and linkage. Howone’s
home tackles these issues,
will determine how green
it is.
The GBI certification
is divided into four
categories. Theminimum
is a general ‘certified’
rating, followed by silver,
gold and platinum. “The
highest score is 100 points
but nobody can score that
high because it really
depends on your building.
For instance, if you have a
bungalowbut it is located
in a remote area that doesn’t
offer public transport, you
can’t acquire points for
accessibility. However, you
may score on landscaping
due to the ample grounds
around your property. It’s an
advantage that a house in the
citymay not have. So it’s a
combination of criteria and
ultimately, the total points
that will determine if you are
at least certified.” To achieve
‘certified’ status, it is not as
difficult as onemight think.
To be ‘certified’, one would
have to score between 50 to
65 points. Small steps such as
complying with the country’s
by laws when constructing
your home could easily score
you half the points. “We
actually encourage baby
steps. With a littlemore
effort, the remainder points
can be achieved. Focus on
lowhanging fruits like
composting, using recycle
material, incorporating water
body, etc.,” statesMichael
Ching, a boardmember of
Malaysia Green Building
Confederation.
Simple Steps To A
Greener Home
There are several simple
criteria that can help to
green your home, whether
existing or to be constructed.
“Based on our residential
rating tool, we emphasise on
insulation, ventilation and
lighting. We call it passive
design. The standard design
of a terrace house goes back
to the industrial revolution.
Although these days, it’s
nicer looking, prosperous
in size andmaterial but the
general problems remain
the same.”
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Heat Gain
One of the biggest issues in
Malaysia is the heat gain
during the day. Tomaintain
comfort levels, most homes
rely on air conditioning
which consumes toomuch
energy. The solution is to
insulate the home.
Depending on the type of
home i.e. landed, mid rise or
high rise, one can determine
where the heat comes
through. For a one or
two-storey home, 50% to 75%
of the heat actually comes in
through the roof. “So
assuming, you’re staying on
landed property, look into
insulating your roof. The
whole idea is to reduce the
heat gain, thus minimising
the need for air-conditioning.
This is one of themost
important aspects. Our green
rating tools emphasise on
non-air conditioned spaces.”
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Cross Ventilation
This is when cool air from
outside enters the home
while warmair is released
through a windowor door.
One of the easiest ways to
promote cool air coming in
from the outside is by having
lots of greens andwater
features surrounding the
home. If the home is not
constructed yet or is being
renovated, determine which
direction the wind blows at
different times of the day.
Workwith the contractor to
place windows in strategic
locations that can ensure
air circulation throughout
the house.
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Energy Efficient
Appliances
Home appliances namely
air-conditioning,
refrigerators, fan and
television come with
star rating that determines
its energy efficiency.
Air-conditioning is
said to consume the
most energy in a
household, followed
by refrigerators. By
using the highest
star rated appliances,
one is already on the
way to greening their
home. Replacing light
bulbs to energy efficient
lighting also reduces
energy consumption.
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CONSERVING Water
By changing water inlets and
fittings to that which is water
efficient. Rainwater
harvesting is another simple
way to save water. Simply
channel the water from the
roof to a designated area
where it is filtered. The
water can be used to irrigate
the garden, wash the car
and so on.
Innovation
The perception that it is
expensive to green a home is
not true. It all falls down on
the architect in designing
innovatively. “One example
is,…. if you can remember in
the 70s and 80s, whenwe
actually had the water tank
on top of our roof, exposed.
You can actually shower at
8pmand the water is still
prettywarm. Of course as the
years went by, for aesthetic
reasons, it was hidden away
under the roof. You need
electricity to heat the water
now. So it’s amatter of
whether the architect is
innovative enough to place
the water tank in a strategic
location. There are somany
instances such as this.”
Towards Vision
2020
In 2009, during the United
Nations Climate Change
Conference, PrimeMinister
Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak
pledged that by 2020
Malaysia will reduce its
carbon emissions by up to
40 per cent.* If that were to
be realised, all the buildings
in existence todaywould
have to be greened. At least
we’re on the right track.
Even though, it is not
mandatory for buildings to
be certified green in
Malaysia, GBI has already
certified 60million square
feet, so far. It aims to achieve
100million square feet soon.
[Note: The pledge was
on condition that Malaysia
received the transfer of
technology and adequate
financing
from
the
developed world.]
By RUBINI KAMALAKARAN
The
origin of the green
building concept is unclear.
There are reports that it
emerged in the 70s, but did it
really? One of themost famous
green homes in the world,
Fallingwater, was designed
and constructed between 1936
and 1939 by architect Frank
LloydWright.
The home, partly built over
a waterfall in rural
southwestern Pennsylvania
introduced the concept of
organic architecture.
