Asian Architecture Case Study Belum Rain Forest
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Transcript of Asian Architecture Case Study Belum Rain Forest
The usage of man-made elements and natural vegetation as shading devices to achieve optimum thermal
comfort in Belum Rain Forest.
1 ARC 2234 Asian Architecture
Asian Architecture [ARC 2213/2234]
PROJECT 1: CASE STUDY
The usage of man-made elements and natural vegetation as shading devices to
achieve optimum thermal comfort in Belum Rain Forest.
NAME: LOO GIAP SHENG
STUDENT ID: 0310390
LECTURER: Pn. Nor Hayati Ramli
SUBMISSION DATE: 11th November 2014
The usage of man-made elements and natural vegetation as shading devices to achieve optimum thermal
comfort in Belum Rain Forest.
2 ARC 2234 Asian Architecture
Table of Contents
Abstract 3-4
1.0 Introduction 5
2.0 Overview of Shading Device 5-6
3.0 The Approaches of Man-Made Elements as Shading Devices in 7-16
Achieving Thermal Comfort
4.0 The Approaches of Natural Vegetation as Shading Devices in 17-19
Achieving Thermal Comfort
5.0 The Problems and Drawbacks When Having Shading Devices 19-21
6.0 The Methods in Helping to Solve the Problem Faced 21-23
7.0 Conclusion 24-25
8.0 References 26-27
The usage of man-made elements and natural vegetation as shading devices to achieve optimum thermal
comfort in Belum Rain Forest.
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Abstract
Malaysia is one of the country that sits along the equatorial belt, therefore, Malaysia has
tropical climate which experiences hot and humid weather throughout the year. Malaysia has
excessive rainfall and varies in every quarter of the year. In the past, the mean temperature of
Malaysia was 27°C, hence, due to critical global warming, the mean temperature in Malaysia
has increased to 31°C. In such hot and humid country, appropriate shading devices shall be
installed to achieve optimum thermal comfort. To increase the efficiency of research, literature
reviews based on various sources regarding shading devices were conducted.
The major shading devices are roofing. Majority of the roofs used in Belum Rainforest resort are
gable roof to deal with the hot climate. Gable roof has large attic space that could reduce heat
radiation. Moreover, the gable roofs overhang eaves are used to shade the area in the balcony
and the roofs are cladded with reflective aluminium panels to reflect the heat from sunlight.
Gable roof can be built easily and does not require much maintenance. Lesser technical work at
the site meaning reducing the impact to the nature. The architect also uses translucent skylight
in some area to bring in natural lighting while reducing the heat gain of the space. At the resort,
the architect abuse the tree branches by aligning them outside the window of the resort.
Besides shading purposes, the tree branches also provides aesthetic value as the branches
covered the air-conditioned shaft. Furthermore, the mesh shelter found in phase 2 allows ficus
plant to creep on it, obstructing the sunlight to enter. The trees near the resort are well
preserved, hence, the trees have grown tall reaching around 12 metres. Tall and large span
The usage of man-made elements and natural vegetation as shading devices to achieve optimum thermal
comfort in Belum Rain Forest.
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trees provides good shading and they evaporates the heat away. Evolution from the ancient
civilizations inspired majority of the architects to create a shaded outdoor living spaces. The
outdoor living spaces provide both experiences of indoor and outdoor space. Therefore, it is
clearly expressed that the architecture concept of Belum Rainforest is merging between man
and nature. When man and nature are combined, thermal comfort can be achieved certainly
which makes an ideal architecture.
The usage of man-made elements and natural vegetation as shading devices to achieve optimum thermal
comfort in Belum Rain Forest.
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1.0 Introduction
Before shading devices were introduced, man created shelter to keep them from rain, heat
from the sun and wild animals. In the earliest Stone Age period, trees were the earliest shelter
that provides minimum protection from cold and heat. Moreover, trees also protect man from
wild animals that could not climb trees. Then, slowly man learned to use branches and stones
and eventually, dried earth was used to make clay bricks till bricks were introduced.
