. In terms of time, it takes about a month including the drying time between the layers of the dome.

J'ai pu FRAPS illimité :(

lien pour le Gcombat : ici

lien pour le Tiled : ici

Mdr si vous voyez bien, y'a moi qui combat un strider au pied de biche mdr (moi = genox )
Sinon c'est bigome qui film
Faite un arret sur image ;)

Lien pour le easy précision : ici

Olha só esse monstro, tirando alguns detalhes ele é todo feito de lego.

Ao cabelo...atente as caveirinhas na base do bicho, muito bem feito né?

Olha só essa base aérea (sei lá que que é isso)

Tão bem feito que parece que voa...hauhaua...apelei...mas é foda, tem até piloto lá dentro!

O trabalhador que construiu isso tudo sozinho

Agora a que eu mais gostei:

Haja paciência! Quem fez isso tá de parabéns.

Quero minha casa de LEGO :)

The blog can now be reached at www.wordconstructions.com.au/blog The existing content will remain here for now, but it has all been copied across to the new location for easy reference at any time.

If you wish to subscribe to the blog, you can do so by clicking here for the RSS feed.

Two classes solved the leprechauns problem. Better than Ghost the Bunny? Maybe.

Thanks to Carl and Emmy and Livingstone and Samantha for their assistance.

And the constructions in geometry, everyone got better, didn't they? And we played a game (will anyone find the rules over the weekend? A homework pass is at stake.)

And thanks to Valerie and (who else? There were a bunch of you!) for coming in to watch the constructions (and play)! Add your names here:

________________ ________________ __________________ __________________ ________________

That bagel (Michael, Deandra) was big. Otherwise, I wouldn't have had time to eat...

Finally, so many of you sent me your parents! Do you think the things I said were fair? I do. I tease in class, but I try to be nice when I talk to adults about you.

1. LOW COST

Our steel buildings are more economical than conventional methods due to the originating costs and reduced labor. Complete steel buildings are delivered to the jobsite and quickly erected.

2. QUICK CONSTRUCTION

On average, a steel building system can be completed in approximately two-thirds the time required for conventional construction.

3. BETTER APPEARANCE

The appearance of steel buildings can easily be enhanced with stucco, stone, brick or glass. Metal building systems can attain a remarkable exterior that will merge with the ambiance of the building's surroundings.

4. LOW ENERGY CONSUMPTION

A suitably insulated metal building can drastically decrease heating and cooling expenses. Insulated roof and wall systems preserve and reassure thermal efficiencies.

5. LOW MAINTENANCE

Extended life materials reduce maintenance, and eliminate troubles such as structural deterioration, rotting and insect damage.

6. EXPANDIBILTY

It is easy to enlarge a building by removing the end walls, erecting new framework and adding matching wall and roof panels. In most situations, the original end wall panels can be reused.

Company Name:Rigsar Construction, Trashigang, Bhutan.

Experience in years:5-10 Years.

Skills:Entire Project Management.

Salary Range:Rs.25000 to Rs.35000 ( Basic pay.)
Job Location:Bhutan.

Apply Email:rigsar@druknet.bt

Contact number:00975-17111639.

I was inspired to take photographs of building constructions activities. I think it makes for a good practise for starting photojournalism for me. I saw this image as I was driving home and stopped the car. The most chalenging aspect for me is to time the shot perfectly. Its relatively easy to take pictures like this one but its exponentially more difficult to take one with a story behind it. I also noticed that I don't care for colour recently and most of the recent photos I have posted is in black and white.

Canon 1D III 70-200mm f/2.8 IS L at 200mm
F/8 1/200th ISO 200

Produced with a small Rhinoscript