SEMINAR PAPER - IMPLEMENTATION OF UD IN NURSING HOMES

last week of this semester is SEMINAR presentation paper for all student in RPK 538.. and during this week i'm presenting my paper regarding IMPLEMENTATION OF UNIVERSAL DESIGN IN NURSING HOME.. Below is my abstract of the paper and my slide presentation.

Through 15 weeks for this semester, there are a lot of knowledge regarding sustainable that I get.. Sustainable not only about environment but it about all. ENVIRONMENT, ECONOMICS AND SOCIAL play an important part in sustainable. From the class, i get to know better about sustainability and  get different view of sustainable..

I hope that with the knowledge i gather during this semester I can use to developing my knowledge in the future and all the presentation by my friends are good as we sharing new thing during the presentation. Overall i'm satisfied with this course and hope to share my knowledge with others. :)

Surrounding environment plays an important part in assisting the senior citizen to cope with their problems. However, in most care centers the implementation of universal design is lack especially for the facilities and the space arrangement are not properly designed and created. There are many instances where facilities and spaces arrangement provided are normally unsuitable, unsafe and inadequate to meet the needs and not following the standard of universal design. The need to provide proper, adequate and comfortable care center known as nursing home is becoming more important to meet the increasing number of elderly.

The study aims to identify universal design principles in nursing home and to study the facilities and space provided in nursing home is appropriate for elderly’s need in a nursing homes. Case studies were conducted in Malaysia and Singapore. Analysis of the facilities and spaces arrangement in a nursing homes using universal design principle to establish the appropriateness of facilities and space arrangement in a nursing homes were done.

The findings of the study show that the provision of facilities and space arrangement in nursing homes must meet the need of senior citizen and follow the standard of universal design because they need special care. Safety, security and accessibility are the major elements to be considered in providing facilities and designing of spaces in nursing homes. Attractive interior design and pleasant environment of nursing homes also plays as an important factor to reduce stress and contributes towards healing process of elderly. Therefore in planning and designing of nursing homes, the facilities and space arrangement must be based on the universal design guidelines to be considered by professionals, local authorities, the Department of Social Welfare and the users of the center.

Sources: http://www.designable.net/images/ud_people2.jpg

REVIEW OF SEMINAR PRESENTATION - CORAL BLEACHING

In week 12 or 13 (sorry i cannot remember exactly) there were presentation of seminar paper by all students who took RPK 538.. it was a couple or individual presentation regarding any related topic to sustainable. one of the seminar presentation is about Coral Bleaching.. interesting!!.. never thought about it and honestly i just know it as general knowledge... if there is an issue regarding coral, then i just alert about it but never want to know it more deeper.. when Nurul, student from Housing study presented her paper regarding this topic, i'm very interested to know..

CORAL BLEACHING is one of the marine issues that exist due to the water pollution that cause by human.. why human?? well as we know that world had been exist about thousand or million years before... there are so many changes due to the time and as human face revolution in technology and required knowledge, they started to do so many things to the earth in order to meet their needs... as the time pass by, the increase level of pollution especially water pollution happened. the advance of technology in transportation and chemical waste that been sent to the sea had influence the water pollution. as a result, many marine life are affected due to this situation and it become worse from day to day. if there is no action taken by responsible agency, it will become worse in the future and maybe there will none of coral that can be seen in the world. Coral is part of the world ecology and if it disappear, ecological system will unbalance.

what is coral?? coral is a marine invertebrates that live in compact colonies as mentioned by Class Anthozoa Ehrenberg. it can be divided into 2 types which are  hard corals (form a limestone base) and soft corals (combination of soft and hard corals). under UNESCO, Great Barrier Reef is the 1st coral reef that been declared as World Heritage Area and in context of Malaysia, Semporna island is the largest concentration reef that need to be protected.

