reflective essay

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Nature and Us: Reflective Essay Ozone Depletion In The Built Environment NATURE AND US ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABLE DESIGN [ARC 1413]/[BLD 60203] Tutor: Ms Sujatavani Group members: Lim Shu Ting (0320102), By Lim Shu Ting (0320102), Lai Chi Mun (0319463) and Kimberley Ee Sze Ann (0315319).

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Page 1: Reflective essay

Nature and Us: Reflective Essay

Ozone Depletion

In The

Built Environment

NATURE AND US

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABLE DESIGN [ARC 1413]/[BLD 60203]

Tutor: Ms Sujatavani

Group members: Lim Shu Ting (0320102),

Lai Chi Mun (0319463),

Kimberley Ee Sze Ann (0315319)

By Lim Shu Ting (0320102), Lai Chi Mun (0319463) and Kimberley Ee Sze Ann (0315319).

Page 2: Reflective essay

Nature and Us: Reflective Essay

The topic we have chosen for our infographic poster is ‘Ozone Depletion in The Built Environment’. The reason we chose this as our topic is because we feel that the built environment plays a major role in ozone depletion. The elements we have chosen to focus on in our research on include the causes and effects of construction and urban development on ozone depletion, the effects of ozone depletion on human health and the ways to overcome ozone depletion.

Firstly, our introduction explains the meaning of ozone depletion. According to a scientific journal we accessed online, ozone is defined as a simple molecule which consists of three oxygen molecules bound together (Cowen, 1996). Ozone makes up the ozone layer which lies in the stratosphere - the second layer of the Earth’s atmosphere. The ozone layer is important to Earth and its inhabitants because it functions to filter the sun’s harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation. On the other hand, ozone depletion is the absence or thinning of the ozone layer. Scientists discovered this phenomenon in the 1970s when they realized that a hole had formed in the ozone layer, above Antarctica.

Image showing the layer that make up Earth’s atmosphere and the position of the stratosphere (Portier et al., 2010).

The significance of our introduction is to give our audience a brief insight into our topic. Firstly, we want them to be aware about the ozone layer which we are describing in our topic as well as to understand its importance. Also we want them to realize that ozone depletion is a serious matter as the ozone layer that protects Earth from the Sun’s harmful UV rays is thinning and even worse a hole has formed above Antarctica.

Image depicting the ozone hole formed above Antarctica (Schoeberl, Hilsenrath, Douglass & Santee, 2015).

By Lim Shu Ting (0320102), Lai Chi Mun (0319463) and Kimberley Ee Sze Ann (0315319).

Page 3: Reflective essay

Nature and Us: Reflective Essay

Moving on, we also introduce the second part of our topic, which is the built environment. What we mean by built environment, is everything related to construction and urban development- mainly the building of cities. The built environment encompasses every part of the world inhabited by humans as the demand for comfort and technological advancement causes us to claim land and build for our population. This is evident in Malaysia where the construction industry is not only a part of urban development but also plays an important role in the national economic growth as well as provides job opportunities to a large number of people. However, the improper management of manufacturing of construction materials in factories has a substantial impact on the natural environment. Hazardous chemical emissions are part and parcel of ozone depletion. Thus, when referring to urban development, people have to learn how to balance designing for human comfort with the implied consumption and degradation of environmental qualities.

This not only refers to construction but other industries, including transportation and agriculture as these all relate back to the built environment. Their growth is caused by the building of towns and cities which brings about more development which in turn causes more food and energy requirements (This is summarised in the chart below).

The image above shows how the growth of towns and cities (the built environment) brings about more development which causes the growth of industries, the building of more roads which causes a rise in transportation and the need for more food which causes agricultural activities to increase.

By Lim Shu Ting (0320102), Lai Chi Mun (0319463) and Kimberley Ee Sze Ann (0315319).

