Project 1 case study paper

Sustainable Building materials as an Approach to the Design Strategies in S11 House

ASIAN ARCHITECTURE [ARC 2213/2234] PROJECT 1: CASE STUDY PAPER

Sustainable Building Materials as an Approach to the Design Strategies in S11 House

NAME:

Gennieve Lee Phick Choo

STUDENT I.D:

0311622

LECTURER:

Ms. Norhayati

SUBMISSION DATE: 10th June 2015

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Sustainable Building materials as an Approach to the Design Strategies in S11 House

Sustainable Building Materials as an Approach to the Design Strategies in S11 House Table of Contents

Page

Abstract……………………………………………………………………………….......3 1.0 Introduction…………………………………………………………………………...4 1.1 Plans and Elevations……………………………………………………………..5 2.0 Sustainable Architecture….…………………………………………………………6 2.1 Green Building Index (GBI)…………………………………………………….6-7 3.0 Sustainable and Recycled Building Materials…………………………………….8 3.1 Aerated Lightweight Concrete Walls…………………………………………..8-9 3.2 Old Red Clay Brick Walls……………………………………………………….9-10 3.3 'Chengal' Timber Flooring………………………………………………………10-12 3.4 Steel Metal Roofing……………………………………………………………..12-13 4.0 Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA)……………………………………………………..13-15 5.0 The Effectiveness of using Sustainable and Recycled Building Materials in terms of LCA………………………………………………………………………….15-16 5.1 Concrete Blocks………………………………………………………………….16-17 5.2 Clay Bricks………………………………………………………………………..17-18 5.3 'Chengal' Timber.…………………………………………………………………18-19 6.0 Conclusion………...…………………………………………………………………..20 7.0 References………………….………………………………………………………..21-22

Sustainable Building materials as an Approach to the Design Strategies in S11 House

Abstract This paper focuses on the different ways or solutions of using sustainable and recycled building materials to solve the issue of depletion of natural raw resources using the S11 House as an ideal reference. Besides, the data collected here will also present the results and benefits of using environmentally sustainable building materials and products for construction. The goals of this study are to obtain a deeper understanding on the significance of Sustainable building materials, to identify the different types and use of environmentally sustainable building materials in building construction, and to develop educational resources on the incorporation of these materials into construction of buildings today. Nowadays, construction sector is contributes alot to the environmental problems from the patterns of production by the construction industries. Issues like depletion of natural resources and increase of construction waste are on a rise with the pressure of rapid urbanization and the impact of long standing unsustainable way of development in the past. As a consequence, the world is now facing major development challenges. Thus, this research paper will help in understanding better the meaning of sustainable building materials and revealing the benefits and impacts of using such materials to the surrounding environment and people. Most sustainable materials focuses primarily on energy, types of materials, water conservation and the source, as all these affects not only the indoor environmental quality, but also the surrounding environment and people. Each of these is an important aspect of a Green and sustainable building design and construction.

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Sustainable Building materials as an Approach to the Design Strategies in S11 House

1.0 Introduction Most environmental problems today are caused directly or indirectly by the patterns of production by construction industries, consumption and behaviour of consumers.

Compare to other sectors, construction sector is considered as a major contribution to environmental problems. With the pressure of rapid urbanization and the impact of long standing unsustainable way of development in the past, the world is now facing major development challenges. Therefore, it is crucial to minimize the adverse impact to the environment, without suppressing the need to continue development. As such, the need to build in a sustainable manner becomes a top agenda at the global level. The number of published green materials relating to sustainable construction has increased tremendously over the past years indicating the worldwide effort for improvement in this field.

Existing studies indicated that Malaysia is facing an increase in construction waste material generation, energy waste, decimation of water catchment, soil erosion, deforestation and landslides as well as destruction of endangered flora and fauna.

Therefore, in order to mitigate these issues, it is crucial to improve environmental processes and services as well as creating goals to prevent adverse environmental impacts. Consequently, this will help in enhancing the quality of life and allowing people to live in a healthy environment.

This paper will investigate on the approach of sustainable building materials to the design strategies on S11 house and the affective use of sustainable and recycled building materials by responding to the following research questions: 1. What are the recycled or sustainable materials use to respond to the design strategies applied to the S11 house in order to sustain the natural raw resources?

2. How affective is application of sustainable and recycled materials used in S11 house in sustaining the natural raw materials or resources?

3. How much energy was used or consumed when producing and transporting the building materials, as well as what measure were taken to reduce the environmental impact caused from it?

