Saturday, November 30, 2019


Personal reflection 


My aim in learning this module was to be able to be a better presenter and to write professionally. Being able to paraphrase, it will help in my future reports. As it is considered “illegal” to just take somebody else’s sentence, paraphrasing is needed to change the sentence structure but keeping the meaning behind it. The work we have done in class requires a lot of paraphrasing, but I feel that there is still room for improvement. The reader response was also quite foreign to me as it was my first time hearing it. It sums up the whole article and narrows it down to the important pointers. The thesis made it clear about what the reader's response is trying to elaborate on in the later part. As I was a terrible presenter in the past, this was a good opportunity to really push myself to be a better presenter. With all the skills acquired, I felt that I have made some improvements. But with that said, I am still far from being a good presenter. I hope with the skills that I have learned, I can be a better presenter in the future. Practice makes perfect.

I was looking forward to working with my new teammates for the group project. At first, I was shy to share my thoughts and ideas to come up for the project as I did not know how they would work in groups. Nonetheless, I am grateful for having my teammates as they were fun to work with and I really enjoyed working with them. During the mock presentation, my friends and teammates noticed that I was muttering to myself and was not confident at all. I did not want to be the black sheep and not present well during the presentation. So, I kept on practicing with my teammates until there were some improvements. We managed to come up with an interesting idea and put up a good presentation. I managed to grasp the techniques of presentation such as being confident, have the correct body posture and maintain eye contact. The pace of presenting also plays a part so the audience can understand what we are trying to convey. Thankful, we got selected to present in the showcase. It was a good chance for my team and myself to present our idea and brush up our presentation skills for the showcase.

It was a good experience presenting in the presentation showcase. It was a heartfelt moment for me as initially I did not want to present as I was afraid. Presenting for the first time in front of a big crowd with a panel of judges was very detrimental but at the same time feeling excited. What I have learned is to step out of my comfort zone and enjoy presenting to the audience. I tried to improve and avoid the same mistakes when I presented in class. All in all, I am thankful that I got the chance to present. Thank you, prof Brad, for guiding us along throughout the whole trimester.

Friday, November 8, 2019

Annotated Summary


In the article “Magic mushrooms: how fungus could help rebuild derelict Cleveland”, (Dorwart, 2018) expressed that mycelium bricks could be the solution to rebuild the housing crisis in Cleveland. Over 500 million tons of construction waste go to landfills each year. Meanwhile buildings are responsible for 40% of carbon emissions in the US. 

By combining construction waste and debris with “biobinders” (natural glue or cement) like fungi, plant materials and microbes in a process called “biocycling”, which essentially recycles old buildings into new ones using plant materials. Cleveland is subjected to be a place for testing of the mycelium bricks. 

 With the use of mushrooms, it will improve general wellbeing as they assimilate contaminants and poisons, for example, lead. According to the American Lung Association, youngsters in Cleveland are exposed to lead at around multiple times the national normal and the city's quality is ninth most noticeably awful in the country. By utilizing mushrooms, it will help to reduce the quality of air and thus making the city a better place.

By reusing old and waste materials, it will help to save the overall costs.  In the article it stated that a “Redhouse studio is working to utilise the use of biocycling and showcase the use of sustainable architecture”. They are planning to reuse the debris from the three story 19th century building and combine it with mycelium to construct the building blocks for a shed at a nearby urban farm.

 As the public is still sceptical about incorporating the use of mycelium into buildings, time and patience are key. Thus, by being able to incorporate the use of mycelium, it will help to enlighten economic stability and public health.  

Reference
Dorwart.L (2018, July 5). Magic mushrooms: how fungus could help rebuild derelict Cleveland. The Guardian. Retrieved November 8, 2019, from https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2018/jul/05/magic-mushrooms-how-fungus-could-help-rebuild-derelict-cleveland

Tuesday, November 5, 2019


Table of contents:

1. Background           2

1.1 Current practices for public housing in Sembawang area 3
1.2 Problem Statement           3
1.3 Purpose Statement           3

2. Proposed Solution 3

2.1 Use mycelium bricks in place of conventional bricks        4

3. Benefits of Proposed Solutions   4

3.1 Physical Capabilities         4
3.2 Fire Resistance     5
3.3 Good thermal insulation    5
3.4 Environmentally friendly    5
3.5 Health        6
3.6 Production 6
3.7 Economical           6

4. Limitations of Proposed Solution            6

4.1 Weak compressive strength          6
4.2 Production 6
4.3 Long term  7
4.4 Compromised structural integrity  7

5. Methods & Procedures     7

5.1 Primary Research 7
5.2 Secondary Research         7

6. Conclusion 8

Reference       8

1. Background

This report responds to a call for proposal to recommend an engineering solution to a specific problem in the built environment sector. 