CORAL BLEACHING is defined as the loss of color, arising from the partial to total elimination of the degradation of alga pigments as mentioned by A.E Douglas (2003).  below is the location of coral bleaching in the world from 1998 to 2006.. from the map, the area of coral bleaching is increasing rapidly and involve all the world. the coral conservation area that

Evolution of Coral Bleaching Scenario
source: http://www.seos-project.eu/modules/coralreefs/images/coral_bleaching_map.jpg

Coral Conservation Area
source: http://www.itc.nl/images/news/2011/september/coral_stress_map.jpg

why coral bleaching happen?? there are few factor that contribute to the coral bleaching which are:

1. the increasing of sea temperature due to the global warming
2. sedimentation is cause by human activities ie; land clearing and construction of coastal that can lead to the reef destruction
3.  exploitative fishing is an fishing activity that damage the sea as well as the health of fishery resource to gain profit
4. Pollution that happen because of waste disposal and mass bleaching

why coral is important?? it is because to balance the ecological system especially in sea. the coral play a role to slow down the wave before entering the land. more that that the coral also help in reduce the landslide in the sea and  as food center for the marine life such as fish and others. 

how coral been treated in context of MALAYSIA??

in Malaysia, coral conservation is conducted to ensure it is preserve and conserve. Few legislation been created to protect this living thing such as: 

1. National Parks Act (1980)
2. Environment Quality Act (1974)
3. Environment Protection Enactment (2002)
4. National Forestry Policy
5. National Environment Policy
6. National Agro-Food Policy
7. National Phyical Plan
8. National Eco-tourism Plan
9. National Policy on Climate Change

more than that, Malaysia also is a member towards several regional bodies such as:

1. United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS, 1982),
2. Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES, 1975), 
3. Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD, 1992), 
4. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC, 1992), 
5. RAMSAR Convention (1971) and 
6. Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS, 1979)

CONCLUSION

Cloral bleaching is one of the issue regarding environment and must creates strategies to conserve the coral. the changes of world temperature such as global warming will contribute to the coral bleaching and comprehensive action and strategies need to apply to avoid this situation become worse. More than that, human activities need to be controlled by respective agencies in order to avoid the scenario become wore. Industrial activities that been conducted must follow the guidelines of waster disposal system in order to protect the sea and also the coral from being destroyed. 

Education regarding sea creatures and marine ecology must be teaches in the kindergarten  primary school, secondary school, college / university to encourage the spirit of coral conservation and others. Campaign on keep our beach clean and safe the marine life are one of the alternative to keep people bear in mind about what happen the other side of the world. 

SUSTAINABLE CITY

what is sustainable city??

• Are those cities, towns and urban areas that using resources to meet current needs while ensuring that adequate resources are available for future generations. 
• involve development of community to enhances the local environment and quality of life as well as developing a local economy that supports both thriving human and ecological systems. (www.wiser.org)

sustainable city also known as eco-city and it is a city that designed with consideration of environmental impact and to reduce the usage of energy and consumption. From the reading, a sustainable city is a city that able to use renewable source of energy to the fullest and less rely to the surrounding as to reduce the ecological footprint and lower the level of pollution by using the land efficiently, composing the used materials, recycling the waste into energy. 

what is characteristic of sustainable city??

"There is a sense of great opportunity and hope that a new world can be built, in which economic development, social development and environmental protection as interdependent and mutually reinforcing components of sustainable development can be realized through solidarity and cooperation within and between countries and through effective partnerships at all levels."

  United Nations City Summit Habitat Agenda 

(Chapter I, June 1996 .pg. 1.)

Sustainability characteristics outlined by the Centre for Sustainable Development include:

• the formulation of goals that are rooted in a respect for both the natural environment and human nature and that call for the use of technology in an appropriate way to serve both of these resources;
• the placement of high values on quality of life;
• respect of the natural environment;
• infringement of technology with purpose;
• optimization of key resources;
• maintenance scale and capacity;
• adoption of a systems approach;
• support of life cycles;
• responsiveness and pro activeness;
• value for diversity; and
• preservation of heritage.

(Source: Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development)

Nigel Richardson, consultant that prepare for the Ontario Round Table on Environment and Economy make a comparison of strategies for sustainable city and non sustainable city which are:

sustainable city 

1. required compact forms of residential development
2. encourage mixed land use - work, residential & commercial in one area
3. employment based on education & skills
4. encourage physical mobility - walking & cycling
5. usage of renewable energy
6. encourage usage of natural means of sewage treatment
7. protection & use of natural hydrologic systems
8. implementation of natural open space in design 
9. reduction of waste - recovery, reuse & recycling of waste materials

non sustainable city

1. encourage low density and spread-out residential development 
2. segregation land uses happen - residential, work and commercial located far away
3. employment based on environment polluting / non renewable resource 
4. private vehicles dependency
5. usage of non-renewable energy
6. discharge of sewage into water bodies / water-courses untreated 
7. channeling natural water-courses
8. destruction towards environment
9. encourage landfills and incinerators

