AA Research paper ong wei hoow 0304468

Asian Architecture [ARC 2213/2234] PROJECT 1: CASE STUDY

A comparative study of the materials used in Belum Rainforest Resort & Sekeping Serendah Retreat in reducing negative environmental impact.

NAME:

ONG WEI HOOW

STUDENT ID:

0304468

LECTURER:

MR. KOH JING HAO

SUBMISSION DATE:

12/6/2014

Abstract This research paper illustrated the used of materials and their respective properties in the green building in Malaysia. The main objective of this paper was to study how effectiveness of the materials used in reducing negative environmental impact. For sure, the manufacture, transportation, usage and properties of the materials played an important role in reducing negative environmental impact. To improve the validation of this research, various sources from internet, journal and books regarding the Life-cycle Assessment (LCA) of the sustainable materials would be used as references in the research paper. The materials of Belum Rainforest Resort and Sekeping Serendah Retreat will be used to evaluate their effectiveness in reducing negative environmental impact. It was found that most of building materials used in Belum Rainforest Resort and Sekeping Serendah Retreat were sustainable but in various of effectiveness. Those building materials were brick, timber, concrete, steel and glass. Some of the building materials used in Belum Rainforest Resort and Sekeping Serendah Retreat either had low embodied energy or low operational energy.

Some of them could be recycling and reusing as well. As a result, building materials with these properties were considered as sustainable materials. They were able to reduce negative environmental impact in the process of Life-cycle Assessment (LCA).

Hence, Belum Rainforest Resort and Sekeping Serendah Retreat were considered as the sustainable architecture in Malaysia.

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Table of Content

Page Number

Abstract

2

Table of Content

3

1. Introduction

4

2. Sustainable Architecture 2.1 Green Building Rating (GBI) System

6

3. Material 3.1 Belum Rainforest Resort 3.1.1. Materials Used in Belum Rainforest Resort 3.2 Sekeping Rainforest Resort 3.2.1. Materials Used in Sekeping Serendah Retreat 3.3 Material Properties 3.3.1 Brick 3.3.2 Concrete 3.3.3 Timber 3.3.4 Steel 3.3.5 Glass

7

4. Life-cycle Assessment (LCA) 4.1 Life-cycle Assessment (LCA) framework

18

5. Effectiveness of the materials to reduce negative environmental impact in term of Life-cycle Assessment (LCA) 5.1 Brick 5.2 Concrete 5.3 Timber 5.4 Steel 5.5 Glass

20

6. Conclusion

23

References

24

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1.0 Introduction “Species of plants and animals are disappearing a hundred or more times faster than before the coming of humanity, and as many as half may be gone by the end of this century. An Armageddon is approaching at the beginning of the third millennium.

But it is not the cosmic war and fiery collapse of mankind foretold in sacred scripture. It is the wreckage of the planet by an exuberantly plentiful and ingenious humanity.”

(Wilson, E. O. 2002). Edward O. Wilson, the author of “The Future of Life” describes that human activity causes negative environmental impact such as global warming, pollution, deforestation, habitat destruction and resource depletion. This phenomenon is really threatening the survival of many species, including human being as well. As a result, sustainability has played an important role to prevent this phenomenon to happen.

Sustainability is the capacity to endure. Sustainability is a process that helps create a vibrant economy and a high quality of life, while respecting the need to sustain natural resources and protect the environment. It expresses the principle that future generations should live in a world that the present generation has enjoyed but not diminished. (Clough, G. W., Chameau, J. L., & Carmichael, C. 2006). The principle of sustainability is used to address the environmental degradation problems and lack of equality and quality in human life, by supporting development that is sustainable in economic and social terms and is capable of retaining the benefits of a healthy stable environment in the long term. (Sassi, P. 2006)

Among all the human activities, the built environment causes most of the negative environmental impacts, which result from not only the operation or use of buildings but also from the extraction of raw materials to their eventual disposal.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy‟s Center for Sustainable Development, buildings consume 40% of the world‟s total energy, 25% of its wood harvest and 16% of its water. Therefore, the built environment must be central to any environmental improvement efforts, especially towards sustainability. Due to the strong appeal from people on “low-carbon” life”, the rapid development of green building and environmental 4|Page

protection has becoming the general trend worldwide to conserve and preserve our Mother Earth. It same goes to the architecture trend in Malaysia. There are many strategies to achieve sustainability in architecture. For instance, the use of material is one of the factors to reduce negative environmental impact in the process of Life-cycle Assessment (LCA).