Cement is inarguably the most used and crucial construction resource since civilizations came into existence. Over the years, especially in recent decades, buildings are becoming bigger and taller. In the year 1998, the Petronas twin towers, the two tallest buildings at that time stood at 452m (Kazmierchak and Gramsbergen, 2005). Today, the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa which stands at 828m, uses 330,000m3 of concrete(Burj Khalifa, n.d.).  Rodger (2018) states that most of our concrete in the world is being used to construct buildings and that the main ingredient of concrete is cement, whose production contributes to 8% of the world’s carbon emissions, which is equivalent to 2.2 billion tons of carbon dioxide per year. 

In addition, the process of producing bricks in kilns not only releases carbon into our atmosphere but also large amounts of pollutants such as sulphur dioxide and black carbon into the atmosphere. (Climate and Clean Air , n.d.). These effects are not easily reversed and will accumulate in the earth’s atmosphere much to the suffering of future generations. 

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) mentioned in their special report that it is essential to maintain global temperature within 1.5 degree celsius. A one-degree increment of global temperature can result in a drastic increase of the atmospheric temperature. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) statistics, the global temperature in September 2009 was 0.62 degree celsius. Currently, the global temperature is at 0.95 degree celsius, an increment of 0.33 degree celsius. With this constant rate of increment, it will definitely affect people around the world, including Singapore. 

Singapore generated 52.5 million tonnes of greenhouse gases in 2017 which contributed 0.11% of global carbon emissions, that equates to 8,000 tonnes of CO2 per capita in that year (Tan, 2019). According to Dr Muhammad Eeqmal Hassim, senior research scientist with the MSS Centre for Climate Research Singapore, the constant rise of carbon emissions around the world will lead to an increase of Singapore’s to 40 degrees celsius by 2045 (Low, 2019). Therefore, it is necessary for Singapore to reduce the amount of carbon emission. 

The rising of carbon emissions from production of conventional bricks have led Bricknology to source out sustainable alternatives for brick production. Bricknology has identified mycelium brick as an alternative brick to replace conventional bricks. Mycelium brick is an environmentally friendly brick which does not require coal for its production as it is created through organic components and fungus. It is praised for its super strength, ability to withstand harsh conditions, low cost, health benefits and its eco-friendliness. In New York City, an architecture firm called “The Living” created a 40 feet tower, “Hi-Fy Tower” with mycelium bricks in 2014. David Benjamin, principal architect of The Living stated that on top of being cheaper to produce, mycelium bricks requires minimal energy for growth, in fact, it decomposes waste to grow and does not produce any waste itself; this in itself is a revolutionary technique for producing building materials (Brownstone, 2014).

The use of mycelium bricks in construction is still in its infancy stage and based on existing research, mycelium bricks shows very promising potential in sustainability and mid tier construction projects. Bricknology wishes to implement the use of mycelium bricks in the upcoming Build-to-Order (BTO) flat at Sembawang area as a pilot programme. The team have selected Sembawang as there will be more public housing in the northern region of Singapore around existing and upcoming mass rapid transport(MRT) stations, including the newly opened canberra MRT. 

1.1 Current practices for public housing in Sembawang area

The team had observed that the bricks used to build the internal structure of the house in Sembawang were made up of in-situ reinforced concrete walls, precast concrete walls and masonry walls. In-situ reinforced concrete walls and mansory are made on site whereas precast concrete wall is made in the factory and assembled on the worksite. 

1.2 Problem Statement

Ideally, Building Construction Authority (BCA) should authorise the use of mycelium brick for all future construction. However, BCA is not implementing the use of mycelium bricks despite its potential as a sustainable material for construction.

1.3 Purpose Statement

The purpose of this report is to convince Building & Construction Authority to adopt the idea of using mycelium bricks and initiate a pilot project in the upcoming Build-to-Order (BTO) flat at Sembawang area. 

2. Proposed Solution

The team has referenced online research done for sustainable bricks has decided to propose the use of mycelium brick on the upcoming BTO flat at Sembawang area for BCA to consider.

2.1 Use mycelium bricks in place of conventional bricks

The team conducted a site visit to the upcoming BTO public housing in sembawang area. The team was told and observed that bricks used to build internal walls for the houses were mainly by concrete and clay bricks. It was further elaborated by the construction staff that in Singapore, most internal walls in buildings uses concrete or clay bricks because of its ability and cost. 

The production of concrete and clay bricks involves burning fossil fuels to heat the bricks to high temperatures which produces a high amount of CO2 as a by-product. It is also noteworthy that the production of concrete and clay bricks produces a ratio of 1 tonne of bricks to about 250kg of CO2 (Rathi, 2017). 

