Asian Architecture Project 1 : Case Study

ASIAN ARCHITECTURE (ARC2213/2234) PROJECT 1 : CASE STUDY

Challenges in building placement, layout and materials to ensure sustainability of The Datai Langkawi in the nature context

NAME : NICOLE HOOI YI TIEN STUDEN ID : 0313611 LECTURER : PUAN NORHAYATI BT.RAMLI SUBMISSION DATE : 24th November 2015

Challenges in building placement, layout and materials to ensure sustainability of The Datai Langkawi in the nature context ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

TABLE OF CONTENT

PAGE

Abstract ……………………………………………………………………

3

1.0 Introduction …………………………………………………………..

1.1 Sustainable Architecture…………………………………….

1.2 Building Placement ………………………………………….

1.3 Building Layout ……………………………………………..

1.4 Building Materials ……………………………………………

4 5 6 7 8

2.0 Building Placement to ensure sustainability……………………

2.1 Building with contour ………………………………………..

2.2 Building with landscape …………………………………….

2.3 Comparison of building placement with Belum Rainforest Resort

9 9 11 13

3.0 Building Layout to ensure sustainability ………………………

3.1 Type of layout ………………………………………………

3.1.1 Verandah ……………………………………………

3.2 Comparison of building placement with Belum Rainforest Resort

15 15 17 18

4.0 Building Materials to ensure sustainability …………………….

4.1 Timber ……………………………………………………….

4.2 Rubble ……………………………………………………….

4.3 Comparison of building materials with Belum Rainforest Resort 4.3.1 Rammed earth …………………………………….

20 20 22 24 24

5.0 Conclusion ……………………………………………………………

26

6.0 References…………………………………………………………….

27

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Challenges in building placement, layout and materials to ensure sustainability of The Datai Langkawi in the nature context ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Abstract This case study paper is carried out on The Datai, Langkawi to study the challenges in building placement, layout and materials to ensure the sustainability of the building .In order to assist the validation of research, a comparative study of architectural designs of Malay vernacular architecture and contemporary design was attempted to evaluate how The Datai, Langkawi employs the Malay vernacular architecture in an ancient rainforest context. A suitable and good placement of building can contribute to the conservation of site nature in order to ensure its sustainability by reducing its impact to the environment. The Datai,Langkawi is placed on site using stilts following the nature terrain by orientating the building. The massing of the resort is also dispersed around the site to avoid felling of trees. The layout of The Datai, Langkawi is designed with vernacular architecture attributes by using verandah and open pavilion which helped the building to reach its sustainability by facilitating natural ventilation in the building – cross-ventilation also helped in natural sun lighting. The construction materials of The Datai, Langkawi is local materials found on site especially timber is used extensively due to the great nature resources of the forest. To provide a wider variation of research , it is neccessary to deliberate on contexts that showcase the challenges of building designs in a historical nature context, in which the Belum Rainforest Resort has taken to represent the architecture based on context. This research paper reviews the successful attempts of the architect in designs in terms of building placement, layout and materials to incorporate sustainability into the building in order to conserve the site and ensure the sustainability of the building.

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1.0 Introduction Context is important when defining sustainability. Understanding the local contexts are important for designers to produce a good design as the context determines the architecture style, building material selection, placement and site layout which is very important in creating an effective design. (Ken,2009) Thus, a contextual driven building is becoming more important now to conserve the nature site by ensuring its sustainability being built on a nature site.

Contextual

design is the desire to resolve the problems regarding harmony with the historical environment that is apparent currently. The Datai, Langkawi being located on an environmentally sensitive area- an ancient rainforest in Langkawi, how does the architect respond to the historical nature context to ensure its sustainability? Hence, my research title is “Challenges in building placement, layout and materials to ensure sustainability of The Datai, Langkawi in the nature context “as a study by responding to the following research questions :

1. How The Datai,Langkawi make a contextual responsive design intervention within untouched tropical rainforest ?

2. Why are the contextual responsive design in terms of placement, layout and materials sustainable ?

3. What are the differences between The Datai ,Langkawi and Phase 2 of Belum Rainforest Resort ?

The structure of this paper will be based on the three research questions above to discuss the importance of building placement, layout and materials considerations in nature context to achieve sustainability.

