1

Project
On
Green building technologies and energy conservation
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the B.Sc. of
First Year
(Information Technology)
By
Mr. Sajan George

Roll No/Seat No:21

Under the Guidance of

Asst. Prof.
Deepika.N

Department of Information Technology

KERALEEYA SAMAJAM (REGD.) DOMBIVLI’S
MODEL COLLEGE
Re-Accredited Grade ’A’ by NAAC

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KERALEEYA SAMAJAM (REGD.)

DOMBIVLI’S
MODEL COLLEGE
Re-Accredited Grade ’A’ by NAAC

CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that
Mr. Sajan George

Have satisfactorily completed the requirements of the Project entitled

“Green building technologies and energy conservation”

As prescribed by the University of Mumbai Under the guidance of
Asst.Prof.Deeepika.N

Examiner

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Acknowledgement

I would like to express my sincere gratitude towards my guide, Asslt. Prof.Deepika.N for the
help, guidance and encouragement, he provided during the Special topic seminar. This work
would have not been possible without his valuable time, patience and motivation. I thank him
for making my stint thoroughly pleasant and enriching. It was great learning and an honor being
his student.

I am deeply indebted to H. O. D Mrs. Jyoti Samel and the entire team in the Information
Technology Department. They supported me with scientific guidance, advice and
encouragement, they were always helpful and enthusiastic and this inspired me in my work.
I take previlage to express my sincere thanks to Dr.B.S.Ajit Kumar our principal for providing
the encouragement and much support throughout my work

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Sr. No. Caption Page No.

1. ABSTRACT 5

2. INTRODUCTION 6

3. NEED TO DESIGN GREEN BUILDING 8

4. IMPLEMENTATION OF GREEN BUILDING 11

5. ADVANTAGES OF GREEN BUILDING 46

6. DISADVANTAGES OF GREEN BUILDING 48

7. CONCLUSION 49

8. REFERENCE 50

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ABSTRACT

Green Building refers to a structure and using a process that is

environmentally responsible and resource efficient throughout a building’s lifecycle.
Since buildings consume nearly 50% of World’s Total Energy, Green Buildings, on the
other hand, consume minimum amount of energy with the use of energy efficient
materials. Hence, location of green buildings in the close proximity would create a green
zone and providing much healthier environment with minimum heat island effect. In
India, there are 2 primary rating systems for green building: GRIHA (Green Rating for
Integrated Habitat Assessment); LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design).

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy have adopted a national rating system-
GRIHA which was developed by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI). It
evaluates the environmental performance of a building over the entire life cycle and
hence subsequently awards the points. It is a 100 point system where the points are
allotted as per the ability of the project to successfully meet the criterion standards of
construction listed by GRIHA. This point brackets specifies the star allotted to a
particular building. GRIHA takes into account the provisions of the National Building
Code 2005; the Energy Conservation Building Code 2007 announced by BEE and other
IS codes

. The LEED Green Building Rating System developed and managed by the USGBC, is
the most widely used rating system nationally and internationally Buildings are given
ratings of platinum, gold, and silver or “certified”, based on green -building attributes.
The Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) founded by the collaboration between the
Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the private manufacturer Godrej, has taken
steps to promote the green building concept in India. LEED-India rates buildings on
environmental performance and energy efficiency during design, construction and
operation stages. Green Building when compared to a conventional building seems same
externally and in building use but differs in operational savings and concerns for human
comfort and indoor environment. Green Buildings enjoy the benefits of saving 40-50%
energy by reducinng

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Chapter 1
 Introduction

A green building, also known as a sustainable building, is a structure that is

designed, built ,renovated, operate or reused in an ecological and resource-efficient manner.
Green
buildings are designed to meet certain objectives such as protecting occupant health;
improving employee productivity; using energy ,water, and other resources more efficiently;
and reducing the overall impact to the environment Green Building practices promote
construction of buildings that are healthier for the occupants and healthier for the
environment Sustainable or “green” building practices can reduce the tremendous impact that
building design, construction and maintenance has on both people and nature.Energy and
material consumption in buildings can contribute significantly to global climate change.
Energy efficiency, in today’s scenario, is in no way less important than for resources of, energy
i.e. coal, gas, oil and uranium, .
Application of energy efficiency requires planning of building, its envelope, interiors, air-
conditioning and other gadgets. The requirement is to recognize the areas where the use of
natural resources of energy can be maximized to make the building effective and sustainable.
In green building practices, efficient use of resources means using water saving fixtures and
plumbing elements, energy efficient lighting units and passive solar design. It also involves,
the use of energy efficient building materials aimed to attain highly energy efficient building
envelope with well insulated walls, floors and ceilings. A well insulated building envelope
will helps keeping building cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. Reduced energy
consumption provides financial benefits for the building owners and helps reduce the carbon
monoxide footprint of the building on the environment While the practices, or technologies,
employed in green building are constantly evolving and may differ from region to region, there
are fundamental principles that persist from which the method is derived: Siting and Structure
Design Efficiency, Energy Efficiency, Water Efficiency, Materials Efficiency, Indoor
Environmental Quality Enhancement, Operations and Maintenance Optimization, and Waste
and Toxics Reduction. The essence of green building is an optimization of one or more of these
principles. Also, with the proper synergistic design, individual green building technologies may
work together to produce a greater cumulative effect. On the aesthetic side of green architecture

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or sustainable design is the philosophy of designing a building that is in harmony with the
natural features and resources surrounding the site. There are several key steps in designing
sustainable buildings: specify 'green' building materials from local sources, reduce loads,
optimize systems, and generate on-site renewable energy. ‘A Green building should create
delight when entered, serenity and health when occupied and regret when departed’ – Perhaps
this is one of the most inspiring definitions of a Green building, articulated in the book ‘Natural
Capitalism’. The concept of green buildings is not as nascent as we think it is. For example,
our own ancestors worshipped the five elements of nature - Earth as ‘Prithvi, Water as “Jal’,
Agni as ‘Energy’, Air as ‘Vayu’, and Sky as ‘Akash’. Today through the LEED (Leadership in
Energy & Environmental Leadership) green building rating system, we are rediscovering the
Indian ethos.
The Green building movement has gained tremendous momentum during the past 3-4 years,
since the CII- Godrej GBC embarked on achieving the prestigious LEED rating for its own
center at Hyderabad. The Platinum rating awarded for this building sparked off considerable
enthusiasm in the country. From a humble beginning of 20,000 sq. of green footprint in the
country in the year 2003, to a staggering 10 million sq.ft expected by end 2008, green buildings
are well poised to reach scalar heights. Today a variety of green building projects are coming
up in the country – residential complexes, exhibition centers, hospitals, educational institutions,
laboratories, IT parks, airports, government buildings and corporate offices. Building practices
promote construction of buildings that are healthier for the occupants and healthier for the
environment Sustainable or “green” building practices can reduce the tremendous impact that
building design, construction and maintenance has on both people and nature. Energy and
material consumption in buildings can contribute significantly to global climate change.The
given condition of rapidly increasing population resulting in high demand of resources is a big
worry for all.The key is to maintain ecological balance and fulfill the demand of energy
avoiding any cause of hindrance to the progress of industry.Green building concept utilizes the
natural resources to its maximum. During planning and design stage one can ensure proper
placing of windows, orientation of windows and walls, porches and trees to windows and roof
thereby increasing natural heat gain during winters and reduce heat in summers.