Built Environment

Industries Transportation Agricultue

Towns and cities

More development More roads More food requirements

Page 4: Reflective essay

Nature and Us: Reflective Essay

Next, we begin to describe the causes of ozone depletion in the built environment. In other words, we want our audience to understand exactly how the built environment is causing ozone depletion. Based on our research, we discovered that there are very specific substances that cause ozone depletion. These substances are known as ozone depleting substances or ODS. ODS are man-made chemicals that can often be found in the built environment. Some examples are chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), hydro chlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), methyl chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, halons, methyl bromide and nitrous oxide (N2O). The graph below shows the destructive potential of ODS and their principal uses.

Chart showing the destructive potential of ODS, different types of ODS and their principal uses (Theozonehole.com, 2015).

Firstly, we can observe the use of ODS in industries. Many industries use ODS in the manufacturing of their products. For example, CFC and HCFCs are mostly used in refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump systems.  Also, halons are used as fire suppression agents and carbon tetrachloride is used as a solvent in laboratories and chemical and pharmaceutical industries (Epa.ie, 2015). In the construction industry, CFCs are also used in manufacturing insulation foam and paints. Furthermore, timber products used in construction also use Methyl Bromide as pesticides.

By Lim Shu Ting (0320102), Lai Chi Mun (0319463) and Kimberley Ee Sze Ann (0315319).

Page 5: Reflective essay

Nature and Us: Reflective Essay

Secondly, we can also observe how the use of transportation in the built environment contributes to ozone depletion. All but the newest designs of vehicle air conditioners use CFC-12 as a cooling agent (Epa.gov, 2015). Thus, when the number of vehicles on the road increases the amount CFC produced is also increased and this in turn brings about ozone depletion.

The graph above shows the increase in the number of vehicles in Malaysia from 1980 to 2009 (Themalaysianinsider.com, 2015).

Thirdly, is the use of ODS in agriculture. Nitrous oxide is a very harmful ODS which is mainly produced in agricultural activities. For example manure produced by livestock and fertilisers used to increase crop yield are major contributors of nitrous oxide. This can be observed in the graph below.

The graph above shows how manure and fertilisers are major contributors of nitrous oxide (Theozonehole.com, 2015).

By Lim Shu Ting (0320102), Lai Chi Mun (0319463) and Kimberley Ee Sze Ann (0315319).

Page 6: Reflective essay

Nature and Us: Reflective Essay

The graph shows Malaysia’ involvement in agriculture (Mpob.gov.my, 2015).

Moving on, we continue to elaborate on the effects brought about by ozone depletion. For this part of our poster we decided to focus only on the effects of ozone depletion on humans. The reason we chose to do this is because we felt that the information would be more relevant to our audience and thus have a stronger impact on them. Some of the effects we identified were effects on human health such as skin cancer, cataracts and blindness. Furthermore, we also discovered that ozone depletion can also reduce food sources as UV rays are harmful to plants and animals and thus can cause an imbalance in the ecosystem that will directly affect human food sources.

Subsequently, we describe the ways to overcome ozone depletion. As this is the last part before the conclusion, our audience should already understand the weight of the issue under discussion. Thus, now is the right time to introduce to them the efforts being taken to overcome ozone depletion such as they can realize their role in overcoming this matter. For this part of our poster we gave a brief description of ways to overcome ozone depletion and had a separate section where we focused solely on ways to overcome ozone depletion through architecture. The reason we chose to do this is because it is more meaningful to us as architecture students and the research is also beneficial to our future. The ways we listed to overcome ozone depletion were divided into categories such as transportation, homes, agriculture and construction.

Firstly, in transportation we explain that it is important to limit private vehicle driving. One way of doing so is to provide facilities such as pedestrian roads, bus stops in housing areas and cycling routes. Developers and urban planners should make public transportation more convenient and also aim to design such as to encourage people to walk and cycle more. This way the amount of vehicles on the road and their harmful emissions can be reduced. Also the public should be encouraged to practice carpooling to reduce the number of vehicles on the road.

Also, people should reduce the use of air conditioners in their homes. The reason for this is because using air conditioners will make the entire surroundings warmer because of the heat produced by the compressor. Thus, by creating a cooler space within their homes, people are in turn heating the entire neighborhood and will subsequently increase the general use of air conditioning.