This paper will investigate on how effectiveness of the materials used in Malaysiaâ€&#x;s sustainable architecture in reducing negative environmental impact by responding to this following question:

1) What is sustainable architecture?

2) What are the materials used in Belum Rainforest Resort and in Sekeping Serendah Retreat and their respective properties?

3) What is Life-cycle Assessment (LCA)?

4) How effectiveness are the materials used in both buildings to reduce negative environmental impact in term of Life-cycle Assessment (LCA)?

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2.0 Sustainable Architecture Sustainable architecture is also known as green building. It is the architecture that metaphorically „tread lightly‟ on the Earth‟ by minimizing the environmental impacts associated with their construction, their life in use and at the end of their life. In addition, Sassi, P. (2006) points out that sustainable architecture should make a positive and appropriate contribution to the social environment they inhabit, by addressing people‟s practical needs while enhancing their environment and their psychological and physical well-being. In overall, sustainable architecture is designed to use energy efficiently, to protect occupant health, and to reduce pollution and environmental degradation.

2.1 Green Building Rating (GBI) System What is the standard to achieve sustainability in architecture? What are the assessment tools to evaluate a green building? Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology (BREEAM) in United Kingdom and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) in United States and Canada are the global green building rating systems. These systems determine the building‟s level of environmental performance. Location and maintenance of building site, conservation of water, energy, occupant comfort & health and also the building materials are the features to support green design. For sure, there is also green building rating systems for Malaysia architecture, which is Green Building Index (GBI). In Malaysia, the green building will be awarded the GBI rating based on six key criteria. Among those six criteria, construction material is the most frequent being used to achieve sustainability among all the sustainable architecture in Malaysia.

Figure 2.1.1 shows the 6 key criteria of GBI rating system.

(Source: GBI official website. 2013)

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3.0 Material Based on GBI rating system, material is one of the six key criteria to design a green building in Malaysia, and also worldwide. Material is used throughout a buildingâ€&#x;s life; begin from the construction phase and then subsequently for maintenance or for alterations. In addition, material has a substantial impact on buildings ranging from the aesthetics and appeal of a building to its buildability and cost. (Sassi, P. 2006). As a result, sustainable material is greatly encouraged to be used in green buildings worldwide, especially in Malaysia. Currently, there are many sustainable architecture can be found in Malaysia. Belum Rainforest Resort and Sekeping Serendah Retreat are selected as case study to illustrate the discussion on this topic. The materials used in both buildings successfully minimize the negative environmental impact.

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3.1 Belum Rainforest Resort

Figure 3.1.0.1 Belum Rainforest Resort Phase One (Source: Ong, W. H. 2014)

Figure 3.1.0.1 Belum Rainforest Resort Phase Two (Source: Ong, W. H. 2014)

Belum Rainforest Resort is located at Temenggor Rainforest Complex, Pulau Banting, Perak. The architect of this project is Câ€&#x; Arch Architecture and Design. The concept of Belum Rainforest Resort is to blend the built environment within the natural surroundings of Pulau Banding and also to reduce the negative environmental impact around the greenery of Belum Temengor Rainforest Complex. Moreover, It is also benchmarked against the UK BREEAM rating.

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3.1.1 Materials Used in Belum Rainforest Resort There are several types of materials used in Belum Rainforest Resort, such as: 1)

Brick

Figure 3.1.1.1 & Figure 3.1.1.2 show that the recycled bricks are used as the faรงade wall.

(Source: Ong, W. H. 2014)

2)

Concrete

Figure 3.1.1.3 & Figure 3.1.1.4 show that concrete wall are more likely to be used in Belum Rainforest Resort Phase Two. (Source: Ong, W. H. 2014)

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3)

Timber

Figure 3.1.1.5 & Figure 3.1.1.6 show the timber is used in Traditional Chalet of Belum Rainforest Resort.

