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1 Concrete Plant International Worldwide English Edition JUNE NEWS Health & Safety in Precast Plants CONCRETE TECHNOLOGY Mode of action of different superplasticisers CONCRETE PRO DUCTS Conbloc Internusa from Indonesia goes for a fully automatic concrete block production CONCRETE PIPES AND MAN HOLES Competitive product analysis to discover fundamental differences between pipe materials that strengthen specifications for concrete pipe PRECAST CONCRETE ELEMENTS Form liner handling system for the production of architecturally sophisticated sandwich wall elements

2 Crossing the Unlimited Architecture Possibilities Advancing the Art of Design and Aesthetic using Precast Innovation Mass housing today are overshadowed by two major problems: (I) short supply of adequate housing to mass population as a result of increasing demographics, and (II) significantly contributing to CO 2 emission, caused not only by activities during the construction period but also after housing is completed and being occupied. Malaysia is of no exception in facing mass housing problems that require a solution with the integration dual aims and principles of affordability and sustainability. This challenge calls for appropriate building technology that has the dual benefits of economy as well as speed in construction. Prefabrication is the obvious choice to meet the ever-increasing demand for housing in the country. The strength of the prefabricated house lies in its lower capital and developmental costs by using purpose made components which are mass produced in great quantity, and to bring architecture to the ordinary people. It insists on the architect s knowledge of production, distribution, marketing, and construction methods, rather than relies on architecture concept of authorship which keeps itself as an exclusive art form that makes it inaccessible to ordinary people. Ir. Dr. Zuhairi Abd. Hamid, and Dr. Foo Chee Hung, Construction Research Institute of Malaysia (CREAM), Malaysia Ar. Gan Hock Beng, G&A Architect, Malaysia Nevertheless, prefabricated house has also brought with it a set of problems due to its inflexibility in meeting the end users demands. Studies show that residents of mass housing in Malaysia are generally not satisfied with their housing conditions, in terms of construction activities, materials used, aesthetic value, amenities etc. (Karim, 2012; Isnin et al., 2012). This is largely due to the nature of the mass housing architectural strategy, namely the convergent design system (Figure 1), which is a one fits all design initiative that is deficient in meeting the mass housing sustainability objectives. Convergent design system is a rigid structure, interlocking plan, and predetermined function that implies to extreme compartmentalization and dissociation of internal elements, where service spaces such as kitchen, bathroom, etc. are built internally by interlocking with space, making the said service spaces difficult to interchange (Gan, 2013). To ensure mass housing becoming an attractive option for the average family, a shift in design system that emphasized on architectural flexibility is deemed necessary (Singh et al., 1999). The Divergent Dwelling Design, or simply D3, is a proposed analytical design system that addresses the above mentioned shortcomings, by taking into account the beginning of the design process of the dwelling unit, the construction process, the dwelling s sustainability, and its adaptability in future development. In D3 system, flexibility is the inherent architectural design strategy that forms the basic unit configuration of the Figure 1: Comparison between convergent design system and divergent dwelling design system dwelling unit. Internal space is adjustable according to the dwellers requirement through adopting an open plan design. The dwellers are able to choose the interior components to tailor the design to their individual lifestyles and budgets, and can easily modify these initial parameters as the need arises. Such concept is similar to the automotive industry, where each individual functional unit is freely bonded with the core structure (COR) to serve different occupants requirement (Figure 2). The COR, as a module, houses every independent functional unit of the dwelling and also forms the space for further expansion. The sustainability initiative here focuses on providing spaces to be used for a variety of purposes over time, be it the changes of household demography or the changes of resident s living satisfaction. Since this kind of functional change can be done by merely switching of the independent units within the configuration through a simple process, the function of the dwelling unit can be cultivated and adapted to the occupant s need whenever it is required. By enabling the floor plan to be adapted to the future users and the changing needs of families (Figure 3), D3 unit plan is able to take into account different family types: (I) dynamic family which is likely to have more children in future, and is thus requires a high degree of space flexibility to cater for continuously changing and increasing needs; (II) stable family which is not going to have any more children (either the children have left home or are too small to leave home) and thus requires a relatively lower degree of space flexibility; (III) stagnant family which is expected to live in the same dwelling for a long time and thus has sufficient opportunity to benefit from flexible building elements, which provides for lower life-cycle cost of such elements. With dwelling unit built according to this flexible design principle, dwellers are not only given the chance to 168 CPI Concrete Plant International