By Lim Shu Ting (0320102), Lai Chi Mun (0319463) and Kimberley Ee Sze Ann (0315319).

Page 7: Reflective essay

Nature and Us: Reflective Essay

Moving on, in homes we explain the importance of using eco-friendly household cleaning products as many of these cleaning agents contain toxic chemicals that interfere with the ozone layer. Instead, people should use cleaning products that are toxic-free and made out of natural ingredients. Also, old refrigerators and air conditioners should be replaced every few years. This is because the latest refrigerators and air conditioners have replaced CFCs with HCFCs, which are much less harmful to the ozone layer. As, Malaysia has a hot tropical climate air conditioning is very popular and thus the government should raise the awareness of the citizens in this matter and should even consider lending financial aid in rural areas and slums such that old refrigerators and air conditioners can be replaced with environmentally friendly ones. Consequently, by observing these minor details the condition of the ozone layer will be able to improve.

Farmers should also avoid using pesticides that are harmful to the ozone layer. They should instead practice natural farming methods such as manual weeding.

Next, in construction paints and finishes with Volatile Organic Compounds should be avoided as they are harmful to the ozone layer. Also, the use of timber and furniture that are applied with harmful Methyl Bromide as a pesticide should be prevented.

The last section for ways to overcoming ozone depletion was green architecture. For this section we discussed specific architectural techniques that should be applied by architects and designers in order to reduce the depletion of the ozone layer. Some of the points we covered were site and external spaces, orientation and planning, building shape and form and material selection.

Concerning site and external spaces, it is important that building designers and owners pay more attention to the sitting of settlements on a macro level. They should reduce paved areas and increase grassed areas and trees to assist in the cooling of streetscapes and buildings. This way the building will be naturally cooling and thus reduces the need for air conditioning.

As for orientation and planning, it is important to note that in a warm tropical climate country such as Malaysia the orientation and planning should emphasize openness and shading as the dominant characteristics of the building. The orientation and planning should reduce solar entry into the building and thus allow the building to be cooler and reducing the need for air conditioning

When discussing building shape and form, we must understand that compact building shape reduces the area of building’s envelope through which solar heat is gained. By considering the relationship of the external surface area, volume and floor area design it is possible to increase energy efficiency in air conditioned buildings. This will reduce the number of air conditioners required to cool a building

When considering material selection it is necessary to avoid materials which are harmful to the environment such as materials containing CFCs in the production. Instead, materials with zero ozone depletion potential (ZODP) should be selected.

By Lim Shu Ting (0320102), Lai Chi Mun (0319463) and Kimberley Ee Sze Ann (0315319).

Page 8: Reflective essay

Nature and Us: Reflective Essay

Thus, after completing the ways to overcome ozone depletion we further explored specific examples of green architecture. One of these examples is the application of passive cooling in buildings. Passive Cooling is a building design technique invented by Dr. Helmut Köster that helps to decrease the temperature of a building by using natural processes to control heat gain and heat dissipation. It does not only help to improve the air quality of indoor spaces, providing cooler indoor environment, but also uses very little energy as it is a technique that does not require mechanical systems. Passive cooling has two major categories, which are the preventative techniques and modulation/heat dissipating technique. Passive Cooling works either by preventing heat from entering the interior of the house or by dissipating heat from the house. It does not only utilize the design of the house, but also uses the local site to absorb and dissipate heat. Passive cooling allows the penetration of natural sunlight into the building while at the same time, effectively reducing and preventing ultraviolet rays and heat from entering. Thus, the temperature of the house will not increase rapidly especially in the afternoon, which reduced the needs of a cooling agent in the house. This is important as it reduces the need of air conditioners, one of the main contributors of harmful CFCs.

The image above shows the application of passive cooling in a home (Inhabitat.com, 2015).