In the ancient civilizations, the ancient Egyptians started building flat-topped roof houses made
from dried bricks in 3100 BC. Whereas the ancient Greeks lived in stone houses with slanted
roof so that snow and rain can fall off. The Greeks had inspired the Romans to improve by
introducing central heating during cold weather to achieve thermal comfort.
Evolutions have brought us so far until shading devices were introduced. Shading devices
functioned the same as a shelter where they are connected to the whole to achieve optimum
thermal comfort. In ancient civilizations, portico and colonnades were used in Greeks and
Romans building respectively. Subsequently, portico and colonnades have inspired to the
creation of verandah and engawa from the Indian and Japanese respectively. These spaces have
large overhangs and provide an outdoor living space and shading to the building.
This paper will discuss on the shading devices used in Belum Rainforest resort integrating with
natural vegetation to achieve optimum thermal comfort by responding to the following
question:-
The usage of man-made elements and natural vegetation as shading devices to achieve optimum thermal
comfort in Belum Rain Forest.
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• What are the approaches of achieving optimum thermal comfort using man-made
elements and natural vegetation as shading devices?
• What are the drawbacks and problems encountered by having shading devices in Belum
Rain Forest?
• How does each of the features acts as solution and help in solving the problems faced?
2.0 An Overview of Shading Devices
In tropical climates, architects should take account in keeping off the solar radiation to the
windows to reduce direct heat gain. In the process of designing a shading devices can be very
complicated. With today’s technology, computer programs are able to calculate the shape
shades accurately for architects to determine the most effective shading devices. Nevertheless,
experienced architects understood the mechanics of sun position and can apply into sun-path
diagrams and other manual methods can be used.
The usage of man-made elements and natural vegetation as shading devices to achieve optimum thermal
comfort in Belum Rain Forest.
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Figure 2.0 is a sun path-diagram showing different sun position at different time.
(Source: greenpassivesolar)
External shading devices are preferable and more effective than internal shading devices. In
every quarter of a year, the solar position changes, which is the most prominent characteristic
to study the sun.
The usage of man-made elements and natural vegetation as shading devices to achieve optimum thermal
comfort in Belum Rain Forest.
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3.0 The Approaches of Man-Made Elements as Shading Devices in Achieving Thermal Comfort
3.1 Orientation
Proper orientation of a building can reduce the energy use of the building. Proper orientation
can accept morning's warmth sunlight and as part of natural lighting to reduce energy
consumption and avoid afternoons hot sunlight to reduce the usage of cooling mechanism. The
long axis of a building should be orientated within 15 degrees of east-west axis. East and west
facing should be shorter than north and south facing due to the area of exposure to the sun.
The walls area of north and south are larger therefore, the window and openings should be at
least 50 percent more than the combined window area of walls facing east and west. This
benefits from accepting natural lighting from north and south windows while reducing the heat
gain.
The usage of man-made elements and natural vegetation as shading devices to achieve optimum thermal
comfort in Belum Rain Forest.
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Figure 3.1 shows proper orientation of a building in sketch. (Source: Pima Country Arizona)
If possible, the building can be positioned to the existing natural features such as small hills or
trees with large span to benefits from natural shading. In Belum Rain Forest, the façade of most
buildings are west-facing. In this case, it require a different approach, as the evening sun is
difficult to shade. However, during the evening, occupants can enjoy the evening sunset as the
façade opposite the buildings are green mountains.
3.2 Materiality
Selection of materials are the key to achieve thermal comfort. The windows of the resort are
shaded with tree branches while timber has relatively low thermal conductivity and is a good
The usage of man-made elements and natural vegetation as shading devices to achieve optimum thermal
comfort in Belum Rain Forest.
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heat insulator. It creates a cool environment during the warm day. Besides, the tree branches
also provide aesthetic value to the exterior as they covered the air-conditioned shaft.
Figure 3.2 shows the tree branches covering the windows of the resort.
