The concept of a sustainable building with consideration

to the following aspects:

Reduction in fossil fuels

water conservation
sustainable building materials
waste minimization and avoidance
indoor environmental quality
traffic and transport management
construction and demolition management plan

A special feature of the building

design is the inverted pyramid
concept, which creates
extensive shading of the
building to reduce heat gained
from the sides of the buildings. It
will also enhance the use of
daylight to minimize the use of
artificial lighting

The Atrium has been

designed to optimise daylight
utilization with reflective
panels and an automatic
roller-blind system responsive
to the intensity as well as the
angle of the incident sunlight.

Solar studies showed that

the 25 tilt angle of the
facades can ensures that
North and South facades
are fully self-shaded
throughout the year, while
it reduces the solar impact
by 41% for the East and
West facades.

The unique shape of the ST

Diamond Building was
designed according to the
climate and solar path of
equatorial Malaysia as
shown at the left figure :
Diamond building Sun Path.

The ST Diamond Building is

designed 50% day lit,
without glare and minimal
heat entry. This is achieved
through extensive faade
day lighting system
simulation to able deeper
daylight penetration.

Fixed white louvers with top

surface mirror finish on the top
side are mounted with a 30 tilt
angle above the light shelf for
glare protection while still
allowing daylight to be
deflected onto the ceiling.

Automated blind with six

different configuration to
maintain the appropriate
day lighting levels at all
times. The blinds with 30%
light transmittance are
adjusted every 15 minutes
and follow a three
different control strategies
for morning, mid-day and
evening
The windows size
becomes larger deeper
into the atrium to cater for
lower daylight levels

A 71.4 kilowatts peak (kWp) photovoltaic (PV) rooftop system has

been installed on the Diamond Building. This is a typical example
of aesthetic integration of mass-produced PV modules into a
rooftop. The shape of the building allows for a bigger area on the
ground for greenery, while the larger roof area provides space for
solar panels. Solar power supplies about 10% of the energy used in
the building. Second generation thin film PV panels are used.

The Diamond Building BIPV

system is equipped with sensors
to measure ambient and
module temperature, solar
irradiance and wind speed.
Data loggers are used to collect
performance data to evaluate
the effectiveness of the BIPV
system installed. PV panels are
installed to harvest sun energy
from East, West, North and
South of the building.

The diamond symbolizes

transparency, value and
durability; characteristics
which represent the
Energy Commissions
role and mission as a
regulatory body. The
unique shape represents
an optimum design
approach to achieve
energy efficiency.

The figure above show that the plan of the

Diamond Building which has been designed
for the tropical climate by orientating it
optimally for day lighting.

The Diamond Buildings design strategy is

encapsulated through four main aspects:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Energy Efficiency
Water Efficiency
Indoor Environmental
Outdoor Environmental Quality

 Rainwater harvested is used for toilet flushing and combined with

efficient water fittings such as dual flush toilets, waterless urinals
and water taps equipped with aerators reduces potable water
usage by more than 65%.
To further optimize the water efficiency of the building, grey water
collected from the wash basins is also recycled to irrigate the
wetland at the ground floor.

 Cooling in the Diamond

Building is provided via
radiant cooling slabs that
have chilled water pipes
embedded in the concrete
slab itself. This is
complemented with the
conventional cold air supply
system.
As the highest heat capacity
of the building is rested in the
concrete mass, direct
cooling of the concrete slabs
with embedded water pipes
is the most efficient means to
cool the building mass

 The plasterboards have low volatile organic compound (VOC)

emission and has 30% recycled content.
The floor carpeting is also green labelled for low VOC emission
and has at least 10% recycled content.
The interior paint used in the building is also of low VOC content.
The workstations contain material that protects against ultra
violet (UV) rays.

 coupled with a green roof helps to further reduce urban

heat and effect whereby the hard scape areas are
reduced and replaced with soft green landscape.

Buildings near or surrounded by greenery have lower

ambient temperature (surrounding temperature) than the
ones away from the greenery and it is seen as an
effective way to lower the ambient temperature

 Diamond Building is designed to address solutions for

occupants to have alternatives towards a lower carbon
footprint of transportation.
2 Electric Vehicle charging stations are available, 10 % of
parking garage spaces are designated for green/fuelefficient vehicles and carpool vehicles; secure bicycle racks;
location served by public transportation and shaded
walkways for pedestrians linking to the master development.

The Diamond Building was designed to avoid direct solar

penetration into the building, thus reducing the cooling load which
contributes to the bulk of the energy consumption in most tropical
buildings. This concept also was done to maximize the passive
design strategies of the upper floors shading the lower floors from
solar heat gain.

However, in making this decision, compromises had to be made.

Passive design strategy (sun shading) was used to reduce the
cooling load while sacrificing the potential areas for active design
strategy (PV panel installation). The tilted faades do not receive
much direct sunlight; therefore PV panels were not installed on the
facades. Therefore, the shape of the building has contributed
greatly to higher BEI.

The use of PERT chilled water pipes is a common feature of energy

efficient buildings in Malaysia. Such a system has effectively
reduced the peak electrical load demand by shifting the electrical
energy usage to an off-peak interval. It is an important factor that
contributes to the reduction in cooling loads. However, the cooling
system s efficiency was compromised to maintain the corporate
image of the office. Effective building automation system, the
installations of energy efficient lights and equipment have also
contributed to low energy usage.

As a result, the Diamond Building has achieved a BEI well beyond

the target value. However, the BEI can still be further improved if
more PV panels can be installed and interior design for the
corporate image is done by taking into account the cooling system.