The essential components of sustainable cities include 

1. environmental integrity - A well-designed public environment can help ensure resources are used responsibly, reduce the use of non-renewable energy, and preserve the integrity of ecosystems. it can be achieve through energy conservation, land and resource conservation, land & resource conservation and air & water quality management
2. quality of life - includes the human qualities of vibrant social and leisure opportunities, social inclusiveness and support for cultural identity, a healthy natural environment, and the simple sense for both residents and visitors that congenial amenities and facilities are available includes streets, squares, parks and gardens
3. economic security - attractive and livable places are vital factors supporting economic growth in a fluid, global economy and influence decisions to invest locally or elsewhere. Economic stability and prosperity also involve mutually supportive and complementary land use mixes
4. democratic participation - The involvement of local residents, interest groups and stakeholders, non-government organisations and groups with special needs is seen as central to the concept of sustainability. this is perhaps can achieve the economics, environmental, political, social and cultural value so that communities can communicate and connected with each other. 

These interaction that will creates the processes of place making, affordability, accessibility and sustainability.

the advantages of sustainable city are:

1. to provides its inhabitants with every basic amenity for a reasonable standard of living.
2. to regenerated and sustained the resources without getting depleted.
3. A society to takes part in good governance and allocation of its economic resources for the well being of its people.
4. Where citizens are law-abiding, conscious of their role and contribute to the all round development of the city.

Conclusion:

sustainable city is very important to be develop right now to ensure we are not facing a problem of environment, economy and social life. this is because if we do not control our usage of energy and consumption, it is not a big surprise if in the future we need to use a mask for breath, pollution level is increase, shortage of food, employment based on nuclear and chemical are become the major work and all these scenario will affect the quality of life and health of people in the world. ecological footprint will increase and this will lead to the shortage of land to process all consumption and maybe half of this world is full with the waste that we made... so to avoid all of this to happen in the future, we as the new generation should implement the sustainable concept in our daily life so that we can preserve and it can give benefits not only for us but also for future generation.. together we should save our EARTH from die :) 

source: http://www.globeaward.org/assets/images/general/sustainable_cities_model.jpg

G R E E N B U I L D I N G I N D E X

what is green building index??

it is related to green building.. and what is green building??

GREEN BUILDING IS REFERRING TO A STRUCTURE OF BUILDING THAT IMPLEMENT THE PROCESS OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND RESOURCE EFFICIENT STARTING FROM SITING TO DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION, OPERATION, MAINTENANCE AND DEMOLITION (wikipedia)

green building is focusing on the increase of efficiency of resource center such as energy, water and materials and at the same time reduce the building impact on human health and environment. the building shall be designed and operate in order to reduce the impact of built environment on its surrounding. there are 5 reasons why green building is important

• Green buildings are designed to save energy and resources, recycle materials and minimise the emission of toxic substances throughout its life cycle.
• Green buildings harmonise with the local climate, traditions, culture and the surrounding environment.
• Green buildings are able to sustain and improve the quality of human life whilst maintaining the capacity of the ecosystem at local and global levels.
• Green buildings make efficient use of resources, have significant operational savings and increases workplace productivity.
• Building green sends the right message about a company or organisation – that it is well run, responsible, and committed to the future. (source: www.greenbuildingindex.org)

In Malaysia, GREEN BUILDING INDEX (GBI)  is a rating system that developed by Pertubuhan Akitek Malaysia and the Association of Consulting Engineers Malaysia with aims to educate architects, designers, engineers and public regarding building sustainable structures.

why the GBI is important?? it is because to provides and opportunity for developers in designing and constructing a green sustainable buildings. This design will save the energy and water an also harmonies with surrounding environment and using resources efficiently.

There are about 8 GBI tools as today that been develop and update by the expert according to 6 categories which are:

1. GBI Residential New Construction (RNC)
2. GBI Assessment Criteria for NRNC: Retail Tool & Data Centre
3. GBI Assessment Criteria for NREB: Retail Tool & Data Centre
4. GBI Assessment Criteria for Industry New Construction (INC)
5. GBI Assessment Criteria for Industry Existing Building (IEB)
6. GBI Assessment Criteria for Township

Building that receive GBI certified in Malaysia is increase nowadays. not only new building but also existing building. it is good sign towards building development in Malaysia as it will encourage sustainable city in planning and designing the city.. the example of GBI building in Malaysia are:

1. New Residential New Construction - PTM Geo Building, Bangunan Suruhanjaya Tenaga, 1st Avenue, DIGI Technology Operation Centre
2. Non Residential Existing Building - KETTHA LEO BUILDING, Menara CITIBANK
3. Residential New Construction - Ganedra House, Ken Rimba Legian Residence
4. INC - Lam Soon Distribution Centre
5. IEB - PIDSCMY Geo Building
6. Township - Sunway Resort City, Bandar Rimbayu Township, Ken Rimba, Tun Razak Exchange 

the assessment criteria for GBI include ENERGY EFFICIENCY (23 points), INDOOR ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY (11 points), SUSTAINABLE SITE PLANNING & MANAGEMENT (39 points), MATERIAL & RESOURCES (9 points), WATER EFFICIENCY (12 points) and INNOVATION (6 points)

GBI index classification include 4 rating which are:

1. PLATINUM : 86+ points
2. GOLD : 76-85 points
3. SILVER : 66-75 points
4. CERTIFIED : 50-65 points 

CONCLUSION:

the implementation of GBI in building development in Malaysia is a good start to achieve sustainable city in Malaysia. however the standard of GBI rating should be more strict as to preserve the specialty of the building and have same standard as world building that receive rating same as GBI such as LEED and GREENMARK. this will help the designers and expert to produce a good and quality building with sustainable elements for today and future 

TRAFFIC IMPACT ASSESSMENT

TRAFFIC IMPACT ASSESSMENT (TIA)

lecture from Dr Hilmi regarding TIA or also known as traffic impact assessment is an interesting topic to learn about.. it is about about traffic which for me is very important in our living condition currently..

basically TIA is to give assessment for the impact of traffic. every new development, TIA will be conducted to know the flow of traffic regarding vehicles that will come in and out.. for example new residential area. it also as a planning tool and accompanying document for LCP and need to submit together with planning permission application.

Terminology for TIA also known as Traffic Impact Studies, Traffic Impact Analysis and Traffic Impact Assessment.. and Traffic Impact Assessment is the frequent term that been used in Malaysia.

What is the difference between traffic and transport??  from the lecture, traffic is about road traffic inclusive of public transport and pedestrian while transport is a mode of transport..TIA is covering the traffic volumes, road capacity, junction capacity and parking in order to provide sufficient parking space to avoid problem.

The purpose of TIA are:

• to discover the problem and issues that generated traffic from a new proposed development
• to suggest mitigation measure
• for assessing and and apportioning a development contribution 

traffic impact assessment will help in:

• forecast additional traffic associated with new development
• assist communities in land decision making for example location of hypermarket is far away to avoid problem of traffic as it is a high demand 
• identify potential problem with the proposed development so that it can influence the developer's decision making to pursue it.
• allow community to assess the impacts of proposed development
• help to ensure safe and reasonable traffic conditions
• to reduce negative impacts created by development
• to provide direction for community in decision making and developers of expected impacts

TIA will not:

• provide an indication of development impact on other modes of transport
• characterize the suitability of a development for other modes particularly pedestrian and bicycle
• characterize the spatial pattern of demand 

common recurring issues in TIA are:

• planners must do preliminary traffic and counting for any development plan
• too ambitious and do not consider 'bleak' scenarios in the future
• issues considered detrimental
• suggested mitigation
• no clear resource for developers in lieu of physical mitigation measure

TIA is very important in planning especially for traffic system as it will give big impact towards the development, community and social life.. a good TIA should be produce by the consultant and Local Authority should take a close view about what will happen in the future regarding the traffic system as it will influence the life of society.. :)

SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY PLANNING IN TOURISM

this lecture is about sustainable community planning in tourism.. it is a new thing and i wonder how it looks about. however during this lecture we had an interesting discussion session as the lecturer soo happy go lucky.. :)

so again, everything must be define right??.. and sustainable community planning in tourism is focusing on the sustainable development and sustainable tourism.. 

sustainable tourism is an effort to reduce the impact of environment and culture of local and at the same time helping local people with appropriate employment. it aims to ensure the positive experience will be brong to the local people, tourism company and also tourist. and the goals are:

1. to develop greater awareness and understand the significant of contribution by tourism towards environment and economy. 
2. to promote development equity
3. to improve the quality of life by host community
4. to provide a high quality of experience for the visitor

however there are few arguments toward Sustainable Tourism..

1. it is defined by future outcomes
2. the magnitude is impossible to estimate
3. sustainable activity take a long time to be sure
4. no example of tourist that use it completely without impact
5. absolute restriction is not truly sustainable option