To reduce the amount of carbon emission, the team proposes the use of mycelium bricks. Mycelium is an organ belonging to fungi that plays the role of digesting and absorbing nutrients for the fungi. The current technique for growing mycelium bricks incorporates a process of decomposing organic waste materials such as agricultural waste and sawdust, allowing the mycelium to grow in a mould and drying them after to inhibit growth to retain the shape (Bonnefin, 2018). 

Although growing mycelium bricks does produce CO2, the production process comes at a sustainable cost of decomposing organic waste. This is a sustainable method of growing the mycelium as the mycelium is recycling essential nutrients from the organic waste (Hebel, Javadian, Saedi, 2019). Furthermore, at the end of a building’s estimated safe habitable lifespan, the building has to be torn down with its bricks. Concrete, the main bulk of what forms a building cannot be recycled, which means that the carbon used to produce these concrete bricks can never be reused. On the contrary, mycelium brick, given the right conditions, is easily biodegradable into soil which recycles the nutrients (Critical Concrete, 2018). In comparison with producing the same number of concrete or clay bricks, mycelium bricks produces less CO2 by a large margin.

With the incorporation of mycelium bricks into the built environment, BCA would be a leader in Singapore’s sustainability, using naturally made bricks that is at the same time, biodegradable after its projected life expectancy.

3. Benefits of Proposed Solutions

The team’s proposed solutions can lead to many benefits for Singapore’s built environment sector.

3.1 Physical Capabilities 

Mycelium brick is fifty six times per cubic meter lighter than your typical conventional bricks. Despite it being lighter compared to conventional bricks, mycelium bricks are stronger than conventional bricks in terms of pound-for-pound (Critical concrete, 2018). It is capable to withstand a high amount of compression force.  Mycelium bricks can be grown in a controlled environment where the mycelium is grown in such a way so as to produce desired physical capabilities. In one such experiment, the results are a mycelium brick that is 200,000 times more ductile than steel, 10,000 more rigid than brick while still able to support the weight of 50 cars (Abrams, 2014). As proven from architectural structures, it is able to withstand external factors such as wind and rain. 

3.2 Fire Resistance 

Although mycelium does take a shorter time to ignite in comparison with clay and concrete, the beauty about mycelium bricks is that the moment the outer layer is burnt, a layer of char forms on the surface of the mycelium which actually increases the flame resistance of the entire brick itself (Jones, Bhat, Wang, John & Moinuddin, 2017). This results in the bricks actually being able to last longer in prolonged fires, maintaining its structural integrity long enough so that the building does not collapse under its own weight, leaving room for people to escape.

3.3 Good thermal insulation 

Mycelium insulation has way better R-value and EPS R- value as compared to conventional insulation boards. It does not absorb heat as fast as the conventional boards (Critical Concrete, 2018). R-value is a measure of resistance to heat flow through a given thickness of material. The higher it is, the greater the resistance to heat flow. It is also thinner and lighter which makes it easier for construction process.


















3.4 Environmentally friendly

Mycelium is 100% biodegradable as it is an organic compound. It does not release any toxic or volatile compounds when biologically broken down. It is a common misconception that since mycelium is an organic compound, it will therefore rot easily overtime. However, this is easily prevented by drying and coating the mycelium brick to protect it from moisture.

3.5 Health
From an article “Production of Mycelium brick”, (Kishan, Rahul, Rohan & Anshul, 2018) stated that the production of conventional bricks releases many toxic pollutants such as carbon monoxide and sulphur oxides. It was further elaborated that such pollutants causes 27% of people to pass on due to cardiovascular related diseases and pneumoconiosis. As mycelium brick uses bio-based materials, it reduces the amount of toxic pollutants being released into the atmosphere. With the decrement of toxic pollutants, it will reduce the chance of people getting diseases. 

3.6 Production 
The production of mycelium brick is simple and versatile. Pieces of agricultural waste materials and natural organic materials can be used to make mycelium bricks, thus reducing the use of fossil fuel required when using kiln. The reduction of fossil fuel usage will result in less CO2 emissions. 

3.7 Economical 
Mycelium bricks does not rely on conventional factories which uses expensive machines and materials but  just a mould and waste material. This reduces overall cost of production by a huge margin. A square foot of mycelia material costs around $50 (Chitnavis,2019). It only requires more human effort to put the materials together but overall it does not cost as much as producing conventional bricks.

