Concrete Vent Blocks Improve Indoor Environment

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PROJECT 1: CASE STUDY PAPER
Concrete Vent Block as Effective Natural Cooling Strategy in Improving the Indoor
Environmental Quality at PJ Trade Centre
ASIAN ARCHITECTURE [ARC2234/ARC60403]
_____________________________________________________________________
NAME: NUR BAHIRAH BINTI ABDUL RAHMAN
STUDENT ID: 0311085
TUTOR: PN. NOR HAYATI BINTI RAMLI
SUBMISSION DATE: 9th
June 2015

CONCRETE'VENT'BLOCKS'AS'EFFECTIVE'NATURAL'COOLING'STRATEGY'IN'IMPROVING'THE'
INDOOR'ENVIRONMENTAL'QUALITY'AT'PJ'TRADE'CENTRE'
'
ARC'2213/2234'Asian'Architecture' ' 1'
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Abstract
1.0 Introduction
2.0 Design Intentions
3.0 An Overview of Concrete Vent Block
3.1 Thermal Mass
3.2 Material Properties
3.3 Types of Concrete Vent Block
3.4 An Analogy on A Prototype of Concrete Vent Block
4.0 Natural Cooling Strategies in a Malay Vernacular Architecture
4.1 Natural Cooling Strategy
4.2 How does Natural Cooling Strategies Applied in a Malay Vernacular
Architecture?
5.0 The Adaptation of Natural Cooling Strategies at PJ Trade Centre
5.1 Concrete Vent Blocks
5.2 Ventilation Technique Used at PJ Trade Centre
5.2.1 Stack Effect
5.2.2 Wind Scoop
5.2.3 Wind Tunnel
5.3 Orientation
5.4 Vegetation
5.4.1 Vegetation at Plaza and Crawlers as Heat Buffer
5.4.2 Sky Garden and Sky Terraces to Improve Air Quality
6.0 Improving the Indoor Environmental Quality at PJ Trade Centre
7.0 Conclusion
8.0 References
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ABSTRACT
Grandeur office buildings have been the trend in the 21st century, which puts the
architects and designers to strive in designing eco-luxury corporate buildings. On the other
hand, PJ Trade Centre was designed contradicting from the typical shiny glasses office design
and instead, using mostly raw materials in its construction. From the Penchala Link Highway,
one could see a high-rising sheath of concrete vent block as the main façade of PJ Trade
Centre. The crux in designing this building is to lessen the maintenance, reducing
construction waste and long-term energy consumption. The objective of this research is to
study on how effective the concrete vent blocks are, as a natural cooling strategy at PJ Trade
Centre. This study covers on the thermal mass of the concrete vent block, the orientation of
the building, the ventilation techniques, and the vegetation on site. In order to conduct this
study accurately to meet both scientific facts and user experience, a comparative study on
concrete vent block, interview with Manager of Maintenance Department and personal
observation and research had been conducted. After analyzing, it can be concluded that the
concrete vent block made a great contribution as a natural cooling strategy. It acts as a good
shading device especially on the east façade. Moreover, the concrete vent block has high
thermal mass capacity that stores heat during the day and re-releases it during the night. The
vegetation on site and the ones that grew on the concrete vent block filtrates the hot air and
allowing cool air to flow inside the building. Based on the interviews conducted, users are
satisfied with the working environment while the maintenance team confirms that PJ Trade
Center is easily maintained and the design reduces the energy consumption in terms of
lighting and air-conditioning. Although PJ Trade Centre is a boldly designed office
headquarters, it is because of the bold move of the architect that the users are able to
experience a comfortable and cozy workplace.

