A study of how sustainable building materials benefit belum rainforest resort

1

SCHOOL
OF
ARCHITECTURE,
BUILDING
&
DESIGN

Centre
for
Modern
Architecture
Studies
in
Southeast
Asia
(MASSA)

Bachelor
of
Science
(Honours)
(Architecture)

Module:
ASIAN
ARCHITECTURE
[ARC
2234]

Project
1:
CASE
STUDY
PAPER

Title:

A
STUDY
OF
HOW
SUSTAINABLE

BUILDING
MATERIALS
BENEFIT

BELUM
RAINFOREST
RESORT.

Name:

LEE
YIANG
SIANG

Student
ID:

0302966

Lecturer:

MISS
SHAHRIANNE

Submission
Date:

12
JUN
2014

2

CONTENTS

1.0
INTRODUCTION-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐
4

2.0
TO
IDENTIFY
A
SUSTAINABLE
BUILDING
MATERIAL
-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐5-‐6

3.0
SUSTAINABLE
BUILDING
MATERIALS
FOUND
IN
BELUM

RAINFOREST
RESORT-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐7-‐10

4.0
TIMBER
AS
A
SUSTAINABLE
BUILDING
PRODUCT
-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐11-‐12

4.1
EMBODIED
ENERGY
OF
MATERIALS
-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐12-‐14

5.0
ADVANTAGES
OF
USING
BAMBOO
AS
BUIDING
MATERIAL-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐15

5.1
WORKABILITY
OF
BAMBOO-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐16-‐18

6.0
ADVANTAGES
OF
USING
RAMMED
EARTH-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐19-‐20

7.0
BENEFITS
OF
REUSING
SALVAGED
BRICKS-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐21

8.0
REASONS
OF
WHY
SUSTAINABLE
BUILDING
MATERIALS

ARE
NOT
SO
POPULAR
-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐22

9.0
WHY
SUSTAINABLE
BUILDING
MATERIALS
ARE
IMPORTANT

NOWADAYS
-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐23

10.0
CONCLUSION
-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐24

11.0
REFERENCES
-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐25-‐26

12.0
APPENDIX-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐

3

ABSTRACT

Belum
Rainforest
Resort
is
the
only
resort
in
Malaysia
to
be
ISO
certified
as
the

most
sustainable
resort
in
Malaysia.
Sustainable
building
materials
such
as

bamboos,
rammed
earth,
timber
and
recycled
demolition
debris
are
the
main

building
materials
of
the
resort
.
The
objective
of
this
research
paper
is
to
study

the
advantages
of
sustainable
building
materials
that
are
used
in
constructing

Belum
Rainforest
Resort.
To
complete
this
research,
article,
journals,
thesis

paper,
and
literature
review
about
the
bamboo,
rammed
earth,
timber
and

demolition
debris
as
sustainable
building
materials
have
been
used
as
reference.

In
addition,
online
research,
such
as
images,
information
and
videos
were

conducted
to
have
further
understanding
and
to
assist
this
research
paper.

Belum
Rainforest
Resort,
located
at
Belum
-‐
Temenggor
Rainforest
in
north

Perak,
Malaysia,
was
an
adaptive
redevelopment
of
a
designed
resthouse.
This

resort
was
a
sustainable
project
which
has
the
standard
against
the
rating
of
UK

BREEAM.
Sustainable
building
materials,
such
as
using
recycled
demolition

debris
for
decorative
wall
claddings,
bamboo
as
ventilated
safari
roofs,
rammed

earth
as
walls
and
tree
saplings
as
facade
screens,
had
turn
out
this
resort
a

simple
yet
very
sustainable
building
in
only
a
six
month
time
of
construction.
The

property
intends
to
educate
the
public
about
the
cruciality
of
preserving
and

protecting
the
nature,
under
control
with
the
desire
of
EMKAY
Group,
the

company
that
owns
the
resort.
It
has
been
proven
by
Belum
Rainforest
Resort

that
sustainable
building
materials
which
build
up
green
buildings
have
brought

up
plenty
of
benefits
in
terms
of
environmental,
economic
and
social,
which

including
from
protecting
the
ecosystem,
save
up
construction
cost,
improve

occupants
attendance
and
productivity,
increases
property
value
to
improve

occupants
comfort
and
health.
As
a
conclusion,
the
architect's
wise
decision
on

choosing
such
sustainable
building
material
to
construct
the
resort
had
a
crystal

clear
valid
reason
because
of
these
advantages.
This
research
is
to
discover
the

benefits
of
the
sustainable
building
material
used
in
this
beautiful
resort
as
a

guide
or
reference
to
the
architects
or
designers
when
making
the
decision
of

choosing
building
material
for
their
design
building.