4. Limitations of proposed solution

4.1 Weak compressive strength

Comparing mycelium bricks to concrete bricks in terms of compressive strength, mycelium bricks can only withstand 30 psi whereas a concrete block can withstand 4000 psi to 10,000 psi (Bonnefin, 2018). Mycelium bricks cannot support as much weight as compared to a normal concrete block. However, the growth of the mycelium can be controlled in such a way so as to produce varying compressive strengths.

4.2 Production

Mycelium takes time to grow, taking a few days to weeks to be able to use it as a component to make the bricks. External factors such as temperature and moisture affects the rate of growth of the mycelium. Due to the uncertainty in its completion, it affects the marketability as an easily accessible product. 

4.3 Long term

Mycelium bricks are still in the early stages in their line of production. As a result, the full capabilities of these bricks have yet to be known. Much of its credibility is theoretical as to how long it is able to last in residential and non residential buildings. It might be the solution to replacing all conventional bricks but because mycelium bricks have only been around for about 5 years, no concrete research is available for these bricks in a 50 year lifespan. No matter how much research and claims from experts that says it will last, it will only remain as projections. The only thing we are able to fully trust is to wait until it reaches its maximum brick lifespan.

4.4 Compromised structural integrity

After the drying phase, the mycelium has to be completely dry to kill off all of the fungus to inhibit its growth. If the drying phase is not done properly, the fungus can still grow which risks the brick rotting and losing its structural integrity. If the structural integrity of the brick is at risk, it may collapse and endanger its occupants. 

5. Methods & Procedures

The team came across an article stating that conventional bricks uses mainly concrete and masonry which releases harmful pollutants during the process of burning in the kiln. Therefore, the team decided to research on alternative of bricks which is environmentally friendly and found out about mycelium bricks. This section details the methods used by the team to gather information for the report. 

5.1 Primary Research 

The team went down to Sembawang public housing estate and conducted interviews with construction staff to find out the type of bricks they were using for construction site. As most of the construction workers were from India, they mentioned that India is a country that produce most of the conventional bricks. As one of the team members used to work as a hotel technician, he was able to observe the type of cement and bricks that they were using.  

5.2 Secondary Research

The team did research through articles, government websites and newspapers for relevant information of mycelium bricks.

6. Conclusion 

Climate change has been an ongoing issue in the world and urgent actions are needed to prevent it. BCA can take action through piloting the use of mycelium bricks to reduce Singapore’s demand of conventional bricks. With the reduction of demand, the supply of conventional bricks will be reduced thus leading to lesser carbon emissions. 

Other than implementing the proposed solution, BCA can also explore other environmentally sustainable alternatives and try it in a pilot programme.

With BCA paving the way through promoting the use of mycelium brick, the private sector will be inspired to follow suit. Collectively, Singapore will be discouraging the use of conventional bricks and thus reducing its contribution to carbon emissions in the world. 



Reference
Abrams,M. (2014, October 22). Construction materials made from ‘shrooms’. The American society of mechanical engineers. Retrieved October 1, 2019, from https://www.asme.org/topics-resources/content/construction-materials-made-from-shrooms
Critical Concrete. (2019, January). Mycelium cardboard insulation. Retrieved October 1, 2019, from https://criticalconcrete.com/mycelium-cardboard-insulation/
Consiglio.L(2019, July 11). Eco-conscious construction: Three innovative solutions for sustainable builds. Pbctoday. Retrieved October 23, 2019, from https://www.pbctoday.co.uk/news/planning-construction-news/sustainable-builds/59900/
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. (2018, October 8). Summary for Policymakers of IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C approved by governments. Retrieved September 28, 2019, from https://www.ipcc.ch/2018/10/08/summary-for-policymakers-of-ipcc-special-report-on-global-warming-of-1-5c-approved-by-governments/
National Climate Change Secretary. (n.d). Singapore’s Emission Profile. Retrieved October 1, 2019, from https://www.nccs.gov.sg/climate-change-and-singapore/national-circumstances/singapore's-emissions-profile
Rodgers.L (2018, December 17). Climate change: The massive CO2 emitter you may not know about. BBC News. Retrieved September 28, 2019, from https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-46455844
Sustainable Design Collective. (2015). Importance of sustainable architecture and design. Retrieved October 20, 2015, from https://www.sustainabledesigncollective.co.uk/kit-homes/importance-sustainable-architecture-design/
Youjin.L.(2019, August 5). Temperatures in Singapore could hit 40°C as early as 2045: Scientists. Today online. Retrieved October 1, 2019, from https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/singapore-could-swelter-through-40degc-days-2045-if-business-usual-emissions


Climate & Clean Air Coalition. Bricks (2019). Retrieved from https://www.ccacoalition.org/ar/node/72
Brownstone.S (2014, October 2). This crazy brick structure is grown from mushrooms and can keep itself cool all summer. Fast Company. Retrieved October 23, 2019, from https://www.fastcompany.com/3026177/this-crazy-brick-structure-is-grown-from-mushrooms-and-can-keep-itself-cool-all-summer

