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IF I ask you what's greener, a new-build house designed to be sustainable or an older house, which would you pick?" asks BC Ang, co-founder of WHBC Architects in Petaling Jaya.
"If you say it depends on what features each house possesses, it shows that you're thinking. The problem is that some people are blinded by labels so they think that new houses with 'active' features such as solar panels or energy-efficient appliances are the best — better than passive designs such as big windows or a north-south orientation. But that's not always true," he explains.
BC and partner Ang Wen Hsia are all about making the best of things, demonstrated by their projects and the people who work with them. "One of my contractors once told me, "Problems are my hobby. I like solving them!" he says.
Some of their problem-solving "sustainable" projects, chosen to fit the context of the recent Eco-B 2013 forum organised by the Malaysian Institute of Architects, where they spoke, embody this.
An impressive example is their instant housing — a house erected in eight days in a jungle. The Angs refused to divulge the exact location or cost, citing privacy reasons for their clients.
The brief called for a home that could be quickly and cheaply set up for the caretakers of the land. The rocky terrain was a challenge but the problem was solved with the building of a platform where a 20ft equivalent container unit was placed. Used containers typically cost RM6,000 to RM7,000 each, including delivery by crane.
For insulation and shade, a peaked roof was built on top of the platform, covering the container. After installing doors and electrical wiring, the result was a cosy home with a verandah and space for chickens and dogs to roam underfoot.
The couple also worked on a durian shed and dog hotel at a durian plantation run by retirees in Negri Sembilan. The durian shed acts as a "helmet" with gutters at the roof sides to collect the thorny fruit. According to Ang, the construction was challenging because they did not want to disturb the existing landscape. "We had to draw lines in the ground," he explains.
Meanwhile, a number of human-sized kennels were built for the dogs around the compound. The project came about after the Angs and their clients bonded over their mutual love of dogs.
On the commercial side, they were engaged by a client to design a bridal boutique in SS2, Petaling Jaya. The brief called for a facade that would stand out from the rest of the boutiques in the area. Due to the concentration of wedding businesses in SS2, the boutique faced stiff competition.
Realising early on that they would never win the facade battle if they decided to raise the frontage (like the other boutiques), they decided to extend the building outwards instead. However, local bylaws limited how far they could extend the building. The solution was to plant trees. The trees chosen grew tall and straight, leafy only at the top to prevent blocking the boutique entirely. Their lower trunks were also painted white to make them pop, which was especially relevant at night since the colour naturally reflects light.
Last but not least was their work transforming a drab old terraced house in Bangsar into a modern concrete showroom. To cut down on maintenance costs and allow nature to take its course, the building's concrete façade was etched with lines that allowed water to run down in a controlled fashion, allowing moss to grow specifically within the grooves. The result was a stylised weathering of the building.
Cities as bonsai trees
While crafting the odd little green gem is fine and dandy, a truly sustainable city must be cultivated from the get-go. Thus, meaningful change can only be effected via larger-scale initiatives such as urban planning, says Wen Hsia.
"Implementers of city plans are vital. They are the 'gardeners' of the city," she says.
She adds that to facilitate smarter urban planning, the basics should be taught in school. "It is very simple. You need to consider economics and walkability."
Interestingly, instead of the sprawling, generously landscaped townships that seem to be all the rage today, BC proposes that urban planners increase density to optimise the use of resources such as public transport and parks.
"Public transport will not have to cover as wide an area and everything you need will be within walking distance. Think about it — land is limited. If you grow outwards instead of upwards, you will run out of land one day."
The Angs also have an interesting take on conservation. One of their current projects in Penang is to turn an old site sandwiched by pre-war shophouses into an urban infill. This will be achieved by building frames shaped similarly to the shophouses and planting trees within. This approach has predictably drawn flak from certain quarters that argue that the pre-war heritage designs should be literally replicated.
"If you talk about restoration, how do you pick which period you want to restore your building to? All eras are important but it is the present that is most important. If you try to duplicate a certain era, it becomes confusing and dishonest," says BC.
Besides the need to steer away from romanticism, he also argues that a more meaningful way of keeping the heritage of a place alive is by ensuring that it continues to bustle with activity.
"For example, a family of merchants live there. Their son becomes a lawyer. He returns to set up his practice. That's what you want — for economic activities to stay there," he says.
Wen Hsia adds: "It's not about keeping the place the same, with the same businesses and the same hawkers and people."
At the end of the day, there is no such thing as sustainable or "green" architecture because good architecture should already take these things into account, says BC.
He shares the words of wisdom of acclaimed Portuguese architect Eduardo Souto de Moura who said, "There is no ecological architecture, no intelligent architecture and no sustainable architecture — there is only good architecture. There are always problems we must not neglect. For example energy, resources, cost, social aspects — one must always pay attention to all these."
This story first appeared in The Edge weekly edition of Jun3-9, 2013.
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