Moreover, the roof of the houses are cladded with aluminium because aluminium has shiny
based texture, making it a good reflector therefore, it reflects the heat away from the sunlight.
The usage of man-made elements and natural vegetation as shading devices to achieve optimum thermal
comfort in Belum Rain Forest.
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Figure 3.2.1 shows the traditional chalets are using aluminium cladded roof.
At the corridor of the rooms in the resort, the architect uses polycarbonate as skylights.
Polycarbonate is widely used in skylights because polycarbonate diffused sunlight to reduce the
heat gain into the space. Polycarbonate is made of plastic based therefore, it has a very good
heat insulation. This material benefits from gaining natural lighting into the space while
reducing the heat gain. Polycarbonate has higher light transmission which allows it to blocks
the sun’s ultraviolet rays.
The usage of man-made elements and natural vegetation as shading devices to achieve optimum thermal
comfort in Belum Rain Forest.
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Figure 3.2.2 shows polycarbonate skylights used in the corridor of the resort. Photo by Ho Leon
Shading glass is a good way in protecting excessive heat from entering the interior spaces.
Shading glass is environmental-friendly and efficient, hence, it is widely used by architects.
When the radiant heat penetrates through the glass, only minimum amount of heat is able to
pass through the glass, reflecting the rest of the heat to the exterior.
Bamboo as shading devices can also be found in the lobby of Belum Rain Forest. Bamboos have
high growth rate and low maintenance, also, it matched the context and produce no harm to
the environment. At times, when raining, the bamboo acted as the rain shelter, also, it creates
the wave sound effects as the rain water gushes through the bamboo.
The usage of man-made elements and natural vegetation as shading devices to achieve optimum thermal
comfort in Belum Rain Forest.
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Figure 3.2.3 shows bamboo used as shading device in the lobby. Photo by Ho Leon
3. 3 Types of Shading Devices
Having the appropriate types of shading device installed is crucial because it has to match the
building design so that the overall does not look odd. In Belum Rain Forest houses, the architect
uses gable roof with limited of over hanged eaves.
The usage of man-made elements and natural vegetation as shading devices to achieve optimum thermal
comfort in Belum Rain Forest.
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Figure 3.3.1 shows the traditional chalet using gable roof. Photo by Fazlin Lin
In tropical climates, the attic spaces in a gable roof usually are not occupied because the attic
spaces are the warmest places of the house. Attic spaces are used to radiate heat and acted as
a heat barrier to the house. The steeper of a gable roof pitch means the longer it can last and
the cooler the interior spaces would be. For the houses in Belum Rain Forest, it has a standard
pitch which is 4:12 ratio.
Besides having a good roofing, over hanged eaves also support the roof in shading. Over
hanged eaves is the bottom edges of a roof and provide two functions. The primary function of
over hanged eave is to keep the rain water off the walls and protect the pathway around the
building. The secondary function is to control sunlight penetration. The over hanged eaves are
designed to deflect high-angle exposure during afternoon midday sun.
The usage of man-made elements and natural vegetation as shading devices to achieve optimum thermal
comfort in Belum Rain Forest.
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Figure 3.3.2 shows the over hanged eaves at the corridor of the Hornbill restaurant.
Figure 3.3.3 shows over hanged eaves deflecting high angle midday sun. (Source: yourhome)
The space of portico introduced by the Greeks during ancient civilizations influenced today's
architecture as to Belum Rain Forest. Portico is an outdoor living space that covers only the top
part, shading the space below. In Belum Rain Forest, they had this living space functioned as an
outdoor reading area, shaded by the concrete slab above. In addition, both sides of the living
space are also blocked by the existing villa, shading the living space.
The usage of man-made elements and natural vegetation as shading devices to achieve optimum thermal
comfort in Belum Rain Forest.
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Figure 3.3.4 shows the reading area of the portico space.
Similarly in the villa, the architect designed an outdoor living space we called "balcony" and it is
well shaded with egg crate sun shading made up of concrete. The best way to apply egg crate
sun shading is to install it to the facade of north or south facing because egg crate shades both
east and west sides.