Rathi.A. (2017, December 6). The material that built the modern world is also destroying it. Here’s a fix. Quartz. Retrieved October 23, 2019,from https://qz.com/1123875/the-material-that-built-the-modern-world-is-also-destroying-it-heres-a-fix/
Global climate report-September 2019 (2019). Retrieved October 1, 2019, from https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/global/201909
Chitnavis.S(2019, January 25). Fungi fantasies: The future is made up of mushrooms. Tech spotlight. Retrieved October 23, 2019 from https://www.science-entrepreneur.com/blog-1/fungi-fantasie
Producing mycelium insulation (2018, October 31). Retrieved October 15, 2019, from https://criticalconcrete.com/producing-mycelium-insulation/ 
Foster.J(2014, February 9). Insulation grown from fungi. Arch daily. Retrieved October 1, 2019, from https://www.archdaily.com/473052/insulation-grown-from-funghi

Dikarya (2014, November 14). A mushroom material project. Retrieved September 28, 2019, from https://www.slideshare.net/funk97/ecovative-mushroom-material


Friday, November 1, 2019



Draft 2 technical writing report:

This report responds to a call for proposal to recommend an engineering solution to a specific problem in the built environment sector. 

Cement is inarguably the most used and crucial construction resource since civilizations came into existence and more buildings that are bigger and taller will inevitably be constructed in the future. Rodger (2018) states that most of our concrete in the world is being used to construct buildings and that the main ingredient of concrete is cement, whose production contributes to 8% of the world’s carbon emissions, which is equivalent to 2.2 billion tons of carbon dioxide per year.

According to Climate & Clean Air Coalition (CCAC,n.d), the process of producing bricks in kilns releases large amounts of pollutants such as sulphur dioxide and black carbon into the atmosphere. These effects are not easily reversed and will accumulate in the earth’s atmosphere much to the suffering of future generations.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) mentioned in their special report that it is essential to maintain global temperature within 1.5 degree celsius . A one-degree increment of global temperature can result in a drastic increase of the atmospheric temperature. 
Based on National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the global temperature in September 2009 was 0.62 degree celsius. Currently, the global temperature is at 0.95 degree celsius. Despite it being under 1.5 degrees, there was a 0.32 degree increase of global temperature within a decade. 

Dr Koh Poh Koon, Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry, mentioned that Singapore generated 52.5 million tonnes of greenhouse gases in 2017 which contributed 0.11% of global emissions, that equates to 8,000 tonnes of CO2 per capita in that year (Tan, 2019). According to Dr Muhammad Eeqmal Hassim, senior research scientist with the MSS Centre for Climate Research Singapore (as cited from Channel News Asia), with the rise of carbon emission, it will lead to an increase of Singapore’s daily temperature from 35 to 37 degrees celsius.

The most direct way Bricknology can contribute to the reduction of climate change is through convincing BCA to adopt the idea of using mycelium bricks in Yio Chu Kang private housing estate as a pilot programme. By implementing the use of mycelium bricks as a pilot programme in Yio Chu Kang private housing estate, the team hopes that Singapore could set an example to the world that mycelium bricks can help in reducing the overall global greenhouse gas emissions problem.

1.1 Current practices for Yio Chu Kang private housing

The team had observed that the bricks used to build the internal structure of the house in Yio Chu Kang private housing were made up of clay and concrete.

Clay bricks 

1.2 Problem Statement

Building Construction Authority (BCA) to authorized the use of mycelium brick for all future construction. However, BCA is not implementing the use of mycelium bricks despite its potential. 

1.3 Purpose Statement

The purpose of this report is to convince Building & Construction Authority to adopt the idea of using mycelium bricks and initiate a pilot project in Yio Chu Kang private housing estate. 

2. Proposed Solution

The team has referenced online research done for sustainable bricks and have decided to propose a solution for BCA to consider:

2.1 Use mycelium bricks in place of conventional bricks

The team conducted interviews with the construction supervisors and workers in Yio Chu Kang private housing during a site visit. The team was told and observed that bricks used in Yio Chu Kang private estate houses to build internal walls were mainly by concrete and clay bricks. 

The production of making these bricks involve heating the bricks to high temperatures which produces a high amount of CO2 as a by-product.  It is also noteworthy that the production of concrete and clay bricks produces a ratio of 1 tonne of bricks to about 250kg of CO2 (Rathi, 2017).

Mycelium bricks reduces the carbon emission of producing the same number of concrete or clay bricks by a large margin. 


