​GREEN STRATEGIES FOR BUILDING DESIGN
ARC61804
MODULE COORDINATOR : Mr, Nik Syazwan Bin Nik Ab. Wahab
TUTOR :Ts. Khairool Aizat Ahmad Jamal
Assignment 1
Comparative Case Studies Poster & Booklet
In this group assignment, each team of five will select two case studies (3–5 storeys high) to investigate the application of passive sustainable design strategies. One project will be chosen from a tropical climate region, and the other from a different climatic region such as arid, Mediterranean, temperate continental, or polar. The study will focus on comparing how both projects address site planning, daylighting, façade design, natural ventilation, and strategic landscaping, analysing their effectiveness and impact on spatial quality and user experience. The findings will be communicated through an A0 infographic poster, highlighting key strategies and design principles, and an A4 landscape booklet (20–25 pages) containing detailed analysis with text, diagrams, sketches, drawings, and images. A 5-minute pre-recorded presentation will summarise the poster content, showcasing critical insights rather than reiterating the full report.
Assignment 2
Each student is required to develop passive and active green building strategies in parallel with our final architectural studio. Students must prepare an A4 reflective write-up describing, in their own words, what was learned from the visit and from Assignment 1, and how these strategies will be applied in their final design. All passive strategies explored in the tropical building case study from Assignment 1—such as site planning, daylighting, façade design, natural ventilation, strategic landscaping, and renewable energies. The process and final proposal must be compiled into two formats: an A4 reflective write-up and an A3 Design Report
SELF REFLECTION
Through Assignment 1, I gained a deeper understanding of passive and active green building strategies, particularly how climate-responsive design can be integrated seamlessly into architecture. Studying the tropical and non-tropical case studies helped me appreciate how site planning, daylighting, façade treatment, ventilation, and landscaping can be adapted to different climates while maintaining user comfort and spatial quality.
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Moving into Assignment 2, I applied these lessons directly to my final project, Whisperscape. The strategies were not copied wholesale from the precedents, but translated into responses that suit the site’s tropical conditions and the project’s sensory, quiet-focused program.
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Looking back, Assignment 1 provided the analytical foundation, while Assignment 2 became the creative translation of those principles into a built form that aligns with my design intentions. This has strengthened my confidence in designing with environmental strategies as an integral part of concept development, rather than as a later consideration.