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1.0 INTRODUCTION
“ All across the world, in every kind of environment and region known to man,
increasingly dangerous weather patterns and devastating storms are abruptly putting an end
to the long-running debate over whether or not climate change is real. Not only is it real, it's
here, and its effects are giving rise to a frighteningly new global phenomenon: the man-made
natural disaster.”(Barack Obama, speech, Apr. 3, 2006). The quote by Barack Obama
expresses that the world we live in is damaging and we have to unite as one to prevent from
further destroy our own planet. In terms of building sustainable architecture, passive design
plays an important role in preventing from producing more carbon based life forms which
ruins the environment.
Nowadays, we humans tend to depend a lot on air conditioner when entering a
building. Generally, air conditioner aims to distribute the conditioned air to an occupied
space to improve the thermal comfort and indoor air quality. But take some time and think,
have you ever notice that some houses or buildings are naturally cooler without relying on air
conditioner? This is what people call as ‘passive design buildings’. The environment is cooler
inside due to the design itself. There are several techniques that designers and architects
always use in designing their building to ensure that it is naturally cooler inside. A good
passive design can reduce the consumption of both money and carbon footprint by cutting
the reliance on artificial cooling system (Unknown, 2015).
One of the ways to cool down a building naturally is by choosing the right material.
For countries with a high difference of temperature change during night and day, it is
effective to use high thermal mass materials. There is a term called ‘building envelope’ which
describes how the combination of the roof, walls, windows and floors of a building help to
isolate the atmosphere inside the building from the atmosphere outside. It is important to
ensure a tight building envelope to control the heat gain. Although, the choice of material
does not eliminate the use of mechanical cooling system, it helps in reducing it.

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Another method is to choose the right orientation to build a building. Usually the
north and the south façade is designed to be longer than the east and west façade as the sun
comes from east to west direction. But in some circumstances, designers choose to build a
longer wall on east and west façade. Those circumstances might be because of the windrose
study, or the monsoon climatic study, or other possible reasons. In this case, architects will
strive to design a great and effective shading devices and consider putting more of these
devices on the east and west facade. In Malaysia, the climate is generally hot and humid,
therefore direct sun exposure should be avoided as much as possible. Moreover, the
consideration of designing to improve natural ventilation to bring in as much cool air into the
building as possible is also essential in passive design architecture.
PJ Trade Centre is a four-tower block office headquarters located at Damansara
Perdana, facing the SPRINT Penchala Link Highway. The architect, Kevin Mark Low took the
approach to design PJ Trade Centre with basic raw materials with respect to the green hills in
its surrounding. The design and the materials chosen are to lessen the issues on
maintenance, the reduction of waste and energy consumption in long-term basis. Not only
that, the architect also thought of an extraordinary way to improve the indoor
environmental quality in providing users with the best experience at their workplace
(Ismail,Z, Feb. 1, 2015)
It is out of doubt that the architect chose the correct choice of materials in designing
and development of PJ Trade Centre, which is crucial as each material have different impact
on a building. A study must be conducted on the way the material controls how the heat is
absorbed, stored, released and distributed throughout the building. Dense materials such as
brick and masonry are excellent at absorbing heat. Controlling the amount of sunlight that is
absorbed by brick walls, concrete floors and other dense materials allows the control of heat
stored and released.

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Many researches had been conducted to prove that PJ Trade Centre is a well-designed and
sustainable building. This paper will investigate how the concrete blocks and its other
supporting factors contributed in improving the indoor environmental quality by responding
to these following questions:
Main Question:
How effective are the concrete vent blocks as natural cooling strategy in improving
the indoor environmental quality at PJ Trade Centre?
Sub Questions:
1) What are the passive cooling strategies in improving the indoor environmental
quality?
2) What are the main roles of concrete vent blocks in natural cooling?
3) How is the use of concrete vent block is applied to improve the indoor
environmental quality?

