USAGE OF NATURAL VENTILATION AND DAY-LIGHTING TO ACHIEVE SUSTAINABILITY IN BELUM RAINFOREST RESORT
Usage Of Natural Ventilation And Day-Lighting To Achieve Sustainability In Belum Rainforest Resort
Table of Contents
Page
Abstract ........................................................................................................................ 2
1.0
Introduction ..................................................................................................... 3
2.0
Design Intentions ............................................................................................ 5
3.0 Natural Ventilation Systems................................................................................. 6 3.1
Why Natural Ventilation? ............................................................................. 6
3.2
How Belum Rainforest Resort is Naturally Ventilated .................................. 7
4.0 Day-lighting Systems ......................................................................................... 10 4.1
Why Day-lighting? ..................................................................................... 10
4.2
How Does Belum Rainforest Resort Control Daylight Intake? ................... 10
5.0 Spatial Planning ................................................................................................ 12
6.0 Usage of Landscape ......................................................................................... 13
7.0 Conclusion ........................................................................................................ 14
8.0 References ........................................................................................................ 15
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USAGE OF NATURAL VENTILATION AND DAY-LIGHTING TO ACHIEVE SUSTAINABILITY IN BELUM RAINFOREST RESORT
Abstract The versatility of incorporating passive design and architecture has recently been a topic much discussed in the construction industry. With passive design strategies taking advantage of the climate and context in order to improve the wellbeing of both user and nature alike, it is obvious why sustainable architecture is growing in usage in this modern day and age. An outstanding example of passive design is that of natural ventilation and lighting systems, which extensively uses the building site context in order to create a unique co-existence between nature and architecture. In order to further explore the various purposes of these systems, literature reviews on the general functionality on natural ventilation and day-lighting are used. The objective of the study is to study the natural ventilation and day-lighting systems put to use in Belum Rainforest Resort and how the implementation of these systems have contributed to the environmental sustainability and four main topics in due regards to the systems. These topics are the design intention, spatial planning of the complex, design elements put to use, and usage of context and climate in order to achieve the designer's targets in sustainability. In Belum Rainforest Resort, the design intention is to enable maximum usage of natural ventilation whereby almost the entire complex, save for some private areas, may be naturally ventilated. Day-lighting also plays a key role in the design intention, making use of Malaysia's long daytime hours and relatively bright climate. The structure is accentuated with open walkways, high ceilings, and few enclosed spaces. Another key design strategy in the resort is its spatial planning, which encompasses a large area of mountains and forests, where the layout of each block is specifically designed as to provide ample wind paths and avoid heat glares. Belum Rainforest Resort displays immaculate usage of various systems in order to achieve sustainability in architecture by implementing various natural ventilation and daylighting systems.
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USAGE OF NATURAL VENTILATION AND DAY-LIGHTING TO ACHIEVE SUSTAINABILITY IN BELUM RAINFOREST RESORT
1.0 Introduction Belum Rainforest Resort, formerly known as Banding Island Resort, is an ecotourism complex located on Pulau Banding, Perak. It has been immaculately designed as the whole complex including the island and lake in which it is located, has been completely man-made. However, although the resort and its nearest surroundings itself has been constructed relatively recently, it stands to be in one of the oldest rainforests in the world, that being the Belum-Temenggor Rainforest.
The Belum-Temenggor rainforest is believed to have been in existence for over 130 million years old. This makes it one of the oldest rainforests in the world. However, up until the construction of the Belum Rainforest Resort, there has not been an easy route into the heart of the forest, with most available routes involving jungle trekking and camping in the rainforest.
Etched onto one side of the island, the resort displays an impressive method of blending in with its surroundings. It is perfectly built with site context and landscaping in mind, providing for a sense of being deep in the heart of nature yet users are still able to have access to five-star facilities provided in the resort area.
The highlight of the resort design is its ability to maintain a high level of sustainability in terms of energy usage, whereby the design elements play a key role in incorporating aesthetics along with eco-friendly architecture. The first highlight is the resort's extensive usage of natural ventilation systems, where almost every accessible room and area in the resort complex may be naturally ventilated. Also put in use is various day-lighting systems in the resort, to minimise consumption of electricity.
The paper aims to put forward the topics of natural ventilation and day-lighting systems, specifically on how and why they were implemented in the structure. The following questions are to be addressed throughout the paper:
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USAGE OF NATURAL VENTILATION AND DAY-LIGHTING TO ACHIEVE SUSTAINABILITY IN BELUM RAINFOREST RESORT
1) What was the main design intention of Belum Rainforest Resort in prospects of sustainable design?