4

1.0
INTRODUCTION

Human,
the
most
powerful
creature
living
on
earth,
have
been
utilizing
earth’s

nature
resources
since
160,000
years
ago
and
the
consume
of
the
resources
or

energy
is
rising
drastically
each
year
and,
is
endlessly
as
the
population
keep

growing.
Human's
mind
often
overpowered
by
greed
which
have
brought
impact

to
the
mother
earth
and
harm
most
of
the
innocent
creatures
that
share
living
on

this
planet.
Factories,
transportation,
technologies
and
most
of
the
human

activities
produce
wastages
or
emissions
which
lead
to
pollution
of
air,
water

and
land,
at
last
the
harm
will
just
come
back
to
ourselves,
as
"bite
off
one's
own

head;
curses
come
home
to
roost".
As
a
homo
sapiens,
as
known
as
wise
human,

we
are
responsible
to
bring
back
the
balance
of
the
nature
by
minimising
the

footprints
on
earth
and
also
reducing
the
harmful
pollution.
In
every
industry,

there
are
many
things
that
we
can
do
to
protect
the
mother
earth.
For
example
in

architecture
industry,
most
of
the
designers
nowadays
are
getting
in
to
design

green
buildings.
This
is
not
a
trend
to
design
green
building
but
architects
or

designers,
they
wise
choosing
sustainable
building
materials
as
the
part
of
the

building
design
as
an
objective
to
minimizing
the
pollution
and
the
"great

impact"
on
earth.
Not
only
friendly
to
nature,
sustainable
building
materials

benefit
in
the
way
of
creating
better,
harmless
living,
and
not
to
forget
the

aesthetic
value.
Belum
Rainforest
Resort
in
Malaysia
is
one
of
the
green
building

that
use
sustainable
building
materials
which
make
this
resort
won
the
first

prize
of
the
PAM
Award
For
Colour
On
Buildings
5,
2008.
On
the
other
hand,

Belum
Rainforest
Resort
has
always
being
attractive
to
foreign
visitors.
Besides

all
these
advantages,
it
is
noticeable
that
different
sustainable
building
materials

benefits
differently
to
this
resort
since
from
the
very
start
of
the
phase
of
buying

building
material
until
the
end
of
the
building's
life.
As
from
the
phrase
just

stated,
the
high
sustainablilities
of
building
material
also
provide
advantages
to

the
architects.
However,
before
put
in
that
building
material
into
design,
how
you

ensure
or
assume
that
building
material
is
sustainable?

5

2.0
TO
IDENTIFY
A
SUSTAINABLE
BUILDING
MATERIAL

Criteria
of
sustainable
building
material:

-‐
locally
produced
and
sourced
material

-‐
transport
costs
and
environmental
impact

-‐
occupant
needs
and
health
considerations

-‐
financial
viability

-‐
recyclability
of
building
material

-‐
waste
and
pollution

generated
and
energy
required
in
the
manufacturing

process

-‐
toxic
emissions
generated
by
the
product

-‐
maintenance
costs

Sustainable
building
material
can
be
defined
as
a
building
material
with
overall

superior
performance
in
terms
of
specified
criteria.
There
are
a
total
of
seven

criteria
and
the
first
criteria
is
that
such
material
could
be
locally
produced
or

itself
is
a
sourced
material.
This
is
because
local
produced
material
could
saves

up
the
transport
costs
which
then
contributes
in
lower
the
environmental
impact

as
less
emissions
from
transportation
is
produced.
Second,
a
sustainable
building

material
does
not
produce
toxic
or
harmful
substances
that
will
harm
the
health

of
the
occupants.
As
so,
occupants
are
more
comfortable
in
the
building
and
due

to
that,
the
productivity
of
the
workers
are
most
probably
increased.
Third,
the

financial
viability
of
sustainable
building
material
is
higher
,where
the
material

are
more
affordable
or
less
expensive.
Forth,
sustainable
building
material
are

mostly
recyclable.
This
is
because
building
material
with
higher
recyclability

tends
to
contribute
on
taking
control
of
the
wastage
amount
from
increasing.