3 Ir. Dr. Zuhairi Abd. Hamid has more than 31 years of experience in the construction industry. His expertise lies in structural dynamics, industrialised building systems, strategic IT in construction and Facilities Management. He is active in engineering education and research and has been appointed by six local universities in various capacities; from Adjunct Professor to member of the Advisory Panel as well as a Board member on the UN support International Research Council and CIB (International Council for Research and Innovation in Building and Construction). Currently, as the Executive Director at CREAM, he leads and is actively engaging with construction research and industrial publications in Malaysia. Dr. Foo Chee Hung was graduated from The University of Tokyo and becoming a researcher of the Construction Research Institute of Malaysia (CREAM) since Years of experiences in conducting research that focuses on urban ecosystem and environmental engineering have instilled him with proficient quantitative and analytical skill. He is currently providing technical opinion and consultancy services regarding green building materials and Industrialized Building System (IBS) in CREAM. Ar. Gan is the founder of G&A Architect which provides consultancy services in the core disciplines of Architecture, Planning and Urban Design. His area of expertise is in concept design and design development of new habitat system. His housing design was awarded The Most Innovative Design Award by the Prime Minister of Malaysia. Ar. Gan has been teaching consistently and was invited as a speaker in the International Housing conference on the topic Housing in the New Millennium, organized by Housing Development Board of Singapore. choose the floor plan they want to live before moving in, but are also able to achieve harmony between the basic structure and the various sizes of dwellings in the long term. Another feature of D3 is that the system amply utilizes precast innovation. The dwelling s quality, sustainability, and flexibility are assured with the use of concrete construction. Concrete is an inert material, with no harmful off-gassing emissions. Coupled with its structural form, concrete is the construction material most commonly associated with building to be designed for enhancing natural ventilation and daylighting. In D3 system, concrete construction contributes to the improvement of function, value, and the dwelling s whole life performance. Concrete, with its high thermal mass, can reduce energy requirements during the operation of the building by moderating energy demands in cooling buildings, thereby adding to the value in use of residential building. Besides, concrete contributes to the range of other inherent benefits at no extra cost, such as its proven integral fire resistance, high levels of sound insulation, Production Engineering and Automation Systems for the Prefabricated Concrete Element Industry Stationary line production Tilting station Pallet circulation plants Transport and handling systems Multi-Function-Shuttering-Robot (MFSR) Concrete distribution systems for all purposes Compacting systems Finishing equipment Shuttering systems Shuttering for special purpose elements Moulds for garages/moulds for rooms/special purpose elements Shuttering for skeleton building systems Moulds for columns/moulds for girders/moulds for TT-elements Insulation-Process-Application-Robot (IPAR) Shuttle-Processing-Plant (SPP) Figure 2: The concept of divergent dwelling design (D3) SOMMER Anlagentechnik GmbH Benzstraße 1 D Altheim/Germany Tel: +49 (0) / Fax: +49 (0) / CPI Concrete Plant International

