Towards a more sustainable architectural education in Malaysia

The role of higher education in creating a more environmentally sustainable future is irrefutable. However, there is currently no clear evidence of definitive framework in training the professionals to be environmentally literate. The article is an extended analysis of a survey conducted to assess the level of integration and implementation of sustainability issues in the curricula of programmes at the schools of architecture in Malaysia. It looked on the level of awareness and training background of educators on sustainability and the sustainability content in studio projects and related courses. Based on the earlier findings, this article recommends the organisation of more training programs related to sustainability, the revision of existing curricula to inculcate sustainability awareness at lower years and the incorporation of humanistic aspects of sustainability into architectural education

A feasibility study for developing 3D sketching concept in virtual reality (VR) environment

There is limited digital media available to encompass conceptual design which requires spontaneous and flexible design tools. The constraint is causing less digital integration during the architectural conceptual and engineering design stages. This paper presents the results of an ethnography research on understanding how design collaboration, design transactions and knowledge flow characteristics between studio masters and their students are supported by available technologies in a studio project in Malaysia. The study found three types of external representation modes used by designers: Full Manual, Mixed and Full Digital. The study revealed the inflexibility of traditional geometric modeling tools within intuitive ideations. On the other hand, it also observed the shortcomings of conventional manual sketching tools for articulating design ideas and translating tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge in complex design problems. Results from this study support further studies towards implementing 3D sketching in Virtual Reality (VR) environment to digitally integrate the conceptual architectural-engineering design process

Potential design parameters for enhancing thermal comfort in tropical terrace house: a case study in Kuala Lumpur

Thermal comfort conditions in residential buildings vary according to the designs, modifications of the house and adaptation of the occupants. While air-conditioning is the most popular form of adaptation, natural ventilation is still relied upon for some parts. This study investigates thermal comfort performance of terrace housing in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, using Fanger’s predicted mean vote (PMV) thermal comfort index. A case study of a terrace house was carried out in a housing scheme in Kuala Lumpur where field measurement was conducted during a three-day recording in naturallyventilated space of the house. The study showed that the house was thermally comfortable for almost fifteen hours during day and night. Comfort conditions mostly occurred during night hours while around noon hours could be considered as critical times. To improve the thermal conditions, ceiling fans were used to increase the indoor air velocity. However, it was observed that this measure did not improve the thermal comfort condition when the air temperature had reached its maximum level. On the other hand, reducing the solar heat gain could improve the thermal comfort condition of the house

The potential of sustainable building rating system in the Malaysian building industry

A cursory glance at recent news headlines reveals growing problems in the Malaysian built environment, e.g., landslides, floods, environmental pollutions etc. On another front, the recent energy crisis also demands a re-look into the way we design, construct and operate our buildings. Various measures such as policies, regulations and environmental programmes have been adopted by the Malaysian government to resolve these issues: but these problems continue to exist. There is a growing acknowledgement throughout the world that a sustainable approach is a much-needed panacea to the many environmental crises. In the building industry, many countries around the world have introduced building assessment, rating and labeling systems to evaluate the environmental or sustainability performance of a building or development as one of the solutions. However, there is yet to be such effort in Malaysia. This paper explores the potential success of introducing and implementing SBRS (Sustainable Building Rating System) in Malaysia by using Trudgill’s AKTESP (Agreement, Knowledge, Technology, Economic, Social and Political) framework which identifies a number of common challenges for a better environment. The challenges are identified through existing literature, government initiatives and surveys. The paper concludes by suggesting some measures how these challenges might be overcome to ensure the success of SBRS in Malaysia

The influence of wind effects on architectural buildings heights in Iraqi residential buildings based on computational fluid dynamics simulations

The gradient of height in buildings is the most common way to prepare a comfortable environment and to increase wind forces around the buildings. This study assessed various design choices that enable architectural buildings to have different heights using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation to analyse wind conditions. Nonetheless, wind effects may create uncomfortable zones around high buildings and may be hazardous for pedestrians in open spaces. As such, this study looked into pedestrian level wind (PLW) to enhance the wind environment of buildings in Iraqi climate. Wind characteristics may create a range of disturbance levels that affect pedestrian areas. Iraqi residential buildings were taken as case study to quantitatively analyse the outdoor buildings at PLW, so as to generate some ideas and solutions between CFD simulation analysis and architectural design to yield an optimal model

Mitigating urban heat island through green roofs

One of the key measures to fight urban heat island (UHI) phenomenon is by increasing the use of green approaches including green technologies and vegetation. However, there is a shortage of available space for establishing greening elements due to high density of urban development and high cost of urban land. By using green roofs, the hottest spots of a city can be mitigated. Further advantages of green roofs include mitigating air pollution, improving management of run-off water, improving public health and enhancing the aesthetic value of the urban environment. This paper reviewed, analyzed, and discussed previous literature on green roofs and their role in alleviating UHI. Previous researches acknowledged the ability of green roofs in UHI mitigation. This paper recommends using green roofs as a main strategy for decreasing the harmful impacts of UHI especially the high air temperatures as well as their ability to add to the greening of cities