6

Sometimes,
the
materials
could
be
taken
from
the
demolished
building
which

complete
the
act
of
recycle.
Fifth,
such
material
require
less
energy
and
will

generate
less
waste
and
pollution
in
manufacturing
process.
Sixth,
as
a
product

after
finishing
manufacturing
process,
sustainable
building
material
will
not

generate
toxic
emissions
until
the
end
of
its
life.
Last
but
not
least,
sustainable

building
material's
maintenance
costs
are
usually
much
lower
compare
to
the

other
kind
of
building
materials.
When
there
is
no
need
of
maintenance,
energy

and
money
are
save
up.

7

3.0
SUSTAINABLE
BUILDING
MATERIALS
FOUND
IN
BELUM
RAINFOREST

RESORT

Belum
Rainforest
Resort
is
known
as
the
most
sustainable
resort
in
Malaysia
is

certified
by
ISO.
EMKAY
Group,
the
company
that
owns
the
resort
make
sure
that

whatever
they
do,
they
minimise
the
impact
on
nature
as
much
as
possible.
Their

intention
is
to
educate
the
public
about
the
cruciality
of
protecting
nature
and
as

an
inspiration
or
a
role
model
to
many
of
the
designers
and
architects
in

protecting
nature.
According
to
EMKAY
Group
Chief
Executive
Officer,
Tuan
Haji

Ahmad
Khalif
bin
Tan
Sri
Datuk
Haji
Mustapha
Kamal,
he
said
that
the
company

is
willing
to
run
the
talk
to
teach
the
public
about
how
to
conserve
the

environment
and
achieve
sustainability.

8

tree
saplings
facade
screens
are
used
in

Belum
Deluxe
Accomodation

bamboo
safari
ventilated
roof
at

Sidai
Restaurant

bamboo
facade
screen
at
reception

9

To
educate
people,
it
is
obvious
that
the
property
had
wisely
choose
the

sustainable
building
materials
to
build
the
resort.
This
resort
are
mainly
build
by

timber
facade
walls
and
tree
saplings
facade
screens,
bamboo
facade
screens
and

bamboo
ventilated
roofs,
rammed
earth
walls
and
decorative
cladding
walls.
This

rammed
earth
wall
at

Deluxe
Suite

decorative
cladding
wall
at

Belum
Restaurant

10

research
paper
will
investigate
on
the
advantages
of
the
sustainable
building

materials
in
Belum
Rainforest
Resort
and
the
materials
that
will
be
covered
in

this
paper
are
timber,
bamboo,
rammed
earth
and
salvaged
bricks.

11

4.0
TIMBER
AS
A
SUSTAINABLE
BUILDING
PRODUCT

As
a
building
material,
timber
is
a
natural,
renewable
and
recyclable
resource.

This
natural
resource
is
best
known
as
sustainable
because
as
a
product,
it
does

not
produce
toxic
emissions
and
is
100%
harmless
to
human.
Moreover,
during

the
manufacturing
process,

the
production
of
timber
uses
less
fossil
fuel
energy

compare
to
other
three
common
building
materials.
From
the
table
4.1,
it
shows

that
timber
requires
1.5MJ/kg
of
fossil
fuel
energy
during
the
manufacturing

process
while
aluminium
consumes
35
MJ/kg
of
fossil
fuel
energy,
which
makes

real
big
contrast.

table
4.1:
fossil
fuel
energy
consumption
of
rough
sawn
timber,
steel,
concrete
and
aluminium.