The usage of man-made elements and natural vegetation as shading devices to achieve optimum thermal
comfort in Belum Rain Forest.
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Figure 3.3.5 shows the egg crate shading applied in the balcony of the deluxe suite. Photo by Fazlin Lin
The usage of man-made elements and natural vegetation as shading devices to achieve optimum thermal
comfort in Belum Rain Forest.
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4.0 The Approaches of Natural Vegetation as Shading Devices in Achieving Thermal Comfort
Natural vegetation is part of the design intention in Belum Rain Forest. The fully grown trees
found in Belum Rain Forest are preserved since the resorts were developed. The existing trees
not only provide and enhance the harmonious environment, they also act as a shading device
to the resort.
Figure 4.0 shows how trees can functioned as shading devices. (Source: yourhome)
The usage of man-made elements and natural vegetation as shading devices to achieve optimum thermal
comfort in Belum Rain Forest.
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In addition, the nature of a tree cools an environment by transpiration and releases fresh air to
the environment, hence, thermal comfort can be easily achieved. Nevertheless, the care taker
of Belum Rain Forest also planted several of potential trees to create comfort environment in
near future.
Figure 4.1 shows the shading of the trees creating a harmonious space.
The architect created plenty of different platform for the ficus plant to creep around it. When
the ficus plants are all over the platform, it is very difficult for the sunlight to penetrate through.
The ficus plant also acted as a heat insulator and reduces reflected radiation to minimize the
heat gain of the interior space. It is one of the approaches of integrating the man-made
element and natural vegetation as shading device.
The usage of man-made elements and natural vegetation as shading devices to achieve optimum thermal
comfort in Belum Rain Forest.
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Figure 4.2 shows the ficus plants creeping over the steel mesh, sheltering the space below.
5.0 The Problems and Drawbacks When Having Shading Devices
Every time when a new mechanism is introduced, regardless of how great it is, it will still
possesses drawbacks in exchange of its benefits. In this case, shading devices also brought out
several disadvantages when installing them.
First of all, shading devices interrupted the initial design intention of an architect. Some of the
buildings after they were built, the buildings might require to add on shading devices after
realizing the heat gain of the building is too much. Some architect underestimated the heat gain
of a building and forced to make slight change to their exterior look to reduce heat gain.
The usage of man-made elements and natural vegetation as shading devices to achieve optimum thermal
comfort in Belum Rain Forest.
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Therefore, in modern architecture, some architects considered and expect higher rate of heat
gain of the building, so they design the building together with shading devices. This method is
well-worth because it will not interrupted the initial design very much as the architects commit
their building design and shading devices as a whole together. Therefore, architects should
place shading devices in their priority.
Figure 5.0 shows a building and its shading devices are merged as a whole. (Source: Arkitiriteros blogspot)
Secondly, shading devices are usually installed at the window or any chance of an opening.
Hence, the shading devices will obstruct the view of the opening. There are different types of
shading devices depending on the area intended to shade. The more area we wished to shade,
the more view will be obstructed.
The usage of man-made elements and natural vegetation as shading devices to achieve optimum thermal
comfort in Belum Rain Forest.
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Figure 5.1 shows the shading devices of ficus plant and tree branches obstructing the view from the
resort.
6.0 The Methods in Helping to Solve The Problem Faced
6.1 Shadow Angle
To achieve thermal comfort in with shading devices efficiently, appropriate shadow angle has to
be established. Shadow angle are categorized into two; horizontal shadow angle (HSA) and
vertical shadow angle (VSA). They are influenced very much by the position of the sun and the
orientation of the window plane. Horizontal shadow angle (HSA) will be formed when it is
compatible with vertical shading devices. Horizontal shadow angle (HSA) is the angle between
The usage of man-made elements and natural vegetation as shading devices to achieve optimum thermal
comfort in Belum Rain Forest.
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the right angle of the window pane and the azimuth of the sun. Meanwhile the vertical shadow
angle (VSA) will be formed when it is compatible with horizontal shading devices. Vertical
shadow angle is measured from the normal of the ground to the shaded surface of the
horizontal plane.