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 Need to design a Green Building

Buildings have major environmental impacts over their entire life cycle. Resources such
as ground cover, forests, water, and energy are depleted to construct and operate buildings.
Resource-intensive materials provide the building envelope and landscaping adds beauty to it
– in turn using up water and pesticides to maintain it. Energy-consuming systems for lighting,
space conditioning and water heating provide comfort to its occupants. Water is another vital
resource for the occupants, which gets consumed continuously during building construction
and operation. Several building processes and occupant functions generate large amounts of
waste. Thus, buildings are one of the major pollutants s that affect urban air quality and
contribute to climate change. Hence, the need to design a green building. Though it costs a
little more initially, however, it costs less to operate a green building that has tremendous
environmental benefits and provides a better place for the occupants to live and work in. Thus,
the challenge of a green building is to achieve all its benefits at an affordable cost.
A green building depletes as little of the natural resources during its construction and
operation. The aim of a green building design is to: Minimize the demand on non-renewable
resources and maximize the utilization efficiency of these resources when in use. Maximize
reuse and recycling of available resources. Utilization of renewable resources. It maximizes
the use of efficient building materials and construction practices; optimizes the use of on-site
sources; Uses minimum energy to power itself; uses efficient equipment to meet its lighting,
air-conditioning, and other needs; maximizes the use of renewable sources of energy; Uses
efficient waste and water management practices; and provides comfortable and hygienic indoor
working conditions. It minimize the negative impacts and enhance the positive impacts on the
environment. In sum, the following aspects of the building design are looked into in an
integrated way in a green building: Site planning Building envelope design  Building system
design HVAC (heating ventilation and air conditioning), lighting, electrical, and water heating
Integration of renewable energy sources to generate energy onsite. Water and waste
management Selection of ecologically sustainable materials (with high recycled content,
rapidly renewable resources with low emission potential, etc.). Indoor environmental quality
(maintains indoor thermal and visual comfort and air quality)

While the practices, or technologies, employed in green building are constantly

evolving and may differ from region to region, there are fundamental principles that persist

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from which the method is derived: Siting and Structure Design Efficiency, Energy Efficiency,
Water Efficiency, Materials Efficiency, Indoor Environmental Quality Enhancement,
Operations and Maintenance Optimization, and Waste and Toxics Reduction. The essence of
green building is an optimization of one or more of these principles. Also, with the proper
synergistic design, individual green building technologies may work together to produce a
greater cumulative effect. On the aesthetic side of green architecture or sustainable design is
the philosophy of designing a building that is in harmony with the natural features and
resources surrounding the site. There are several key steps in designing sustainable buildings:
specify 'green' building materials from local sources, reduce loads, optimize systems, and
generate on-site renewable energy.
In designing environmentally optimal buildings, the objective is to minimize the total
environmental impact associated with all life-cycle stages of the building project Though there
are a lot more about power generation and transport which are believed to be the major emitters
of greenhouse gases, the buildings are actually the single largest contributor to global warming
– they account for 33% of global carbon dioxide emissions, according to the World Green
Building Council. In Malaysia, commercial and residential buildings use up 48% of the
electricity generated – which is why green architecture is so important. In Malaysia,
commercial and residential buildings use up 48% of the electricity generated which is why
green architecture is so important. A low energy house or low energy building is any type of
house that from design technologies and the building utilities use less energy, from any source
compared the traditional or average building. Inspired by green building rating tools such as
UK’s BREEAM, USA’s LEED, Japan’s CASBEE, Australia’s GREENSTAR, and
Singapore’s GREEN MARK, to name a few, Malaysia introduced its very own Green Building
Index (GBI) in early 2009. GBI was jointly developed by the Malaysian Institutes of Architects
(PAM) and the Association of Consulting Engineer Malaysia (ACEM)
Green rating tools by its nature and role is very dependent upon location and environment and
thus climate.

Malaysia’s Green Building Index or GBI will be the only rating tool for the tropical
zones other than Singapore Government’s GREEN MARK. So in other words, Malaysia’s GBI
is customized to suit local conditions – our climate, current state of development, and existing
resources. Buildings are awarded GBI Malaysia ratings – Platinum, Gold, Silver or Certified –
depending on six key criteria (generally based on the LEED certification of USA.

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1. Energy Efficiency
2. Indoor Environmental Quality
3. Sustainable Site Planning and Management
4. Materials and Resources
5. Water Efficiency
6. Innovation
The Malaysian government is also very supportive of the development of green buildings
in the country. In fact, recently it has been decided that all new government buildings must
incorporate the features of GBI. Aside from that, in the recent tabling of Malaysia’s Budget
2010, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced tax exemption for building
owners who obtain the GBI certificate. In addition, buyers of buildings with GBI certificates
will also be exempted from stamp duty starting from October 24 2009 until December 31 2014
– a good five years. A RM1.5 billion fund will also be set up to provide assistance to companies
dealing with green technology. With such political will, Malaysia is set to progress much more
significantly than ever before in the development of green buildings.Many green building
materials also offer energy efficiency benefits. For instance, use of metal in residential and
commercial construction is considered environmentally friendly because metal is recyclable
and long lasting building material that also offers excellent solar reflective benefits making it
an energy efficient choice for roofing and wall panels when constructing a building envelope.
Bamboo is another green building material because it grows quickly and thus can be easily
sustained. Desirably material for construction of a Green Building should:  Minimize
resource quantity. Maximize use of renewable materials.  Selection of Low energy materials
& standard construction systems.

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Implementation of Green Building Technology

 LOW ENERGY OFFICE BUILDING (LEO BUILDING)

The LEO building is one of the green building in Malaysia is aimed to achieve the low
consumption of energy. The first LEO building in Malaysia is stated to be at the Putrajaya
where here is located the Head Quarters of the Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and
Water. This LEO building is launched officially by Minister of Energy, Water and
Telecommunication of Malaysia, Y.B Dato’ Seri Dr. Lim Keng Yaik on 25 June 2005. The LEO
building won first place in the “Energy Efficient Building Best Practices Competition 2006” at
the ASEAN level under the “New and Existing Building” category. The award was presented at
a special ceremony organised on 27 July 2006 in conjunction with the 24th ASEAN Energy
Ministers meeting in Vientiane, Lao PDR. The Deputy Minister of Energy, Water and
Communications received the award on behalf of the Malaysian. This building have feature
like 20,000 m2 gross floor area and would have an energy savings of RM 600,000.