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1.1 Sustainable Architecture Sustainable architecture is architecture design that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generation to meet their own needs. The seven principles of sustainable construction includes ( Sassi, 2006 ) (a) reduce resource consumption (b) reuse resources (c) use recyclable resources (d) protect nature (e) eliminate toxics (f) apply life cycle costing (g) focus on quality

Because sustainable architecture consume lesser energy they produce correspondingly less pollution and it helps to As an example, sustainable building should tread lightly on the earth by minimising the environmental impacts associated with their construction and make a positive and appropriate contribution to to social environment they inhabit.

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1.2 Building Placement Building Placement is the placement of building on the site with considerations of the context. Architecture that designed based on context focus on the topographical and surface characteristics of the land as a starting point of the design. It focuses on how the building connects to the ground whether it is built into the earth or resting lightly above it. (Yenna, 2007, p.14, p.15)

A good placement of the building without interrupting the original context of site will minimise the impact of building on the site thus this can help to conserve the site nature. Architects should take full advantage of existing contour and vegetation during the design process to improve the building’s performance. For example, building in a forest will require feeling of trees however to prevent the disruption of site nature, building can be built according to the tree placements by avoiding the trees on site.

Therefore, the building placement is very crucial in design consideration as the placement is important to determine how well the building can function as a whole with the context. The building placement also help to achieve sustainability by conserving and protecting the site nature.

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1.3 Building Layout A building’s shape, interior layout, size all affect its energy use, and by extension, its sustainability. “We shape our dwellings, and afterwards our dwellings shape our lives” - Winston Churchill, Prime Minister, 1960. Building layout is the way in which building and spaces relate to each other and where the openings are designed. Building layout can usually determined by studying the floor plans.

The interior layout of a building should be planned well in order to meet the occupants’ needs and also the functions of different spaces. Some additional spaces are added into the layout of building to enhance the function of the building such as verandah which can usually be found in Malay vernacular architecture especially long house.

The building layout can help to achieve sustainability. For example, In a hot and humid climate, heat gain through window should be minimised and ventilation and shading maximised.

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Challenges in building placement, layout and materials to ensure sustainability of The Datai Langkawi in the nature context ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

1.4 Building Materials The choice of building materials is one consideration that should be taken with careful thoughts when designing. The building materials plays an important role during the construction for the past centuries not only that different types of materials also will give impacts to the environment.

The types of materials selected during the design stage will impact fundamentally on its long-term sustainability. These choices have implications for saving energy and improving comfort of users in the building.

Building materials that are considered to be environment friendly or “green” include timber from forest, mud brick, recycled materials, reusable, renewable and other product that are non toxic. The use of these “green” building materials during construction will help to lower the embodied energy in order to maintain sustainability. Embodied energy is the energy needed to grow , harvest, extract and manufacture to produce a building product.

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Challenges in building placement, layout and materials to ensure sustainability of The Datai Langkawi in the nature context ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2.0 Building Placement to ensure sustainability 2.1 Building with contour

Figure 1 : An bird eye view of The Datai, Langkawi.

Source : http://www.thedatai.com/langkawi/

The architect of The Datai Langkawi ,Kerry Hill Architects can clearly appreciate features of the site through design such as the ridge, the forest, the beach, the streams and other natural and went to great length to safeguard these features . It is important to build with the existing site topography and context rather than molding it into something else in order to achieve the engagement in the act of cultivating the site (Frampton, 1985, p,26, p,27).

One of the contextual design the architect made is to move the hotel away from the water front in order to minimise its impact on the beach during construction.

However, he chose to

instead place the building on the ridge in order to provide spectacular views and also leave a greater portion of forest undisturbed. As a result, the hotel is placed in the heart of the forest but with access to the waterfront through free standing building from of The Datai, Langkawi.