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2.0 DESIGN INTENTIONS
When the architect designed PJ Trade Centre, there were a few things that became
the crux of his design intentions. Architect Kevin Mark Low wanted to design something that
opens up the user’s mind on how the design of their workplace affect how they work. The
design intention aims to provide a working space that is rich in textures and delight,
consequently designing a building that serves its practical needs while prioritizing the user’s
need and comfort as well. A lot of aspects had to be taken into considerations to adjust this
dated work ethos to suit the ever-changing global climate, especially in our hot and humid
weather along with the change of monsoon (Ng,T. 2013)
Developed by Tujuan Gemilang, four towers of 20 to 21-storeys office headquarters
were built. In order to ensure the building suits its site context, the bold choice of using
magnificent raw materials such as concrete vent blocks, over-burnt bricks and raw concrete
finishes along with the minimal use of metal and glasses for the office, defines a duality to
the site and context, which is a strategic move to respect the green hills behind the
development. Along with these intentions, over 1,400 mature trees planted in the entire
development, including 12 sky terraces between buildings to bring landscaping up vertically,
and a sea of mature trees was planted on the ground floor, which is called as the plaza. This
space becomes a forecourt to the towers, which acts as a hub with food and beverage outlets
surrounding it. This space animates the entire surrounding area, which makes PJ Trade Centre
looks lively and cozy. (Cheong, K. n.d.)
It is no doubt that the use of these choices of materials provides a good ventilation
system and also shading devices. The manager of the Maintenance Department also
confirms that the building only requires low maintenance and does not require any cleaning
on its walls (Suresh, Personal Interview, April 18, 2015). The concrete vent blocks allow the
entrance of natural light and cross-ventilation into the building and consequently make the
building eco-friendly.

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3.0 AN OVERVIEW OF CONCRETE VENT BLOCK
Concrete Vent blocks are ventilation blocks that is made out of concrete, which
provides practical protection against heavy wind and rain while allowing sufficient amount
of light and air to flow and circulate into the functional space. (Figure 3.0.1)
Figure 3.0.1 The diagrams show the vent blocks provide shade against heavy wind while
allowing sufficient amount of sun to enter the building through the holes.
Concrete vent block can be aesthetically pleasing, as its form is flexible according to the
design. These vent blocks are precasted at the factory and are produced in huge quantities.
The fact that it is precast makes it lessen the construction waste. (Figure 3.0.2)
(Abelbestcrete,2013)
Figure 3.0.2 The picture above shows that the concrete vent blocks were pre-casted and
produces in large quantities at factory.
Source: Cash Concrete Products Inc., Concrete Block http://www.cashconcrete.com/products/concrete-block/

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3.1 THERMAL MASS
Thermal mass is a term that defines the ability of a material to store and absorb heat
energy. An inference had been made that the higher the density of a material, the higher the
thermal mass. Briefly, heavyweight materials such as concrete, brick and tiles have higher
thermal mass because a lot of heat energy is needed to change its temperature, while
lightweight material such as timber have low thermal mass. There will be a huge difference
in providing comfortable and cooling architecture with an appropriate use of thermal mass
throughout a structure. Thermal mass materials does not only store and absorb heat, it also
re-releases heat during nighttime (Figure 3.1).
Figure 3.1 How Thermal Mass Works
Source: Passive Solar Housing, East St. Louis Research Project http://www.eslarp.uiuc.edu/arch/ARCH371-
F99/groups/k/solar.html

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3.2 MATERIAL PROPERTIES
Based on a research paper, the heat preservation effect on the compound concrete
vent blocks is better than that of clay bricks. Furthermore, the application of lightweight
aggregate concrete does not show much improvement on heat insulation properties of the
small-size concrete vent blocks (Figure 3.2 ). [?]
Figure 3.2 Research on improving the heat insulation and preservation properties of small-
size concrete hollow blocks, Yang, D., Sun, W., Liu, Z., & Zheng, K. (2003)
Generally, all types of concrete have the same material properties. The typical
material properties of concrete are as below:- (Unknown)
• Density : 2240 - 2400 kg/m3
(140 - 150 lb/ft3
)
• Compressive strength : 20 - 40 MPa (3000 - 6000 psi)
• Flexural strength : 3 - 5 MPa (400 - 700 psi)
• Tensile strength : 2 - 5 MPa (300 - 700 psi)
• Modulus of elasticity : 14000 - 41000 MPa (2 - 6 x 106
psi)
• Permeability : 1 x 10-10
cm/sec
• Coefficient of thermal expansion : 10-5 o
C-1
(5.5 x 10-6 o
F-1
)
• Drying shrinkage : 4 - 8 x 10-4
• Poisson's ratio : 0.20 - 0.21
• Shear strength : 6 - 17 MPa
• Specific heat capacity : 0.75 kJ/kg K (0.18 Btu/lbm
o
F (kcal/kgo
C)
• Thermal mass properties of concrete:

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1. Delays and reduces peak loads
2. Reduces total loads
3. Works best in commercial building applications
4. Works when mass is exposed on the inside surface
Based on the information above, we can conclude that concrete has a high density,
with great compressive strength. Concrete material has a high thermal mass and works best
in commercial building such as the PJ Trade Centre.
3.3 TYPES OF CONCRETE VENT BLOCK
Concrete vent blocks are widely used to improve the indoor environmental quality whether
on a home or in a commercial building. Concrete vent blocks come in blocks. There are many
types of concrete vent blocks as the design is flexible. The most common one would be the
simple hollow concrete block in square or rectangle shapes. Nowadays, concrete vent blocks
are creatively used in buildings. The designers often design vent blocks with unique and
variety kind of hollows in simple shapes or in motifs and geometry shapes(Figure 3.3). [?]
Figure 3.3 The variety shapes of concrete vent blocks.
Source : Walls, Concrete Blocks http://www.fao.org/docrep/s1250e/s1250e0j.htm

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3.4 AN ANALOGY ON A PROTOTYPE OF CONCRETE VENT BLOCK
This analogy only discussed on the change of indoor temperature for this experiment,
as this paper studies on improving the indoor environmental quality. The experiment was
conducted in Thailand, a hot and humid country which has similar weather as Malaysia. The
dimensions of the prototype are 390mm(L), 190mm(H) and 90mm (W). (Figure 3.4.1)
Figure 3.4.1 Dimensions of the new prototype of concrete block.
Test result shows that when the window is closed, the average room temperature of
four-sided ventilated house (Tr;avg1) was lower than the non-ventilated house (Tr;avg2) by
about 2◦C (Figure3.4.2) that is extremely noticeable as no mechanical device is used. This test
was conducted with full exposition to the sun without the use of any insulation materials or
shading devices. They concluded that a higher difference in temperature is expected with a
larger house or building volume. (Khedari, J., Rungsiyopas, M., Sarachitti, R., & Hirunlabh, J.
(2004)
Figure 3.4.2 The chart shows the comparison between the average room temperature and
ambient for the two houses with closed window.

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Based on this study, it can be said that the concrete vent blocks at PJ Trade
Centre are able to improve the indoor environmental quality by having the prospect
of cooling indoor temperature of the building by at least 10%. The concrete vent
block used at PJ Trade Centre allows more airflow than that of this prototype.
Moreover, the use of concrete vent block at PJTC is in larger scale to compare with
this study (Figure 3.4.3).
Figure 3.4.3 The concrete vent blocks used as main façade of PJ Trade Centre on the East
Façade.

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4.0 NATURAL COOLING STRATEGIES IN A MALAY VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE
Malaysia is a hot and humid country. Ever since a long time ago, the Malays had designed a
vernacular style in their architecture to suite the Malaysian climate. One of the solutions is
the usage of wood in the construction of a Malay vernacular architecture. There are several
other ways to achieve natural cooling in a Malay traditional vernacular house.
4.1 NATURAL COOLING STRATEGY
Natural cooling strategy is a type of passive cooling strategy to achieve sustainability in a
building. Natural means something that is not made or caused by human kind, while cooling
means at a fairly low temperature. Combining both, natural cooling in architecture means a
way to achieve a fairly low indoor temperature naturally, without the use of mechanical
systems. Although natural cooling does not caused by human kind, designers have to think
of a strategy to achieve natural cooling by applying natural scientific methods.
4.2 HOW DOES NATURAL COOLING STRATEGIES APPLIED IN A MALAY VERNACULAR
ARCHITECTURE
A Malay vernacular house is designed specifically to suite the Malaysian weather. One of the
strategies is by having high ceiling. High ceiling helps to cool the house. Some of the
vernacular houses use an alternative by having ventilated roof instead. Malay vernacular
house also has open interior spaces with minimal partitions, which allows better ventilation
system. Furthermore, Malay vernacular house has fully openable windows that allow air to
flow at body level, thus help improving the indoor environment quality. Other than that,
stilted houses helps catching winds of higher velocity. The figure shows a table of the
temperature, humidity and wind speed at a Tropical Region and the thermal Results from a
Traditional Malay House in Penang, Malaysia. The climatic design of the Malay House is also
illustrated and explained in Figure 4.2.