Sustainable Building materials as an Approach to the Design Strategies in S11 House

1.1 Plans and Elevations

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Sustainable Building materials as an Approach to the Design Strategies in S11 House

2.0 Sustainable Architecture Sustainable architecture, also known as Green Building is a practice of creating structures and using processes that are environmentally responsible and resourceefficient throughout a building's life-cycle from siting to design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation and deconstruction. This practice expands and complements the classical building design concerns of economy, utility, durability, and comfort.

Green building is also known as a sustainable or high performance building. They are designed to reduce the overall impact of the built environment on human health and the natural environment by efficiently using energy, water, and other resources in order to protect occupants’ health and improving employee productivity, as well as reducing waste, pollution and environmental degradation. Besides, Green buildings may also incorporate sustainable materials in their construction, such as reused, recycledcontent, or made from renewable resources.

Figure 2.1 Overview of S11 House, Platinum Rated Green Building Index (GBI) House

2.1 Green Building Index (GBI) System The Green Building Index is an environmental rating system for buildings developed by PAM (Pertubuhan Arkitek Malaysia / Malaysian Institute of Architects) and ACEM (the Association of Consulting Engineers Malaysia). The Green Building Index is Malaysia’s first comprehensive rating system for evaluating the environmental design and performance of Malaysian buildings based on the six main criteria’s of Energy efficiency, Indoor Environment Quality, Sustainable Site Planning & Management, Materials & Resources, Water Efficiency, and Innovation, as shown in Figure 2.1 below.

Sustainable Building materials as an Approach to the Design Strategies in S11 House

Figure 2.1 The GBI Rating System (Source: http://myecoliving.blogspot.com/2012_01_01_archive.html)

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Sustainable Building materials as an Approach to the Design Strategies in S11 House

3.0 Sustainable and Recycled Building Materials Recycled materials consist of manufactured waste and post consumer waste.

Manufactured waste contains waste from manufacturing process, while post-consumer waste contains newspaper, plastic, aluminium, and so on. Sustainable architecture requires to efficiently use natural materials and resources that are renewable. This also includes recycling and reusing of old building materials as a mean of sustaining the environment. Resource Efficiency can be accomplished by utilizing materials that meets the recycled content, meaning products with identifiable recycled content, including post-industrial content with a preference for postconsumer content. In addition, materials that are natural or renewable, harvested from sustainably managed sources with independent certification such as certified wood also contributes to resource efficiency. Products manufactured with resource-efficient processes including reducing energy consumption, minimizing waste and reducing greenhouse gases helps in promoting a healthier environment. Besides, building materials, components, and systems found locally or regionally can also help in saving energy and resources in transportation to the project site. Efficient use of resources also includes reusing and recycling materials. For example, selected materials can be easily dismantled and reused or recycled at the end of their useful life such as aluminium and concrete.

3.1 Aerated Lightweight Concrete Walls The east and west walls of the S11 house were deliberately void of any significant glazed openings and were constructed with better insulated aerated lightweight concrete blocks. Air-Crete blocks, also known as aerated concrete blocks are lightweight, precast, concrete building materials invented in the mid-1920s, that provides structure, insulation, fire-resistant and mold-resistance. They are faster, safer and easier to handle especially on site, as they are very lightweight and convenient. On top of that, the exterior walls of the S11 house were also painted with heat reflecting paint in camouflage motif and also shaded by a wire netting screen wall of fruit and vegetable climbers. As a result, this helps to reduce heat gain through the walls.

Majority of the walls in the S11 house have bare natural finishes. For example, the rawoff form concrete walls and ceilings as well as cement plastered walls without paint.

Hence, a lot of these materials and finishes used in the house actually contributes to the passive cooling system of the house by reducing heat gain and provides good heat insulator.

Sustainable Building materials as an Approach to the Design Strategies in S11 House

Figure 3.1.1 Living room concrete wall and Figure 3.1.2 External wall painted in camouflage motif [From left to right] (Source: http://www.designrulz.com/architecture/2013/03/eccentric-and-eco-friendlys11-residence-in-malaysia-by-archicentre/)

Figure 3.1.2 Method of Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) Wall Construction (Source: http://www.faqs.org/patents/imgfull/20100229489_05)

3.2 Old Red Clay Brick Walls Old clay bricks were cleaned and re-used for the featured walls in the S11 house. Most of the walls in the house consist of natural fair-faced common red clay brickwork.

Substitute for firebricks, old red clay solid bricks are use as an alternate. Red clay bricks can heat up, retain heat, cook, bake, roast, re-fire, absorb conduct store and hold the heat from wood fire and perform the same way as proper refractory firebricks do. Brick possesses the natural and pleasant colours of burnt clay. Its colour formation is achieved through a complicate physical chemical reaction during the firing process.