(Source: Ong, W. H. 2014)

4)

Steel

Figure 3.1.1.7 & Figure 3.1.1.8 show the steel is used for staircase and also structural support of the resort.

(Source: Ong, W. H. 2014)

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5)

Glass

Figure 3.1.1.9 & Figure 3.1.1.10 show that glass is being used in the luxury dining area of the resort.

(Source: Ong, W. H. 2014)

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3.2 Sekeping Serendah Retreat

Figure 3.2.0.1 Interior of warehouse in Sekeping Serendah Retreat.

(Source: Sekeping Serendah Website. 2014)

Figure 3.2.0.1 Exterior of glass shed in Sekeping Serendah Retreat.

(Source: Sekeping Serendah Website. 2014)

Sekeping Serendah Retreat is located at Serendah, Selangor. The architect for this retreat is Ng Sek San. Sekeping Serendah Retreat attempts to tread lightly on the land and also celebrates the beauty of the natural environment. It consists of 10 sheds set within the tropical rainforest.

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3.2.1 Materials Used in Sekeping Serendah Retreat There are several types of materials used in Sekeping Serendah Retreat, such as: 1)

Brick

Figure 3.2.1.1 & Figure 3.2.1.2 show that the recycled bricks are used in faรงade designing.

(Source: Sekeping Serendah Website. 2014)

2)

Concrete

Figure 3.2.1.3 & Figure 3.2.1.4 show that concrete are widely used in interior space of the retreat.

(Source: Sekeping Serendah Website. 2014)

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3)

Timber

Figure 3.2.1.5 & Figure 3.2.1.6 show that timber is used as the theme for timber shed within the retreat.

(Source: Sekeping Serendah Website. 2014)

4)

Steel

Figure 3.2.1.7 & Figure 3.2.1.8 show that steel is used for framing and structural support in the retreat.

(Source: Sekeping Serendah Website. 2014)

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5)

Glass

Figure 3.2.1.9 & Figure 3.2.1.10 show that glass is used for glass shed and glass box in the retreat.

(Source: Sekeping Serendah Website. 2014)

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3.3 Material Properties 3.3.1 Brick Brick is a block of a calcium silicate bonded aggregate or concrete material that fire hardened or air dried, and finally used in masonry construction. Brick is a durable material. Brick has high thermal mass. Due to high porosity, brick is able to store and absorb heat to stabilize the indoor temperature of the house. With this property, brick is able to prevent heat lost during night and also maintaining the comfortable conditions in the day time. Furthermore, brick has also the characteristic of acoustic isolation. The sound transmission is depending on the density of material. Brick has higher acoustic isolation as it is greater in mass. Moreover, Domone, P & Illston, J. (2010) outline that brick is very effective in resisting and preventing the spread of fire due its characteristics: 1)

Low thermal conductivity, which prevents the fire spreading by inhibiting the rise in temperature of the wall

2)

High heat capacity, which also inhibits the rise in temperature of the wall.

3)

Zero flammability and surface spread of flame.

4)

Refractory properties, which retains its strength and integrities up to very high temperatures, approaching 1000 째C.

3.3.2 Concrete Concrete is the mixture of Portland cement, water, and aggregates. It is very durable and is not weakened by moisture, mould and pests. Same as brick, concrete has higher thermal mass which can slow the passage of heat moving into or out of the house. This may prevent the indoor temperature of the house to swing. In addition, concrete is resistant to water without serious deterioration. Furthermore, concrete has the ability to resist fire as well. However, concrete has low tensile strength.

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3.3.3 Timber Timber is considered as the renewable construction material. It is strong, flexible and can be easily found. Timber has high strength and can support heavy load due to its weight. Moreover, most of the timber has low thermal mass but high thermal insulation. It is durable but the durability rating is based on the wood species towards the weathering, chemical attack and also fungal attack, the However, timber is categorized as high combustible material.

3.3.4 Steel Steel is an alloy of iron with carbon. It has higher heat and electrical conductivity compared to other construction materials. Steel is another material that is very durable and stiff as it can last longer and is resistant to wear and fracture. Not only that, steel has greater malleability and ductility which make it to be more likely used in construction field.

