GBI

What is GBI????

GBI stands for Green Building Index. This is an environmental rating system for buildings developed by Pertubuhan Arkitek Malaysia (PAM) and The Association of Consulting Engineers Malaysia (ACEM). 

According to Green Building Index Sdn Bhd, a green building focuses on increasing the efficiency of resources use. resources include energy, water and materials. While reducing building impact on human health and the environment during the building's lifecycle, through better siting, design, construction, operation, maintenance and removal. Green Buildings should be designed and operated to reduce the overall impact of the built environment on its surroundings. 

Pusat Tenaga Malaysia

Source: www.greenbuildingindex.org

There are 6 key criterias to rate a building which are:

1. Energy Efficiency (EE)
2. Indoor Environmental Quality (EQ)
3. Sustainable Site Planning and Management (SM)
4. Material and Resources (MR)
5. Water Efficiency (WE)
6. Innovation (IN)

Table 1: Description of the GBI Rating Criteria

No	Criteria	Description
1	Energy Efficiency (EE)	Improve energy consumption by optimising building orientation, minimizing solar heat gain through the building envelope, harvesting natural lighting, adopting the best practices in building services including use of renewable energy, and ensuring proper testing, commissioning and regular maintenance
2	Indoor Environmental Quality (EQ)	Achieve good quality performance in indoor air quality, acoustics, visual and thermal comfort. These will involve the use of low volatile organic compound materials, application of quality air filtration, proper control of air temperature, movement and humidity
3	Sustainable Site Planning and Management (SM)	Selecting appropriate sites with planned access to public transportation, community services, open spaces and landscaping. Avoiding and conserving environmentally sensitive areas through the redevelopment of existing sites and Brownfield. Implementing proper construction management, storm water management and reducing the strain on existing infrastructure capacity
4	Material and Resources (MR)	Promote the use of environment-friendly materials sourced from sustainable sources and recycling. Implement proper construction waste management with storage, collection and re-use of recyclables and construction formwork and waste
5	Water Efficiency (WE)	Rainwater harvesting, water recycling and water-saving fittings
6	Innovation (IN)	Innovative design and initiatives that meet the objectives of the GBI

Source: www.greenbuildingindex.org

Source:www.greenbuildingindex.org

There are a few building rating system in the world. below shows the rating system that use in other countries.

Why Green Building???

why it is so important to achieve the green building? one question that will comes out in community mind. green building are designed to save energy and resources, recycle materials and minimise the emission of toxic substances throughout its life cycle.  This is due to the global phenomenon which is climate change. increasing emission of heat will increase the global temperature. This will harm our earth. 

besides, green building will sustain and improve the quality of human life and maintaining the capacity of the ecosystem at local and global level. 

So lets go green to ensure the benefit for future... 

traffic Impact Assessment

One of the topic in my class is TIA... What is TIA??? 

TIA stands for Traffic Impact Assessment. It is a very important tool to measure and project for future impact on transportation field. 

TIA is a specialized study of the impact of a certain type and size of development on the surrounding transportation system (Hassim, 2013)

Traffic Impact Assessment (TIA) study is an important tool to determine the transportation and traffic impact of a proposed land development project. It identifies the need for any mitigation measures for a transportation system to reduce congestion, yet also maintain and improve safety.

Example of TIA Plan submission

Source: www.google.com

The submission of TIA is a mandatory requirement by most local authorities in Malaysia before development could be considered for approval. 


What is the purpose of implementing TIA??

1. To determine the impact of the proposed development and to ensure the planning of the proposed development will not create traffic problems on the surrounding existing roads.
2. To formulated and to disperse the newly generated traffic from this proposed development
3. To minimize the impact on the existing surrounding roads.
4. To carry out road inventories to determine the characteristic of present road in the vicinity of the development site. This includes determining the number of lanes and layout as well as other existing traffic facilities near the development site
5. To analyse and evaluate the existing traffic condition in order to determine the present traffic flow, composition and the period of peak hours on roads in the vicinity of the development site.
6. To forecast the future traffic generation and attraction (i.e. development traffic) as the result of the proposed land use.
7. To estimate the distribution and assignment of development traffic to the road network in the vicinity of the development site.
8. To recommend effective and efficient traffic scheme that will enhance the vehicular movements to and from the proposed development as well as minimise the impact on the existing surrounding roads.
9. To examine the potential traffic impact the proposed development might have on the existing roads in the vicinity of the development site in terms of their capacities and performances and recommend mitigation measures to accommodate any possible impacts if necessary

What will happen if there is no TIA or any other assessment before development???

The answer is...

• Developer will easily plan any development without consider the traffic problem in future.. 
• Government will get in trouble to fix all the traffic problems due to the new development.

Are we going to live with this situation in future???

Source: www.google.com

Universal Design

Today many developer have take universal design scheme as their scope in the development of any kind of project..

Why they do?? its it just for money?? or it is an act?? or they develop in this way to gain any achievement??

There are many questions in my mind when my this title appears in my mind. However I will try my best to answer in this entry as to share my knowledge to all of you as the readers. Knowledge is for everyone...

I would like to start by definition of the universal design.

What is the universal design??  It that same as the Universal Studio Singapore??? The answer is absolutely not.. but is the Universal Studio development take in consider the universal design???

source: http://worldstotrek.wordpress.com, (2011)

Universal Design is defined as the concept designing products and the built environment to be aesthetic and usable by all people, to be greatest extent possible, regardless of their age, ability or status in life without the need for adaption or specialized design (Ron Mace, FAIA)

In the simple word, universal design is the design that can be used by all type of human being. 