In contrast to colour of stained body, brick colour is permanent and will not be faded ARC 2213/2234 Asian Architecture

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Sustainable Building materials as an Approach to the Design Strategies in S11 House during weathering process. Besides, clay bricks can be classified according to their varieties, qualities, and classes. Bricks are also well known for their high compressive strength and are fire-resistance. Their compressive strength depends on the raw materials used, manufacturing process, as well as its’ shape and sizes. They also possess good insulation property due to its dense structure and have better thermal insulation property. The mass and moisture of bricks help to keep the temperature inside the house relatively constant. In other words, bricks absorb and release heat slowly and thus keep the house cool during daytime and warm at night.

Figure 3.2.1 Front Porch of S11 House and Figure 3.2.2 Second living room [From left to right]

Figure 3.2.3 Brick Types (Source: http://www.masonrymagazine.com/10-02/cover.html)

3.3 ‘Chengal’ Timber Flooring The timber flooring and upper decks of the S11 House are all Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified whilst the ground floor decking timbers are old recycled ‘Chengal’ wood. Chengal wood is the most sought after solid hardwood in Malaysia and other tropical countries. It is a well-loved wood for the installation of outdoor decking. In the past, it was often used for building traditional houses, columns, beams, and roofs. ‘Chengal’ wood is known for its enduring quality, sturdiness, durability, and resistance against termites. Besides, it is classified as a heavy tropical hardwood by

Sustainable Building materials as an Approach to the Design Strategies in S11 House the timber authorities and typically used for the outdoors, where the weather conditions require the use of hardier wood that does not rot easily when exposed to alternating wet and dry conditions with fluctuating temperatures such as Malaysia’s weather condition. The durability of ‘Chengal’ wood is largely dependent on the maturity of the tree at the time it is logged. Mature Chengal wood has a very long lifespan under outdoor condition, while young ‘Chengal’ wood do not offer the same benefit. The most obvious reason is that young ‘Chengal’ wood is much softer compared to its mature counterparts and is hence, less resistant to wear and tear. Plus, the high content of natural sugars in young ‘Chengal’ wood contributes to the bacteria growth, accelerating the rotting and decaying process of natural wood.

Figure 3.3.1 second floor Outer Deck and Figure 3.3.2 Timber ceiling [From left to right]

Figure 3.3.3 Timber Deck Construction

Figure 3.3.4 Timber Deck Detail Section

(Source: http://www.homedesigndirectory.com.au/diy/build-your-own-deck.php)

Limited surfaces of flooring found in S11 house are also painted with Low VOC paints.

All internal joinery work has low VOC content and also uses water-based glues.

Besides, stonework for the bathrooms, driveway and ground floor living areas are all reused from project rejects also.

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Sustainable Building materials as an Approach to the Design Strategies in S11 House

Figure 3.3.5 and Figure 3.3.6 Reuse Stonework Tiles from Project Reject

3.4 Steel Metal Roofing The canopy roof of the S11 House is constructed using lightweight recyclable profiled steel metal sheets coated in a light off-white colour to minimize heat absorption as well as old crushed concrete roof tiles for gravel fill. Steel metal roof are highly durable and potentially 100% recyclable materials. In addition, roofing timbers were also used for formwork strutting and propping in the house. The roof insulation comprises of 200mm thick 50kg/m3 Rockwool and two layers of heat reflective foil. A 200mm thick ventilated air space is left between the metal ceiling lining and the Rockwool to further improve the heat insulation. The overall roof U value is an impressive 0.14. The glazing comprises 9.38mm thick low-E safety laminated glass with a 90% openable area. The overall building envelope OTTV is 29.63. The large canopy roof is pitched at 5 degrees to facilitate self-cleaning of roofing material and solar panels. A 5 KW peak photovoltaic installation is mounted unto the large canopy roof and the generated electricity is sold back into the national electric grid.

Figure 3.4.1 S11 House White-wash Steel Rooftop (Source: http://www10.aeccafe.com/blogs/arch-showcase/2013/02/06/s11-house-in-selangormalaysia-by-archicentre/solar-pv-array-light-and-vent-tubes-2/)

Sustainable Building materials as an Approach to the Design Strategies in S11 House

Figure 3.4.2 Thin Metal Sheet Ceiling

Figure 3.4.3 Metal Roof Decking (Source: http://www.yourhome.gov.au/passivedesign/insulation-installation)

4.0 Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) A life cycle assessment (LCA), also known as Life Cycle Analysis is an evaluation of the relative "greenness" of building materials and products. LCA addresses the impacts of a product through all of its life stages from cradle to grave.

