Sun 9 Aug 2009
A new building near where I work is almost completed. A local law firm has erected what I think is the most original building on island. The look is debatable, but I think it looks good ; very modern.
The center part of the building will be an atrium that will provide almost all offices with natural light. On the roof, apparently there are solar panels that will provide hot water to the building. Also, note the windows ; they are small for two reasons. 1. Hurricanes. 2. Less blazing heat from the sun.
Here you can see that it has been “built up” from the street level and standing on concrete pillars. The building starts at 18ft above sea level. It may not seem like much, but for storm surge, which is one of the biggest risks in George Town, it should be plenty.
The building has been designed to withstand a category 5 hurricane ; the worst it can get!
One thing I noted before the building was painted white. On top of the concrete, a 2-3 inch think Styrofoam “paneling” was put over the entire building. Once the styrofoam on, then some sort of concrete paint was put on top. For insulation from the heat, this is apparently very efficient.
One final note. I saw this tree close to where we live ; wow! So much orange. No idea what it is though. Anyone out there know?
Ir’s a Royal Poinciana, Micho.
Sometimes called the Flamboyant tree.
Totallay amazing, aren’t they? The Brac had fabulous ones before last November’s hurricane. I hope they are recovering a bit.
Debby Schryer
Hi there. We used to own a vacation rental on the North Side, but (unfortunately) sold a few years ago. We still visit and will be back next month.
I’m writing because I was intrigued by the pedal power system you installed. Did it work? I can’t imagine it really cutting your bill by 30% since the energy required would be enormous. Our bills would often go over $300/month. Did pedaling help much?
By the way, your CONTACT link isn’t working, so I’m posting this here. Cool blog.