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 FUNCTION

LEO building is said to be the first Government building in Malaysia to incorporate a

wide raLnge of EE (energy efficiency) features and technologies exemplifies the Government‘s
commitment and serious efforts in achieving sustainable development through energy
efficiency and conservation. This building is constructed and builds with the aim to be a
showcase building for energy efficiency and low environmental impact design. The main target
is to minimize the energy consumption and also include the running cost but without sacrificing
occupants comfort on that buildings. This building can give to a greener way of life and works.
Other than that, this building also expected to achieve energy savings of more than 50%
compare to the traditional building or common building in Malaysia. Although it is said the
construction cost will be higher about 10% higher than the ordinary office building, the energy
saving is expected of more than RM600, 000 per year, the predicted return on investment is
less than 10 years.
Furthermore by reducing the energy consumption about 1,700 tone of CO2 emission, it can be
annually and indirectly contributing to reduce the global warming effect and protecting the
environment. A typical new office building in Malaysia and ASEAN region will have a Energy
Index of 200-300 kWh/m2 year but for the LEO building it is targeted to set on 100 kWh/m2
year. This analysis show that the target will decrease in order to use less energy. LEO building
also will acts as a catalyst for others to design and build energy efficient buildings in the future.
This LEO building has it own EE that includes day lighting, EE office equipment, ventilation,
control and sensor, orientation, insulation and energy management. To achieve the goal of 100
kWh/m2 the building must occupied certain characteristics which is the top and around of the
building should be green environment. Other than that, the building orientation also must be
optimized where the windows facing north and south where solar heats is less than. The
building also must be insulated well in facade and roof. The LEO building also has the energy
efficient cooling system where the air volume for each building zone is controlled individually
according to the demand. The building is using less electricity and has an implementation of
an Energy Management System.

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 SHADES

Malaysia has hot climate and high humid temperature. The common temperature is between
24˚C to 35˚C. This is the main point to the modern energy efficient design. In the office
working areas, a controlled and conducive environment is essential for the occupant comfort
and for the productive input. The windows are oriented to the north and the south in the LEO
building. This orientation will give less direct sunshine and only shallow out shading to shade
off the sun. The east and also west orientation will receives more suns and as the results the
sun is more difficult to shade off due to the low sun angles for the radiation in the morning an
also afternoon. In the exterior aspects, two types of window facade are used. The punch holes
window facades in the lower floors and the curtain wall windows with exterior shading in the
upper floors.

The wall of the LEO building consist of 200mm aerated concrete and also exterior surface
have light colours in order to reduce the solar heating on the walls. The concrete wall has an
insulation value which is 2.5 times better compared to the traditional building which is made
by brick wall.
The roof of the building is insulated with 100mm insulation compared to the normal which is
25mm. The roof surface is also protected by a second canopy roof. In the roof also, the green
landscaping that will provides shading and will improves the aesthetics of the roof areas. The
local temperature in the outside of the building can be reduced by using the cooling effect of
trees, greenery and also water areas. In the big city with high ‘heat island’ effect, the feature
will help to create optimal comfortable, local micro-climatic conditions for buildings and
people. By the end of 2004, total of 148 projects had been certified under the LEO and a total
of 1753 projects had registered their intent to pursue LEO certification in the future. To the
degree that green buildings are simply “higher performing “buildings, we need to design and
build better buildings that can readily be accomplished by the existing industries. However, if
one considers the innovation of rating and certifying buildings against energy and
environmental design criteria, as in the LEO green building rating system, then we can apply a
classical theory of diffusion of innovation which encompasses substitution of new ways of
doing things for old ways, to forecast market demand.

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FIG:-the punch hole windows in LEO buildings

 COMFORT & INDOOR AIR QUALITY

In a tropical climate, a person will be increasingly uncomfortable with increased air

temperature, humidity and radiant temperature. The recommended indoor temperature is range
on 23˚C to 26˚C with the recommended relative humidity is 60%-70%. Buildings therefore
have to be tight, and the fresh air intake has to be controlled for optimum quality of the indoor
air. In the LEO Building, intake of outside air is controlled according to CO2 level of the indoor
air, and thereby controlled according to the occupancy level. The more people in the building,
the more fresh air intake required.
It is noted that low temperature and low humidity is uncomfortable, unhealthy and
expensive. Office air temperatures lower than 22˚C to 23˚C means that people will have to
dress up with warmer clothes, and the cooling load of the building increases. In the LEO
Building, the quality -of the indoor air is further improved by the use of electronic air cleaners,
instead of normal fibre filter to clean the incoming air from particle pollutants.

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 DAYLIGHT

Natural light is the preferred light source for human beings. In Malaysia, daylight is
plentiful during the normal office hours throughout the year. Therefore daylight can be an
important light source to help reduce energy use for artificial lighting to provide adequate
building design. The challenge in the daylight design is on how to design window and shading
which lets daylight in, prevent the sunlight to enter the building, and reduces glare problems
from the windows. In the LEO building, these criteria are achieved through a combination of
exterior shading and glazing which in turn allows 65% of the light through and allowed only
51% of the heat through. The atrium allows daylight. This will improve the energy savings and
also the user comfortness.
A daylight responsive control system on lighting system is combined with a motion
detector which automatically shuts off lighting and reduces the cooling once an office is
unoccupied. This is in order to controll the artificial lighting. The artificial lighting will
automatically shuts off when daylight is sufficient to satisfy the lighting need. In the future the
advanced glazing will become available. Glazing that filters the sunlight such that the visible
light has preference and solar heat is avoided. This glazing reflects will reflect the invisible
infrared and ultraviolet and also heat away from the building.

FIG:-The daylight entering the atrium spaces

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 OFFICE APPLIANCES
Office equipment’s such as computers, printers, and a copy machine are responsible for
the increased electricity consumption and thereby responsible for additional increase in
cooling load to reduce this, LEO building has made an emphasis to reduce the electricity
consumption for the equipment. Simulation with the Energy-10 computer tool confirms the
significance of the office equipment and the overall energy consumption. From this the energy
consumption will be reduced from 25 to 10 kWh/m2/year. The main energy consuming for
office is said to be the personal computer with its screen (computer with PC) with 150W. The
LCD screen computers is said to be more efficient in reducing energy with 80W but more
better if use the portable laptops computers with energy use of 30W only. This is because the
laptops have its own energy efficient on the on the maximum battery life.

 ENERGY MANAGEMENT

For the low consumption of energy such as LEO building, a comprehensive energy
management system (EMS) is one of the prerequisite matters. The energy management
system will monitor on a continuous basis of the energy consumption of the building.
From this system, the action can be taken if the abnormal high energy used is detected. This
EMS need installation of a metering system in order to measure the energy used. In the LEO
building, the system will be placed at each floor and section to detection of uses of energy on
cooling, lighting and plugging. The temperature on the various parts also will be monitored

 BENEFITS
Generally, the low energy buildings have it own benefits such as low energy bills. The
owners or the occupants of this building can keep their cost under control and become less
vulnerable to future fluctuations of energy prices. Other than that, this LEO building will have
an excellent indoor climate. The use of the mechanical ventilations flows will help to eliminate
air pollutants away and will provide fresh air indoor. LEO building also have a pleasant
warmth. Especially on the overseas country that have experience four seasons, during the
winter and also summer, the large fluctuations in temperature are not practically non exist.
Lastly the LEO building will have a better acoustical and visual comfort. The bioclimatic
design and performing insulation of the glazed and also opaque walls will protect the buildings

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occupants from the outside noise pollutions and will brings more natural light into the
premises instead of using the artificial light.

