High-rise green buildings in tropical countries

• Main Author: Wang, Meihong
• Other Authors: Chuang Poon Hwei
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2017
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Civil engineering
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/71630
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

In this modern world, with the depletion of natural resources, erratic climate change, energy crisis and loss of biodiversity, the emphasis on relieving the burden of Mother Natural have become prominent and actions for recourse are now inevitable. The global conversion rate of suburban into cities is frightening as the damages to the environment in the bid of higher quality of life had imposes almost irreversible damage already. The buildings have been a major consumer of energy; hence the importance of green building becomes vital. Many innovations and advancement on green building have been done, however the impact has become stagnant in recent years. The current green features have only managed to involve the government and the private sectors. With a gap in involving the citizen, two new innovations of I-bike and Piezo-tile have been proposed. Many had complaint about the high cost of energy and the reluctance to exercise. What if now you can exercise at the conveniences of your home without heading out? By riding on a stationary bike for an hour, you could generate as much as 200 watt to power a 40-inch LCD TV for an hour or charge your notebook for up to 40 hours. Besides that, do you know that by walking a step, you could also help to make our environment greener? It may sound strange but it is proven that human footstep could become an important role in generating renewable energy. Every step made on the piezo-tile could possibly generate an average of 4 watts of energy. In order to achieve the same output as pedaling on the bike for an hour, you just need to walk 50 steps on the energy-harvesting tiles. This energy generated could be used to offset other low-voltage appliances such as fans within the household and power the lightings on the common corridors of the building. This way, total energy consumption of the building will reduce tremendously. Through the effort of the individuals, they will become more environmentally conscious and not take our natural resources for granted. In order to encourage the adoption of the innovations, the government body could do its part by motivating its people to involve actively in national campaigns such as 10,000-step a day challenge. Everyone has the responsibility to protect our planet, and walk towards a more sustainable future. “We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors; we borrow it from our Children.”