To make is more clear... i will explain using this picture...

  

Picture 1
Source: www.google.com

Picture 2
Source: www.google.com

Picture 1 is not a have universal design.. Picture 2 have built with the concept of universal design.. This is because picture 1 can only be used by the people walk by their legs but picture 2 allow people walk and use the other alternatives of move like using the wheel chair. This criteria is one of the universal design criteria.

There are 7 principles in universal design.

1) Equitable in use

    - Design is useful and marketable to people with diverse abilities.

2) Flexible in use

    - Design make has choice

3) Simple and Intuitive use

    - Use of the design is easy to understand 

4) Perceptible information

    - Design communicates necessary information effectively

5) Tolerance of Error

    - Design minimize hazards and adverse consequences of accidents

6) Low Physical Effort

    - Design can be use efficiently and comfortable

7) Size and Shape for Approach and Use 

    - Appropriate size and space is provided for approach, reach, manipulation and use.

There is an act for the universal design that have been implemented in Malaysia.

-By-Law- 34A: Uniform Building by laws (UBBL) ms1183,ms1184.

Therefore, this will answer why developer design their project with taking in consider the universal design concept. Besides that, people are now more educated days by day. they will choose the best choice in their life. the best choice is the choice for the future. Therefore as a designer, they have to ensure that their design must implement the universal design concept to ensure the harmony of the design and to give benefit to all human being. 

Sustainable Community Planning in Tourism

Tourism is one of the development sector that develop a countries. In Malaysia, tourism be a major focus sector to develop its economic. 

Tourism becomes increasingly important to communities around the world. the need to develop tourism sustainably also becomes a primary concern. 

Sustaining the community has become an essential element of sustainable tourism. The rationale of sustainable tourism development usually rest on the assurance of renewable economic, social and cultural benefits to the community and its environment.

Source: www.google.com

According to Paul (2002), Tourism is good business as it produces 4.4% of the world's GDP and employs around 200 million people globally. It can also help the sustainable management of protected areas, as a market-based alternative catering to the growing number of discriminating travellers trying to find, understand and enjoy a natural environment. Tourism can support the protection of natural resources as local residents realise the value of their asset and want to preserve it. 

Nowadays people more interest in the sustainable tourism activities such as forest, ocean and rural activities. They are finding something that different from their living style. Pictures below show the culture that has been promote in a countries as an asset of the tourism. 

Source: RPK 538 lecturer

The goal of Sustainable Tourism:

1. To develop greater awareness and understanding of the significant contributions that tourism can make to the environment and the economy.
2. To promote equity in development
3. To improve the quality of the life of the host community
4. to provide a high quality of experience for the visitor

Summary of Paper

we are giving a task to summarize and understand a paper that have been written by Mark Deakin (2010) by the title Developing Sustainable Communities in Edinburgh's South East Wedge: The Settlement Model and Design Solution.

What is the content??
it is written on the new settlement in Edinburgh's South East, UK transform tp Plan-Led Environmentally Friendly and Sustainable Pattern of Settlement.
this proposal is written on the Lothian Structure Plan that state:

• the development of Edinburgh can no longer be accommodated within the existing boundaries of the city.
• The cramming of development in browfield sites is no longer an option for Edinburgh.
• Development by peripheral expansion around the edge of the city's green belt seen as a variable option because there are not enough browfield to develop and peripheral expansion will pressure the green belt and effect urban sprawl.

so as the problem occurs, they find some solution to overcome the issues.

1. development of new 1600 hectare site at the periphery of Edinburgh and in an area of city's greenbelt known as the South East Wedge. 
2. Development new settlement in the South East Wedge provides the city with an opportunity on representing less than 10% of the greenbelt , the site has the capacity to accommodate 35% of Edinburgh's land use requirement, 60% of the city's population growth, 15% of additional household and 30% of future employment opportunities.  
3. In realising the pressure for speculative development around the edge of the city and protecting the green belt, the site provides the opportunity for Edinburgh to make sure the use of land, utilities, transportation networks and both retail and leisure services is environmentally friendly and fosters a more sustainable pattern of settlement. 

There are 10 principles that have been use as a guide to build a sustainable community settlement.

1. A distinctive urban culture
2. A spatially compact form
3. Strong landscape framework in a countryside setting
4. A set of neighbourhoods
5. A high density of population
6. A balance of land use, economic and social structure
7. An energy conscious public transportation network
8. High level of infrastructure and shared service provision
9. A pattern of settlement that is able to integrate existing communities with those emerging from the development
10. A financial structure that is variable in the short-medium-long term horizons.  

To develop the new settlement he use 3 models which is 

1) NAR: Net Annual Return

- Offer an environmental assessment of the impact. This has upon the ecosystem and provides a model of how the discounting mechanism can be rehabilitated to provide a design solution producing the level of planning gain need tp make any greening of economic development variable.

2) Eco-Neighbourhood Model

- Focus on assessing the ecological footprint, biodiversity and natural capital in term of the environmental loading, level of energy consumption, waste and emissions this greening of economic development produces. 

3) Transit-Oriented Settlement

- Provide a design solution which assess whether eco-neighbourhood have the environmental loading, level of energy consumption, waste and emission that are friendly because of the infrastructure required to service such high- quality living and working environment, have land markets and level of planning gain needed to be efficient in the greening economic development.

So thats all my summary about the paper..