UTech, Ja. Voices

9 January – April 2020 | VOICES Bi-Monthly Magazine of the University of Technology, Jamaica site because we had no water, no electricity and no road access. To make it doable, we prefabricated the whole building in Irish Town, because there was a place where we could plug our tools to cut all the wood, and prepare everything,” he said. “We brought the prefabricated elements on the site and then assembled them.” Dr. Garfield Young, Dean of the Faculty of The Built Environment, explained that the project represents a step in the University’s efforts to lead the research that establishes innovative construction techniques that are sustainable and suitable for a tropical setting, and that respond well to hurricanes, earthquakes and the mounting effects of climate change. “It is a very interesting research that has implications for how we build going forward, and how our buildings will respond to the kinds of things we have to face as a people.” Dr. Young also indicated that using adobe construction techniques reduces the cost of materials, and negates the need for insulation or for cooling mechanisms, such as central air conditioning. Ricardo Lucien, final year Caribbean School of Architecture student, works on the construction of the adobe “a IT dat Mud House Project”. Lucien said that he was pleased to have been a part of the project and happy with the opportunity to see the practical application of theories of architecture. Dr. Garfield Young points to a crack in the façade of the building that was repaired by an application of ochre.