Journal of Architecture, Planning and Construction Management

EDITORIAL

Abdul Razak Sapian — 2022-12-28

Editorial for Volume 12 Issue 2

INFRASTRUCTURE PLANNING AND SPATIAL DESIGN TOWARDS WELL-BEING: AN ENQUIRY ON CUSTODIANS OF YOUTH INSTITUTIONS IN PENANG

Firzan Aziz — 2022-12-28

Well-being is one of the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), which has been emphasized by the Convention on the Child’s Rights for children below 18. Yet, mental health issues have shown a rapid climb in Malaysia. Acknowledging that mental health, physical well-being, infrastructure planning, and spatial design are intertwining subjects, this study attempts to comprehend the relationship between the psychological influence of physical space on end-users’ well-being and to determine the significance of physical space in perpetuating end-users well-being. Also, the study attempts to enlighten the design aspects of physical space that are influential to end-users’ well-being. Custodians of Penang youth institutions (involving two juvenile institutions and two orphanage shelters) were probed using semistructured interviews. The study found that choices of colors, presence of daylighting, utilization of indoor landscape, open spaces concept, ventilation, and sense of privacy are the critical physical aspects to be considered during the early stage of infrastructure planning and spatial design for youth institutions.

THE MEMAYU RITUAL TRADITION ROUTE AS A SACRED SPACE OF CULTURAL LANDSCAPE CASE STUDY: KANOMAN PALACE, CIREBON, INDONESIA

Dini Rosmalia — 2022-12-28

Memayu is part of the Muludan tradition, commemorating the birth of Prophet Muhammad SAW in the Cirebon Palace, Indonesia. The unique thing about this ritual is that many palace disciples from villages outside Cirebon City are involved in its event. Disciples, also known as wargi, get engaged from the preparation stage in their respective villages to implement traditions in the palace. Part of wargi's ritual activities are full of meaning, and routes from the villages to the palace are sacred paths. The perception and belief of wargi form this meaning space as traditional actors, based on understanding the memayu sacred value. Based on that, the article aims to describe the activities of the memayu ritual tradition held in Kanoman Palace and explore the form of space that occurs and the meaning contained in these ritual tradition spaces. The research method of this research is descriptive qualitative. The results showed that the villagers who were the palace disciples, position, and route to the palace created an imaginary sacred spatial pattern. The spatial pattern created in this memayu is physical evidence of an imaginary sacred space of the Cirebon cultural landscape whose elements are symbolically purified and believed to bring blessings to the palace wargi. Besides that, the aspects of ritual traditions of memayu, such as the palace, routes from villages to the palace, and the sacred objects used as a ceremonial compliment, contain Outstanding Universal Value (OUV). All of that is a part of the picture of the Cirebon cultural landscape.

THERAPEUTIC SENSORY STIMULATION GARDEN FOR A RESIDENTIAL CARE FACILITY, NOZOMI-NO-SATO, JAPAN

Hazreena Hussein — 2022-12-28

This article shares experiences in a Therapeutic Sensory Stimulation Garden (TSSG), which the authors set up in Nozomi-no-Sato, a nursing home in Hiroshima, Japan. The set-up took a month to complete in the Spring of 2019. This project involved a multidisciplinary team consisting of rehabilitation physicians, agriculturists, landscape architects, therapists, nurses, care workers, and volunteers. The project planning involved detailed 1) site observations, 2) meetings, and 3) presentations to promote a design-based practice. The authors also incorporated Universal Design work areas to support outdoor rehabilitation therapy and improve users' experience. The outcomes of a completed TSSG are an increase in the number of residents using the TSSG, an increase in varieties of produce from each section of the garden, and an increase in rehabilitation activities. Also, there is a show of interest in expanding the function of the TSSG that can benefit the local community. There were experienced limitations while setting up the TSSG. Recruitment of volunteers was a challenge as the TSSG was a new project in the vicinity of the residential home. Communication was difficult as the researchers could speak English, but most team members could not. In addition, there are cultural differences between local and foreign researchers. The TSSG was a new concept to the team other than the researchers, and the researchers had to familiarise themselves with seasonal conditions in gardening.