Furthermore,
timber
stores
up
to
15
times
the
amount
of
CO₂
released
during
its

manufacture,
whereas
steel
and
aluminium
store
negligible
amounts.
Table
4.2

shows
the
comparisons
of
the
CO₂
released
and
stored
by
various
building

materials
during
their
construction.
From
the
table,
it
is
again
proves
that
timber

is
a
sustainable
building
material.

table
4.2:
carbon
released
and
stored
of
rough
sawn
timber,
steel,
concrete
and
aluminium.

12

In
the
on
site
construction,
timber
performs
favourably
in
terms
of
energy
use

and
ease
of
construction
in
comparison
to
oher
major
building
products.
This
is

because
timber
building
product
are
generally
light
and
easy
to
handle
with

strength
to
weight
ratios,
they
generally
require
less
energy
to
transport
and

position
than
heavier
materials
like
concrete.
Studies
by
the
Forest
and
Wood

Products
Research
and
Development
Corporation
(2003)
found
that
brick

cladding
for
houses
uses
significantly
more
on
site
energy
than
wood
cladding.

4.1
EMBODIED
ENERGY
OF
MATERIALS

The
results
of
an
analysis
by
the
National
Timber
Council
(2001)
shows
that
the

embodied
energy
of
a
lightweight
timber
dwelling
is
the
lower
than
its

alternatives.
Besides,
the
total
life-‐cycle
energy
and
greenhouse
gas
emission
is

lowest
for
a
lightweight
timber
construction
compared
with
more
massive

construction
especially
if
the
construction
is
not
fully
insulated.
When
benefits

and
costs
of
various
housing
solutions
are
considered,
lightweight
timber

construction
generally
rates
as
the
best
performer.

In
the
construction
stage,
transportation
of
building
material
from
suppliers
to

the
site
are
the
major
impacts
of
producing
embodied
energy
rather
than
on
site

construction.
In
Belum
Rainforest
Resort,
the
timber
plank
are
supplied
from

local
manufacturer.
As
such,
the
transportation
costs
are
save
up
and
greenhouse

gas
emission
is
lesser.

A
few
examples
that
evince
timber
is
way
more
sustainable
and
eco-‐friendly

when
comes
to
comparison
with
steel,
aluminium
and
brick:

-‐
a
steel
beam
requires
more
than
10
times
the
production
energy
of
the

equivalent
timber
beam;

13

-‐
brick
cladding
for
houses
uses
significantly
more
energy
than
wood
cladding;

-‐
aluminium
window
frames
use
over
50
times
the
energy
equivalent
wooden

frames;

-‐
on
a
weight-‐for-‐weight
basis,
the
manufacture
of
sawn
timber
involves

approximately
10-‐30%
of
the
energy
needed
to
manufacture
aluminium;
and

-‐
much
of
the
energy
used
for
drying
kilns
is
waste
material
from
the
harvesting

process.
In
comparison,
most
of
the
energy
used
in
the
extraction
and

processing
of
substitute
materials
is
non-‐renewable
fossil
fuels.

In
the
process
of
manufacturing
raw
materials
into
building
products,
waste
are

produced
in
the
form
of
by-‐products.
A
data
about
the
by-‐products
produced

through
the
conversion
of
different
raw
materials
into
building
products
are

compared
in
between
steel
wall
and
wood
wall
by
Lawson
in
1996.
The
data

shows
that
the
estimated
environmental
cost
incurred
in
the
production
of
a

timber
wall
comparable
to
a
steel
wall
is
less
than
30%
of
the
environmental
cost

of
the
steel
wall.

table
4.3:
comparison
of
pollutant
produced
by
wood
wall
and
steel
wall.

The
manufacture
of
timber
products
is
associated
with
lower
emission
of
CO₂,

CO,
SO₂
and
volatile
organic
compounds
than
the
manufacture
of
steel.
As
from

the
data,
the
manufacture
of
iron
and
steel
results
in
emissions
of
CO,
SO₂,
and

14

NO₂(totalling
40
kg/t
of
steel)
to
the
atmosphere.
Besides,
fully
fluorinated

compounds
(FFCs)
are
a
by-‐product
of
alumunium
smelting.
These
compounds

are
much
more
harmful
greenhouse
gases
than
CO₂
because
they
can
last
very

long
in
our
atmosphere.
Even
the
manufacture
of
cement
can
involve
the

emission
of
up
to
240g
of
sulphur
dioxide
and
of
up
to
6kg
of
nitrogen
oxides
per

tonne
of
cement.
These
facts
have
made
timber
to
be
a
better
choice
among

many
building
materials.