3. Advantages of mycelium bricks 

3.1 Good physical capabilities 

Mycelium bricks is fifty six times per cubic meter lighter than your typical conventional bricks. It is capable to withstand a high amount of compression force.In one such experiment, the results are a mycelium brick that is 200,000 times more ductile than steel, 10,000 more rigid than brick while still able to support the weight of 50 cars (Abrams, 2014)
 As proven from architectural structures, it is able to withstand external factors such as wind and rain.

3.2 Fire resistance 

Although mycelium does take a shorter time to ignite in comparison with clay and concrete, the beauty about mycelium bricks is that the moment the outer layer is burnt, a layer of char forms on the surface of the mycelium which actually increases the flame resistance of the entire brick itself. This results in the bricks actually being able to last longer in prolonged fires, maintaining its structural integrity long enough so that the building does not collapse under its own weight., leaving room for people to escape.

3.3 Good thermal insulation 

Mycelium insulation has way better R-value and EPS R- value as compared to conventional insulation boards.It does not absorb heat as fast as the conventional boards. It is also thinner and lighter which makes it easier for construction process.

3.4 Environmental effects

Mycelium are 100% biodegradable and they can be found in abundance on the planet. It does not release any volatile organic compounds. As it is made up of fungi, people will get the misconception that overtime it will turn rotten and start releasing foul smell and release harmful gases. Thus it will not release any external harmful effects.

3.5 Resources and production
The production of mycelium does not cost much as it uses bio-based materials and is biologically grown.  Even pieces of agricultural waste materials and natural bio materials can be used to make mycelium bricks. It does not rely on factories for producing mycelium bricks unlike conventional bricks. Thus hugely reducing the use of artificial energy and the amount of CO2s to produce mycelium. 

4. Disadvantages of mycelium bricks 


4.1 Weak compressive strength

Mycelium bricks can only withstand 30 psi whereas a concrete block can withstand 4000 psi to 10,000 psi. Mycelium bricks can not support as much weight as compared to a normal concrete block.

4.2 Production

As components of mycelium takes time to grow, it might take a few days to weeks to be able to use it as a component to make the bricks. External factors such as temperature and moisture might delay the growth of the components of mycelium.

4.3 Long term

As mycelium bricks is very new to the line of production. It does not have much credibility on how long it is able to last in residential and non residential buildings. It might be the solution to replacing all conventional bricks but who knows in fifty years in might crumble due to some problems. No matter how much research and claims from experts that says it will last, it will only remain as projections. The only thing we are able to fully trust is to wait until it reaches its maximum brick lifespan.


Tuesday, October 29, 2019



Draft 1 technical writing report:

This report respond to a call for proposal to recommend an engineering solution to a specific problem in the built environment case of focus. The team decided to convince Building & Construction Authority to adopt the idea of using mycelium bricks and initiate a pilot project in Yio Chu Kang private housing estate.

Cement is inarguably the most used and crucial construction resource since civilizations came into existence and more buildings that are bigger and taller will inevitably be constructed in the future. British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) states that most of our concrete in the world is being used to construct buildings and that the main ingredient of concrete is cement, whose production contributes to 8% of the world’s carbon emissions, which is equivalent to 2.2 billion tons of carbon dioxide per year (BBC, 2018).

According to Climate & Clean Air Coalition (CCAC), the process of producing bricks in kilns releases large amounts of pollutants such as sulphur dioxide and black carbon into the atmosphere. These effects are not easily reversed and will accumulate in the earth’s atmosphere much to the suffering of future generations.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) mentioned in their special report that it is essential to maintain global temperature within 1.5 degree celsius . A one-degree increment of global temperature can result in a drastic increase of the atmospheric temperature.

Based on National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the global temperature in September 2009 was 0.62 degree celsius. Currently, the global temperature is at 0.95 degree celsius. Despite it being under 1.5 degrees, there was a 0.32 degree increase of global temperature within a decade.

Dr Koh Poh Koon, Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry, mentioned that Singapore generated 52.5 million tonnes of greenhouse gases in 2017 which contributed 0.11% of global emissions, that equates to 8,000 tonnes of CO2 per capita in that year (The Straits Times, 2019). With the rise of carbon emission, it will lead to an increase of Singapore’s daily temperature from 35 to 37 degrees celsius. (Dr Muhammad Eeqmal Hassim, senior research scientist with the MSS Centre for Climate Research Singapore).

The most direct way Bricknology can contribute to the reduction of climate change is through convincing BCA to adopt the idea of using mycelium bricks. One tonne of cement produces 1.2 tonnes of CO2 (BBC, 2018). As mentioned, Singapore contributed 0.11% of global emission hence by implementing the use of mycelium bricks in Singapore, it will help tackle the overall global problem of reducing the production of conventional bricks. Thus reducing emissions of greenhouse gasses.