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Challenges in building placement, layout and materials to ensure sustainability of The Datai Langkawi in the nature context ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Similar to the element of Malay vernacular architecture (As shown in Figure 3 &4), most of the buildings of The Datai, Langkawi are built on stilt or solid stone bases to avoid direct contact with the contour of the site. This will help to conserve the existing site nature by minimising the area of direct contact with the hilly contour to prevent changes on existing topography that might cause landslide due to disruption of soil. Stilted buildings sitting on the land lightly also help to catch wind or higher velocity to utilise passive cooling in the building during day time as the building is raised higher by stilts.(As shown in Figure 5)

Figure 2: Elevation of The Datai, Langkawi.

Figure 4 : The Pavillion, The Datai Langkawi Source : http:// www.langkawiinfo.com/food/thepavilion.htm

Figure 3 : Isolated Villa, The Datai Langkawi Source : http:// www.thehealthyholida ycompany.co.uk

Figure 5 : Section of a part of The Datai, Langakawi showing ventilation

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2.2 Building with landscape

Figure 6: Front view of The Datai, Langkawi.

Source : http://www.lhw.com/hotel/The-Datai-Langkawi-Langkawi-Malaysia

The landscape of The Datai, Langkawi is surrounded by trees. It is very important to protect the flora and fauna in the ancient forest to ensure the building does not disturb the ecosystem that has long existed in the forest. The architect of The Datai, Langkawi has taken the nature beauty of the site as an advantage to build the resort in the landscape as if it has blended in with the forest instead of cutting down trees to place the building in the landscape. (As shown in Figure 6 )

Thus, as a result the resort is fragmented into free standing buildings and some in the form of open pavilions. A number of isolated villas are introduced as well. (As shown in Figure 8) The isolated villas placing quite a distance from each other are accessible through open walkway to reduce the mass of the buildings on site by spreading them across the site into individual buildings and minimising their visual impact on the forest. This has allowed for easy adjustments according the locations of trees on site in order to avoid the feeling of trees and enable the accommodation to work naturally with the landscape of the land.

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Challenges in building placement, layout and materials to ensure sustainability of The Datai Langkawi in the nature context ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Figure 7 : Plan of The Datai, Langkawi.

Source : http://www.thedatai.com/langkawi/

Figure 8: Plan of The Datai, Langkawi indicating isolated villas and open walkway

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Challenges in building placement, layout and materials to ensure sustainability of The Datai Langkawi in the nature context ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2.3 Comparison of building placement with Belum Rainforest Resort

Figure 9 : An bird eye view of Belum Rainforest Resort Source : http://www.belumresort.com

The Belum Rainforest Resort is located in the Belum Rainforest at Pulau Banding, Gerik , Malaysia. With 130 million years of age and encompassing 300,000 hectares, the Belum Rainforest is one of the largest untouched rainforests in Malaysia. (As shown in Figure 9 )

Phase 2 of The Belum Rainforest consists of the deluxe suites and the traditional chalets.

(As shown in Figure 9) Similar with The Datai, Langkawi in terms of context , it has conserved the nature of the site by placing the traditional chalets lightly on the flat land using stilts (As shown in Figure 11) instead of the slope to conserve the existing topography on site .Also, the deluxe suites opposite the traditional chalets are designed in modular blocks intended to fit the natural contour with specific arrangements to avoid trees felling as a respond to the landscape. (As shown in Figure 10) The modular blocks design are easier to control as a whole as they have both left and right surfaces covered and left the front and back surfaces for placements of fenestrations.