2) How and why were the natural ventilation and natural lighting systems incorporated?
3) How is the spatial planning of the resort designed in such a way as to provide natural ventilation and natural lighting systems throughout the resort?
4)
How
has
specific
design
elements
been
used
to
cater
for
various
rooms/spaces/functions in order to maximise the natural ventilation and lighting systems?
5) How has the design methodology induced the usage of landscape as a building element and how has this been implemented to react to the various weather conditions such as wind, light, and rain?
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USAGE OF NATURAL VENTILATION AND DAY-LIGHTING TO ACHIEVE SUSTAINABILITY IN BELUM RAINFOREST RESORT
2.0 Design Intentions Design intention plays a key role in defining the direction, functions, and aesthetics of a structure. In the case of Belum Rainforest Resort, the fact that it selfidentifies as an ecotourism complex leaves little room to translate its main design intention. As with other eco-friendly architecture, the resort aims to integrate the structural and aesthetical values of architecture along with a sense of appreciation and care for the surrounding environments.
Based on an overview of the key architectural language in use, it is clear that a significant amount of emphasis is put on keeping the natural beauty of the site as it is. Therefore the architecture itself is built within nature, where it is vital for it to implement systems which safeguards the environment from external damage such as pollution. Extra care has to be taken also to reduce the need to alter the natural site, through a very context-based design where the structures are built around the trees and contour, instead of on them.
Through the need to have these conditions met, the design of Belum Rainforest Resort has managed to incorporate to major energy-saving systems. The first system is that of natural ventilation whereby the resort complex uses a very open concept with few walls except those surrounding the private spaces for example the restaurants and guest rooms. Another design-based incorporation is the day-lighting system, where the resort is designed to maximise usage of the long day-light hours of Malaysia and reduce electricity usage for lighting fixtures.
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USAGE OF NATURAL VENTILATION AND DAY-LIGHTING TO ACHIEVE SUSTAINABILITY IN BELUM RAINFOREST RESORT
3.0 Natural Ventilation Systems Natural ventilation is referred to the usage of external or outdoor air movement and pressure differences with indoor air to passively circulate and cool the interiors of a structure. it is a form of passive design in architecture where it does not make use of any mechanical or electrically operated devices in order to ventilate a building. Through this method various resources are saved for example electricity as well as the energy used to create mechanical ventilation systems.
In Belum Rainforest Resort, almost the whole complex applies usage of this system. Its location in a humid climate further pushes the need to create a sustainable ventilation system in order to circulate indoor air. There are various other reasons as to why exactly it is optimum for a structure to be naturally ventilated.
3.1 Why Natural Ventilation? First and foremost, ventilation is a requirement in any structure with enclosed spaces in order to maintain indoor air quality. The various indoor activities done by occupants contribute in a small degree to decrease air quality, for reasons such as odour and humidity, therefore ventilation is vital in order to maintain clean and breathable air indoors. Ventilation also functions as a temperature control system, where spaces with a high density of users require a cooling device as the body heat produced by its occupants may increase the room temperature to an uncomfortable level.
Figure 1: Naturally ventilated lounge area ARC 2213/2234 Asian Architecture
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USAGE OF NATURAL VENTILATION AND DAY-LIGHTING TO ACHIEVE SUSTAINABILITY IN BELUM RAINFOREST RESORT
A naturally ventilated structure also serves to maintain oxygen levels in its enclosed spaces. This applies also to the situation mentioned above as a room with many users will likely have a low concentration of oxygen unless outside air is constantly circulated within the structure. While circulation occurs, ventilation will then also serve another purpose, that being to remove excess moisture, odour, and etcetera. This is highly important when designing kitchen and toilet areas as the air contaminants in these spaces may reach an extremely high concentration unless the air is replaced with fresh air.
Other justifications in using a natural ventilation system is that of being able to reduce energy usage by the building. A cut in electricity usage reduces the overall carbon footprint of the structure and leans toward a more eco-friendly building. The absence of mechanical systems to ventilate a structure will also reduce maintenance costs as a passive ventilation systems requires little to no maintenance.
3.2 How Belum Rainforest Resort is Naturally Ventilated
To ensure that the entire complex of Belum Rainforest Resort is sufficiently ventilated, the designer has included various elements and detailings in order to objectively circulate the indoor and outdoor air.