15

5.0
ADVANTAGES
OF
USING
BAMBOO
AS
BUILDING
MATERIAL

Bamboo
is
widely
used
in
Asia
country
and
is
well
known
of
its
usefulness
from

the
range
of

food,
medicine,
furniture,
musical
instruments,
textiles
to
building

material.
In
fact,
bamboo
is
stronger
than
steel
and
oak.
However,
it
is
flexible

and
is
mostly
used
in
designing
curvy
building.
It
has
the
characteristics
of

resisting
water
and
lightweight
which
make
it
a
eco-‐friendly
and
cost
effective

building
material.
As
it
is
water
resistant,
extra
coating
for
preventing
water

erosion
is
neglegible,
thus
saves
up
the
cost
of
coating.
It
also
helps
to
save

construction
time
because
of
its
lightweight
and
the
using
of
cranes
could
be

unnecessary.
Moreover,
bamboo
has
an
ability
of
rapid
growing
with
reported

growth
rate
of
99cm
in
only
24
hours.
It
is
easy
to
plant
and
grow
in
almost
all

kind
of
climate
compare
to
the
other
kinds
of
tree,
some
might
needs
more
than

a
hundred
years
to
reach
its
maturity.

In
the
process
of
manufacturing
bamboo,
handling
and
cut
is
easy
and
the
most

importantly,
bamboo
is
a
material
that
does
not
pollute.
It
does
not
have
crusts

unlike
timber
and
even
the
part
of
bamboo
that
is
not
usable
can
be
recycled
into

earth
fertilizer
or
to
make
bamboo
charcoal.

16

5.1
WORKABILITY
OF
BAMBOO

Flexibility
of
bamboo
enables
it
to
be
worked
into
different
shapes
according
to

different
methods:

It
is
recommended
to
use
sharp
tool
when
worked
with
bamboo
because
its

surface
is
highly
silicified.
To
split
bamboo,
just
cut
along
the
cane
axis
or
use
a

knife
frame
to
split
it
into
four
or
eight
segments.
Besides
knife
frames,
saw,

machete-‐type
knife
or
scorch
drill
can
be
use
to
split
the
bamboo
cane.

17

to
produce
a
bamboo
plank,
split
the
canes
into
halves
and
to
ensure
to
smash
all

the
nodes
and
split
over
the
pole's
wall
into
flat.
Bamboo
canes
can
be
peeled

after
the
age
of
18
months
and
the
peeled
strips
are
mostly
used
as
ties
or
to
be

woven
to
make
strings
ans
ropes.

To
get
square
shape,
bamboo
is
grows
in
a
square
box.
This
is
to
make
easy

connections
on
bamboo.

18

Bamboo
is
bent
according
to
the
wanted
degree
and
is
to
let
dry
with
the

position
kept.
Then,
it
is
to
be
heated
for
above
150
celcius
and
the
shape
will
be

fixed
after
it
is
cooled.

With
its
beautiful
natural
colour
or
textures,
bamboo
does
not
require
any

paintings
to
coat
the
outer
surface.
They
are
plain
nice
as
the
way
they
are
and

have
a
high
aesthetic
value
which
could
brings
harmony
to
the
surroundings
in

relation
between
the
environment
and
the
building.

19

6.0
ADVANTAGES
OF
USING
RAMMED
EARTH

Villas
in
Belum
Rainforest
Resort
are
found
using
rammed
earth
as
the
facade

walls.
The
rammed
earth
walls
are
not
built
only
for
their
nice
texture
and
colour

but
there
have
many
advantages
that
have
been
benefit
this
resort.
One
of
its

advantages
is
rammed
earth
walls
does
not
require
maintenance,
thus
it
saves

time
and
costs.
It
has
great
strength
to
be
load
bearing
wall
and
is
durable
that

can
last
for
many
decades.
It
is
also
good
in
sound
insulation
that
there
is
no

need
to
install
extra
insulation
to
reduce
noise.
Besides,
rammed
earth
walls
are

fire
proof
and
is
recommended
for
high
fire
risk
areas.
It
also
resist
pests
like

termites
which
then
the
maintenance
costs
can
be
neglect
and
no
pesticides
have

to
be
used.
When
pesticide
are
not
used,
environment
are
more
healthier.