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Challenges in building placement, layout and materials to ensure sustainability of The Datai Langkawi in the nature context ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Figure 10 : Deluxe suites in modular blocks form

Figure 11 : Traditional Malay suites standing on stilts

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Challenges in building placement, layout and materials to ensure sustainability of The Datai Langkawi in the nature context ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3.0 Building Layout to ensure sustainability 3.1 Type of Layout

Figure 12: Verandah of the Longhouse Source : http://www.expatgomalaysia.com/ 2014/10/06/an-expats-adventure-visiting-a-

Figure 14 : Plan layout of Longhouse Source :http://www.theplancollection.com/houseplans/malaysia

Figure 13: Verandah of The Datai Suite Source : http:// thedatai.com/langkawi

Figure 15 : Plan layout of The Datai Suite Source : http://www.belumresort.com

Spatial configuration is concerned with finding feasible locations for a set of interrelated objects that meet all design requirements and maximise design quality in terms of design preferences. ( Michalek, 2001) Through the plan layout of The Datai Suite,the architect of The Datai, Langkawi has put in some thoughts to design a suitable layout that meets the function requirements of the building.

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Challenges in building placement, layout and materials to ensure sustainability of The Datai Langkawi in the nature context ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Designed with Malay vernacular architecture in mind , the layout of The Datai, Langkawi resort is largely influenced by The Malay vernacular long house. (As shown in Figure 12&13) The Malay vernacular long house is a house used to accommodate a group of people which is a tribal group such as Iban and Bidayuh. Hence, the layout of the long house is elongated to increase the layout area in order to accommodate a big group of people under one roof. The elongated layout of Datai suite similar with the Malay vernacular long house. The elongated shape of the layout has allowed several divisions of the resort suites to accommodate more guests under one roof. One significant similar characteristic of the layout of both Datai suite and Malay vernacular long house is the extensive use of verandah along the elongated plan which is an outdoor space that alllows communication. The verandah of The Datai suite acts as a sharing space of several suites open up facing the spectacular forest and ocean view to allow communication with the nature and at the mean time encourage interaction with neighbours during their stay in The Datai Suite. (As shown in Figure 17 )

Figure 16 : The Datai Suite Source : http://thedatai.com/langkawi

Figure 17 : Verandah of The Datai Suite Source : http://thedatai.com/langkawi

Figure 18 : Interior of The Datai Suite Source : http://thedatai.com/langkawi

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3.1.1 Verandah Verandahs are traditional elements providing pedestrians with shelter from the sun, wind, and rain. They also contribute to the merging of private interior space with the public space outside.

The verandah at Datai suite is used as an outdoor common space that connects the suites to encourage communication. It is also a panoramic verandah that provides spectacular view of the ocean and hill. One of the primary benefits of a verandah is that they provide shelter, allowing guests to spend time outdoors without worrying about the sun, rain or other weather elements. This is because of the large overhang roof that is provided, it acts as a good protection against rain and good shading device. As it covers the verandah from rain, the use of the large overhangs at the verandah has enabled the windows to be left open.

Therefore, large bifold doors are largely used at the opening of verandah to make usable to utilise natural ventilation in the building through cross-ventilation (As shown in Figure 19) and also to encourage natural sunlight to lit the building indirectly. (As shown in Figure 20 ) This has also allows the space to be used flexibly at different times of day. When it is closed from the veranda, the indoor became a sitting area within the room however when it is opened the veranda became an extended seating platform that is part of the veranda. (As shown in Figure 17&18)

Figure 19 : Section showing the placement of bifold windows allow ventilation

Figure 20 : Section showing sunlight lit the building indirectly

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Challenges in building placement, layout and materials to ensure sustainability of The Datai Langkawi in the nature context ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3.2 Comparison of building layout with Belum Rainforest Resort

Figure 21 : Plan layout of Traditional Chalet of Belum Rainforest Resort Source : http://www.belumresort.com

The traditional chalets of Belum Rainforest Resort inspired by Malay vernacular architecture, suites were built with ecological design in mind, comes with a unique combination with contemporary and traditional furnishing. The traditional chalets of Belum Rainforest Resort similar with Datai Suite of The Datai, Langkawi used verandah as the layout. However, the plan unlike The Datai Suite and the traditional long house, it is not elongated due to the fact that the traditional chalet of Belum Rainforest Resort is an individual traditional chalet. (As shown in Figure 22 ) It does not require separation of several suites to accommodate a larger group of people. The verandah used for Traditional chalets of Belum Rainforest Resort similar as The Datai Sute intended to capture the spectacular exterior view by open up facing the Temenggor lake with the interior. (As shown in Figure 23)

