Latests chapter 2

Chapter 2-Potential physical benefits in Malaysia

2.1 Potential physical benefits in Malaysia

Malaysia, located in South-East Asia, has a land area of 329,748, with a population of28.3 million live in this country andwith a total landmass of 329,847 square kilometers. Besides that Malaysia is a tropical country with two seasons in a year. The dry season occurs during the south-west monsoon from May and September. The northeast monsoon brings the rainy season to the country during mid-November till March. Malaysia is still considered a safety country if compare with other country because in Malaysia there is not much problem or natural disaster.

Nowadays Malaysia have different situationweather problem if compared tothe previous condition. In the early stage, Malaysia is a safe country without any natural disaster problem with a stable monsoon in Malaysia but now, the weather condition has become worst and unstable, more detail can been refer to Appendix 1. It happens because every year the population keeps growing, hence the usage to the humanity increases, for example entertainment area, transportation, and upgrading current technologies. This few threats will make the environment become worst because the pollution will create bad ventilation to the city.

Living into the landhas more potential physical benefits to Malaysia; it helps to solve a lot of problem in Malaysia. Construction of underneath surface living space can be developed through mining and more recently through transport, housing and commercial industries to reduce the global warming problem (Figure 1&2). The potential physical benefits to Malaysia are written down at chapter 2.1 until 2.3.

Figure 1. Underneath transportation and commercial design

Figure 2. Underneath residential design

2.2 Climate, Weather changing

Malaysia is a Tropical country; it is generally warm throughout the year with temperatures ranging from 21° to 32° Celsius in the lowlands previously. Unfortunately the temperatures are starting to change average daily min around 22.1 Celsius to 23.4 Celsius and the maximum will be around 31.4 Celsius to 33 Celsius in a year. Now a days the temperature in Malaysia become worst with the lowest recorded of 19 Celsius, it has reduced 3 Celsius if compared with average daily temperature.The research has been shows in Appendix 2.

It shows nowadays the weather is changing because the pollution globally has become worst. For instance the developer making air pollution, chopping of trees to develop a new city to fit in the humanity needs. It is making the global warming issues become serious and creates a lot of natural disaster problem.

According to the latest news from Brian Dunbar theGlobal warming is an increase in the average temperature of Earth's surface. Since the late 1800's, the global average temperature has increased about 0.7 to 1.4 degrees F (0.4 to 0.8 degrees C). Many experts estimate that the average temperature will rise an additional 2.5 to 10.4 degrees F (1.4 to 5.8 degrees C) by 2100. That rate of increase would be much larger than most past rates of increase.

In another hand this is the problem why Malaysia starts experiencing hot and unstable weather in a year because the atmosphere has become thinner than before. This is the reason why underground designs have the ability to solve the climate problem.

Alternatives way to solve climates issues

Nowadays Malaysia’s climate is unstable which is making the environment become warmer than previous because the car pollution, building materials affected the area to become this hot. This complicated issue is causing the citizens to stay indoors rather than outdoors to enjoy the breeze of air-condition rather than coming out to the street. A better solution for the climate issues would be scaling down skyscrapers towards underground making full use of the space underneath which is much more beneficial .Making use of the underground space can reduce the heat from the sun light because 70% surface of the building is protected by soil to avoid heat exposure into living space. (Figure 3)

Figure 3 it show most of the heat will block by the soil to create more cooler ventilation into the space 

Besides that, wind direction can go into the land to cool up the space, even morning, afternoon or night time it also can help to cool downthe space rather than having surface building enclose with glass and metal (Figure 4). Most of the building in interior are using more host power air conditional and spend a lot of electrical tocool down the space but Underneath space living design will be more economical than surface building because in underground architecture it is using pump mechanical to pump out heat from inside into the exterior letting air ventilation circulate in cooler air, hence air conditions unsafe can be minimize (figure 5). Underground interior will be more comfortable than surface building.

Figure 4 show enclose building with glass and building make less cool ventilation into interior 

Figure 5 underground ventilation function and heat into interior 

In fact, rescaling the building and having an underground design will decrease hard materials usage for examplemetal and glass if comparing with the high-rise building. Underground construction is more focus in the interior materials. For example concrete, reinforced concrete, wood and other. An underground construction material does not affect the environment; most of the materials will not havereflective design because it is using soft materials to construct. The materials usages are to protect our environment and reduce the heat from the surface.

On theother hand, underground architecture is different from 20cenutry modern style. In the beginning Modern architecture becomes more famous surface building and mostly is using metal and glass to be their main structure to support the building which causes that area of the modern structure become hotter and has bad ventilation by blocking from the high rise building. Even now the suggestion of green building design has been pop up, using solar and grass to create eco system to the environment but one day the land will be fully loaded with high rise building of green design, problem of that area still exist, still the same bad ventilation and heavy reflection from sun light because the scale and the materials causes that area become hot and have bad ventilation. Underground design can help us to rescale the high rise building into underground; it can help us to create a more environmentalfriendly space than surface building with the credits of less usage of air-condition, saving more electrical resource.

2.3 Bad Environmental Create New Disaster

Global warming become serious, unstable weather in Malaysia, tsunami, slight earthquake, tornado in Penang, haze from neighborhood and Flood woes started to occur in Malaysia. One of the reason why global warming is becoming serious ,is because of ventilation, pollution from the car transportation ,public transportation in Malaysia are creating sound pollution . Forinstance trains have been created in the middle of the city resulting in sound pollution becoming worst and affected the habitat it of the citizens nearby.