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Figure 4.2 The table shows the thermal results from a traditional house in Penang and the
climatic design of the Malay House.
Source: Malaysian Vernacular Architecture and Its Relationship to Climate, Firrdhaus Sahabuddin
https://www.academia.edu/2377416/Chapter_2_Malaysian_Vernacular_Architecture_and_Its_Relationship_to_C
limate

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5.0 THE ADAPTATION OF NATURAL COOLING STRATEGIES AT PJ TRADE CENTRE
The design of PJ Trade Centre applied many natural cooling strategies. These strategies can
be divided into four subgroups, which are the concrete block, ventilation, orientation and
vegetation.
5.1 CONCRETE VENT BLOCKS
Concrete vent blocks are not only used in modern buildings, but they are used in
Malay Traditional Houses as well. The concrete vent blocks are able to improve the indoor
environmental quality at PJ Trade Centre in a lot of ways. Indoor environmental quality in an
office is improved when there is not much direct sunlight coming into the building, there is
sufficient amount of daylight that decreases the use of artificial lighting, presence of natural
cool air that is circulating throughout the building, clean and fresh air flow to keep the
environment healthy, and a comfortable and cozy workplace that gives the user warmth to
spend their day while working.
Figure 5.1.1 Shown above is the distribution of daylight through the vent blocks. The vent
blocks allow daylight to enter the office while preventing direct sunlight.
Concrete vent block at PJ Trade Centre acts as a good shading device and also a type
of heat buffer. There is a gap between the concrete vent block wall and the over-burnt brick
walls, which are the walls of the office buildings. The gap between these two walls allows

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the concrete vent block façade to provide shade towards the user inside the building and
prevent from direct sunlight from coming into the office. (Figure 5.1.1 & Figure 5.1.2)
Figure 5.1.2 The diagram above shows the gap between the concrete vent block façade and
the over-burnt brick wall of the office.
Below are the approximate size and design of concrete vent block used at PJ Trade Centre. [?]
Figure 5.1.3 Types of concrete vent blocks at PJTC

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Type A
Figure 5.1.5 A type of ventilation block
• Size (mm): 310(H) x 310(L) x 125(W)
• 10.4 blocks per Meter Square
• Used at the exterior facades and the interior side
Type B
• Size (mm): 255(H) x 260(L) x 100(W)
• 15.1 blocks per Meter Square
• Used at the some part of the interior side of the building
Type C
• Size (mm): 200(H) x 200(L) x 100(W)
• 25 blocks per Meter Square
• Used at the exterior facades of the building

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5.2 VENTILATION
There are many natural ventilation systems that can be applied as part of passive design
strategy. Ventilation is the process of changing air in an enclosed space, in which air should
be withdrawn and replaced by the fresh air continuously. This process of ventilation is
important in order to ensure the air purity and allowing oxygen to circulate in a building. By
ensuring sufficient oxygen entering the building, indoor environmental quality can be
achieved. When human receives enough air and oxygen, they will automatically feel more
comfortable and cool. Other than that, the application of natural ventilation systems can
reduce the amount of air-conditioning usage, which will eventually reduce the energy waste
and saves electricity. Furthermore, the use of natural ventilation is a healthier way to achieve
indoor comfort rather than using mechanical ventilation system. There are three main
ventilation systems used at PJ Trade Centre, which are stack effect, wind scoop effect and
wind tunnel.
5.2.1 STACK EFFECT
Figure 5.2.1.1 The diagram shows the stack effect at PJ Trade Centre
One of the natural ventilation system used at PJ Trade Centre is stack ventilation. Stack
ventilation occurs when thermal buoyancy causes the air inside the building to driven out
from the building by vertical pressure. Warm air is less dense than cool air, therefore the
warm air from inside the building will try to escape from openings high up in the building