Another example is the application of H pot-stacks in the Contact Theatre at Manchester City. This amazing theater was designed by Short Ford Associates (architects Alan Short, Brian Ford and Max Fordham) and showcases the outstanding feature of a cluster of H-pot stacks that lifts from above neighboring buildings to exclude downdraughts from the prevailing South-West winds. Their volume is calculated to draw out sufficient hot air whilst excluding rain. Thus, the Contact Theatre is entirely natural ventilated and achieves comfortable conditions without help from air conditioning.

By Lim Shu Ting (0320102), Lai Chi Mun (0319463) and Kimberley Ee Sze Ann (0315319).

Page 9: Reflective essay

Nature and Us: Reflective Essay

The Contact Theatre in Manchester City Longitudinal and transverse sections of the Contact Theatre

The image above shows how hot air is displaced in the H pot-stacks to keep the building cool and draw in natural ventilation

(The Contact Theatre Manchester, 2015).

By Lim Shu Ting (0320102), Lai Chi Mun (0319463) and Kimberley Ee Sze Ann (0315319).

H pot-stack

Page 10: Reflective essay

Nature and Us: Reflective Essay

Therefore, after completing our research on the efforts being made by today’s architects we are able to understand the future role that we will play in designing sustainable green buildings that benefit the environment. We understand now the importance of being aware of global environmental issues as it makes aware of the steps we must take to overcoming these issues when designing buildings.

Finally, the last part of our poster was the conclusion. In this part of our poster we discuss how the ozone layer has been recovering due to various efforts made by men. In fact, the ozone hole in Antarctica is gradually reducing in size. The reason for this is mainly due to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer which is an international treaty implemented to protect the ozone layer by reducing the production and consumption of ozone depleting substances. It was introduced in the year 1989 and by the year 2000 the use of all ozone depleting substances had been completely banned all over the world. The special negotiation process involving global parties allows the protocol to respond quickly to new scientific information and make united decisions to One such country to follow the Montreal Protocol is Malaysia. Malaysia’s involvemt with the montreal protocol began in 1987 and As can be seen in the graph below, Malaysia was able to reduce the use of CFC-a very harmful ozone depleting substance from the year 1995 to the year 2010.

Graph showing the reduced CFC consumption in Malaysia

Graph showing success of Montreal Protocol (Young, 2001).

By Lim Shu Ting (0320102), Lai Chi Mun (0319463) and Kimberley Ee Sze Ann (0315319).

Page 11: Reflective essay

Nature and Us: Reflective Essay

The image above shows the recovery of the ozone layer (Wmo.int, 2015).

Thus, after having successfully completed our poster we have increased our understanding about the ozone layer and ozone depletion. However, that is not all that we have learnt through this project as we also learnt how to efficiently manage our time and cooperate with one another in a group. With so many ongoing projects and assignments to occupy our time it was of the utmost importance to maintain communication with our group mates so that we could plan when to conduct our meetings and discussions. Moreover, on occasions when we could not meet in person we would conduct meetings online on Facebook or through the use of smart phone applications such as WhatsApp. Furthermore, in order to utilize our time and keep motivated we would set goals for ourselves each week such that the poster would have to reach a certain stage of completion by the end of each week.

Also, through the completion of this assignment we feel that we were able to achieve all the Taylor’s Graduate Capabilities set out in our assignment brief. Firstly, discipline specific knowledge where we were able to apply our classroom knowledge in the design of our poster as well as relate our information to our audience. Furthermore, we were also able to implement lifelong learning where we learnt through our own research and discussions. Next, our communication skills were also further developed through this project as we learnt how to communicate effectively with our group mates in order to complete our assignment. Moreover we also succeeded in gaining both interpersonal and intrapersonal skills where we were able to understand and utilize each of our group mates’ respective skills and talents as well as understand the importance of the individual roles we each had to play in the successful completion of this assignment. Subsequently, we also learnt citizenship and global perspectives where we were able to form conclusions based on research from various different perspectives as well as understand our responsibility in spreading environmental awareness. Lastly, we were able to apply digital literacy through our social media communications as wells as through the use of software such as Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator in the design of our poster.

