1.0 Introduction
It is hot and humid in Malaysia throughout the year and this conditions call into question whether our normal ways of dealing with our climate (using primarily insulation and air conditioning for cooling) is the only economical and ecological approach to these climate extremes. The selection of materials for a retreat house considers sustainability as its first factor. This is attained by looking into the environmental aspects of the location of the building. This demonstrates how the environment (climate) integrates with the properties of materials to ensure the sustainability of a building. The materials used in the Sekeping Terasek retreat house are very industrial, but represents how it’s selected to support sustainability …show more content…
However, this could be an advantage for clay bricks as nowadays different colour schemed and textures are available to meet the design criteria. Using red bricks enhance the looks of the building to add to the aesthetics. Red bricks are sustainable because at the Sekeping Terasek retreat house, it is used mostly at the ground floor and outside. This is because of the high thermal mass properties of clay bricks, which maintains a steady level of heat energy for a prolonged period.
The main factors that encourage the use of clay brick in this environment are as follows:
• FIRE RESISTANCE - Clay brickwork does not burn when exposed to bushfire and can help protect the more combustible items inside a house.
This ensures that if a fire were to break out at the Sekeping Terasek retreat house, the building will most probably be still standing due to the resistance that the clay brick provide.
• HIGH COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH AND STRUCTURAL CAPABILITY - Clay brickwork walls can support relatively high loads such as suspended concrete slabs. Clay brickwork is commonly used in four-storey construction and with suitable detailing can be used for loadbearing walls in much higher
It is hot and humid in Malaysia throughout the year and this conditions call into question whether our normal ways of dealing with our climate (using primarily insulation and air conditioning for cooling) is the only economical and ecological approach to these climate extremes. The selection of materials for a retreat house considers sustainability as its first factor. This is attained by looking into the environmental aspects of the location of the building. This demonstrates how the environment (climate) integrates with the properties of materials to ensure the sustainability of a building. The materials used in the Sekeping Terasek retreat house are very industrial, but represents how it’s selected to support sustainability …show more content…
However, this could be an advantage for clay bricks as nowadays different colour schemed and textures are available to meet the design criteria. Using red bricks enhance the looks of the building to add to the aesthetics. Red bricks are sustainable because at the Sekeping Terasek retreat house, it is used mostly at the ground floor and outside. This is because of the high thermal mass properties of clay bricks, which maintains a steady level of heat energy for a prolonged period.
The main factors that encourage the use of clay brick in this environment are as follows:
• FIRE RESISTANCE - Clay brickwork does not burn when exposed to bushfire and can help protect the more combustible items inside a house.
This ensures that if a fire were to break out at the Sekeping Terasek retreat house, the building will most probably be still standing due to the resistance that the clay brick provide.
• HIGH COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH AND STRUCTURAL CAPABILITY - Clay brickwork walls can support relatively high loads such as suspended concrete slabs. Clay brickwork is commonly used in four-storey construction and with suitable detailing can be used for loadbearing walls in much higher