3.3.5 Glass Glass is an amorphous solid material that composed of about 75% silicon dioxide (SiO2), sodium oxide (Na2O) from sodium carbonate (Na2CO3), lime (CaO), and several minor additives. Glass is brittle and can be optically transparent. However, it is still durable under most conditions. This is because it has the behaviour to resist water and chemical substances.

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4.0 Life-cycle Assessment (LCA) What is Life-cycle Assessment (LCA)? Life-cycle Assessment (LCA) as known as Life Cycle Analysis or Cradle-To-Grave Analysis. Life-cycle Assessment (LCA) is a tool that is used to determine and evaluate the environmental loadings and impacts of a particular product or process, including those effects associated with processes upstream in the supply chain. (Curran. 1993). It analyses environmental impact over the entire life cycle of the product, from the extraction of raw materials to final disposal or recycling of the product at the end of its useful life. The environmental impacts across the life cycle of any product can be linked to the relevant inputs and outputs of the product system. These inputs are such as the raw materials extracted from the earth, energy and water use while the outputs will be the atmospheric emissions, waterborne wastes, solid wastes, co-products and other releases.

Figure 4.0.1 Stages of a product’s life cycle, showing inputs and outputs.

(Source: Curran. 1993)

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4.1 Life-cycle Assessment (LCA) framework According to the International Standard for Environmental Management (International Standard 14040 2006), there are four phases as the framework for the whole Life-cycle Assessment (LCA). Those four phases are:

1)

Goal and Scope Definition (Phase One) It determines the reasons for carrying out the study and the intended audience.

2)

Inventory Analysis (Phase Two) It involves the collection of data and calculations in order to quantify the inputs and outputs to the product system over its entire life cycle.

3)

Impact Assessment (Phase Three) It is to evaluate the magnitude and significance of potential environmental impacts of a product system based on the findings from Life Cycle Impact Assessment.

4)

Interpretation (Phase Four) It combines the results from Phase Two and Three in order to determine the most important inputs and outputs and potential environmental impacts of any product system.

Figure 4.1.1 Phases of a life cycle assessment (Source: International Standard 14040 2006)

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5.0 Effectiveness of the materials to reduce negative environmental impact in term of Life-cycle Assessment (LCA) The effectiveness of each material will be evaluated via respective Life-cycle Assessment (LCA) in reducing negative environmental impact. LCA will analyses the environmental impact over the entire life cycle of each material, from the extraction to final disposal or recycling of the material at the end of its useful life. The energy used during LCA will be categorized into two types of energy which is embodied energy and operational energy. Hamilton, L. (2010) clarifies that embodied energy is the total energy consumption for the extraction, manufacture and transportation of material to its final application. On the other hand, he also explains that operational energy is the energy used for the usage and maintenance of material in the building.

5.1 Brick During the process of clay winning and transportation, fossil fuel (diesel) is the source of the energy for the quarrying, hauling and also transportation of clay. During brick processing and manufacturing, electrical and fuel energy are used. Since the manufacturing process requires many stages like preparation, forming, drying, firing and cooling, the energy consumption for sure will be higher. Either during the process of mining, transporting or manufacturing of brick, air pollutants for sure will be released to the environment. Air pollutants like carbon monoxide (CO) from vehicles, carbon dioxide (CO2) from burning and also sulphur dioxide (SO2) from factory are harmful to our lovely environment. In addition, chemical substances and co-products which are resulted from the brick manufacture will be released to river from the factory.

On the other hand, when the brick is operated as part of the building, it requires little of energy. This is due to brick is durable and requires low maintenance. Moreover, brick has high thermal mass which can always maintain indoor temperature. This may makes the building to save energy from heating or cooling the interior space. When it goes to the demolishment of the building, all the bricks can be recycled and can be used as the construction material again. For instance, bricks that used in Belum 20 | P a g e

Rainforest Resort and Sekeping Serendah Retreat are all recycled from other demolish buildings. This really saves a lot of energy consumption for the quarrying, transportation and manufacturing of the bricks. Not only that, air pollutants and toxics that are emitted to the environment can be reduced. Indirectly, it reduces the negative environmental impact on our Mother Earth. In summary, brick has high embodied energy and low operational energy.

