Langdon Winner’s “Artifacts/Ideas and Political Culture” W2
Instructions:

first reflect on Langdon Winner’s “Artifacts/Ideas and Political Culture” (pp.83-89)in the book Sciety, Ethics, and Technology. in order to identify what you
consider the most important or interesting (or controversial, or wrong-headed) concept, assertion, argument, or conclusion in this text.

For the item you selected, please post a well-organized message that addresses all the following questions about the item’s context within Winner’s text, your evaluation of Winner’s discussion of the item, and your reflective conclusions about the item’s significance.

IDENTIFICATION OF CONTEXT:
* What is the item that you selected?
* What is the context of Winner’s discussion of this item — what purposes was Winner’s discussion of it supposed to achieve?
* What are the passages in the text where Winner discusses your item with the most clarity or depth? Please quote short passages and crucial parts of longer
passages.
* What are the most important claims that Winner makes about your item?

EVALUATION:
* How clear is Winner’s discussions of your item? Are there important questions or issues that Winner fails to address or addresses poorly? What else would
Winner have to explain to make his discussion of your item crystal-clear?
* Does Winner’s discussion of your item allow him to reach the goal or purpose you have identified? If so, what are the most effective things he does to achieve
his purpose? If not, what are the most significant weaknesses in Winner’s discussion?

REFLECTIVE CONCLUSIONS:
* Does Winner’s discussion of your item lead to important conclusions, questions, or calls to action?
* Are there any interesting or important connections between Winner’s discussion of your item relate to ideas in Richard Sclove’s, Judy Wajcman, or
Shelia Jasanoff’s texts or in texts we have studied earlier in the term?
* Does Winner’s discussion of your item have any practical significance for your life or for your relationship to or use of technology?
In addition to posting your own message, please engage in extended academic discussions of classmates’ posts and classmates’ discussions of your
post. Be sure to post to at least two other students’ posts.
The class’s collective goal is to together to discuss in as much depth as is possible several key claims in Winner’s text.

Construction of 3 residential buildings in addition to a few commercial units, all services and roads necessary for future occupants.

TASKS:

Your answers must be provided with reference to the above project
Task 1
Outline the main features of the planning, design and production phases of the construction process. Distinguish between each phase and show how these phases are coordinated and managed.

a. The main project is the construction of the residential buildings, the minor related projects are roads and services. Identify the planning processes for each type of project.

b. Discuss the design phase for building, civil engineering and /or building services projects associated with the main project.

c. Evaluate how the planning and design phases are coordinated and managed.
Task 2
Analyse the various factors that affect the specification of materials and building services.

a. List and describe in detail all the factors that may affect the specification of materials.

b. Examine the factors that affect the specification of building services.

c. Explain the financial implications of specifying materials and building services.

Task 3
Demonstrate your understanding of the environmental factors which affect the planning and design phases of the construction process.

a. Discuss the environmental factors that affect construction projects.

b. Evaluate environmentally responsible methods for the disposal of waste materials.

c. Evaluate environmentally responsible methods of promoting environmental efficiency.

Notes:

1. Your assignment have to cover all the points below in about 7 pages. (1750 words)
2. A bibliography of the resources you used in your research to be attached to the notes
Wikipedia is not allowed to be used as an academic reference.

PART B
Scenario

You work for an engineering firm as a trainee engineer. Due to the rapid growth and expansion of your company a new office building is required. A suitable Brownfield site has been acquired by your company. The budget is limited and the construction should be completed within a short period of time. Your company’s policy is to encourage use of technological advances in the design, planning and construction of the project in order to achieve the target completion date and to meet the budget.

The Project

Construction of a Multi-storey office Building

Your Responsibilities

You are responsible for producing notes and drawings in which you are expected to:

Task 1:
Describe the roles and responsibilities of all parties involved in the construction project.

a. Explain the roles and responsibilities of all parties involved in the planning and design phases.

b. Explain the roles and responsibilities of all parties involved in the production phase.

c. Evaluate the corporate and personal responsibilities of all parties involved in the construction project
Task 2:
Describe how technology affects the design and the production phases of the Multi-storey office building.

a) Research and discuss the modern technology available to designers, planners and builders.

b) Evaluate the effect of technological advances on the various phases of construction projects.

c) Produce drawings using CAD packages.
Drawings of: 1. Front Elevation of the office building
2. Side View of the office building
Notes:

1. Your assignment have to cover all the points below in about 4 pages, (1000 words) excluding drawings, Bibliography, Table of Contents (and Appendix if applicable).
2. A bibliography of the resources you used in your research to be attached to the notes
Wikipedia is not allowed to be used as an academic reference.

Guideline for this Assignment

LO1 Understand the planning and design phases of the construction process
1.1 discuss the planning phase of construction projects
1.2 discuss the design phase of construction projects
1.3 evaluate how the planning and design phases are coordinated and managed

LO2 Understand the factors that affect the specification of materials and building services
2.1 examine the factors that affect the specification of materials
2.2 examine the factors that affect the specification of building services
2.3 explain the financial implications of specifying materials and building services

LO3 Understand how environmental factors affect the planning and design phases of the construction process
3.1 discuss the environmental factors that affect construction projects
3.2 evaluate environmentally responsible methods for disposing of waste materials
3.3 evaluate environmentally responsible methods for promoting environmental efficiency

LO4 Understand the roles and responsibilities of all parties involved in construction projects
4.1 explain the roles and responsibilities of all parties involved in the planning and design phases
4.2 explain the roles and responsibilities of all parties involved in the production phase
4.3 evaluate the corporate and personal responsibilities of all parties involved in construction projects

LO5 Understand how technology affects the design and production phases of construction projects
5.1 discuss the modern technology available to designers, planners and builders
5.2 evaluate the effect of technological advances on the various phases of construction projects
Assignment instruction:

This assignment is in Part A and Part B.

• I want Part A to be 1750 words and Part B to be 1000 words.
• All the question in each part must be answer individually.
• Reference list must be included for both part A and part B
Identify and apply strategies to find appropriate solutions
– Effective judgments have been made about
? Main features of the planning, design and production phases
? Factors which affect the selection of materials
? The environmental impact
? Financial implications
– maintain the clarity of your answer by stating appropriate steps

Select/design and apply appropriate methods/techniques
– Clearly define the theories involved and clear presentation of method you used.
– A bibliography of sources used should be given at the end of your work

Present and communicate appropriate findings
– Logical and coherent arguments have been presented to support your answers
– Overall presentation is neat, spell checked and appropriate for the intended audience.
– Your assignment should be organized, presentable and well planned.
Use Critical reflection to evaluate own work and justify valued conclusions
– All identified problems are solved, and conclusions/recommendations added arise directly out of the evidence produced.
Demonstrate convergent/lateral/creative thinking e.g.
– Clear evidence of innovative and creative thought is demonstrated in proposed solutions.
– Show an evidence of high accuracy and attention to detail.