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Challenges in building placement, layout and materials to ensure sustainability of The Datai Langkawi in the nature context ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Figure 22 : An bird eye view of Traditional chalet of Belum Rainforest Resort Source :http://www.greenpearls.com/hotels/asia/malaysia/belum-rainforest-resort

Figure 23 : An exterior view of Traditional chalet of Belum Rainforest Resort Source :http://www.greenpearls.com/hotels/asia/malaysia/belum-rainforest-resort

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Challenges in building placement, layout and materials to ensure sustainability of The Datai Langkawi in the nature context ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4.0 Building Materials to ensure sustainability 4.1 Timber

The use of timber as building material is not new, in fact dating back many centuries before the new materials were invented. Timber material is widely used in vernacular architecture design significantly by Malay vernacular architecture due to its easy accessibility from the forest as timber is a local resource in Malaysia.

The Datai,Langkawi had extensively use timber as its main building materials from the structure of roof to floor due to the great resources of the forest that wood can be easily obtained from the site. Often trees that were felled on site were used as columns or stilts as the main building structure of building. Most of the roofs are framed entirely in timber, supporting timber boarding and shingles. (As shown in Figure 24 &25 ) As a natural and renewable resource, timber has low thermal conductivity that does not hold excessive heat during the day especially in Malaysia’s climate and able to dissipates heat rapidly at night. This contributes to the effective cooling of the building. There is no mechanical cooling systems used in the design of public spaces in The Datai, Langkawi but only depending on natural ventilation. Thus, most of the buildings in The Datai designed to be open, such as the open pavilion and also the open walkways linked to every individual villas. This has helped to decrease the building cost at the mean time also reduce the production of CFC produced by mechanical cooling systems (air-conditioner) in the atmosphere.

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Challenges in building placement, layout and materials to ensure sustainability of The Datai Langkawi in the nature context ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Figure 24 : Open walkway of The Datai, Langkawi Source :http://thedatai.com/langkawi

Figure 25 : Interior of Villa Suite Source : http://thedatai.com/langkawi

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Challenges in building placement, layout and materials to ensure sustainability of The Datai Langkawi in the nature context ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4.2 Rubble Rubble is a type of stone masonry. Masonry is an assembly of bricks , blocks or stones held together with mortar. Rubble is commonly used for the walls of buildings because of its nature high durability. The stone masonry has long existed since the dawn of civilisation. It has been used to construct many of the lost lasting , ancient monuments, artifacts and even cities by different civilizations. Some of the fine examples of stone masonry are the Egyptian pyramid and Taj Mahal.

The Datai Langkawi used rubble to construct most of their load bearing walls. ( As shown in Figure 26 &27). Similar as timber, rubble is one of the great resources of the site.

Hence, the rubble used is mostly excavated from the site. The type of rubble masonry used for the load bearing walls of The Datai is polygonal rubble masonry. They are roughly dressed to an irregular polygonal shape. Being a natural material obtained from site, the rubble masonry is no doubt environmental friendly as the raw stone material is aesthetically fine itself it does not require chemical substances coating to further enhance and maintenance as well. In fact, the longer the rubble material is, the nicer it becomes.

Further more, the stone material is known to has a lost lasting life compared to other materials. Being in a tropical climate area, the exposure of stone material to weather such as rain and sunlight will not affect the durability of the material. Thus, the stone masonry is a rather suitable material to be used as the load bearing walls which are mostly placed outdoor of The Datai, Langkawi.

