h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Weird new uses for 3D printers in construction. Maybe your firm should invest in a 3D printer.

http://www.takepart.com/video/2014/04/28/chinese-company-built-10-3-d-printed-houses-one-day

Here is an example of tornado proofing a home which weathered the most recent storm nicely. What it lacks in aesthetics is more than made up for in security:

http://news.yahoo.com/unique-home-spares-vilonia-family-from-arkansas-tornados-direct-hit-132416929.html

Bunkers are good for peacetime too!

Ooooh, printing houses sounds like a very good idea. Although all kinds of pre-fabrication are certainly good, no matter if printed or built from normal concrete parts or wood.

'Underground' houses are generally a quite good idea, as it says in the article they are quite energy efficient.

Unfortunately I'm afraid both are not really what the clients of our office want.

I've now almost finished drawing my first really big project, by the way. 33 apartments (1-3 bedrooms) in 3 buildings and 10 terrace houses (3 bedrooms). All buildings have flat roofs and they are mostly white but with details in different shade of green, which makes it look very friendly I think. I'm really looking forward to seeing it be built, but that will take a while. Certainly over a year, even if they start building this autumn (and I'm not sure if they will).

Congratulations! Flat roofs in Austria? Gosh won't all the snow cause leakages? I had always thought that snow was the cause of peaked roof? Or will they have to go up there and shovel it off. That will really be something!

That was a problem maybe 30 or 40 years ago but they can now make flat roofs well enough so it's no problem at all. It just needs a few layers of waterproof bitumen sheets and enough drain pipes.

but all those bitumen sheets probably have a high carbon signature. Not so friendly.

My apologies butting in...
I wouldn't rate the bitumen sheets a particularly high carbon signature because a roof stays in place for 25-40 years, spreading the carbon cost of manufacture.

My objection to flat rooves here in the UK is that although they can be designed to work well, builders don't seem to take enough care when installing them resulting in leaks and early failure.
It doesn't take much slope to get water to run off (about 1%) without puddling.

hi BB

We build them with about 1.5% slope and as far as I know there never were any problems with any of our buildings which had flat roofs. The builders here seem to manage them quite well by now.
And below tile roofs there is also some bitumen, but usually just 1 layer instead of 3.