Diagram 6.1 shows the illustration of the Horizontal Shadow Angle (HSA) and Vertical Shadow Angle
(VSA) (Source: nzdl org)
The usage of man-made elements and natural vegetation as shading devices to achieve optimum thermal
comfort in Belum Rain Forest.
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6. 2 Shade Dimension
When we have both horizontal shadow angle (HSA) and vertical shadow angle (VSA), we are
able to determine the dimension of the shading device require for a window. If the height value
refers to the vertical distance between the shade and the window sill, the depth of the shade
and the width from each side can be determine using simple trigonometry.
The depth of the shade can be determined by: depth = height/tan (VSA)
The width of the shade can be determined by: width = depth x tan (HSA)
The usage of man-made elements and natural vegetation as shading devices to achieve optimum thermal
comfort in Belum Rain Forest.
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7.0 Conclusion
In conclusion, the integration of natural vegetation and man-made elements can create
incredible architecture. There is no doubt that the architectural concept of Belum Rain Forest is
the expression of merging between man and nature. Although some of the design intention
may be questionable, the overall scheme of Belum Rain Forest had been achieved by the
architect. In my personal opinion, the architect can increase the usage of bamboo plants
because of its efficiency in achieving thermal comfort by acting as shading device. Bamboo
trees have high growth rate and can be maintain easily. Beside this, the ventilation in the resort
is insufficient as the room required to run the ventilation mechanism system very often.
Meanwhile, the space on the opened roof top often experienced strong prevailing winds which
I think the wind can be brought into the resort for better ventilation. In tropical climate, the
most prominent point in architecture is to reduce the heat gain of a building as much as
possible. For hot and humid climates, McGee, C. (2013) stated the essential rule to shade the
walls and high advantageous to shade the whole roof; the external walls and windows facing
the south must be shaded, create outdoor living spaces to shade and cool the incoming air,
install shaded skylights to compensate any resultant loss of natural daylight, select and place
landscaping to maintain adequate shade without obstructing the entry of cooling breeze,
reduce ground temperature and reflected heat by planting instead of paving and a “fly roof” to
shade the building core from radiant heat and allows cools air to ventilate beneath. There are
The usage of man-made elements and natural vegetation as shading devices to achieve optimum thermal
comfort in Belum Rain Forest.
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harmonious connection between human and nature by merging humanity and nature through
architecture in Belum Rain Forest.
The usage of man-made elements and natural vegetation as shading devices to achieve optimum thermal
comfort in Belum Rain Forest.
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8.0 References
Polycarbonate Windows, Doors, Skylights, Structures | Solar Innovations. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.solarinnovations.com/parts/polycarbonate-products/
The properties of aluminium - Aluminium Design. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.aluminiumdesign.net/why-aluminium/properties-of-aluminium/
Stephen G. (n.d.). The Best Orientation When Building a Home | Home Guides | SF Gate.
Retrieved from http://homeguides.sfgate.com/orientation-building-home-70471.html
McGee C. (2013). Shading | YourHome. Retrieved from http://www.yourhome.gov.au/passive-
design/shading
Bureau of Meteorology (BOM). 2011. Climate education: sustainable urban design and climate.
Retrieved from http://reg.bom.gov.au
Vegetation as Shading Devices. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.greenglobes.com/advancedbuildings/main_t_lighting_shading_vegetation.
htm
What Is A Tropical Architecture? (2011, February 5).
Retrieved from http://tropical .blogspot.com/2011/02/what-is-tropical-architecture.html
The usage of man-made elements and natural vegetation as shading devices to achieve optimum thermal
comfort in Belum Rain Forest.
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External Shading Devices. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.new-
learn.info/packages/clear/thermal/buildings/passive_system/solor_acess_control/external_sha
ding.html
Shading: Shadow Angles | Archived Ecotect WIKI. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://wiki.naturalfrequency.com/wiki/Shadow_Angles