In
terms
of
colour
and
textures,
many
variation
of
patterns
are
possible

according
to
the
amount
of
materials
that
are
mixed
in
the
process
of
making.

Build
walls
with
rammed
earth
are
very
environmentally
friendly
compare
to
the

solid
masonry
walls.
In
the
production
of
rammed
earth,
only
compaction
of

earth
is
involved
where
firing
process
is
not
required
which
there
will
be
no

other
pollution
such
as
toxic
emission
and
greenhouse
gases
in
such
process.

Unlike
brick
manufacture,
it
requires
firing
process
where
there
is
a
kiln
that

produced
harmful
gases.
Furthermore,
the
materials
for
rammed
earth
is
taken

on
the
site
such
as
clay,
sand
and
the
earth
since
the
name
of
this
building

material
is
called
rammed
earth.
However,
the
materials
are
dependant
on

different
sites.

Since
rammed
earth
walls
does
not
need
any
pesticides
to
get
rid
of
pests,
does

not
need
any
paintings
to
cover
the
surface
and
its
material
is
taken
on
site

which
no
transportation
is
needed,
a
lot
of
costs
are
save
up!
Rammed
earth
is

indeed
a
sustainable
and
cost
saving
materials
which
should
be
more
considered

by
the
architects
and
designers
nowadays.

20

Figure
6.1:
methods
of
making
rammed
earth
wall

21

7.0
BENEFITS
OF
REUSING
SALVAGED
BRICKS

In
Belum
Rainforest
Resort,
salvaged
bricks
are
taken
from
the
deconstruction
of

phase
1
building.
In
the
phase
2
where
they
rebuild
the
resort,
salvaged
bricks

are
used
to
build
up
decorative
cladding
wall.
These
decorative
cladding
walls

had
benefits
the
resort
and
also
the
environment.
This
is
because
the
cladding

walls
that
are
made
from
the
salvaged
bricks
are
recycled
materials.
when
the

building
materials
are
reused
from
the
deconstruction,
pollutions
are
prevented.

As
such,
burning
waste
materials
and
landfill
are
less
use
and
solid
waste
are

also
reduced.
Thus,
air
quality
is
improved
.

In
a
way
of
how
it
benefits
the
resort
is
that
when
they
use
recycled
building

materials,
they
saved
up
a
lot
in
terms
of
cost.
As
new
bricks
are
needless
to
buy

when
there
are
recycled
bricks
on
site.
Even
transportation
fees
are
deducted

because
the
materials
are
already
on
the
site,
and
when
no
transportation
is

needed,
greenhouse
gases
from
vehicles
are
prevented.
Besides,
the
production

of
new
bricks
require
kiln
where
there
are
firing
process
which
produce
harmful

gases
and
waste
that
could
affect
the
environment.
However,
salvaged
brick
does

not
require
any
firing
process
as
it
is
reused.

22

8.0
REASONS
OF
WHY
SUSTAINABLE
BUILDING
MATERIALS
ARE
NOT
SO

POPULAR

When
it
comes
to
design
a
commercial
building,
designers
tend
to
make
their
life

easy
and
so
choosing
common
materials
such
as
brick
work
or
other
masonry
as

their
design
buiding's
materials.
This
is
because
if
they
choosing
the
materials

which
they
have
already
long
contact
with
the
manufacturer
they
used
to
buy

their
products,
why
need
to
find
another
manufacturer
of
sustainable
building

materials
that
could
waste
their
time.
In
fact,
some
of
these
sustainable
building

materials
could
be
hard
to
find
in
local.
Even
when
it
is
found,
the
transportation

fees
could
be
one
of
the
problems
as
some
of
these
sustainable
building
materials

manufacturer
is
not
much
and
could
be
very
far
away
from
the
construction
site.