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Challenges in building placement, layout and materials to ensure sustainability of The Datai Langkawi in the nature context ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Figure 26 :Entrance of The Datai Source : http://thedatai.com/langkawi

Figure 27 : Villa Suite of The Datai Source : http://thedatai.com/langkawi

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Challenges in building placement, layout and materials to ensure sustainability of The Datai Langkawi in the nature context ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4.3 Comparison of building materials with Belum Rainforest Resort 4.3.1 Rammed Earth

Figure 28 : Exterior of deluxe suite

Figure 29 : Exterior of traditional chalet

Rammed earth is one of the significant materials used in Phase 2, Belum Rainforest Resort. The material is found using on the front wall facades of both the deluxe suites (As shown in Figure 28 ) and traditional chalets (As shown in Figure 29). Rammed earth walls are constructed by ramming a mixture of selected aggregates, including gravel, sand, silt and a small amount of clay, into place between flat panels called formwork. (Downton , 2013) Rammed earth with its nice texture and eye catching colour compared to other materials are not just the reasons for it to be chosen as the material of Phase 2.

In fact, despite it being aesthetically suitable the material is also a environmentally friendly that benefits the resort compared to solid masonry wall. One of it is that the rammed earth similar as rubble material used in The Datai does not require maintenance and coating. Similar as rubble

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Challenges in building placement, layout and materials to ensure sustainability of The Datai Langkawi in the nature context ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

material, the rammed earth is also a durable material with great strength that can last for decades to be the load bearing walls. Being in the forest area prone of pests existence, the rammed earth is also a wise choice as it resists pests such as termites thus no pesticides have to be used.

Moreover, the materials for rammed earth such as clay, sand and the earth are taken mostly on site. Thus, similar with timber and rubble of The Datai, the rammed earth is a natural material from site.

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Challenges in building placement, layout and materials to ensure sustainability of The Datai Langkawi in the nature context ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5.0 Conclusion As a conclusion, the research has proven that the architect of The Datai Langkawi, Kerry Hill Architects with the inspiration from the Malay vernacular architecture, he has successfully tackled the issue of making a contextual responsive design intervention within untouched tropical rainforest to place the building in a site that has a rather hilly topography in order to ensure its sustainability.

Through research ,the architect has put in effort to locate the building at its best placement with nature hilly contour and the forest landscape in order to conserve the nature of site. The use of stilts on most of the buildings inspired by the Malay vernacular architecture has also helped to decrease the surface of the building in contact with the site. Besides that, the design of the layout of The Datai suite is also greatly influenced by the Malay vernacular architecture consists of verandah that contributes to the natural ventilation and natural sunlight of the space to ensure its sustainability. As a result, most of the areas of the resort is natural ventilated instead of installing mechanical ventilation devices. The main materials used in The Datai,Langkawi are mostly natural materials from site thus it directly reduce cost of building. Timber and rubble are the two main materials used in the resort. These two materials have helped to benefit the building to achieve its sustainability.

Lastly, using the Phase 2 of Belum Rainforest Resort to provide a wider variety of research in the paper . Some similarities are found between The Datai, Langkawi and Phase 2 of Belum Rainforest Resort in terms of placement, layout and materials in order to ensure its sustainability in the nature context.

Thus, placement, layout and materials of the building are important to be taken into considerations during the design stage especially in a nature context in order to conserve the site and at the same time ensure the sustainability of the building on the site.

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6.0 References Yenna,C. (2007) Sustainable Environments , China : Rockport Publishers, Inc. Downton,P. (2003) Rammed earth. (Retrieved from : http://www.yourhome.gov.au/materials/ rammed-earth) Frampton,K. (1985). Towards a Critical Regionalism : Six points for an architecture of resistance. In Postmodern culture (1st ed., pp16-30). London : Press.

Hill,K. ( 2001) The Aga Khan Award for Architecture. (Retrieved from : http://www.akdn.org/ architecture/pdf/1687_Mal.pdf)

Ken,Y. (2009) . Ken Yeang Eco Master Plannning ,United Kingdom: John Wiley & Sons Ltd , pg,16.

Michalek, J. (2001). Interactive layout design optimization. MS thesis, University of Michigan.

Minke, G. ( 2009). Building with earth: design and technology of a sustainable architecture.

Birkh채user Architecture, Basel.

Sassi,P. (2006). Strategies for Sustainable Architecture,NewYork : Taylor & Francis.

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