1.1 Current practices for Yio Chu Kang private housing:

The current bricks used to build the internal structure of the house in Yio Chu Kang private housing are made up of clay and concrete. Clay bricks are more commonly used in the construction industry in Singapore.

1.2 Problem Statement:

Building Construction Authority (BCA) is not implementing the use of mycelium bricks despite it potential. Bricknology aims to convince BCA to pilot the use of mycelium bricks in Yio Chu Kang private housing estates.


1.3 Purpose Statement:

The purpose of this report is to propose to convince BCA to implement the use of mycelium bricks in all newly constructed private houses located at Yio Chu Kang.

Wednesday, October 16, 2019


Draft #3 Summary Reader Response: “Developing Sustainable Infrastructure in New Cities”

In the article "Developing sustainable infrastructure in new cities", Cho (2014) expressed the importance of sustainable infrastructure in a metropolitan setting and identified key areas in determining how infrastructure can add value to the community. It stated that, the economic driven-developments in new cities are affected by metropolitan challenges, thus enhancing in functionality and durability of infrastructure are necessary. As an impact King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) Fellow, Cho intended to use the Envision sustainability rating system as an impartial guideline to evaluate sophisticated infrastructure development. Cho used the Neuvo Nexcaxa- Avila Camacho Highway in Mexico as fitting reference to how the rating system would tackle these economic, social and environmental effects. To a notable degree, Cho has elaborated on the Envision sustainability rating system created to improve on the infrastructure development to enhance the quality of life in the developing areas as the guidelines would be the main backbone in improving the social, economic and environmental existing conditions. 

Firstly, the use of Envision sustainability rating system to evaluate infrastructure development will lead to improvements in existing social conditions. Contreras, C. & Gloria, T. (2017) stated that it would open paths to “local employment in the area, promotion of growth and development, improvement of mobility, or preservation of cultural assets in the community. With the developments coming up in time to come, it will help rural areas to sustain independently as it creates openings in the communities. Currently the demand for sustainable infrastructure is relatively high. Private sectors and the government are working closely together to pave way by integrating the rating system during the infrastructure development. Being able to follow the guidelines given, this will help project developers to aim for a higher score and produce a better sustainable infrastructure design. In the article, it stated that “Infrastructure should account for enhancing the quality of life of communities”. Thus, they are heading towards the right direction to identify ways to integrate sustainability.

Secondly, the importance of rating the infrastructure will help project developers improve sustainable infrastructure. From the article, Clevenger, C. M., Ozbek, M. E., & Simpson, S. (2013) stated that “Envision is the only system applicable to many different types of infrastructure projects”. The system is designed for industries to improve their status quo by identifying ways to further improve on the infrastructure, which has a point system. Points will be given if there are improvements made and it will be converted to monetary value. Not only will they earn incentives, by satisfying the overall guidelines, they will stand a chance to have their building awarded with the highest tier sustainability award. With the rating system, it will benefit the present and the future as industries will constantly find ways to chase incentives by tackling problems to improve the existing economic conditions.

Lastly, the importance of materials used in sustainable infrastructure will be key to reducing waste management. From the article Clevenger, C. M., Ozbek, M. E., & Simpson, S. (2013) it stated that “Resource Allocation applies to the sustainable use materials, water and energy in the project.” Project developers will have to make do with the resources that they are given. There is a criterion in the rating system which encourages the government and private sectors to use recycled or reusable materials. It will cut down on costs by a huge margin. Points will be awarded if the criteria have been met. By reusing waste materials and incorporating it into the construction development, it shows that how much is taken into consideration to boost the environmental conditions. This is a good way to integrate with the environment as it helps to reduce waste management by heavily reusing and recycling materials.

In conclusion, by following the proper guidelines and ensuring constant improvements towards developing the infrastructure, it will greatly benefit people around the community and help to incorporate economic development with environmental sustainability. Hence, the rating system will be the foundation towards building a sustainable infrastructure. 

