Low Energy Office

* I am promoting Earth Day Every Day *

Since today is Earth Day, let me share some stuff I learned a long time ago back when I used to be one of the 'tourist guides' in Low Energy Office (LEO)  so named partly because the former Minister was Leo Moggie building in Parcel E, Putrajaya.

LEO building was built at an extra construction cost of 10% compared to 'traditional' new office buildings in Malaysia with promise of energy savings of more than 50% , giving a payback period of the extra investment in less than 10 years. It was supposed to be the benchmark of energy saving for government office buildings as it demonstrates integration of the best energy efficiency measures, optimised towards achieving the overall best cost/effective solution.

How do they save energy in LEO building?

The west facade - allowing little direct heat from the sun to penetrate into the building in the evening

Longer and more windows on the south facade - to allow more natural light in minus the heat.

Yes - this photo was taken back in the good old days when Parcel E was not yet as congested as it is today

* Building orientation

The north and south parts of the building is longer than parts facing east or west and most of the windows face either north or south to minimise heat gain from direct sunlight. Work areas are designated near the facade to maximise the use of daylighting and less artificial lighting.

The solar chimney - allowing daylight deep into the building 

* Building envelope
Walls are constructed from 200mm autoclaved light concrete blocks, generally with insulation value 2.5 times better than traditional brick walls of 115mm thickness. All exterior surfaces have been painted with light colours to reduce the absorption of heat.
The roof has been insulated with 100 mm of polystyrene foam and the installation of a second roof provides shade to the building.
'Punched hole' windows with 'light shelves' and glazing keep the sun from shining directly on to the windows, allowing 65% of the light and only 51% of the heat through, to save on both lighting and cooling bills.

*Natural ventilation
The Atrium is not air-conditioned, but cooled by natural ventilation, the water wall, assisted by a 'solar chimney' which also provides daylight deep into the building;

The water wall

Then - there are more technical aspects - like using photo-occupancy sensor (light is automatically off when there is nobody in the room), energy efficient lights (instead of traditional bulbs), energy efficient office equipments, light - medium shaded furniture, light colored wall, et cetera.

Oh - and there are plenty of indoor plants to help improving overall aesthetics and environment. Plus the fact that the sound of water dripping on the water wall is a lot more soothing than the normal exhaust fan used for ventilation. 

So there, an entry on Low Energy Office building  which used to be my 'playground' and fond and not-so-fond memories were created in conjunction with the Earth Day yeah Kit, I know you might deem this boring but I still feel like sharing anyway 

Peace!