The
another
reason
is
that
the
company
intends
to
take
more
commission
from

the
building
materials
to
earn
fast
money
and.
Besides,
most
of
the
designers
are

lack
of
awareness
and
the
knowledge
of
the
benefits
of
sustainable
building

materials.

23

9.0
WHY
SUSTAINABLE
BUILDING
MATERIALS
ARE
IMPORTANT

NOWADAYS

The
growth
of
the
community
development
nowadays
are
at
a
high
rate
of
speed

which
causes
large
impact
to
the
environment
that
we
are
living
now.

Sustainable
building
materials
are
important
in
preserving
nature
and

environment,
which
include
reducing
the
pollution,
energy
consumption
and

wastes.
Usage
of
sustainable
building
materials
bring
benefits
in
terms
of

environmental,
economic
and
social.
For
environmental
benefits,
it
helps
to

enhance
and
protect
biodiversity
and
ecosystems,
reduce
waste
streams,

improve
air
and
water
quality
and
conserve
natural
resources.
For
economic,
it

helps
to
reduce
operating
costs,
improve
productivity,
enhance
asset
value
and

profits
and
optimize
life-‐cycle
economic
performance.
For
benefits
in
social,

includes
enhancing
occupant
health
and
comfort,
improve
indoor
air
quality,

minimize
strain
on
local
utility
infrastructure
and
also
improving
overall
quality

of
life.
With
all
of
these
benefits,
sustainable
bulding
materials
are
obviously
very

important
and
should
be
widely
use
in
architecture.

24

10.0
CONCLUSION

In
a
nutshell,
as
an
architect
or
a
designer,
we
have
the
responsible
to
preserve

the
nature
and
environment
through
designing
a
buiding.
Global
warming
have

been
more
serious
than
before,
air
quality
is
getting
worse,
even
water
we
drink

might
not
be
as
safe
as
now
in
the
future.
In
my
opinion,
high
responsibility
is
on

the
building
designers
and
this
is
because
most
of
the
pollution
takes
place
in
the

process
of
construction.
Thus,
as
an
architect,
thinking
and
choosing
the
most

suitable
building
material
for
design
building
is
crucial.
They
will
need
to
take

more
serious
on
the
pollution
and
be
aware
of
the
global
warming
while

designing
building.
Belum
rainforest
Resort
have
shown
that
there
are
many

benefits
to
use
sustainable
building
materials.
From
this
research
paper,
we
can

see
there
are
many
advantages
of
using
timber,
bamboos,
rammed
earth
and

recycled
building
materials.
Designers
and
architects
should
take
more
of
these

materials
as
their
choice
in
order
to
have
a
better
world
for
living.

25

11.0
REFERENCES

Advantages and Disadvantages of Green Building. (n.d.). . Retrieved
June 12, 2014, from http://www.castaliahomes.com/blog/advantages-
disadvantages-green-building/
. (n.d.). . Retrieved June 12, 2014, from
http://www.gayatravel.com.my/articles/hotels-resorts/belum-temengor-
forest-reserve-belum-rainforest-resort

http://makeitwood.org/documents/doc-692-timber-as-a-sustainable-
material.pdf
Advantages of Building with Bamboo. (n.d.). RSS. Retrieved June 12,
2014, from http://www.guaduabamboo.com/blog/advantages-of-building-
with-bamboo
Bamboo as a building material . (n.d.). Bamboo as a building material.
Retrieved June 12, 2014, from http://bambus.rwth-
aachen.de/eng/reports/buildingmaterial/buildingmaterial.html
http://www.motherearthnews.com/green-homes/recycled-building-
materials-zmaz98fmzkin.aspx#axzz34ON37xhd
http://olneerammedearth.com.au/about-rammed-earth/

26

The Benefits of Using Recycled Building Materials. (n.d.). Mother Earth
News. Retrieved June 12, 2014, from
http://www.motherearthnews.com/green-homes/recycled-building-
materials-zmaz98fmzkin.aspx#axzz34ON37xhd

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