Figure 4.1 Process of Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) (Source: https://stephaniecsmith.wordpress.com/design/)

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Sustainable Building materials as an Approach to the Design Strategies in S11 House During the lifecycle of a material, there will be inputs and outputs of the product system. For example, based on figure 4.2, the inputs are water and energy used to extract raw materials while the outputs are the waste, emissions and by-products.

Figure 4.2 Stages of product Life cycle, showing inputs and outputs There are four linked components of LCA: 

Goal definition and scoping: Identifying the LCA's purpose and the expected products of the study, and determining the boundaries (what is and is not included in the study) and assumptions based upon the goal definition;



Life-cycle inventory: Quantifying the energy and raw material inputs and environmental releases associated with each stage of production;



Impact analysis: Assessing the impacts on human health and the environment associated with energy and raw material inputs and environmental releases quantified by the inventory;



Improvement analysis: Evaluating opportunities to reduce energy, material inputs, or environmental impacts at each stage of the product life-cycle.

Sustainable Building materials as an Approach to the Design Strategies in S11 House

Figure 4.3 Life-Cycle Analysis Framework (Source: http://www.tosca-life.info/gettingstarted-guides/life-cycle-assessment/how-to-perform-an-lca/phases-in-an-lca-study/)

5.0 The Effectiveness of using Sustainable and Recycled Building Materials in terms of LCA Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) determines the environmental impacts of products, processes or services, through production, usage, and disposal. In this research paper, the LCA will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of using sustainable and recycled building materials in relation to the design strategies of the S11 House as well as sustaining the natural resources and environment. During the Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) of the building materials, there two main energies found in the process, which are embodied energy and operational energy. Embodied energy means the total amount of energy used for extraction, transportation and manufacturing of the materials, whereas operational energy is the total amount of energy when the materials are in operation, including the maintenance energy of the materials.

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Sustainable Building materials as an Approach to the Design Strategies in S11 House

Figure 5.1 Carbon Footprint Graph of different Materials (Source: http://www.timber.net.au/index.php/environmental-design-carbon-footprint.html

5.1 Concrete Blocks Concrete inherently contributes to sustainability in many respects, and in others these tools are helping the industry set goals to foster improvements in their practices and their product lines to advance global progress towards a more sustainable society.

Concrete aggregate collected from demolition sites is put through a crushing machine.

Crushing facilities accept

only uncontaminated concrete, which must

be free

of trash, wood, paper and other such materials. Crushing at the actual construction site using portable crushers reduces construction costs and the pollution generated when compared with transporting material to and from a quarry. Smaller pieces of concrete are used as gravel for new construction projects while larger pieces of crushed concrete can be used as riprap revetments, which are very effective and popular method of controlling stream-bank erosion. Sub-base gravel is laid down as the lowest layer in a road, with fresh concrete or asphalt poured over it. Crushed recycled concrete can also be used as the dry aggregate for brand new concrete if it is free of contaminant.

Sustainable Building materials as an Approach to the Design Strategies in S11 House

Figure 5.1.1 Manufacture Process of Aerated Concrete Block (Source: http://www.masoncontractors.org/2008/10/16/using-autoclaved-aerated-concretecorrectly/)

5.2 Clay Bricks Clays are a complex group of materials that consist of different mineral commodities. It is an abundant raw material with a wide variety of uses. Although it is one of the most abundant mineral materials on earth, the clay used for the production of the bricks must possess specific properties as well. The clay used in brick manufacturing occurs in three principal forms, which have similar chemical composition but different physical properties. Bricks are one of the major materials used for the construction of buildings.

The production of bricks is estimated to be growing at a rate of 4% per year. Brick production is known to have diffused and seasonal environmental impact along with the social and economic impact.

The basic production of clay bricks consists of mixing ground clay with water, forming of bricks into the desired shape and size, as well as drying and firing. The brick manufacturing process are divided into six general phases. The energy consumption during the manufacture of brick is higher compare to steel. Air pollutants are also released during the process of mining, manufacture, and transporting of bricks.

Overall, the recycled clay bricks have low embodied energy and operational energy as only low maintenance is needed.

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Sustainable Building materials as an Approach to the Design Strategies in S11 House

Figure 5.2.1 Clay Brick Process (Source: http://www.ieltsbuddy.com/ielts-process.html)

5.3 ‘Chengal’ Timber Excessive harvesting of timber will cause damage to the forest and ecosystem. During transportation of timber to the factory, fuel energy will be used and air pollutants like carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide will also be produced from the vehicle. Low energy will be needed during the manufacture and production process of timber compare to brick, as the process will be simpler. However, transportation and moving of timber is heavy and requires a stronger vehicle like huge trucks to withstand the load.