 SUMMARY
The LEO building is one of the best ways to reduce the consumption on energy by
cutting the source that use more energy in office especially. Malaysia is said to be the
highest energy consumer. This is also good in order to achieve the greener way of life.
Malaysia also has sign to be one of the member in Kyoto Protocol. By developing green
building such as LEO building, the principle in National Energy Policy can be achieved in
the environmental objective that to minimize the negative impact of energy production,
transportation, conversion, utilization and consumption on the environment. This building
can achieve energy savings of more than 50% compare to the traditional building or
common building in Malaysia. Energy Index of normal building is 200-300 kWh/m2 year
but for the LEO building it is targeted to set on 100 kWh/m2 year. This decreased show that
the lower consumption of energy.
Each floor has its own air handling unit (AHU) and it is sub-divided into smaller zones,
where the provision of chilled air is controlled with a Variable Air Volume (VAV) damper.
The VAV damper controls the chilled air volume to the zone according to the temperature
set point instead of using normal air conditioning that will use power required to run air
conditioning consumes fossil fuel, depleting reserves, and again, adding to global warming.
Artificially changing the temperature from ambient levels confuses the body's regulating
mechanisms, designed to synchronize our bodies with seasonal variations and lowers
resistance to infection - infections we are more likely to get as a result of breathing recycled
air.

Every advantage will have other side on the disadvantages. One of the disadvantages is
to build and prepared building like LEO building needed very large cost because the
satisfaction of this building is in the higher ranking. But this high cost level will benefit in
the future that the energy can be saved more. People will say that the building will make
waste in the construction cost because the impact of this building is not seen today yet.

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 GREEN ENERGY OFFICE BUILDING (GEO BUILDING)

Green building is a building designed with green technology that is low-carbon

technologies and environmentally friendly nature. In an effort towards greening the earth,
the government has taken several initiatives such as come out with buildings that apply
green technologies. One of the building that applied green technologies is Pusat Tenaga
Malaysia (Malaysia Energy Center), previously known as ZEO (Zero Energy Office)
Building. It is a combination of two projects which are Super Energy Efficient Building
Design (Super Low Energy with BEI 35-40 kWh/m2/year) and Malaysian Integrated Photo-
Voltaic, MBIPV (with Solar PV 92 kWpeak installation), hence resulting PTM Zero Energy
Office, ZEO with BEI target 0 kWh/m2/year (demonstrate 10-15 years Energy Efficient
building technology). Or in other meaning the amount of energy used by the building is
counter balanced by the amount of energy generated by its own renewable energy power
generation system which contributes ti its name ZEO – Zero Energy Office.

It is officially Malaysia’s first Green Building Index (GBI) Certified Building. Now it is
known as Green Energy Office Building recognized in short GEO building. It is also
Malaysia’s first completed green-rated office building.

Since its completion in October 2007, a staff of 60 has occupied the three-level ZEO building
in Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor. The RM 20 million projects by the Energy, Water and
Communications Ministry, was co-ordinate by Danish consultancy IEN.

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Fashioned after the Low Energy Office (LEO) building initiated by the Ministry of Energy,

Water and Communications (MEWC) in Putrajaya, the PTM’s ZEO building has placed
Malaysia on the regional map as the first completely self-sustainable building in Southeast
Asia. Spread over a 5-acre site in Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor, the building located 40
kilometers south of the city centre of Kuala Lumpur, operates on the dynamics of both passive
and active techniques and on-site renewable energy generation, as exemplified in the solar
BIPV system.
The business of sustainability is big news, by any standards. The PTM’s ZEO building serves
as a pilot project that provides a platform for proof of concept in driving forward the goals of
the Malaysian building industry (developers, consultants, architects, local professionals and
academia at large) in the subject of sustainable building design. This is great news as most
building in Malaysia are energy inefficient – most of them record higher Building Energy Index
(BEI) beyond the benchmark for Energy Efficient Buildings (EEB) set at 135 kWh per square
meter per year (the kWh per square meter of the BEI is derived based on dividing the total kWh
or electricity used per year by the building area based on meter square calculations).

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 BIPV SYSTEM

Pre-programmed into the building’s DNA are energy efficient features and the BIPV
system – they make up the backbone of this self-sufficient, fully sustainable landmark. As such,
PTM’s ZEO building does not use fossil fuels, driving home the point that an office building
need not consume electricity derived from this source. Instead, all electricity needed by the
building is being generated by its own solar building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) systems.
BIPV are photovoltaic materials that are used to replace conventional building materials in
parts of the building envelope such as roof, skylights or facade.
Four BIPV systems were incorporated into the building as part of the building element during
the design stage of the building. In all, four different solar BIPV systems utilizing four different
technologies have been installed into PTM’s ZEO as follows:

SYSTEM BIPV AREA TARGET INSTALLED EXPECTED

kWh (based
MODULES CAPACITY CAPACITY
on 1200
(kWp) (kWp)
kWh/kW/year

A Polycrystalline Main roof 44.5 47.28 53 400

B Amorphous Second main 5.88 6.08 7 056

silicon roof

C Glass-glass semi Atrium 10.0 11.64 12 000

transparent

D Integrated Car park 25.0 27 30 000

monocrystalline

Total 85.38 92 102 456

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Four BIPV systems were incorporated into the building as part of the building element during
the design stage of the building. In all, four different solar BIPV systems utilizing four different
technologies have been installed into PTM’s ZEO as follows:-

Table:-Summary details of BIPV are as follows:

 Summary details of BIPV

The solar BIPV systems are all linked up to grid-connected inverters that convert the
produced direct current (DC) electricity into alternating current (AC) electricity. For purposes
of verifying the electricity production, electricity generation is recorded through the meter. In
this case, no battery is installed as the generated solar electricity is directly consumed and the
net surplus sold to Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) on a net meter basis. Besides that, the
electricity generated from the PV is sold to the national utility (Tenaga Nasional Berhad, TNB)
at the same purchased tariff of RM0.323 sen/kWh.

Looking at the example of a total BIPV capacity of 92 kWp, the anticipated target for annual
electricity generated from solar BIPV systems stands at 102 MWh. To date, the BIPV systems
have produced about 103 MWh/year average, based on actual output over three months.
Buildings that are not energy efficient would need more than 92 kWp as compared to PTM’s
ZEO.

Besides that, an additional feature is added to System A and System B where it will act
as cooling tower at night. The chiller runs only at night and the cooling is stored in the concrete
floor slabs by running cold water pipes embedded in the slabs. At night, the water normally
sent to the cooling tower is trickled over two solar photovoltaic roofs and collected again for
another cycle. These measures keep the water bill to only RM50 a month.
Although various problems cropped up that affected the chiller efficiency, the system meant
that no cooling tower was needed, the solar panels replaced the normal roof, the running water
cleans the solar panels while the roof also traps rainwater. Reimann said they are still working
on improving the system so that the building will achieve zero-energy usage, as initially
intended.