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envelope while cooler air will flow into the building through lower openings. This process
repeats by itself and will eventually cool down the indoor temperature by exchanging the
warmer air inside with the cooler air from outside the building (RIBA Publishing, n.d.). Figure
5.2.1.1 shows how stack effect is applied at PJ Trade Centre. The gap between each towers are
connected by commercial chain link made out of metal. There are Sky Terraces at each odd-
level on this chain link to act as an interactive space for the office workers. These links is
where the stack effect ventilation occurs. The volume of air entering the building through
the balconies of each floors are huge as the stack effect occurs throughout the 20-storey
towers. This factor improves the effectiveness of stack effect ventilation system at PL Trade
Centre. Having the concrete vent blocks covering one side of the façade contribute in
providing comfort with adequate amount of airflow towards the occupants. The concrete
vent block façade indirectly protects its occupants from heavy wind and rain while enjoying
their relaxing time at the sky terraces.
Figure 5.2.1.2 The picture above shows the chain link which causes stack effect to occur
throughout the building.

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Moreover, the design of the offices at PJ Trade Centre applies the traditional house concept
in which it has high ceiling. The ceiling height at PJ Trade Centre offices is 3.7 m. This allows
better airflow to circulate in the office and provide more comfort towards the occupants, as
the normal ceiling height is usually 1 m lower.
Figure 5.2.1.3 The diagram above shows the height of ceiling of the office at PJ Trade Centre
5.2.2 WIND SCOOP
Figure 5.2.2.1 Wind scoop effect at the balcony area at PJ Trade Centre.
At PJ Trade Centre, there are only 1 to 4 units per floor. The fact that each floor is not
compact makes the indoor environment in the offices well ventilated. Besides that, the
ventilation rate in the office is high as the occupancy is low. This is because each unit has its
own washroom and pantry, thus makes the ventilation rate higher. The ventilation rate
depends on the occupancy density. Secondly, rows of balcony in front of the offices units on
each floors acts as a wind scoop, scooping the air into a building to allow better ventilation in
the unit and balcony. This passive natural ventilation technique is an innovative way to

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efficiently cool an indoor environment in a hot and humid climate. This wind scoop effect
catches the air movement and direct it through the balcony. Not only that it acts as a wind
scoop effect at the balcony area, the users can also use it as a place to relax and chill during
work time (Unknown).
Figure 5.2.2.2 The picture above shows the balcony area in front of the office unit at PJ Trade
Centre.
5.2.3 WIND TUNNEL
Figure 5.2.3.1 The diagram show the flow of air in between the towers at PJ Trade Centre.

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The office headquaters at PJ Trade centre is divided into four towers. These four towers has a
gap in between each other which creates a natural wind tunnel. As the air is compressed by
the force of the wind against the buildings, speed increases in proportion to how much it is
compressed (Unknown). The speed of the wind at this area can be considerably higher than
the surrounding and this effect is called the wind tunnel effect. Therefore, the higher the
wind speed occurs at the tunnel effect, the more air it brings into the building to achieve
indoor comfort.
Figure 5.2.3.2 The picture above shows how the office headquarters at PJ Trade Centre were
designed into four separate towers.
Souce: Pretty When Weathered, Small Projects, Malaysia http://www.pjtradecentre.com/blueprint.pdf

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5.3 ORIENTATION
Figure 5.3.1 The map above shows the orientation of PJ Tade Centre.
PJ Trade Centre’s longer façade is facing the East and West. Usually the longer façade is
designed to face the North and South, but here the architect had a solution of putting the
concrete vent block as the main façade. These concrete vent blocks does not only allow good
ventilation but also shades the building from direct sunlight while still bring in sufficient
amount of daylight into the offices. Furthermore, the concrete vent block walls are covered
fully on the east and south façade but not on the west. The west façade allows sufficient
amount of daylight, which decreases the use of artificial lighting while maintaining the fact
of not getting direct sunlight because of the balconies in front of the offices, which connects
from one office outlet to the other.