Thus, this will increase the energy and fuel consumption. Timber products require very low energy inputs for production, relative to many mainstream building materials.

Therefore, timber has a low-embodied energy and carbon rating. The use of sustainably harvested timber as a building material creates a much lower carbon footprint than does the use of other common building materials. Besides, timber production makes a positive contribution to reducing carbon emissions by being part of the short term carbon cycle that involves trees absorbing carbon dioxide from the air, releasing oxygen and storing the carbon in the wood. Using trees for timber and other wood products also creates space in plantations and hardwood production forests for replacement trees to absorb more carbon from the atmosphere. When a building is demolished or renovated, waste timber that cannot be reused can be recycled into a range of products including particleboard. Timber not suitable for reuse or recycling can be utilized to generate renewable energy, releasing the carbon back into the atmosphere to be reabsorbed by the growing trees.

Sustainable Building materials as an Approach to the Design Strategies in S11 House

Figure 5.3.1 Carbon Cycle of Timber (Source: http://www.timber.net.au/index.php/environmental-design-carbon-footprint.html)

Figure 5.3.2 The Life-Cycle Analysis of Construction Materials (Source: https://www.saint-gobain.com/en/group/strategy)

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Sustainable Building materials as an Approach to the Design Strategies in S11 House

6.0 Conclusion Overall, I believe that sustainability assessments should cover the full Life Cycle of a building, including demolition and disposal or recycling of materials at end-of-life.

Green building is not simply about protecting the biosphere and natural resources from over exploitation or over consumption, nor is it simply about saving energy to reduce our heating bills, but it considers the impact of buildings and materials on the occupants as well as the impact in our lives in the near future. Similar to the Idea House by Sime Darby, the S11 house was built as a prototype by Dr. Tan Loke Mun when he was involved in the development of the GBI rating tool. S11 house was Malaysia’s first GBI Platinum-rated building. Today, the S11 house is one of the ideal and iconic green residential buildings out there.

Sustainable Building materials as an Approach to the Design Strategies in S11 House

7.0 References 'Archicentre’S S11 House Scores Platinum Level On The Malaysian Green Building Index'. N.p., 2015. Web. 20 Apr. 2015.

Calrecycle.ca.gov,. 'Green Building Materials: Sustainable Building'. N.p., 2015. Web. 25 May 2015.

Claybricks.com,. 'Clay Bricks, Pavers, Veneers Manufacturer | Claybricks & Tiles Sdn. Bhd., Malaysia.'. N.p., 2015. Web. 8 June 2015.

DesignRulz,. 'Eccentric And Eco-Friendly S11 Residence In Malaysia By Archicentre | Designrulz'. N.p., 2013. Web. 9 June 2015.

Epa.gov,. 'Basic Information | Green Building |US EPA'. N.p., 2015. Web. 8 June 2015.

Fielding, Rob, Richard Boak, and Andrew Jowatt. REVIEW OF SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS & DESIGN. UK: www.buildinternational.org, 2012. Print.

Gdrc.org,. 'Life Cycle Assessment'. N.p., 2015. Web. 9 June 2015.

Kim, J.J., and B. Rigdon. 'Sustainable Building Materials'. American Solar Energy Society, Boulder, CO (United States) (1996): n. pag. Web. 9 June 2015.

My.ask.com,. 'Green Building - Ask.Com Encyclopedia'. N.p., 2015. Web. 9 June 2015.

S11house.com,. 'S11 House - Malaysia’S First GBI Platinum (CVA) Rated House'.

N.p., 2015. Web. 20 Apr. Sciencedirect.com,. 'Sustainable Construction—The Role Of Environmental Assessment Tools'. N.p., 2015. Web. 20 Apr. 2015.

Sustainableconcrete.org,. 'What Is A Sustainable Material? | Concrete Joint Sustainability Initiative'. N.p., 2015. Web. 26 May 2015.

Stuart L, Hart. Beyond Greening: Strategies For A Sustainable World. 2nd ed. United States of America: Presidents and Fellows of Harvard College, 1997. Print.

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Sustainable Building materials as an Approach to the Design Strategies in S11 House TimberMalaysia,. 'Chengal Wood Malaysia | Wood Decking'. N.p., 2014. Web. 8 June 2015.

Timber.net.au,. 'Www.Timber.Net.Au - The Australian Database Of Timber - Carbon Footprint'. N.p., 2015. Web. 9 June 2015.

Venta, George J. Life Cycle Analysis Of Brick And Mortar Products. Merrickville, Ontario: Athena [TM] Sustainable Materials Institute, 1998. Print.

Waset.org,. N.p., 2015. Web. 26 May 2015.