Pioneered byWright, organic
architecture is a philosophy
which promotes harmony
between human habitation and
the natural world through
design. It encourages full
integrationwith the location,
so that building, furnishing
and surrounding become part
of a unified, interrelated
composition. Many considered
Wright a pioneer in the field of
sustainable architecture due to
Fallingwater, but there’s debate
that it has been around forever.
It’s likely that the concept was
already in practice before
anyone put a label on it.
GREEN ERA
One thing is for sure, there
has been a surge in green
architecture over the last few
years. Speared by the alarming
effects of global warming, the
construction/building
industry, together with
architects and engineers, has
taken responsibility in looking
at improving their practices to
minimise its carbon footprint.
Besides green architects
likeMalaysia’s own Ken Yeang,
widely respected in the field
for his unique green design,
there are several official green
rating tools to guide the design
and construction of a green
building. In the UK, the green
building rating system is
called Building Research
Establishment Assessment
Method (BREEAM), while the
US’ is known as Leadership in
Energy and Environmental
Design (LEED). InMalaysia,
Green Building Index (GBI)
is the industry recognised
green rating tool, designed
specifically for the tropical
climate (hot and humid) and
according toMalaysia’s
current social, infrastructure
and economic development. It
promotes sustainability in the
built environment and raises
awareness among developers,
architects, engineers, planners,
designers, contractors and the
public, about environmental
issues and our responsibility to
future generations. The GBI
rating tool provides guidelines
to construct green, sustainable
buildings that can save energy
andwater, provide a healthier
indoor environment, and
better connectivity to public
transport. It also adopts
methods of recycling and
greenery and reduces impact
on the environment.
What Is A ‘Green’
Home?
A green home, like any green
building increases the
efficiency of resource use such
as energy, water andmaterials.
It also reduces the building
impact on human health and
the environment during the
building’s lifecycle, through
better sitting, design,
construction, operation,
maintenance and removal.
Essentially it would be
designed to reduce the
overall impact of the built
environment on its
surroundings. The only
difference between a non-
residential building and a
residential one is that the
former usually operates at
maximumcapacity during the
daywhilst homes run at peak
in the evening and night.
Unique tools created to
tackle the requirements of
residential and non-residential
projects are therefore,
important. “Ultimately, it has
to be a holistic tool that
considers the stresses unique
to the country i.e. energy,
water, population and so on,”
states Von Kok Leong, GBI
Accreditation Panel Member.
An evident difference between
LEED and BREEAMcompared
to GBI is that the latter doesn’t
account for the four seasons.
“We have our unique
requirement here. If youwere
to compare our internal and
external temperature
requirements, the gap is quite
big. InMalaysia, the whole
year round, you need to cool
the space.” Some of themain
concerns that Malaysia’s
residential area face are
excessive energy andwater
consumption, population
increase in the cities and poor
public transport accessibility
ON
friday
AUG 16, 2013
G
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n
i
n
g
homes
> It actually costsmuch less to reduce your
carbon footprint, debunking themyth that
greeninghomes is expensivebusiness.
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Please email your queries to us:
Tips to Green Your Home
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Bamboo flooring -
Bamboo is considered
an environmentally friendly alternative to
hardwood floors. It is strong, durable and
a highly renewable material.
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Use healthier paint -
Conventional paints contain solvents,
toxic metals and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that
affects indoor air quality and causes ozone pollution. The
hazardous compounds released into the air while you paint,
as it dries, and even after it is completely dry, can lead to
health problems. Opt for zero- or low-VOC paint.
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Isolate fridge -
If the fridge is next to an appliance that
produces a lot of heat i.e. stove or dishwasher, it will have to
use more energy to keep cool. So, keep the fridge isolated
and save on your electricity bill.
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Insulate home –
On average, ½ of your home’s
heating and cooling will escape through walls (35%),
windows (25%), flooring (15%) and roofing (25%).
Determine where insulation is needed and patch up
appliances in the right location.
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Transform roof -
Change your roof to either white/reflective
materials or green roofs. Dark colored roofs absorb the
sun’s energy which leads to heat gain. By reflecting the
sun’s rays with white roofs, you can lower the temperature
of your house and save on air-conditioning.
So, what do you do for a
living here in Malaysia?
Ahhh, yes. You are the guy we
call, when we need to tune our
TNB meter to run slower, right?
I make zero-energy
and low-energy
buildings
Errhhh, no, that is not
how I make zero-
energy buildings!
Source from
Image by Frank Lloyd Wright, Fallingwater.
Courtesy of Gregers Reimann/IEN Consultants Sdn Bhd / Illustration by Rachel Chen Ruiqi
.
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