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Figure 3.2: 92 kWp BIPV installed in the GEO Building

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Figure 3.3: Cooling Tower system of System A and System B

BIPV systems installed complement the energy efficiency concepts of the whole
building. Since the migration of the office in October 2007, PTM has been receiving an average
of 80 to90 visitors per month from educational background, professional and private sectors.
Under the MBIPV project itself, PTM through its BIPV systems has been receiving wide
publicity from local and international media. As a showcase project, it is expected that the
BIPV systems serve as a good reference case for spinning of BIPV projects in Malaysia.

 RADIANT COOLING (UNDERFLOOR COOLING)

The temperature people feel is an average (effective temperature) of the air in a room
and the radiant temperature from the surrounding surfaces. If the floor temperature is 18oC and
the room temperature is 26 oC people will feel it as 22-24 oC. Therefore, with floor cooling the
room temperature can be increased compared to air-conditioning system.
The floors of the building take on a cooling effect role, thanks to the insertion of embedded
Cross-linked polyethylene (PEX) pipes in this building within the concrete floor slabs. During
the day, the stored cooling effect (water) is released from the floor slabs to the rooms above
and below them, directly contributing to the cooling effect of the building that is also
supplemented minimally by air-cooling systems. And ambient cooling and evaporation
during the night cools the water for use the following days. Radiant floor take advantage of
effective temperature. The radiant-floor system take advantages of the phenomenon that the

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sun’s rays coming in through the skylight only warm up the surfaces they hit not the air. The
heat never really enters the space. With this cooling system, the sunlight hits the floor. And
heat is taken away by circulating water in the embedded PEX pipes in the floor. Since the slab
never warms up, the solar energy never becomes a load in the space. Radiant cooling takes
advantage of the fact that it is more efficient to remove heat from water than to remove it from
air. The energy required to pump air is more than the horsepower to pump water to remove the
same quantity of heat.

ZEO achieves 75% of its cooling requirements by radiant cooling. While the remaining 25%
of its cooling requirement is achieved by conventional air-conditioners, powered by electricity
generated by its own by the BIPV system

Figure: Underfloor cooling: application concept.

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Figure 3.5: Close in view of the PEX pipes installation in floor slab

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 LIGHTING SYSTEM

A typical Malaysian building would have been all walled up, and the dark interiors lit with
multiple artificial lights but not so the ZEO building. It is 100% daylight during daytime. It
appears to embrace the sun and this is just one of the many tricks employed in the building to
conserve energy
This building applied good orientation for daylighting by having majority of its windows and
doors faced towards North and South.

Figure 3.6: ZEO Building orientation

The windows have been integrated with mirror lightshelves which functioned as daylight
facade. Besides, the building itself has Step-in design which provide self-shading. The roof
also transparent and thus allows light coming into the rooms on top of the building.

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Figure 3.7: Step-in design (self-shading) in the GEO Building.

Figure:-Typical selection

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Figure:- Lighting design

The implementation of high performance Double Glazing Windows with Integrated
Blinds also complements the call for energy efficiency. Glass used in double glazing window
for thermal insulation is known as Low E, or low-emissivity glass. It has a transparent metallic
coating that works in two ways to economize heating energy. The dual action coating reflects
cool air back into the room, whilst allowing light from the sun to pass through. Besides, its
ability is also to harness high visible light at low infra-red (IR) and ultra-violet (UV)
transmittance. As for the integrated blinds, the lower surface is painted with white and the
upper surface is the layer of reflective aluminium.

While the Reflective Mirrors or mirror lighshelf helps enable diffuse sunlight to be thrown
deeper into the building thus increases the brightness inside the building. The result is the
effective harnessing of natural daylight minus, to a great degree, unnecessary heat radiation
into the building. Thus, the usage of air conditioner will be minimized in the building.

Moreover, the noise from outside will be reduced at the same time too.

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Figure: Double Glazing Windows (Vision Windows).

Careful thought has also gone into the preservation of air quality achieved via the
process of dehumidification. Given the fact that dehumidification of air quality in buildings
consumes a great amount of electricity, a desiccant heat wheel that operates by replacing
incoming hot and humid fresh air with cooler and drier exhaust air is used to counteract this
effect.
Inside the building, energy efficient lighting fixtures are used. The LED tasklight which
consume 6.2 W power and suspended T5 tube (2x) up/down lighter c/w DALI ballast.
Another energy efficient is the office equipment where PC with CRT monitor with ~120-180
W power consumption are not used by the workers. Instead, they use PC with LCD monitor
with ~70-90 W power consumption. Besides that, netbook or laptop with only ~15-35 W
power consumption also encouraged. 80% of the PC used in the ZEO building is laptop.
Rainwater is use for condenser side cooling system and irrigation. The use of piped water is
only 1/3 of the total amount of water used for ZEO building.
Sensors are widely integrated in the building, some of them are daylight sensor where the
brightness sensor (ranges from 1-20000 lux) can send switching telegrams to EIB actuators
when the brightness exceeds or falls below a specified threshold. Then the light will be
automatically on. The occupancy sensors consist of physical sensors or movement detector and
thermal movement detection.

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 SUMMARY
A standard building consumes between 200 and 300 kWh/sqm annually and it is
equivalent to 150-200 kg/sqm per year. But a well-designed building like GEO only consumes
35 kWh/sqm/year! The building sector is still the single polluting sector in the world.
According to IEA, the sector not only consumes 40% of energy, it also releases 30% of
greenhouse gases and produces 25%-40% of solid waste. Thus now it is time to design building
so that they do not give further construction on earth.

According to Poul Erik Kristenen, Managing Director of IEN Consultants Sdn. Bhd.
Malaysian buildings are known to be ‘leaky’. With hot and humid air leaking into the building,
additional energy is needed to dehumidify buildings. While Malaysia neither is nor used to
building ‘airtight’ buildings, what seems to be lacking is the awareness of a better usage of
materials in different conditions.

He says Malaysian building do not need Low E glazing for its window as it is designed for
cold climate countries. He added that what we need here is specifically selected solar glazing
or the solar control glazing that still allows light in but keeps the UV and Infrared rays out,
which will save on the cooling load.

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 DIAMOND BUILDING

Figure : Diamond Building in Putrajaya towers over (from left) Gregers Reimann of IEN
Consultants, architect Nafisah Radin and Energy Commision head of promotion and
communication Md Yuha Ismail –Photo by Mohd Sahar, The Star.

It looked like an upside-down pyramid with top buried in the ground and greenish glass
window. This building is the Energy Commission headquarters which built with green concept.
Officially launched by deputy prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin in May 2011, the
building is home to the Energy Commission of Malaysia.
IEN Consultants Sdn Bhd’s third green building project in Putrajaya, the first two being the

Green Energy Office (GEO) Building, currently the most energy-efficient office building is

South-east Asia, and the Low Energy Office (LEO) Building. It is completed on December
2009 with construction cost of RM 60 million, and the client is Senandung Budi SDN BHD.
The Diamond Building in Precinct 2, Putrajaya, the administrative capital of Malaysia, an
energy efficient and sustainable seven-storey building on a 5000 square meter site is the first
building to be awarded the Malaysian Green Building Index (GBI) Platinum award and the
Singapore Building & Construction Authority (BCA) Green Mark for Buildings (Overseas)
Platinum award.

