Property Studies 3B 2012: Week 1: The Great Paper Tower Challenge

This exercise that we did in class was the first time we had worked together as a team. As we didn't choose our teams, I never knew my team members well so this was a good opportunity to meet my team members and to be able to get involved and work as a team. Not only did this exercise allow us to meet our peers, but also allowed us to see how everybody deals with certain things, for example stress, or when things don't go according to plan. People may seem calm on a day to day basis , however when they are put in a stressful situation they re acct differently. I really enjoyed this activity and it was a fun way to start a Thursday morning!!

Abbeyfield Research Project - UCT Property Studies: Abbeyfield AGM

looking foward to Ross giving us feedback that Johnathan gave him yesterday about our draft. Last stretch for our final hand in, and then we have a few days to work on our presentation!All seems to be going according to plan!!Cant belive we nearly finished!

Abbeyfield AGM

Was great that everybody made it to the AGM yesterday! Was interesting to see that the Abbeyfield model from  a global perspective is moving toward individual living units, such as flats, to accommodate the elderly. Whilst that is not entirely feasible in a South African context, due to the fact that the sheer need for a roof over heads is far more critical, our design concept actually adheres to both of these factors.. I think we have a good model going! last push to hand-in!

Underway

So the project in full swing now, im glad we've been getting cracking on it! I will give everyone a debreifing of the meeting I had with Jonathan last week Thursday in today's weekly meeting. Hope everyone had a relaxing weekend...as deadline is creeping up on us!

Pictures of houses visited.

We visited three of Abbey fields houses to get a feel of the people and the environment in which they live. It helped immensely to talk to the residence and find out what they thought was important in the houses and what they liked.

The first house ws in Rondebosch, named the Sutherland House

The second wasin Rondebosch East, named Ted's House

and the last was in Gugulethu, named Entembeni

Visit to Abbeyfield's retirement homes

Today, 6 September 2012, Wendy (the Director of Abbeyfield) was kind enough to take us to visit three of Abbeyfield’s retirement homes; two in Rondebosh and one in Gugulethu.

This was a really interesting experience. It was great to be able to talk to the residents and see how they feel about the retirement homes. It amazing how much the houses diversify. The rent alone ranges from R400 to R3000 per month.

There were several design factors that became apparent during the visits:

Firstly, it’s important to not have any stairs. While the intention is to house able bodied elderly people, there comes a time when the residents can no longer walk up and down the stairs. The ethos of Abbeyfield is to provide a home until they pass away, ideally in the comfort of their own beds. This means that it becomes a hazard to have stairs in the homes.

Secondly, there must be an adequate number of fridges and storage facilities for the residents. The residents want a level of privacy. They want to have an area where they can store their things without the fear that the other residents will accidently/wilfully eat their food, etc.

Thirdly, there should be a seating area in the kitchen so that the residents can sit and chop their vegetables, etc when cooking. It’s hard for the elderly residents to stand for long periods of time. This will make it easier for them to prepare their food.

Lastly, it is important to not waste space when renovating/designing a home. We saw in the Gugulethu house that there was a large amount of wasted space that could have been used to create more rooms and house more people.

All in all Abbeyfield is doing great work. One of the elderly ladies in Rondebosh mentioned that they are very fortunate to have Abbeyfield and to have been provided with such a nice home.

Project Outline

Hi everybody,

After going through the course outline, here is a rough list of what is required to be incorporated in our final hand-in and presentations.

Elements of Project Documentation:

1.      Feasibility Study

o   Find an empty plot/ existing large house to use for a new/re-development.

o   Create an architectural plan to the development.

o   State details of upgrade plans and programs.

o   Create a section of how Value Management will be applied to the project.

o   Determine the current and future value of the property.

o   Current value to be determined using a market valuation.

o   Future value determination unknown.

2.      Outline Construction Budget

o   Estimate the Cost of Construction (all costs, including marketing); taking into account:

o   Cash required for the duration of the project;

o   Estimates of all costs;

o   Details of contracts and contracting relationships;

o   Drawings and specifications;

o   The tender package, including tender process and award;

o   The application of Value Management

3.      Project Delivery Plan

The project delivery plan should reflect all activities over the entire lifecycle of the project. This should include:

o   A project plan in GANTT chart format, along with explanatory notes;

o   Construction and project management information;

o   General contracting details;

o   Value Management;

4.      Marketing Plan

Formulate a detailed marketing plan, focussing on marketing the project to potential funders, occupants and/or intermediaries. The marketing plan should include (or make reference to):

o   Architectural designs;

o   Details of upgrade programs;

o   Marketing activities;

o   Financial implications and projections for all parties.

Presentation:

The presentation should cover all aspects of  the project documentation, and should aim to give a convincing and articulate ‘pitch’ for your development concept. Presentations should be 20 minutes, and all group members must speak. The presentation should include:

o   The development concept and idea;

o   Financial feasibility;

o   Construction development plan; and

o   Marketing plans.

Emphasis will be placed on the overall creativity and professionalism of the presentation.