House for Filipinos

For those who are in a hurry to finish their dream house, there’s a new building method that will not only make construction time shorter but will also const less.  This is the Vazbuilt building construction system, developed by Filipino inventor Edgardo Vasquez.  Vasquez’ invention earned him the World Intellectual Property Award in 1995 in Geneva, Switzerland.

Think about the Vazbuilt as a method of using ready-made walls, posts, columns, and roofs that can be assembled to created the house you wanted.  This reduces construction time and labor cost.  With as much as only P50,000, on can already Vazbuilt system uses prefabricated (ready-made) technology not only for house construction but also for the construction of commercial buildings.

According to Vasquez, in building houses, one should consider the “pride factor”—it should give fried to Filipinos.  Vazbuilt system also offers different housing models to choose from.  And the materials are all Philippine-made.

What’s amazing about Vazbuilt is that it promotes a do-it-yourself system.  In fact, four women from Baguio were able to build their own house using Vazbuilt.  The project was completed using over-the-counter materials;  posts, panels, columns, Tegula roof tiles—part by part, until the whole housing components were completed.

The Filipino Inventors Society acknowledged Vazquez’s invention by giving him the Golden Medal Award as Outstanding Inventor in 1993.

Sources

► BREW Awards 2007 Top Figures.  http://www.pref-ph.com/brew.awards.2007.php

► Salazar, Teresa R.  RP inventor paves way for houses of all cost. http://supplements.inquirer.net/propertyguide/main.php?content=around003

► Vazbuilt Total Home Builder.  http://www.vazcomm.com/vm/produc_VazBuilt.asp

Reinventing Light Technology

To save energy, we are told to use fluorescent lamps instead of incandescent lamps.  They say that fluorescent lamps are better when it comes to illumination and energy efficiency.

Now here comes a new invention that makes fluorescent lamps last longer.  It’s called Nutec System, a technology developed by Eric G. Ngo, a Filipino inventor.  The technology comprises of Nutec ballast and Nutec starter.  The ballast regulates the flow of electricity through the lamp, while the starter initiates the “kick” needed to start the lamp to light.

 Ordinary tube-like fluorescent lamps have two pins on each end.  These pairs of pins are attached to the slots at the end of the lamp’s housing.  When the circuit is close, electricity will flow and the lamp will light up.  A fluorescent lamp gets busted if one of more of the pins burn out due to overheating or some other damages.  With  Eric G. Ngo’s invention, however, even if one pin at one end gets gusted.  The fluorescent lamp can still light up.  Aside from this, even if jot all of the pins are attached to the slots, the lamp can still light up.

According to Ngo, conventional lighting system only use up 30 percent of a fluorescent lamps capacity.  When your fluorescent lamp gets busted, you’ve only used 30 percent of it.  The remaining 70 percent gets thrown away along with the busted lamp.  With the Nutec System, you can maximize the use of a lamp’s capacity up to 100 percent.  Depending on the quality of the lamp.  Nutec system can extend its use up to five to seven years.

For his invention, Ngo received the Gold Medal for Outstanding Invention given by the World Intellectual Property Organization in 2006.

Sources

► Productiong Pinoy:  Pinoys reinvent lighting technology.  http://www.abs-cbnglobal.com/Religious/Manila/ItoAngPinoy/TrulyPinoy/tabid/581/ArticleID/2578/TargetModuleID/1638/Default.aspx

► IP Philippines launches patents, trademarks exhibit.  http://www.ipophil.gov.ph/htm_doc/pressrelease07032008B.html

► Harris, Tom.  How Fluorescent Lamps Works.  http://home.howstuffworks.com/fluorescent-lamp7.htm