Setting New Benchmarks For A Better Tomorrow

The Edge, August 12, 2024

The signs are clear that humanity is facing an ecological crisis. Can the built environment sector, which is by far the largest emitter of greenhouse gases and accounts for 37% of global emissions, be part of the solution? Such issues were discussed at The Edge Malaysia and YTL Cement’s Sustainable Construction: The Next Level Symposium held on July 31 at the JW Marriott Hotel Kuala Lumpur.

The second half of the event featured a panel discussion on ''Sustainability: Now and Beyond'', moderated by The Edge Malaysia editor emeritus Au Foong Yee. The panellists consisted of YTL Cement head of sustainability Clarisse Loh, PNB Merdeka Ventures Sdn Bhd CEO Tengku Datuk Ab Aziz Tengku Mahmud and, from Singapore, DP Architects CEO Seah Chee Huang. Prior to the discussion, the panellists had each delivered a presentation.

Collaboration is key

Sharing some insights into YTL Cement’s market, operations and initiatives during her talk on “Progressing Together”, Loh said that sustainable building materials should not only meet construction standards but also be durable, and not harmful to health or to the environment.

According to her, YTL Cement’s ECO range — consisting of ECOCem, ECOConcrete, ECOSand and ECODrymix — is the company’s answer to what such materials should be. Some of these products have lower clinker content, use a clinker replacement and contain recycled contents so as to reduce embodied carbon compared to conventional cement.

Loh said the ECO range is safe and suitable for use in more complex construction projects, including the Merdeka 118 Tower. She added, “We have formulated [Malaysia’s first use of] ultra high strength cast-in-situ ECOConcrete (G105MPa) and [we are the first in the country to] pump concrete 500m vertically from ground level.

''And for this project [Merdeka 118], we were also able to reduce our environmental footprint because the concrete that we supplied has up to 70% replacement in the cementitious material [translating to a CO2 reduction of over 15,000 tonnes],'' she noted.

The Bukit Raja International Industrial Complex, another example that Loh cited, has achieved reduction in embodied carbon by using lower cement content concrete and a reduction in concrete and rebar volume.

''These two projects are also examples of working well with the different stakeholders to deliver solutions that meet both construction needs as well as a reduction in the environmental impact.''

In terms of operations at YTL Cement, Loh said the company continues to improve its various decarbonisation initiatives, including assessing by-product waste materials generated by other industries to convert them for use as alternative fuel in clinker production or alternative raw material for production. It also leverages new cement technology to make the process more efficient. ''It's not just about material replacement. The whole idea here is about producing the same amount of cement using less energy, leading to less wastage.''

The company is also looking into clean energy. ''In short, we are generating electricity out of waste heat, and by doing so, we are helping to reduce indirect CO2 emissions by replacing higher emission intensity electricity we get from the grid.''

Meanwhile, Loh said the company is working on obtaining approval to invest in
ground-mounted solar. “This will be another steptowards the reduction of embodied carbon in the building materials we have in Malaysia.”

On YTL Cement’s initiatives, Loh highlighted its decarbonisation research and development into alternative materials that could be activated as cement replacement (Project CEM-y), developing new-generation, ultra-low carbon concrete with CO2 sequestration (Project ReCapt) and cultivating microalgae as CO2 biocapture that can be converted to biomass, which can be used for long-term carbon storage.

''Technology and process mastery are fundamental to growth, but collaboration is the essence of successEa.ch of these initiatives, whether it's operations, market or innovation, requires collaboration with our stakeholders to be successful,'' she said.

Triple-platinum goal

In his presentation titled ''Building Merdeka 118: A Paradigm Shift'', PNB Merdeka Ventures’ Ab Aziz said it was decided since day one that the skyscraper would be a green building. “And the goal we have set for ourselves is to achieve three platinum ratings from GBI (Green Building Index), GreenRE and LEED.

''In the design process, we have obtained all platinum ratings. As of January this year, we have been certified LEED platinum, so [Merdeka 118 is] in the company of buildings such as Taipei 101 and Bank of America Tower in New York.''

According to him, going for certification costs roughly another 5%, ''but we are going for life-cycle cost reduction and efficiency. We are getting almost 30% in energy savings alone compared to a conventional building''.

Some of the key areas that enabled the building to achieve platinum ratings, he
said, are rainwater run-off management, indoor air quality and mould prevention plans, Qlassic quality assessment, construction waste management, workers’ amenities and reuse of concrete framework.

The LEED regional priority credits that are implemented at Merdeka 118 include water-efficient landscaping, water use reduction of more than 30%, optimised energy performance, and measurement and verification plan with tenant submetering. ''On top of that, we also engaged a commissioning agent to carry out checks, which was helpful in getting the right data for certification.''

For water efficiency, the development utilises grey water and condensates water collection and treatment, efficient Water Efficiency Labelling Scheme (WELS)-certified fixtures which contribute to 43% of water use reduction, metering and leak detection systems, 100% rainwater harvesting and 100% non-potable water use for irrigation. All this has contributed to a 54.6% reduction in total water use for irrigation, Ab Aziz said.