5.2 Concrete As being mentioned 3.3.2, concrete is made up of Portland cement, water, and aggregates. The process of mining sand and gravel, crushing stone, combining materials in the concrete plant and transporting concrete to construction site requires very little of energy. Hence, there are small amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) is released to the air.

While in the building system, concrete has high thermal mass that stabilizes the indoor temperature. It absorbs heat energy when it is cool and it also releases heat energy when it is hot. Therefore, no energy is needed to provide thermal comfort for the user artificially. In addition, less energy is required for maintenance as well as concrete is a very durable material which can last for many years. This can explain why Belum Rainforest Resort and Sekeping Serendah Retreat widely use concrete as the construction material in their architecture. When comes to disposal of material, concrete is able to recycled as well. This definitely can reduce the consumption of energy start from the mining process. As a result, concrete is one of the materials that consist of low embodied energy and also low operational energy.

5.3 Timber In the process of harvesting timber, low energy will be required. However, harvesting causes the damage on ecosystem and also greenhouse gas emission.

During the transportation of timber from site to factory, fuel energy will be used and also 21 | P a g e

produces air pollutants such as carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO2). Since the manufacturing process for timber is simple compared to brick, low energy will be needed. In the meanwhile, less pollutant and less co-product will be produced.

During the operational of the building, as timber is durable, it only needs little energy for maintenance when there is chemical attack or fungal attack. For instance, Belum Rainforest Resort and Sekeping Serendah Retreat use timber as part of their construction materials. Maintenance or replacement of the timber is necessary for the building and also for the aesthetic purpose. When the building come to the stage of demolish, recycling of timber is the best and sufficient way for its disposal. This can preserve and conserve our rainforest and also our environment. In a nut shell, timber consumes low embodied and operational energy.

5.4 Steel The embodied energy of steel is higher as more energy is required during mining process of the raw material. Next, fuel energy is used for transportation as well. Steel is the composite of iron and carbon. Hence, the iron is extracted from iron ores, mined and then refined to remove the oxygen under the high temperature of 1600 째C. As a result, cast iron is formed. Cast iron must be further refined to reduce the carbon content and other unwanted elements to become steel. Obviously, the manufacturing process is quite complicated and requires a lot of energy. In the end, air pollutants such as carbon dioxide (CO2), sulphur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) will be produced from the factory to the environment.

When steel is used as construction material, less operational energy is needed because steel is durable and stiff. Therefore, the framing and structural support in Belum Rainforest Resort and Sekeping Serendah Retreat is mostly steel. It is good to know that nowadays steel can be used for recycling purpose after the end of its life. In sustainable way of saying, steel undergoes more embodied energy compared to operational energy. To reduce environmental impact, recycle steel is encouraged for construction and development in future.

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5.5 Glass As mentioned in 3.3.5, glass is made up of 75 % of silicon dioxide. Silicon dioxide is obtained by the mining and purification of mineral. For sure, the mining and transportation require some of the fuel energy. Next, the material needs to undergo melting under high temperature and shaping process to form a glass. In this manufacturing process, it requires fuel and electrical energy. This will result more in the embodied energy of the glass. However, the output of the process will be the air pollutants like carbon dioxide (CO2), sulphur oxides (SO) and nitrogen oxide (NOx).

As glass is a brittle material, it requires more operational energy for maintenance purpose. The lifespan of glass is quite shorter compared to other material that can be found in Belum Rainforest Resort or Sekeping Serendah Retreat. However, glass is lesser to be recycled due to the properties of brittle. In summary, glass requires high embodied and operational energy. It is also cannot used for recycling propose.

6.0 Conclusion Both green buildings, Belum Rainforest Resort and Sekeping Serendah Retreat apply sustainable materials in their architecture. Among all the sustainable materials, concrete is the best choice to reduce negative environmental impact, then following by timber, brick, steel and glass. In short, concrete is durable and can last longer. It only requires low embodied and operational energy. It is also reused and recycled for construction purpose. However, compared to concrete, timber is the renewable sources and it needs some operational energy for maintenance or replacement. For brick and steel, it consumes high embodied energy especially during manufacturing under high temperature. Lastly, glass is not that sufficient as the sustainable material because it consumes high embodied energy during manufacturing and also high operational energy due to high maintenance. In addition, glass is also less to be used for recycling.

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