I've been fiddling around with my abstract some more and come up with an improved (I think!) version of what has been posted below. Still not perfect, by any means, but it's evolving! Any feedback would be awesome! Thanks.
Abstract
Within the last half decade, the world has begun to focus more and more of its attention towards creating a more environmentally friendly planet. The realization of the damage that has been done to the natural environment has become clear, and attempts have begun to remedy our actions. One large aspect of this movement is the concept of living a green lifestyle, and creating environmentally friendly and sustainable housing.
While there has been a strong influx of new construction and design which incorporates sustainable technology, the solution is not simply creating new buildings – we must also adapt those homes which already exist. This vital idea is one which will be explored thoroughly within this report.
Heritage homes often have a sense of beauty and craftsmanship that is not commonly found within most modern residential design. While these homes have often been built very well, they have been designed and constructed more then four decades ago. Despite their classic craftsmanship, their old age has caused different aspects of the homes to deteriorate and eventually fail. They must be maintained and updated to create a more sustainable home for the future.
While minor changes can be made within any home to make it more green, there are many larger renovations which can be done to greatly increase the efficiency of a residential heritage house. As with any renovation; cost, time, and scale are very important factors, and it is vital to conduct research to discover what changes in your homes will make the greatest improvement. Long term investments must be considered, as an item which may cost a large amount of money initially may decrease your energy bills dramatically over the next five years, and that money will be regained.
The purpose of this applied research paper is to discover the main problems within these beautiful heritage homes and to highlight sustainable and environmentally friendly methods to solve these issues. This report was also written to discover the most simple and cost effective methods to fix these problems in older homes. In-depth research was conducted, both through academic and non-academic sources, as well as on-site research at a historical home within the downtown
One of the main problems in historical homes is their poor insulation. This causes heat loss, and thus increased heating bills. There are certain areas of the home which are the main causes of heat loss, and these areas must be updated and filled with proper insulation in order to maintain a healthy and warm home. There are also often issues around old doors and windows, and these leaks within the building envelope can cause cool drafts and more loss of heat.
These are just some of the issues which can occur within heritage homes, many more common problems and recommended solutions will be set forth in this report. This in-depth research which will provide guidance to historical home owners, so they may decide what upgrades and renovations will be most effective for them to create a more environmentally friendly and sustainable home.
6 comments:
Wow, your already ahead of the game with your abstract already up, good job looks good.
I think you should still add the problem of old electrical systems and use of less environmental friendly materials back in the body of the abstract.
I know you said at the end that what you stated was just some of the problems, but i think you might as well summarize the key major problems that need to be addressed for renos. Other than that it looks good.
Thats awesome that you found that website about historic homes in Vancouver, That would be a huge help if you could get your hands on it before its due.
Your abstract outline looks really good, I will have to agree with Derek and that electrical systems. As my opinion on everything so far, it looks really good.
Hello Morgan. Your outline looks good to me. Not that i really have anything to compare it to, but it looks good. Here is a site that nicole sent to me that might help you out. http://www.kamloops.ca/pdfs/heritage/heritage-kamplan.pdf
Thanks Mitch, that's an interesting link.
Thanks Travis and Derek for the input too. I'll revise the abstract and put up another draft later this week.
Hi Morgan
Your abstract looks great. I agree about the electrical systems, and I think that looking into the cost effectiveness of new heating systems (high efficiency heaters, heat pumps etc) would be good. And are you going to look into the energy footprint of different heating methods? (electricity, natural gas, pellet stoves etc) If you can find a way of doing a cost analysis on new heating systems with a) no new insulation, and no new doors/windows, b) new insulation, no doors/windows and c) new insulation and new high energy saving doors and windows, that would be a helpful source of info.
You may have to do some research into companies that produce replicas of old doors and windows, and people may find that they will have to go with new style windows to keep the costs down.
Very interesting topic, and your abstract is great.
This is shaping up nicely. I hope that your meeting with Steve will have a positive influence on your research. I would suggest that you get to the point a bit more quickly in your abstract. I also think that you should make more of an issue out of trying to maintain the heritage look of the buildings. As we discussed, it may be cheaper to demolish a heritage home and rebuild it rather than to retrofit it, but people are drawn to the character of these old homes and this must be preserved.
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