By Lim Shu Ting (0320102), Lai Chi Mun (0319463) and Kimberley Ee Sze Ann (0315319).

Page 12: Reflective essay

Nature and Us: Reflective Essay

References

1) Cowen, R. (1996). The Ozone Depletion Phenomenon. Beyond Discovery: The Path From Research To Human Benefit.

2) Education.nationalgeographic.com,. (2015). ozone layer. Retrieved 15 April 2015, from http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/encyclopedia/ozone-layer/?ar_a=1

3) Enger, E., & Smith, B. (2015). Environmental Science: A Study of Interrelationships (14th ed., p. 383). New York: McGraw Hill.

4) Epa.ie,. (2015). Ozone Depleting Substances:: Environmental Protection Agency, Ireland. Retrieved 31 May 2015, from http://www.epa.ie/air/airenforcement/ozone/

5) Epa.gov, (2015). Brief Questions and Answers on Ozone Depletion | Ozone Layer Protection | US EPA. Retrieved 7 April 2015, from http://www.epa.gov/ozone/science/q_a.html

6) Epa.gov,. (2015). Auto Air Conditioners and the Ozone Layer: Background | Ozone Layer Protection - Regulatory Programs | US EPA. Retrieved 31 May 2015, from http://www.epa.gov/ozone/title6/609/consumers/cons2.html

7) Inhabitat.com,. (2015). GREEN BUILDING 101: Energy & Atmosphere – Keeping Cool and Staying Warm. Retrieved 4 June 2015, from http://inhabitat.com/green-building-101-energy-atmosphere-part-1/

8) Mpob.gov.my,. (2015). The Official Portal of Malaysian Palm Oil Board. Retrieved 4 June 2015, from http://www.mpob.gov.my/

9) Pollutionissues.com, (2015). CFCs (Chlorofluorocarbons) - water, effects, chemicals, industrial, world, sources, use, life. Retrieved 15 April 2015, from http://www.pollutionissues.com/Br-Co/CFCs-Chlorofluorocarbons.html

10) Portier, C., Thigpen Tart, K., Carter, S., Dilworth, C., Grambsch, A., & Gohlke, J. et al. (2010). A Human Health Perspective on Climate Change: A Report Outlining Research Needs on the Human Health Effects of Climate Change. Environ. Health Perspect.. doi:10.1289/ehp.1002272

11) Schoeberl, M., Hilsenrath, E., Douglass, A., & Santee, M. (2015). svs.gsfc.nasa.gov. Retrieved 4 June 2015, from https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/details.cgi?aid=3067

12) Smith, P. (2005). Architecture In a Climate of Change: a guide to sustainable

design (2nd ed., pp. 143,144). Oxford: Elsevier.

By Lim Shu Ting (0320102), Lai Chi Mun (0319463) and Kimberley Ee Sze Ann (0315319).

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Nature and Us: Reflective Essay

13) The Contact Theatre Manchester,. (2015). Project Assessment. Retrieved 4 June 2015,

from http://thecontacttheatre.weebly.com/project-assessment.html

14) Themalaysianinsider.com,. (2015). The Malaysian Insider. Retrieved 4 June 2015, from

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/

15) Theozonehole.com,. (2015). The Ozone Hole-ODCs-Ozone Depletion Chemicals.

Retrieved 4 June 2015, from http://www.theozonehole.com/odcs.htm

16) University of Guyana,. (2011). Design as a Response to Ozone Depletion and Climate

Change.

17) Wmo.int,. (2015). Antarctic Ozone | WMO Press release. Retrieved 4 June 2015, from

https://www.wmo.int/pages/mediacentre/press_releases/pr_957_en.html

18) Young, O. (2001). Can New Institutions Solve Atmospheric Problems? Confronting Acid

Rain, Ozone Depletion and Climate Change. Amsterdam: Springer.

By Lim Shu Ting (0320102), Lai Chi Mun (0319463) and Kimberley Ee Sze Ann (0315319).