COMMENTARY
Research Institute of Singapore (SERIS). Façade windows that produce electricity will likely also become commonplace.
ELECTRIC VEHICLES
Electric vehicles will become the new standard, especially once the government puts in place economic incentives that close the price gap to conventional diesel and petrol cars. Such incentives can be justified from the enormous adverse health effects stemming from vehicle exhausts in cities.
Electric vehicles also have the advantage of their batteries becoming part of the energy system by providing temporary decentralised energy storage during periods with peak electricity demand. It would be a win-win scenario, where the power utilities would pay electric car owners for the ability to control when to charge and discharge their cars. Of course, the car battery should never be drained below the limit set by the owner, say, at a minimum of 40 per cent charge.
Electric vehicles also include personal mobility devices and pedal-assisted electric bicycles. Due to their smaller size, these smaller electric vehicles significantly reduce the energy consumption and traffic congestion. Moreover, they help to make the urban streets more vibrant, once such modes of transport become a realistic and safe option with the proper infrastructure in place.
HEALTHY BUILDINGS The increased focus on health will also apply to the building sector. After all, we spend approximately 90 per cent of our lives indoors in buildings. Monitoring of indoor and outdoor air quality will become commonplace in most commercial office buildings, and privately, also in many residences. There will be growing demand for buildings to have proper air-cleaning systems in place.
The built environment will also start to address the health problems arising from sedentary lifestyles, the consequence of getting around by car or motorbike. With the increase popularity of car-free weekend events across cities in Asia and the rapid uptake of recreational bicycling, it is fair to assume that there will be a public demand for proper pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure to be put in place. This way, walking, running and bicycling will become realistic commuting options, to the great benefit of public health, as well as reducing traffic congestion, noise and pollution.
WOODEN CONSTRUCTION Trees are one of Nature’s most effective ways of removing CO2
. By using sustainably forested
wood for construction, our built environment can effectively become carbon storage. Wooden products such as glulam, cross-laminated timber and mass engineered wood can be used to partially replace conventional structural elements made from concrete and/or steel, both of which have a high carbon footprint. For Eunoia Junior College in Singapore, glulam beams replaced the conventional concrete beams, which had the advantage of faster and lighter construction without increasing construction costs. Most of the structural wood technologies are imported from the temperate climates. Local structural wood solutions based on Asian tree species will be developed for the regional market.
DATA-DRIVEN OPERATION The cost of sensors and electronics have dropped tremendously. As a result, the performance of our commercial buildings will be increasingly monitored in greater and greater detail. This opens up the possibility for remote building facility management from companies that specialise in continuous monitoring of a big portfolio of buildings. By benchmarking similar buildings against one another, it becomes possible to tell which buildings are energy-efficient, and which ones are not. And whether it is economically attractive to rectify the problem.
In addition to professional building management companies optimising building operations, the occupants themselves will also take an increasing interest thanks to user-friendly data displays available at their fingertips. Displays that benchmark utility bills between neighbours have shown to be an effective way of reducing people’s consumption habits. Data analytics that show whether people on the individual level are doing their part to steer clear of catastrophic climate change should also be a motivating factor.
SUMMARY
The arguments for an urgent transition to a world powered 100 per cent by renewable energy are compelling and morally imperative. Does anything else need to be said?
Gregers Reimann is the managing director for an energy-efficient and healthy building solutions design consultancy IEN Consultants Sdn Bhd based in Malaysia. The goal is to create comfortable and stimulating spaces with contact to nature where people can thrive. Reference projects include the biophilic multi-award winning Paramit – Factory in the Forest and the pioneering GEO Building designed as a zero-energy building. Reimann regularly contributes Green building articles and frequently lectures at universities. He has a keen interest to pursue innovative and integrated design solutions, bridging the gap between architects and engineers.
14 The quantity of split air conditioners is projected to increase nearly four-fold over the next 30 years, i.e., to 4.5 billion by 2050. The best air conditioners currently on the market only attain 14 per cent of the maximum theoretical energy efficiency 15 The Copenhagen International School has a façade made of Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) panels 16 Glulam beams at Eunoia Junior College, Singapore 17 Electric vehicles will become the new standard, especially once the government puts in place economic incentives that close the price gap to conventional diesel and petrol cars 18 With the rapid uptake of recreational bicycling, there might be a public demand for proper pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure to be put in place. This way, bicycling can become a realistic commuting option, to the benefit of the public health
FUTURARC 75
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