Workshop Final Report (MSWord 150k) | Workshop Recommendations | Workshop Materials
See also: Building Code Sensitization Meeting Overview
The USAID/OAS Post-Georges Disaster Mitigation (PGDM) project hosted a two-week workshop for over 25 Building Inspectors from Antigua and Barbuda and St. Kitts and Nevis. The workshop was held in Antigua, 15-26 January 2001. The purpose of the workshop was to review with the participants the problems of inspection of developments for adherence to acceptable building practices as provided in existing building codes in Antigua and Barbuda and St. Kitts and Nevis and to impress on participants the need for safe construction to mitigate the actions of extreme natural events of hurricanes, heavy rainfall and earthquakes. The first 4 days of the course focused on issues appropriate to individuals who provide building inspection services to banks, insurance companies and other private sector organizations.
The workshop was designed to be as practical as possible, with participants being asked to examine and to critique building plans and buildings in construction. The focus of the examinations was to determine whether the plans meet with the requirements of the Building Code and whether the construction meets the terms of the building permits issued for construction of the buildings being examined. There were a minimum of lectures. Selected resource persons guided the participants in their examination of the building plans and field construction. Existing buildings and building sites were examined, ranging from small houses to major office and public buildings, exposing the participants with the range of problems to be solved in the inspection of building plans and construction.
Participants spent about 40 percent of their time discussing the details of inspection of facilities with resource personnel and 60 percent of the time in actual examination of building plans and field construction.
Participants in the full two-week course were drawn from the Development Control Authorities or Ministries responsible for planning and with the responsibility for approving building plans and for inspection of construction. All participants were to have technical training at a technical institute and normally engaged in field inspection of construction after examination of plans submitted for approval. The initial 4 days of the course were also open to individuals who provide building inspection services in other contexts.
The resource persons involved in the organization and presentation of the workshop were all practicing architects and engineers who have had extensive experience in the design of buildings and in the inspection of construction in the Caribbean and and were able to relate to the problems faced by the building inspectors. The coordinator of the program was Mr. Alwyn Wason, who has coordinated similar programs in Antigua, Anguilla, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, St. Vincent and the Turks and Caicos Islands. Mr. Wason was involved in the development of the Caribbean Uniform Building Code (CUBiC) and the OECS Building Codes and Building Guidelines, which have become the base for the building regulations in Antigua and Barbuda and in St. Kitts and Nevis.
In response to requests made at the building inspector training workshops, PGDM prepared and delivered, with the approval of both governments, 25 copies each of small-format versions of the building codes and building guidelines for Antigua/Barbuda and St. Kitts/Nevis. These documents were specially formatted and prepared for ease of use by government building inspectors while they are at inspection sites.
| USAID/OAS Post-Georges Disaster Mitigation: http://www.oas.org/pgdm | Page last updated on 17 Sep 2001 |