''We also have solar panels on the roof that will generate electricity for the hot water system for the hotel [Park Hyatt Kuala Lumpur] and that generates about 1.4% of the total energy use. It’s not much, but at least it’s something to reduce the energy cost,'' he added.

Other energy-efficient strategies and technologies implemented in the development include high-performance lighting and zoned daylight sensors, combined car park ventilation fans with district cooling plant cooling tower, environmentally friendly refrigerants with a leak detection system, and regenerative AC drives for elevator lifts.

''It has been a journey for us to get the building to platinum standards. We are
very thankful that we have obtained one this year. We have two more to go,'' he said.

Aiming to be better than sustainable

During his presentation on ''Sustainable Designs: What's Next?'', DP Architects' Seah noted that the World Economic Forum's Global Risk Report 2024 revealed that extreme weather events and environmental and climate-related threats have topped the list of risks over the next 10 years. ''We have already seen record high temperatures and extreme weather in 2023, and 2024 seems to be even worse. [Climate change] is not just disrupting businesses, but our way of life.

''As part of the built environment, this is really the call for us in terms of putting
advocacy to action. We need to be better than sustainable because, simply put, being sustainable is no longer good enough.''

According to Seah, his architectural firm has taken the next step towards cementing its commitment to sustainability by reporting on sustainable development goals. ''For an architectural practice to volunteer to report, that's a strange thing. But we thought since we are the one that keeps advocating to clients and partners to go into this space, we ourselves must find our own way to check our actions.''

Seah shared two examples of the firm's completed projects in Singapore that have been designed for ''better-than-sustainable'' outcomes, Our Tampines Hub and Bukit Canberra, which are integrated hubs with strong social participation. ''The whole idea is not just about bringing the facilities together but championing the concept of co-location, which allows co-sharing and collaboration ... with that, you create a synergy and a model that allows a lot of connection to take place, not only with stakeholders but with different segments of the community.''

Such projects offer the opportunity for a closed-loop circularity. ''[At Our Tampines Hub], energy tapped from the rooftops and saved from the sports stadium is now powering the lighting in the basement, where food waste from the hawker centre is turned into fertiliser for the community gardens.

''[At Bukit Canberra], the idea is not just about working through in terms of placing the components but acknowledging the existing infrastructure ecosystem where the greens are and then placing the buildings around it. We also replanted 2,000 new trees within the site ... [This project] also creates a capacity for it to act as a carbon sink.''

Seah also touched on some sustainable construction methodology such as mass engineered timber (Bukit Canberra Indoor Sports Hall), structural steel (Bukit Canberra Hawker Centre), prefabricated pre-finished volumetric construction (Midwood Residences) and building-integrated photovoltaic eco-envelope (The Greenhouse at Dulwich College Singapore).

Technology should be viewed as a friend, he said. ''Al (artificial intelligence) is great, it is still something that we are learning … and testing in terms of how it can start to understand or be intelligent in the way we look at space. The idea is not to make us second-class robots but first-class humans because it's supposed to free up capacity for us to do better.''

He also reminded the audience that during the Covid lockdowns, global greenhouse emissions plunged in 2020 but went back up again in 2021. ''As I said, being sustainable is no longer good enough. We need to pursue strategies, approaches, leverage from people, innovation and technology to push it where our products and developments start to be restorative, help to mend and heal. And this requires leadership and a bit of humility from us.''

Building a better future

During the panel discussion, Seah was asked if the Singapore market was with him in the chase to be better than sustainable. He replied that active involvement from the city state’s public agencies plays a key role. ''In our case, Green Mark [certification] was started by our construction agencies. I would say that partly it is encouraged in terms of policy, and the other part we also see awareness from more enlightened clients who now understand the kind of leadership role they need to play in this space.''

While following green ratings technically prevents one from falling into the realm of greenwashing, he queried if ratings are enough. ''Can we do more on top of [ratings]? I think that’s where the industry comes in.'' 

The Edge Malaysia's Au also asked Loh and Ab Aziz about the challenges encountered in their Merdeka 118 journey.

Ab Aziz replied that Covid was the main challenge. ''During that period, we could not do anything for two years, and a typical project cycle for buildings is five years. The challenge was to ensure that we completed the project. We were already out by two years but at least we got the job done.''

As for Loh, she notes that the strength requirement of the building material is
quite rare. ''In fact, that was the first and only one so far, which meant that we had to test, formulate and test the formulation to get the performance that we want. Apart from strength, we also have to ensure workability. We had to work very closely with all the different stakeholders, consultants and contractors to understand the different requirements. And of course, more importantly, we had to keep testing to make sure we got the desired result.''

All three panellists were asked what their silver bullet would be to propel sustainable construction to the forefront.

For Loh, it is not to be constrained by the current way of doing things. ''For all of us [in the built environment sector] to think differently. We should think about the quality of life we want in the future and aim for the changes that we need to make and take action on that.''

Ab Aziz replied that he would want to be on time and on budget from planning to construction of a project.

As for Seah, he believes that education is still key. ''Sustainability needs three sets — tool set, skill set and mindset. Tool set is there, the skill set we can acquire, but the only way to achieve mindset is to be educated and knowledgeable, and to stay curious. This is not just for us [but for future generations].That's the kind of future that we're supposed to help build.''