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At the start of the project, the consulting team went on a series of study trips, which included
trips to Singapore in 2005 to study the green buildings there. In Thailand, they were impressed
with the work of architect Dr Soontom Boonyatikam, who eventually became the principal
architect for the Diamond Building.

 LIGHTING SYSTEM

Figure: The atrium of the Diamond Building, designed to optimize daylight utilization.

The atrium was designed to optimize daylight utilization with reflector panels and an
automatic roller-blind system that responds to the intensity as well as the angle of the sunlight.

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The sensors detect how much light is to be allowed and activate the blinds appropriately. The
air in the atrium was cool, despite the bright sunlight from the skylight.

Figure: Daylight utilization

Figure: Control of daylight and glare

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The offices and worktables are all placed near the glass windows either looking
towards the outside of the building or into the atrium. This is to make best use of available
daylight. But somewhere on the seventh floor is the lounge area, located in an area where there
are no windows. Yet, the colourful area with its sofas and paintings on the wall are brightly
illuminated. On the other hand, the public areas such as the corridors are located in the centre
where there is the least amount of light. In addition, each workstation is also provided with a
task light, which promotes lower energy consumption compared to a traditional office. Staffs
are advised not to put too many items on window sills, so as not to affect daylight performance.
Everything is designed so that the amount of light is always at a comfortable level, and
computer screens do not fade out in the glare.

One of the major design targets for the Diamond Building was to make it highly daylit. During
the day, daylight is deflected onto the ceiling by the facade mirror light shelf system which
ensures a good daylight distribution of up to 5 m from the facade.
Two sides of the building face north and south. While the sun’s path is from east to west, it will
sometimes tilt to the north or to the south. The tilt angle is about 25°, so the building’s facade
is also tilted at 25°.

“The north and south facades are self-shading,” said Reimann. “Of course you will still have
the morning sun and afternoon sun in the east and west. But the time of exposure to direct
sunlight would also be lessened because of the inclination.” The solar exposure on the east and
west sides is reduced by about 40%, thus there is only diffused sunlight which is softer.

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Figure: A building shape defined by sun.

The windows that face the atrium gradually increase in size from the upper floors down
to the lower floors where there is less sunlight. Reflective panels (which resemble half a
Christmas tree) on the fourth and fifth floors, tilted at 10 degrees, help to reflect light across to
the first and second floors.
The interiors are also naturally lit through the use of mirror light shelves. Installed above
the windows, these deflect daylight onto the white ceiling to illuminate the entire room. And
yes, there is a reason why everything is painted white.
Even on an overcast day, lights are not needed as the automatic blinds will be fully open.

“When the blinds are fully closed (during bright sunshine), they still let 30% of the light
through, so daylight can be used throughout the day.” Reimann said it is only during a heavy
rainstorm, when it gets really dark, that lights have to be turned on. “The electric lights are off
50% of the time. This building’s energy consumption is only about one-third that of a normal
building,” said Reimann.
You can still find window blinds in the building even though there is no harsh light. This is
because daylight changes, and the blinds are needed for those periods when the light is glaring.
In the future, task lights or table lamps will be distributed to everyone. That will ensure lights
are only switched on for individual needs.

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 WATER EFFICIENCY

The Diamond Building also adopted the Floor Slab Cooling (FSC) technology, the
second building to do so in Malaysia after the GEO Building. Reimann explains that the
technology makes the building structure function as a thermal storage system by embedding
flexible 22 mm PERT pipes in the reinforced concrete slabs during construction. Forty per cent
of the cooling comes from chilled water slabs.
He says: “At night, 18°C cold water is circulated in the slabs to cool them down to about 21°C.
During the daytime, the system is shut off, and the floor slab passively absorbs heat gains from
people, computers and solar gains.”

He pointed out that the advantages of the floor slab cooling system include reducing
cooling transport energy by 64%; shifting much of the cooling to the slabs so that the air
handling unit (AHU) system can be down-sized by about 30%; and shifting 30-40% of the
cooling to night time so that the building can enjoy lower off-peak energy rates.
The Diamond Building has another unique feature to boast of, the first-of-its-kind heat recovery
shower system, which was installed for the convenience of those who opt to cycle to work. The
system provides hot showers that are heated to about 38°C by solar heating.
In this case, the copper pipe of the incoming cold water, which is about 27-28°C, is coiled
around the pipe of the outgoing hot water, which allows the latter to transfer about 30-40% of
its heat to the incoming pipe. This reduces the energy demand of the heater.
Reimann says: “In the big scheme of things, this system does not make such a big impact as
the energy consumption for heaters is very little. However, it is a fun installation and we
installed it in such a way that people can see how it works. Hopefully, the system will inspire
more people to give more thought to heat recovery systems.”

The Diamond Building also has in place a grey water system. Instead of going to the
sewer, all water from the sinks and floor traps (grey water) is piped separately through a sand
filter to a collection tank from where it is re-used for the irrigation of a mini-wetland. Besides,
rainwater is harvested for toilets and gardens. Thus saving 70% to 80% on water usage.
This system helps recycle about 2,000-3,000 litres of water every week day. Together with the
use of water-efficient fittings and rainwater harvesting, the building has successfully reduced
its water consumption by an amount that is equivalent to the use of 12 households.

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 VENTILATION

Unlike traditional office buildings which often consume a lot of energy to ventilate the
basement car park, the Diamond Building basement car park features a sunken courtyard that
helps promote natural ventilation. Energy- efficient equipment and motors are installed in the
car park, as well as carbon monoxide (CO) sensors, which only activates the ventilation system
when CO exceeds certain limits.

 ENERGY EFFICIENCY
According to associate director and energy consultant of IEN Consultants Gregers
Reimann, a normal building in Malaysia consumes about 210 kWh/m² year. In comparison, the
Diamond Building consumes just under one third of that, or 65 kWh/m² year (excluding the
energy generated by solar photovoltaics).
Thin-film solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, currently the most efficient type in Malaysia, that
were installed on the roof of the Diamond Building provide about 1,400 kWh/kWp per year or
10% of the building’s energy needs. This has helped cut its energy bill by about RM40,000
every year.

With the implementation of the feed-in tariff, this savings is estimated to be about three to four
times higher. This also translates into a savings of 63 tonnes of CO² which, together with the
1,350 tonnes of CO² savings from energy efficiency, is equivalent to taking 700 cars off the
road, assuming that each car travels a distance of 12,000 km per year.

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Figure: Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV)

 SUMMARY

According to IEN Consultants Sdn Bhd, the Diamond Building has 57% electricity savings
(CO² emission savings correspond to taking 324 cars off the road), 71.4 kWp solar PV plant
(CO² emission savings correspond to taking 30 cars off the road), Water-efficient fittings,
rainwater harvesting and grey water recycling (water saved corresponds to consumption of 12
households), Conducive working environment (50% daylighting, good air quality and passive
slab cooling), Additional savings come from the 35% savings on the district cooling
consumption for the building.

