Diamond Building Putrajaya, Malaysia

The concept of a sustainable building with consideration to the following aspects:

 Reduction in fossil fuels  water conservation  sustainable building materials  waste minimization and avoidance  indoor environmental quality  traffic and transport management  construction and demolition management plan

A special feature of the building design is the “inverted pyramid” concept, which creates extensive shading of the building to reduce heat gained from the sides of the buildings. It will also enhance the use of daylight to minimize the use of artificial lighting

The Atrium has been designed to optimise daylight utilization with reflective panels and an automatic roller-blind system responsive to the intensity as well as the angle of the incident sunlight.

Solar studies showed that the 25° tilt angle of the facades can ensures that North and South facades are fully self-shaded throughout the year, while it reduces the solar impact by 41% for the East and West facades.

The unique shape of the ST Diamond Building was designed according to the climate and solar path of equatorial Malaysia as shown at the left figure : Diamond building Sun Path.

The ST Diamond Building is designed 50% day lit, without glare and minimal heat entry. This is achieved through extensive façade day lighting system simulation to able deeper daylight penetration.

Fixed white louvers with top surface mirror finish on the top side are mounted with a 30° tilt angle above the light shelf for glare protection while still allowing daylight to be deflected onto the ceiling.

•Automated blind with six different configuration to maintain the appropriate day lighting levels at all times. The blinds with 30% light transmittance are adjusted every 15 minutes and follow a three different control strategies for morning, mid-day and evening •The windows size becomes larger deeper into the atrium to cater for lower daylight levels

A 71.4 kilowatts peak (kWp) photovoltaic (PV) rooftop system has been installed on the Diamond Building. This is a typical example of aesthetic integration of mass-produced PV modules into a rooftop. The shape of the building allows for a bigger area on the ground for greenery, while the larger roof area provides space for solar panels. Solar power supplies about 10% of the energy used in the building. Second generation thin film PV panels are used.

The Diamond Building BIPV system is equipped with sensors to measure ambient and module temperature, solar irradiance and wind speed. Data loggers are used to collect performance data to evaluate the effectiveness of the BIPV system installed. PV panels are installed to harvest sun energy from East, West, North and South of the building.

The diamond symbolizes transparency, value and durability; characteristics which represent the Energy Commission’s role and mission as a regulatory body. The unique shape represents an optimum design approach to achieve energy efficiency.

The figure above show that the plan of the Diamond Building which has been designed for the tropical climate by orientating it optimally for day lighting.

The Diamond Building’s design strategy is encapsulated through four main aspects: 1. 2. 3. 4.

Energy Efficiency Water Efficiency Indoor Environmental Outdoor Environmental Quality

 Rainwater harvested is used for toilet flushing and combined with efficient water fittings such as dual flush toilets, waterless urinals and water taps equipped with aerators reduces potable water usage by more than 65%.  To further optimize the water efficiency of the building, grey water collected from the wash basins is also recycled to irrigate the wetland at the ground floor.

 Cooling in the Diamond Building is provided via radiant cooling slabs that have chilled water pipes embedded in the concrete slab itself. This is complemented with the conventional cold air supply system.  As the highest heat capacity of the building is rested in the concrete mass, direct cooling of the concrete slabs with embedded water pipes is the most efficient means to cool the building mass

 The plasterboards have low volatile organic compound (VOC) emission and has 30% recycled content.  The floor carpeting is also green labelled for low VOC emission and has at least 10% recycled content.  The interior paint used in the building is also of low VOC content.  The workstations contain material that protects against ultra violet (UV) rays.

 coupled with a green roof helps to further reduce urban heat and effect whereby the hard scape areas are reduced and replaced with soft green landscape.

 Buildings near or surrounded by greenery have lower ambient temperature (surrounding temperature) than the ones away from the greenery and it is seen as an effective way to lower the ambient temperature

 Diamond Building is designed to address solutions for occupants to have alternatives towards a lower carbon footprint of transportation.  2 Electric Vehicle charging stations are available, 10 % of parking garage spaces are designated for green/fuelefficient vehicles and carpool vehicles; secure bicycle racks; location served by public transportation and shaded walkways for pedestrians linking to the master development.

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The Diamond Building was designed to avoid direct solar penetration into the building, thus reducing the cooling load which contributes to the bulk of the energy consumption in most tropical buildings. This concept also was done to maximize the passive design strategies of the upper floors shading the lower floors from solar heat gain.

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However, in making this decision, compromises had to be made. Passive design strategy (sun shading) was used to reduce the cooling load while sacrificing the potential areas for active design strategy (PV panel installation). The tilted façades do not receive much direct sunlight; therefore PV panels were not installed on the facades. Therefore, the shape of the building has contributed greatly to higher BEI.

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The use of PERT chilled water pipes is a common feature of energy efficient buildings in Malaysia. Such a system has effectively reduced the peak electrical load demand by shifting the electrical energy usage to an off-peak interval. It is an important factor that contributes to the reduction in cooling loads. However, the cooling system s efficiency was compromised to maintain the corporate image of the office. Effective building automation system, the installations of energy efficient lights and equipment have also contributed to low energy usage.

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As a result, the Diamond Building has achieved a BEI well beyond the target value. However, the BEI can still be further improved if more PV panels can be installed and interior design for the corporate image is done by taking into account the cooling system.