Design and Implementation Excellence
Maintaining a disciplined regime once the best solution had been obtained which ensures that the final product will be what is to be achieved.
Conserving and Adaptive reuse
Jimmy Lim Architect formerly CSL Associates, is strongly committed towards conservation and is active in many areas related to public awareness. Conservation of the old built environment in order to enhance and celebrate the new and continuous living heritage. Adapting the old environment to modern usage hereby giving old buildings and environment a new lease of life.
A. Energy Tower
Tropical high rise buildings ought to be “energy towers” producing their own energy to operate its systems and be self-sustainable. It should be able to:
- produce energy from solar panels;
- direct wind cooling at higher levels;
- direct and indirect lighting to the interiors;
- rainwater collection for generating energy;
- wind rotaries at high levels to produce energy;
- reduce use of conventional lifts;
- alternative mechanical movements to produce energy;
- new thoughts and approach to designing high-rise buildings
B. Low Energy tropical Building
“Architecture without walls”
Natural ventilation and dehumidification
- light movable walls/panels, preferably no walls
- layered roofing over
- openings and apertures at apex for free flow
- direct light penetration
- slatted floors and platforms
- air vents and openings at ground level
- light weight operable windows
- operable roof panels
- use non-solid sidings
- raised floor
Designing for larger tropical buildings
- take advantage of the site
- understand the environment
- check wind direction
- creating of cool and hot zones
- layered roofs for wind flow
- high ceilings for convection air flow
- provide apertures at high level for heat escape
- provide heat source to induce circulation
C. Energy Production
D. Sustainable Architecture
Sustainable Architecture for the Equatorial Rainforests.
People living in the tropics do not require much to survive. There is plenty of sunlight, rain and wind to provide comfort. The forests are full of fruits, berries, nuts, a multitude of herbs and other bio-diversity awaiting research. There are no cold winters to freeze the people and the environment. The seas and rivers are full of fishes to feed the people. There is plenty of drinking water coming out of springs and forest to quench the thirst of the people. This sounds like paradise! Is this the garden of Eden as described in the Genesis? It could certainly pass as one. A situation like this would hardly require much energy to survive. As these countries aspire for modernisation adopting or imitating out of context solutions creates a dependency on energy which is generally obtained from fossil fuel; and the earth’s reserve of fossil fuel will last for another forty years. The question we need to ask ourselves is, “how are we going to tackle this problem from a tropical point of view?”
E. Tropical Architecture
Design typologies for the Tropics, a new approach
- non heat retentive external material
- using more natural material e.g. timber
- minimum disturbance to the environment
- maintaining all vegetation where possible
- minimise earthworks
- minimise width of roads and its construction
- create natural drains maintain natural water courses
- raise buildings above the ground to conserve energy
- use large over hanging eaves
- use more verandahs for shading
- more openings both at the sides and overheads
- refrain from importing irrelevant and unsuitable ideas
- work with the climate
- work within the constraints
- retain both traditional and cultural values
- there are many lessons to be learnt from the past
F. Recycled Materials and Design
G. R&D : Telok Pulai House
To test his own believes and to demonstrate the qualities of timber, recycled building components and materials, Jimmy Lim Design used his own house at 26 Jalan Telok Pulai, Taman Seputeh, in Kuala Lumpur as a R&D laboratory. It was initiated in 1981 and has gone through nine stages of experimentations. The results of the various experiments on eco-friendly and sustainable architecture were later applied to their projects. It had many visitors over the years from all over the world and notable architects. Among them were Geoffrey Bawa (Sri Lanka), Charles Correa (India), Philip Cox (Australia), Itsesu Hasegawa (Japan), Wu Liang Yong (China), William Lim (Singapore), Ken Yeang (Malaysia), and students from Universities all over the world.
H. Zero Energy Architecture
Zero energy architecture is one where the materials used had already negated the energy used in its production. Recycled building material from demolished buildings were regularly utilised in as a gesture to lower the energy consumed. Integrating recycled material with new can be challenging and requires care, innovation and creativity. The final designs are ultimately influenced by the layering-over of these re-cycled components