Amazingly, all these green features combine to create an energy savings of almost RM1
million every year in the building’s operational cost. Reimann says: “The green cost of the
Diamond Building is only about 6% (including PV) with a payback period of about 3.5 years.
There is a common perception that going green is expensive, but the real fact is that not going
green can be even more expensive. It just makes perfect economic sense to go green.”

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But even with all these energy-saving and green features, one thing is still needed to ensure
optimum performance – people’s habits and attitudes. Malaysians in general seem averse to
any sunlight and would pull down the blinds in a second.
Md Yuha Ismail, head of promotion and communication in the Energy Commission, said the
staff had been prepared for their new experience even before they moved to the building in
June last year.
“We had a series of talks and we even brought them to this building just to have them
experience it beforehand. Even now, we encourage them to not use the lifts but the stairs
instead. It is an ongoing process. And it’s been good, because we achieved an energy index of
65kWh/m2 per year, when our initial target was 85.” Said Md Yuha There are regular talks on
sustainability by experts for the staff.

 G TOWER HOTEL

Aside from government building, the awareness to go green arouse among other business
too. One of them is the establishment of G Tower, the first green hotel in Malaysia. It was built
on March 28, 2010. G Tower Hotel is proving a force to be reckoned with by winning big at
the Hospitality Asia Platinum Awards (HAPA) 2010 – 2012 and Malaysia Interior Design
Awards

(MIDA) 2010. Formerly known as The G City Club Hotel, it is now re-branded as the G Tower
Hotel. The re-branding exercise follows after the hotel’s recognition across various industry
awards. G Tower’s New Working Concept is a pioneer in the real estate industry, changing the
way buildings are being designed, constructed and operated in Malaysia by harnessing the
latest technologies and innovation to build Green and Smart. G Tower was built in order to
save the energy, water and the environment. Through the adoption of the latest Green Building
Technologies to achieve a more sustainable, low-energy and healthy environment, G Tower
boasts a 25% energy reduction compared with other buildings of similar size and location.

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Figure : G Tower Jalan Tun Razak

G Tower is located just 30 metres from the Ampang Park Light Rail Transit (LRT)
subway which is 400 meters from the KLCC Park perimeter and only 45 minutes by road to
KL international Airport. It is also close to the foreign diplomatic community of Jalan Ampang
and the U-Thant enclave. Strategically located at the crossroads of Jalan Tun Razak and Jalan
Ampang, the G Tower has strong environmental-friendly credentials due to its placement
within Malaysia’s first internationally green-related building G Tower. The green credentials
are further complimented by full MSC Malaysia Cyber centre status certification, highlighting
rooms and services that feature a fully converged data and information network.
The building is a 30-storey twin tower owned by Goldis Berhad and was built at an estimated
cost of RM 470 million. This boutique hotel is a mixed-use development containing a 180room
5-star hotel that employs contemporary minimalist concept that provides guests more space to
work, a 100000 ft2 of general office space, another 400000 ft2 spread amongst 112 CEO duplex
suites and numerous meeting rooms. Additionally, there is a private club, lobby bar or café,
rooftop bar, other food & beverage outlets and a wellness floor with gym, yoga, spa facilites

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 CONCEPT

The tower recently received the Green Mark Gold Award given out by the Building and
Construction Authority (BCA) of Singapore and GBI Certified Award. Located at the
crossroads of two major thoroughfares in downtown Kuala Lumpur, G Tower was a huge green
walls and refreshing rooftop gardens. The building was designed from the start, properly
oriented to the sun, has more water features, overlay green walls, koi pond and green walls
system to help cooling effects. All these things assist greatly during design and construction of
the building.
The 180 room hotel provides superb business facilities and is specifically designed for
corporate and business executives. The entire building is equipped floor-to-floor with fibre
optic and CAT6 cables to ensure superior high-speed broadband internet access. Wi-Fi is
available everywhere. Each room comes equipped with high-speed broadband on demand to
every room, Wi-Fi hotspots, IP telephony, IT Concierge, business secretarial services and of
course, access to The Club, an exclusive private club on the penthouse floor of G-Tower.
All rooms in G-Tower Hotel come loaded with state-of-the-art technology and gadgets such as
iPod docks, IP televisions, complimentary broadband as well as IP telephony. Necessary
comforts for the busy executive to recharge and get inspired are close at hand, such as executive
writing desks, LCD flat screen television in the bathroom, premium toiletries, rain shower,
designer furniture and slumber beds.
Other than that, all four function rooms which are located on the Mezzanine floor of GTower
benefit from natural sunlight and fully-integrated audio visual equipment such as start of the
art audio visual equipment, high-speed internet access and 46” LCD televisions.

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 ENERGY EFFICIENCY

The building is designed to maximize energy. Energy efficient building systems will cut
carbon dioxide emissions by at least 60%. The IT infrastructure alone is expected to produce
30% energy savings. 3Com’s Intelligent Building Solutions (3CiBS) products was installed.
It was the products which combines state of the art hardware and software that optimize
network capacity while reducing power consumption and carbon emissions.
The building use double glazed glass panel with a layer of vacuum trapped in between that
cuts down on heat transmission via neither conduction nor radiation. It was allowing for
maximum entry of natural light while minimizing the amount of not only heat transmission
but also noise pollution. For parts which receive direct heat from the sun, less glass is used.
Furthermore, this will cuts down electricity and air-conditioner usage.
The building also used efficient lighting system with motion sensor in toilets and staircases.
Light will automatically switch on when sensors are activated by movements in these areas
and thus control and minimize the usage of electricity.
Light fixtures in the hotel utilize low energy LED lighting, energy savings PLC and T5
lighting providing ambient lux level, whilst minimizing energy consumption. Green food for
thought, a LED light bulb can reduce energy consumption by 80-90% and last around
100,000 hours. It can reduce the cooling load by 5.4%.
There were also efficient elevators and escalators. They will have dual mode system in which
escalators will operate on a slower speed when not in use.

 WATER EFFICIENCY
Another green initiative was a system to harvest rainwater which is then used to
irrigate plants and vertical greens found throughout the entire building. Thus this extensive
landscaping with sky gardens and green walls was help to cool the building and improve air
quality because green walls play an essential role as natural purifiers, absorbing carbon
dioxide and releasing oxygen in return to help maintain air quality.
The rooms are all fitted with water efficiency fittings remotely connected to the building’s
sophisticated building managing system which monitors water usage as conservation is vital.
These efficient fittings such as faucets, toilets, and shower also used to monitor leakage. All

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sanitary and tap fittings are green rated for water efficiency. Reducing the usage of water,
without affecting comfort levels.

 SITE & PROJECT MANAGEMENT

The building was direct link to LRT station (mass transit train). This was monitoring
and reduction of construction waste. Other than that, the building’s material used was the
recycled material. Some of them are wine bottles that are embedded into the bar, extensive
use of cengal wood which was part of the outdoor decking at our corporative office on the
floors, the glass on the floor is bullet proof and all outdoor decking comprises of eco-wood is
fabricated from rice husk and does not use wood.

Figure 5.2: Cen gal wood floor with bullet-proof glass

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Figure : Outdoor decking comprises of eco-wood is fabricated from rice husk and does not
use wood.