4 and robust finishes. Through its very nature, concrete provides robust surfaces for walls, partitions, columns, soffits and cladding that are easily sealed and free of ledges or joint details. All these may finally lead to the lower maintenance costs of the building while set in motion an efficient, cost effective and practical method for solving housing needs and overcrowding concerns in urban areas. Figure 3: The design unit plan with D3 system Figure 4: Possible building types with D3 system There is usually a cost with the provision of a structure that allows the most flexibility. However, with early consideration of the benefits of using concrete during the design phase, flexibility of the dwelling can be optimized at little or no extra expenses. It is because the use of concrete is compatible with fast housing construction, in part due to its easy mobilisation at the start of a project. In a departure from the conventional mass housing design, D3 system generates a better and cheaper habitat option through the application of existing science, technology and machine production capability. By incorporating the Industrialized Building System (IBS) or other modern construction methods into the construction process, a compressed construction schedule is assured, leading to not only cost-saving but also enables the dwelling to get into productive use sooner, as well as reducing finance periods. It is because the use of modern methods of construction, such as sophisticated formwork systems, posttensioning, prefabricated roll out reinforcement, and precast elements can all shorten the construction time. Due to its open plan design and the widely adoption of modular construction concept, D3 allows for the construction of various building types, be it the low-rise low-density configuration, vertical tower configuration, low-rise high density pyramid configuration, or the high-rise high density configuration (Figure 4). Short term flexibility is achieved by movable partitions. Since common walls between dwelling units are non-load-bearing walls, the dwelling unit floor areas can be arranged independent from boundaries, thereby providing an entirely flexible arrangement of living room and wet room locations in the plan layouts. In the longer term, adaptability is needed over the life of the dwelling unit to allow internal walls to be moved, to change the size or use of spaces or suites of spaces. With this respect, flexibility is assured through the arrangement of columns and load-bearing walls and the possible clear span. Steel or pre-stressed reinforced concrete floor systems and components are used to obtain maximum clear space in the plan layout. 170 CPI Concrete Plant International

5 The ceiling surfaces are clear, and beams are hidden in the exterior wall axes or fixed infill wall axes. All structural elements are located at the exterior of the layout to allow for unlimited unobstructed clear spaces that can be freely arranged over the life of the dwelling unit. As a conclusion, Malaysian demographics are changing rapidly. Average households are becoming smaller as an increasing number of people live independently in their later years. Prefabrication and modular construction are believed to be the solution for constructing houses that meet the vast number of demands in urban areas. Yet, as a housing strategy it is still considered unresponsive to local climates and conditions with low acceptance rate. One of the problems that Malaysian prefab housing industry does not perform as well as other countries (i.e. US, Japan) may likely be due to the lack of variability and an individual identified design. At this juncture, how prefabricated housing design can be evolved from mass repetitive production level to mass customization level that account for flexibility and variability is the primary issue to be explored. D3 system discussed in this paper is deemed to bring improvement to the country s housing industry with respect to time, cost, and quality. On a much larger scale, there is current interest in the adaptation of the built environment for climate change. Because the rate and severity of future climate change is unpredictable, design for adaptation is best achieved by providing lifecycle options that will allow future decision makers to respond appropriately to the trajectory of climate change that actually occurs. D3 will sure to put sustainable architecture along the curve followed by science, technology and industrialization, and facilitates a shift towards higher quality housing development that eventually creating sustainable dwellings for everyone in anywhere in the country. References PRECAST CONCRETE ELEMENTS 1) Gan, H.B. (2013). Molecular Architecture: THINGS TO COME. GMA Publication. 2) Isnin, Z., Ramli, R., Hashim, A.E. and Ali, I.M. (2012). Sustainable issues in low cost housing alteration projects. Procedia Social and behavioural Sciences, 36, ) Karim, H.A. (2012). Low cost housing environment: Compromising quality of life? Procedia Social and Behavioral Science, 35, ) Singh, A., Barnes, R. and Yousefpour, A. (1999). High-turnaround and flexibility in design and construction of mass housing. Proceedings IGLC-7, 26th 28th July 1999, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Stability. Stressing of towers and poles PAUL supplies FURTHER INFORMATION The experts in Prestressed Concrete Technology. Construction Research Institute of Malaysia (CREAM) IBS Centre, 1st Floor, Block E, Lot 8, Jalan Chan Sow Lin, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia general@cream.my CPI Concrete Plant International Paul at YouTube