TRX is the first development in Malaysia to achieve both provisional GBI Platinum Township and LEED (US) Neighbourhood Development Gold certifications for its overall master plan. Cutting edge technologies will be adopted to ensure maximum lighting efficiency among other sustainability plans in this future iconic financial hub of Kuala Lumpur. The future of green building development in Malaysia is very exciting, indeed!
Lighting takes up a bulk of our daily electricity consumption; in the US alone, 404 billion kWh of electricity is consumed for lighting purposes in 2015. This translates to 10% of the US total electricity consumption, much of which is still derived from fossil fuel. A green building, with sustainability at the core of its design, must therefore adopt the most efficient lighting mechanism to minimise its carbon footprints.
What better way to light up a building without having to consume any electricity at all? The award-winning Diamond Building in Putrajaya features a large central atrium, complete with an “automatic roller-blind system”. The system responds automatically to the intensity and the angle of the incident sunlight, allowing just the right amount of sunlight in. The building’s inverted pyramid design, while aesthetically pleasing, also provides maximum surface exposure, enabling ample sunlight catchment through the façade’s glazed glass cladding.
Setia City Mall, Malaysia’s first green certified shopping mall, is another example of buildings that adopt energy-efficient lighting system. Developed by Lendlease, an Australian based firm that will also develop TRX’s Lifestyle Quarter, the mall boasts a low wall-to-window ratio to maximise natural lighting. Energy-efficient T5 fluorescent lamps are used throughout the mall’s multilevel carpark instead of the conventional T8 lamps. On top of that, compacted fluorescent bulbs are used in the mall concourse, instead of metal halide and halogen bulbs commonly used in shopping malls. State-of-the-art lighting control system regulates lighting intensity to complement natural lighting condition throughout the day. The adoption of the practical green lighting strategy allows Setia City Mall to achieve a very efficient annual BEI (Building Energy Index) of 300 kWh.m2, a significantly lower figure than the average of 450 kWh.m2 for commercial buildings in Malaysia.
TRX is the first development in Malaysia to achieve both provisional GBI Platinum Township and LEED (US) Neighbourhood Development Gold certifications for its overall master plan. Cutting edge technologies will be adopted to ensure maximum lighting efficiency among other sustainability plans in this future iconic financial hub of Kuala Lumpur. The future of green building development in Malaysia is very exciting, indeed!
Photo credit: Inhabitat
Photo caption: The Diamond Building, Putrajaya - “The centerpiece of the building is a large central atrium designed to admit and regulate daylighting using “an automatic roller-blind system responsive to the intensity as well as the angle of the incident sunlight,”