The building uses extensive green planting such as green walls, green roofs and trees
in order to reduce toxicity and improve indoor environment. The carpets and the external timber
decking use green certified materials that are recyclable. While the interior décor features some
old furniture that’s refurbished and reused. Some parts of the building also used old recycled
timber strips like these for its walls and flooring which give a different rustic feel to a modern
state of the art building. Even the paint that has gone onto the room walls feature is low volatile
organic compound, reducing toxicity and improving on indoor environmental quality. Hotel
amenities and paper used are made from green or recycled materials.

Figure : Rooftop bar in G Tower

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Figure : G Tower Hotel Infinity Pool

Indoor environment quality is closely monitored through carbon monoxide monitoring

system at basement car parks, carbon dioxide sensors, refrigerant leak detection system and
other means. Once it exceeds a certain level, the system will pump fresh air into the basement
car parks. It will also have a system to monitor the carbon dioxide inside the building.

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 ADVANTAGES OF GREEN BUILDING

One of the most important types of benefit green buildings offer is to our climate and the
natural environment. Green buildings can not only reduce or eliminate negative impacts on the
environment, by using less water, energy or natural resources, but they can - in many cases -
have a positive impact on the environment (at the building or city scales) by generating their
own energy or increasing biodiversity. At a global level: The building sector has the largest
potential for signifcantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions compared to other major emitting
sectors – UNEP, 2009 (http://www.unep.org/sbci/pdfs/SBCIBCCSummary.pdf). This
emissions savings potential is said to be as much as 84 gigatonnes of CO2 (GtCO2) by 2050,
through direct measures in buildings such as energy eciency, fuel switching and the use of
renewable energy – UNEP, 2016 . The building sector has the potential to make energy savings
of 50% or more in 2050, in support of limiting global temperature rises to 2°C (above pre-
industrial levels) – UNEP, 2016
Green buildings offer a number of economic or financial benefits, which are relevant to a
range of different people or groups of people. These include cost savings on utility bills for
tenants or households (through energy and water efficiency); lower construction costs and
higher property value for building developers; increased occupancy rates or operating costs for
building owners; and job creation. Since the publication of World GBC’s groundbreaking 2013
report, The Business Case for Green Building (/news-media/businesscase-green-building-
review-costs-and-benets-developers-investors-and-occupants), we have sought to strengthen
the link between green buildings and the economic benefits they can offer.
Social Green building benefits go beyond economics and the environment, and have been
shown to bring positive social impacts too. Many of these benefitts are around the health and
wellbeing of people who work in green or live in green homes. Workers in green, well-
ventilated record a 101 per cent increase in cognitive scores (brain function) - Harvard T.H.
Chan School of Public Health / Syracuse University Center .The benefits of green buildings |
World Green Building Council http://www.worldgbc.org/benefits-green-buildings 3/4 Upstate
Medical School, 2015 . Employees in with windows slept an average of 46 minutes more per

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night - American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 2013 . Research suggests that better indoor air
quality (low concentrations of CO and pollutants, and high ventilation rates) can lead to
improvements in performance of up to 8 per cent–Park and Yoon, 2011. Our Better Places for
People (/better-places-people) project focuses on creating buildings which are not only good
for the environment, but also support healthier, happier and more productive lives. World GBC
and the Green Building Council of South Africa established a joint project .) to develop a
framework to enable complex socio-economic issues to be integrated into any green building
rating system in the world
The construction costs are the same as a standard building and sometime they cost a little
bit more as they require special materials to be built. However, a regular building costs won’t
stop after its construction since money will always be spent on maintenance, renovation,
operation or even demolition. This doesn’t mean that green buildings won’t need maintenance,
renovation, operation or even demolition as well, but being built of natural resources all that
re-doing stuff will take ages till done as they are not damaged that fast hence, investing in green
building is 10 times more profitable than standard ones

2- Efficiency: This here is divided to the following:-

A-Water efficiency: Green buildings don’t know the meaning of “wasted”, they recycle rain
water and grey water and use them for toilet flushing for instance.

B- Material Efficiency: Green buildings are built from natural, non-toxic and recycled
materials that don’t cost much and Eco-friendly such as bamboo, straw, recycled metal or
concrete..etc

3-.Preserving infrastructure: Being efficient in both energy and water supply, these buildings
stretch the capacity of local infrastructure greatly.

4.-High ROI rates: Considering that these buildings are all natural, they have huge return on
investment rates and properties in these buildings sell at high prices.

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 DISADVANTAGES OF GREEN BUILDING

Cost – Some green construction materials do cost more than conventional building
materials. For example, if you build a house with SIPs (structural insulated panels), the
initial cost will be slightly higher than a traditional stick built home. However, over time,
you will have incredible savings in energy costs, your home will be peaceful and quiet and
you will be more comfortable inside, whether it’s hot or cold outside.
Availability of Green Building Materials – Some eco-friendly products are not
available everywhere, so, if you are building in the country (where most log and timber
homes are built), you (or your builder) may have trouble ending the products that you need.
If you need to order from a distant supplier, the cost of shipping can add a substantial cost
to your home budget.
Green Home Builders – Many builders and contractors are simply not familiar with
newer construction methods, including building green houses. It may be hard to nd
someone who is experienced, and many builders do not want to take the time to learn new
methods. Your Time – If working with a builder who is new to sustainable building (but
willing to work with you), you will need to do much of the research, .3/5 more involved in
the construction process. This will not be an absentee owner’s new home.
Lenders – As with log and timber homes, lenders and appraisers often undervalue a green
home. They do not value the extra costs involved nor are they as likely to give you a
construction loan on a building process that they are not familiar with.
Resale – This can go in either direction. It can be difficult to sell your green home
because most buyers and Realtors are not knowledgeable about green home products and
construction methods. You may have to educate them on its superior energy efficiency and
other qualities.On the other hand, your home is worth more than conventional stick built
homes, so you may be able to ort your home at a higher price than a similar home of its
size. Some buyers will recognize your home’s true value and they will be willing to pay
the price. Unfortunately, an appraiser may not, and bank loans could be dicult to obtain for
a buyer who needs to borrow most of the cost of the home. You may have to consider owner
nauncing, if that is an option for you. .

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CONCLUSION

Indeed, green buildings contribute a lot in preserving and conserving the earth as they
represent design and construction that are sensitive to environment now and in the future.
However, it is not a practice in Malaysia because of the many challenges these programs face.
From the research conducted the main hurdles identified are lack of awareness, education and
information on the benefits of the construction on green buildings.
The findings also show that the main obstacle in adoption of green building in the country
is to create a paradigm shift in environmental issue for Malaysians, especially those in
construction industry such as architect, engineer and developers. They are concerning more on
the cost in development. Although cost is an issue, developers today need to change their
mindset and should not look for the cheapest answer but instead aim for the best long-term
solution. They should know that building with green concept has higher commercial value
compared the conventional building. The diagram below shows the comparison of energy
consumption by conventional building and green building discussed before.

Figure:-Comparison of energy consumption by green and conventional building.

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Model College, Dombivli’s