On the other hand the reason why there is heavy car pollution in Malaysia is because does not have a good public transportation for the convenience of humanity causing people to purchase more vehicles to be their transportation. In this case ,more population more transportation are making heavy traffic jam in the city, the sound and air pollution release from vehicles transportation increases day by day.

Besides those public spaces for humanity it is also partly because of the increase of high-rise buildings, modern skyscraper that overtakes the land and environment that a prim and appropriate public space needs like the street walk and garden. Malaysian chooses to drive to nearest place to avoid the hot weather in Malaysia rather than walking to the nearest place. It’s because the public spaces and the building doesn’t bring humanity blend with urban landscape.

2.31 Structure Help Humanity

Creating underground design is much more environmental friendly then surface building. It is issuing low fuel bills, low maintenance and it also looks more beautiful to our mother earth and plant life, animal habitat, and plant transpiration and respiration are maintained to a greater extent than with surface construction but in Malaysia it is different . For example, in Malaysia most of the public space and street walk are surrounded by a lot of high-rise building it can’t attract the beauty of natural and less plant to cover the street walker to avoid the sun light causing people to purchase vehicles to avoid the hot weather in Malaysia. If we start to reduce the high of skyscrapers with the concept of green design and starting to build downward making more space to make the surface more natural view in surface than high rise building, it will attract pedestrians to experience the natural feel rather than driving and can have a good process of ecosystems. In this way, it will be more environmental friendly than a high rise building with usage of concrete design, metal and glass reflection with heat into the humanity. For example in (Figure6), it makes use of the roof top turning it into walkways for pedestrians to enjoying.

Figure6. Rescale the building high and blend with humanity

Besides that Malaysia is also a country where almost 70% of the population is using private car to be their transportation. The reason of choosing a private car over public transport is because Malaysia doesn’t have a good functional public transportation. Nowadays Malaysia can hardly construct new public transportation because most of the land has been constructed to be high-rise buildings. It forces other building to be constructing besides the building and spend amount of time to reach the place.In some area place public train can’t reach the propose destinationbecause of lack of land to construct. This issueis making the city become more polluted from train and doesn’t help the humanity;rather, it makes the area become more unsafely. (Figure 7)

Figure 7. The public train at Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur

Public transportation constructed underground willbe more comfortable to the pedestriansbecause it will be more safety with protection with layers of concrete rather than surface train transportation which is supported with metal structure with empty protection from besides the train. Besides that it reduce sound pollution from underground because the underground space can avoid the sound from exterior and also can avoid interior sound to exterior .it will be more beneficial than surface transportation structure, other than that underground architecture consists of less reflective materials at surface building to decrease heat. More reflective things will only increase heat because of direct sun light reflecting on the materials. This is the benefit of underground design with humanity to be more environmental friendly. (Figure 8)

Figure 8.The underground train transportation in western country 

2.4 Unprotecting in Surface Building

A lot of pollution is happening in different country, we can’t avoid pollutionissue because in a city of rapid development it will naturally occur, what we can do is to prevent and reduce the impact of pollution on our building and humanity. For example highway sound pollution, air ventilation from factory, air pollution vibration from transportation is slowly disturbing our humanity life unsafely. Malaysia’s residential planning area is mostly facing the road. The surface openings provide the major transmission path for noise to the interior. Vibration from surface will also disturb the pathof the interior.

On the other hand, Malaysia is slowly starting to develop a few of natural disaster like tsunami, small tornado and weather changing in current situation. We will not  know when our country will face the problems and natural disasters other western countries are facing  like, tornado, hurricane, volcanic eruption and others that affects the environment, and leads to financial, environmental and human losses. If we start to think howtoprevent and protect earlier by starting now, when the natural disaster landed, we can reduce the human losses.

2.41Alternative Ways to Save Life

Underground  design ,especially if provided with the ability to exclude or filter contaminated outside air, can be valuable emergency shelter facilities .for example the factory in Malaysia release a lot of gas to the air . It damages the air pollution and destroys the health of humanity. Besides that, small amounts of earth cover are very effective at preventing the transmission of airborne noise like the transportation and the heavy construction sound. This attribute can be very important for structures located in exceptionally noisy locations such as those adjacent to freeways and major airports. Surface opening provide the major transmission path for noise to the interior but undergrounddesign totally reduces the airborne noise from exterior to the interior because underground design is more enclose with concrete and most of the wall have been surrounded with soil it help the space reduce sound pollution from outside. (Figure 9)

Figure 9 it helps to reduce all the air born noise from exterior

In addition, underneath space can also help us to avoid natural disaster like tornado which result in humanity loses. Underneath architecture definitely has more strength than surface building. Surface buildings are using materials to support mother earth but underground architecture is urban landscape blending with underneath utilization space. Besides that underground architecture’s goal is to prevent a damaging release from the facility to the surface ecosystem.it is more environmental friendly than concept surface building.For example at figure 10how previous for the underground design it using for refuge or military space for the citizen.

Figure 10 show the previous design for military and refuge space to 

On the other hand, underground architecture can be safer. For instance, if there is occuring another war in Malaysian. We can use the space to be our self-protection layer to protect our family and our life. Itis much better then surface building, which it is easy to collapse if there is a strong vibration to the surface building. But rescaling the building and replacing the space into the land is much more durable and stronger for the base to support the whole construction.