AN APPRAISAL OF COST-EFFECTIVE APPROACHES FOR THE PUSU RIVER REHABILITATION

Farah Asyiqin Razali — 2022-12-28

The Pusu River and its tributaries that flow through the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) Gombak campus have been suffering from river pollution for years. Hence, one of the efforts that can be made to address this issue is the rehabilitation of polluted rivers. Since the cost of treating the polluted rivers is high, proper measures to rehabilitate the Pusu River are important. Consequently, a study was conducted to identify and propose suitable approaches to rehabilitate the Pusu River, IIUM Gombak. The present study also focuses on the costs associated with rehabilitation work. The primary data for the study was collected using one round of Delphi questionnaires. The outcome of the Delphi study shows that the major sources of pollution in the Pusu River are sand mining, earthwork, land clearing activities for land development, stormwater runoff, waste dumping, and leakage from the wastewater treatment plant. Furthermore, the top three cost-effective methods to be proposed for the rehabilitation of the Pusu River, IIUM Gombak, have been established. The methods include aquatic plant use, a gentle approach to riverbank protection, and sediment dredging. Overall, the outcome of this study contributes to the development of river management strategies to control the pollution issue in the Pusu River. Academically, this study adds to the current body of knowledge in the context of river management, specifically for the Pusu River, IIUM Gombak.

EVALUATING THE EFFECT OF MASHRABIYA AND PERFORATED MALAY CARVING WINDOW ON THE INDOOR NATURAL VENTILATION PERFORMANCE OF LIVING SPACE

Reham Baydoun — 2022-12-28

This study focuses on natural cross-ventilation improvements in terms of internal air velocity, measured in meter per second in the living room space in Malaysia, using two types of perforated windows namely, Mashrabiya window as well as perforated Malay carving window element to determine the performance of their internal air velocity. Cross ventilation has been proposed as one of the most effective natural ventilation methods for thermal comfort by several studies. It is, however, one of the most misunderstood aspects of passive design's approach to regulating interior temperature. In this study, the proposed design solution is by introducing the Mashrabiya (W1) and perforated Malay carving window (W2) as two predominant indigenous solutions for traditional houses that can be further developed and utilized in modern houses. The research involves three stages. The first stage includes the inventory exercise on five (5) different reference case studies of perforated windows. This is to ascertain the most fundamental and common pattern, as well as the dimensions of each W1 and W2. The second step involves computer simulations utilising Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software known as Ansys fluent R2 2021. This program is used to simulate and evaluate natural air velocity and its performance in an interior context, and to determine the viability of a recommended design solution. Finally, an empirical method is used to predict the internal air velocity. The result shows that W1 and W2 represent effective passive design strategies for energy saving. The air velocity using W1 is three times higher than the normal speed which is 4.5/1.5 m/s, while using W2 makes the air velocity two times higher than the actual air speed which is 3/1.5 m/s. The simulation test and results are discussed based on the Malaysian region with a 1.5m/s wind speed. Understanding the different effects of the size of the voids and the placement of the patterns are significant to improve the indoor natural ventilation performance in a living room space.

CONSTRUCTION COST CONTROL FOR ROAD PROJECTS IN THE CONTEXT OF MALAYSIAN CONTRACTORS

Tan Chin Keng — 2022-12-28

Cost overrun is a common problem in the construction industry. Cost overrun occurs when the actual cost exceeds the budgeted, estimated, original, or target cost. Implementing cost control is complicated since it must evaluate many things, such as budget, project cash flow, cost performance, and others. In road construction projects, cost overrun is typical even though cost control has been practised. Road construction in Malaysia can be observed to have cost problems, and cost control practised in the industry needs to be improved. This research aims to analyse the present methods of cost control utilised by contractors in road projects and propose possible strategies to improve cost control in enhancing project cost performance. The objectives of this research are to investigate the practices of cost control in road projects by the contractors, to assess the problems encountered, and to suggest possible strategies to overcome the problems. This research employs a quantitative method by conducting a survey questionnaire as an approach to data collection. A total of 160 questionnaires were distributed to G5, G6, and G7 contractors, while only 32 questionnaires were received. However, only 27 respondents were involved in a road project. The data obtained were analysed by using Microsoft Excel. Based on the results, cost control practices in road projects include record keeping, financial reports, valuation of work in progress, work programmes, approximate quantities method, cost control at the site, and daily labour controlling. Next, the problems encountered include obtaining standard data, change of works from variation order, changes of design, instability of material prices, and inaccurate quantity take-off. Lastly, the strategies to overcome the problems include practising effective strategic planning, practising effective site management, providing detailed descriptions of Bill of Quantities (BQ), utilising cost value comparison, and ensuring the cost budget is realistic.