Belum Rainforest Resort makes use of fully operable glass windows in order to help in ventilating its spaces. These windows serve as both shelter during rainfall, allow daylight to enter the building, while at the same time may be opened in order to ventilate the structure. Other than windows, there are also built in air vents between the building roofing and its walls, constructed to let out hot air from within the structure. These elements combine in order to form a system called stack ventilation, where hot air rises within the building and is then both let out through the vents and at the same time be replaced by cooler outside air entering through the windows. Several diagrams and photos are attached below to illustrate the concept.
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USAGE OF NATURAL VENTILATION AND DAY-LIGHTING TO ACHIEVE SUSTAINABILITY IN BELUM RAINFOREST RESORT
Figure 2: Stack ventilation system. Source: (Autodesk, 2013)
Figure 3: Operable windows throughout the guest rooms.
Belum Rainforest Resort also relies on its spatial planning being specifically catered to site so as to create wind tunnels. These wind tunnels will guide the wind flow throughout the entire complex, thus enabling it to be better ventilated. A further explanation of this system will be provided in the following chapters.
Another key design element that plays a role in naturally ventilation the complex is it semi-permeable wall and partitions system. In this design element, almost all wals other than those enclosing private spaces are built as see-through partitions rather than fully covered walls. An example is the usage of bamboo to partially shade the guest walking areas while at the same time providing adequate breathing space for air to pass through and fro.
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USAGE OF NATURAL VENTILATION AND DAY-LIGHTING TO ACHIEVE SUSTAINABILITY IN BELUM RAINFOREST RESORT
However, the usage of this element has a flaw in which the glare can the uncomfortable at times. The area is also not completely protected from rainfall and users may accidentally slip and fall while walking on the wet floor.
Figure 4: One of the corridors leading to the guest rooms.
The next feature used is the heightening of the structures in order to accommodate for a better hot air flow out of the structure. This prevents the air in the structure from becoming too enclosed thus becoming too stifling. Through the implementation of this design element, the roof is raised up to 5 metres above the user and may be fully covered to create shelter against sun and rain while the walls are partially open in order to ventilate the structure.
Figure 5: Receptionist area
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USAGE OF NATURAL VENTILATION AND DAY-LIGHTING TO ACHIEVE SUSTAINABILITY IN BELUM RAINFOREST RESORT
4.0 Day-lighting Systems 4.1 Why Day-lighting? Day-lighting refers to the controlled admission of sunlight or daylight to supply sufficient lights in the interior of a building during the day. Day-lighting is a passive design system which makes use of the way the structure is built with reducing the need to use electrical lightings during daytime. Although some areas of a resort fully requires electrical lighting during the daytime, most interiors and entire exterior may be sufficiently lit up by placing openings on the correct places.
Day-lighting is also a design element that aims to reduce usage of electricity to provide lighting for interior spaces. In a tropical country such as Malaysia, where the days are long and the sun is bright, it seems foolish to not harness the available light during the day and bring it indoors.
The aim of day-lighting is to provide visual comfort indoors, although it cannot be said that his will be achieved every single day even in a climate with long daylight hours. This is due to the sun movement which changes as the day passes and may or may not enter the windows are certain times of the day. Therefore proper thought has to be put into the positioning of these windows in order to provide enough light for the indoor user.
4.2 How Does Belum Rainforest Resort Control Daylight Intake? There are several design strategies that may be used to control daylight intake of a structure, the first and most simple being the openings and windows. Almost every construction project done above ground is required to have a sufficient amount of openings, and although the first reasoning is to provide enough ventilation for the user, it cannot be denied that a window will also contribute to the day-lighting of the spaces inside.
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USAGE OF NATURAL VENTILATION AND DAY-LIGHTING TO ACHIEVE SUSTAINABILITY IN BELUM RAINFOREST RESORT
A prominent example of day-lighting in Belum Rainforest Resort is that of the receptionist area where half of the structure is open to daylight save the roofing and columns. The building makes use of glass walls extending down from the roofing but stops around 2.5 meters above ground level, and the rest is completely open to the surroundings. In order to counter sun glare during the morning and evening hours, small trees and shady bushes have been planted around the building.
Figure 6: Day-lighting in receptionist area.
An aspect that has to be taken into consideration while designing windows and openings for a structure is the positioning and orientation of these openings. This is to prevent excessive glare or heat gain by the building during the early morning and late evening hours as the sun is positioned closer to the horizon at these times of the day.