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Figure 5.3.2 The picture above shows the East façade of PJ Trade Centre facing the highway.
This façade is fully covered with concrete vent blocks as shading device.
Source: Photo Gallery, PJ Trade Centre http://www.pjtradecentre.com/gallery.html
5.4 VEGETATION
The vegetation planted on site is the extra point at PJ Trade Centre. PJ Trade Centre’s site is
already surrounded by green hills, but these vegetation planted around and throughout the
building helps bringing cooler air into the offices and makes the users feels closer to nature.
(Cheong, K. n.d.)
5.4.1 VEGETATION AT PLAZA AND CRAWLERS AS HEAT BUFFER
The vegetation at the Ground floor at PJ Trade Centre is called as the Plaza area. This area
connects each tower and it acts as a social hub where people can relax and take a walk at the
Plaza and also chill at the cafes at the sides of the Plaza. There are hundreds of trees planted
at this plaza area and this vegetation acts as a heat buffer, which cools down the warm air
before it enters the building. Not only the vegetation at the plaza that acts as heat buffer but
also the crawlers and moss on the concrete vent blocks itself. Over time, these crawlers will
cover the concrete vent block more and filtrates the air before entering the offices.

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Figure 5.4.1.1 The diagram shows the air flow through the plaza and the crawler on the
concrete vent block at the East façade.
Figure 5.4.1.2 The pictures above shows the Plaza area at Ground Floor which are accessible
to the public and the crawlers that were planted to grow vertically on the concrete vent
blocks.
5.4.2 SKY GARDEN AND SKY TERRACES TO IMPROVE AIR QUALITY
Next is the presence of natural cool air that is circulating throughout the building. The
concrete vent blocks are the perfect strategy to use as shading device while allowing airflow
into the building. The sky garden and the moss that grows vertically on the concrete vent
blocks, filters the hot air before coming into the building. These concrete vent blocks along
with the greeneries helps in providing clean and fresh airflow to keep the environment

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healthy, despite the fact that PJTC is facing the highway. These walls act as a separation
between the busy highway and the office headquarters. The fact that this building uses
mostly raw materials makes the place looks naturally more cozy and warm. The Sky Garden
and Sky Terraces also acts as a place where users can relax during or after working hours.
These two features helps the users feels a lot closer to nature and releases stress at the same
time.
Figure 5.4.2 The picture above shows the Sky Garden at PJ Trade Centre

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6.0 IMPROVING THE INDOOR ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY AT PJ TRADE CENTRE
The usage of raw materials used throughout the building makes the users feels more warm
and cozy, just like the feeling of being home. The choice of materials is the perfect choice for
user comfort and also to respect the greenery background of these office headquarters.
Furthermore, these office buildings improves the indoor environment as it is designed not to
be compact for each office unit so that the user feels more contented and relaxed during
their working experience here. The balcony and the Sky Garden or Sky Terraces are great
escape from the hectic working lifestyle. Workers can use these spaces to relax their mind as
nature contributes in calming one’s mind and also gives cool and sufficient amount of
oxygen. The working experience at PJ Trade Centre is also improved with the use of concrete
vent blocks and the balcony area. These two features shade the offices, thus makes the
occupants inside the building more at comfort. The wind that flows into the offices at body
level makes the users feel cooler even without the use of mechanical ventilation system.
Although sometimes the users needs to use artificial lighting and also air conditioning, the
amount of energy usage is not really high, as the natural cooling strategies had already
improved the indoor environment quality. This factor helps the building to be sustainable as
less energy is required in the building operation.

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7.0 CONCLUSION
These solutions that the architect had incorporated in the design of PJ Trade Centre are
undeniably great and effective solutions in improving the indoor environmental quality. The
use of concrete vent block improves the indoor environmental quality as a natural cooling
strategy at PJ Trade Centre. These concrete vent blocks are great shading devices that also
bring in breeze into the building. The natural ventilation systems used at PJ Trade Centre is
very effective and can be experienced by the users themselves. The design of the building
using wind scoop effect and stacking effect enhance the ventilation system, thus cooling the
building. The trees planted all around the building and the wall creepers acts as filtration to
cool the heated air. The orientation of the building helps to support the idea of using
concrete vent block as natural cooling strategy. The architect does not only think of
providing a stunning office building design, but he also measures the user comfort and the
practical needs for the building to be sustainable.

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8.0 REFERENCES
Architectus. (2013). Sustainability - Natural Ventilation. Retrieved April 15, 2014,
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