Source:

Cho, H. (2014, December). Developing sustainable infrastructure in new cities. Retrieved from https://newcities.org/evaluating-sustainable-infrastructure-development-new-cities/

Contreras, C., & Gloria, T. (2017, October). An Envision rating system approach to sustainable infrastructure in Latin America and the Caribbean. In International Conference on Sustainable Infrastructure 2017.Retrieved from https://ascelibrary.org/doi/pdf/10.1061/9780784478745.066

Shealy, T., & Klotz, L. (2014). Envision as choice architecture: can smarter defaults lead to more sustainable designs? In ICSI 2014: Creating Infrastructure for a Sustainable World .Retrieved from https://ascelibrary.org/doi/pdf/10.1061/9780784481196.003

Clevenger, C. M., Ozbek, M. E., & Simpson, S. (2013, April). Review of sustainability rating systems used for infrastructure projects. In 49th ASC Annual International Conference Proceedings. Associated Schools for Construction.Retrieved from http://ascpro0.ascweb.org/archives/cd/2013/paper/CPRT88002013.pdf


Tuesday, October 8, 2019


Draft #2 Summary Reader Response: "Developing Sustainable Infrastructure in New Cities"

In the article "Developing sustainable infrastructure in new cities", Cho(2014) expressed the importance of sustainable infrastructure in a metropolitan setting and identified key areas in determining how infrastructure can add value to the community. In the article, the economic driven-developments in new cities are affected by metropolitan challenges, thus enhancing in functionality and durability of infrastructure are necessary. As an impact King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) Fellow, Cho intended to use the Envision sustainability rating system as an impartial guideline to evaluate sophisticated infrastructure development. Cho used the Neuvo Nexcaxa- Avila Camacho Highway in Mexico as fitting reference to how the rating system would tackle these economic, social and environmental effects. In the course of the FellowshipCho aimed to “provide an Envision evaluation on a major planned road that is expected to be a main entry point and arterial road in King Abdullah Economic City", to satisfy KAEC's extensive sustainable infrastructure development. To a notable degree, Cho has elaborated about the Envision sustainability rating system created to improve on the infrastructure development to enhance the quality of life in the developing areas as the guidelines would be the main backbone in improving the social,economic and environmental status quo. 


Firstly, the use of Envision sustainability rating system to evaluate infrastructure development will lead to improvements in social status quo. It would open paths to “local employment in the area, promotion of growth and development, improvement of mobility, or preservation of cultural assets in the community” as quoted from Contreras, C. & Gloria, T. (2017). The demand for sustainable infrastructure is relatively high in rural areas. Private sectors and the government are working closely together to pave way by integrating the rating system during the infrastructure development. Being able to follow the guidelines given, this will help them aim for a higher score and produce a better sustainable infrastructure design. In the article, it stated that “Infrastructure should account for enhancing the quality of life of communities”. Thus, they are heading towards the right direction to identify ways to integrate sustainability.

Secondly, the importance of rating the infrastructure will prove how effective the rating system can be. From the article, Clevenger, C. M., Ozbek, M. E., & Simpson, S. (2013) stated that “Envision is the only system applicable to many different types of infrastructure projects”. Their rating system is designed for industries to improve their status quo by identifying ways to further improve on the infrastructure, which has a point system. Points will be given if there are improvements made and it will be converted to monetary value. With the rating system, it will benefit the present and the future as industries will constantly find ways to chase incentives by tackling problems to improve economic status quo.

Lastly, the importance of materials used in sustainable infrastructure will be key to reducing waste management. From the article Clevenger, C. M., Ozbek, M. E., & Simpson, S. (2013, April) it stated that “Resource Allocation applies to the sustainable use materials, water and energy in the project.” There is a criterion in the rating system which encourages the government and private sectors to use recycled or reusable materials. Points will be awarded if the criteria have been met. By reusing waste materials and incorporating it into the construction development, it shows that how much is taken into consideration to boost the environmental status quo. This is a good way to integrate with the environment as it helps to reduce waste management by heavily reusing and recycling materials.

In conclusion, by following the proper guidelines and ensuring constant improvements towards developing the infrastructure, it will greatly benefit people around the community, improve the environment and economic status quo. Hence, the rating system will be the foundation towards building a sustainable infrastructure. 



Source:
 From "Developing Sustainable Infrastructure in New Cities" by H. Cho, 2014

Contreras, C., & Gloria, T. (2017, October). An Envision rating system approach to sustainable infrastructure in Latin America and the Caribbean. In International Conference on Sustainable Infrastructure 2017. Retrieved from https://ascelibrary.org/doi/pdf/10.1061/9780784478745.066

Shealy, T., & Klotz, L. (2014). Envision as choice architecture: Can smarter defaults lead to more sustainable designs? In ICSI 2014: Creating Infrastructure for a Sustainable WorldRetrieved from https://ascelibrary.org/doi/pdf/10.1061/9780784481196.003

Clevenger, C. M., Ozbek, M. E., & Simpson, S. (2013, April). Review of sustainability rating systems used for infrastructure projects. In 49th ASC Annual International Conference Proceedings . Associated Schools for Construction. Retrieved from http://ascpro0.ascweb.org/archives/cd/2013/paper/CPRT88002013.pdf