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USAGE OF NATURAL VENTILATION AND DAY-LIGHTING TO ACHIEVE SUSTAINABILITY IN BELUM RAINFOREST RESORT
5.0 Spatial Planning
Figure 7: Layout of Belum Rainforest Resort.
Spatial planning in architecture is the layout of spaces, walkways, and etcetera. In large complexes such as a resort, spatial planning plays an important role in determining how comfortable or easy it is for a user or visitor to get around the complex. A spatial layout may be unique to site like in the case of Belum Rainforest Resort, but at the same time has to be straightforward so that users unfamiliar with the complex will be able to travel around it without getting lost. The spatial planning system in Belum Rainforest Resort happens to be a clustered spatial layout, where spaces are divided into smaller structures and laid out with regards to context, importance of spaces, and significances of functions and aesthetics.
With regards to the paper topic, the spatial arrangement of Belum Rainforest Resort plays a role in both its natural ventilation and day-lighting systems. When touching the issue of natural ventilation, a clustered spatial arrangement contributes to increasing the amount of wind flow throughout the resort complex. The absence of large, obstructing buildings provide multiple pathways for wind to travel, called wind tunnels. This then provides better air circulation where stagnant air is removed from the complex and replaced with fresh air. ARC 2213/2234 Asian Architecture
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USAGE OF NATURAL VENTILATION AND DAY-LIGHTING TO ACHIEVE SUSTAINABILITY IN BELUM RAINFOREST RESORT
6.0 Usage of Landscape
As mentioned before in this paper, Belum Rainforest Resort is located on a man-made island in the middle of one of the world's oldest tropical rainforests. It is perched on a somewhat steep hillside along the south-western edges of the island. This positioning might have been specifically to aid in its natural ventilation and daylighting systems, as will be explained below.
First, with regards to its natural ventilation system, the location and spatial arrangement of Belum Rainforest Resort invites the wind, which travels generally in a south-eastern direction to enter the complex in the form of a wind tunnel. A diagram is attached below to illustrate the wind flow.
Figure 8: Diagram illustrating wind flow and sun paths.
Meanwhile, the contour of the existing site in turn benefits the day-lighting system by providing sufficient shading systems for Belum Rainforest Resort. Although day-lighting is a system which requires maximum amount of sunlight, sun glare and heat gain can be a major issue during early morning and late evening hours when the sun is near the horizon. The hills provide shading during the morning while sufficient trees provide evening shading on the western side of the complex. ARC 2213/2234 Asian Architecture
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USAGE OF NATURAL VENTILATION AND DAY-LIGHTING TO ACHIEVE SUSTAINABILITY IN BELUM RAINFOREST RESORT
7.0 Conclusion Based on the research done and information gathered, it can be concluded that the architect of Belum Rainforest Resort has successfully incorporated both natural ventilation and day-lighting systems by using passive design elements throughout the entire complex. This is not an easy task as many aspects had to be taken into consideration, for example the climate, construction details, costs, aesthetics, and user comfort.
Due to the complex being an eco-tourism resort, guest comfort has to be put in a place of high importance, thus the design had to be able to incorporate these systems without sacrificing the visual nor temperature comforts required by its users. Belum Rainforest Resort is a prime example of an eco-friendly tourism spot in Malaysia, and many design techniques can be extracted from its various elements.
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8.0 References Architectus. (2013). Sustainability - Natural Ventilation. Retrieved 9 20, 2014, from Architectus: http://www.architectus.com.au/en/sustainability/articles/natural-ventilation
This article illustrates the basic principles of natural ventilation while designing buildings.
Philips, D. (2004). Daylighting: Natural Light in Architecture. London: Architectural Press.
This book defines the various forms, usage, requirements and benefits of daylighting in a structure.
Walker, A. (2010, 6 15). Natural Ventilation. Retrieved 9 20, 2014, from Whole Building Design Guide: http://www.wbdg.org/resources/naturalventilation.php
This guide outlines the traits adn elements that has to be taken in consideration when dealing with natural ventilation in a building.
Wymelenberg, K. V. (2014, 3 19). Architectural Lighting. Retrieved 9 20, 2014, from The Benefits of Natural Light: http://www.archlighting.com/daylighting/the-benefits-ofnatural-light_o.aspx
This article discusses the various benefits of natural lighting systems towards its user as well as the environment.
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