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In the last few decades, new urban areas and city development projects are being created throughout Southeast Asia to accommodate the rapidly urbanizing population. As a result, urban heat flow, heat-absorbing construction materials, and reduced vegetation coverage have a significant impact on the microclimate of cities, building performance, and the quality of urban living. Therefore, it is critical to consider and implement strategies to improve the thermal conditions in urban areas. This study investigates the potential of indoor and ambient temperature reduction in tropical climatic conditions under an extensive green roof system. The palm oil clinker was used as a drainage layer with different depths of 60 mm, 70 mm and 80 mm. The temperature sensor was placed inside the wooden cubicle to monitor the indoor temperature. Beach morning glory (Ipomoea pes-caprae) was used as a vegetative layer and the ambient temperature was measured in between the plant. The results showed that the indoor temperature of the green roof has a reduction of 1°C to 2°C as compared to the bare roof from 10.00 AM until 4.00 PM. Meanwhile, the ambient temperature of the green roof has an average reduction of 3°C to 4°C from 10.00 AM until 4.00 PM. The reduction in the indoor temperature of the green roof has reflected the indoor heat gain and thus reduced the energy consumption to cool the building. In addition, the extensive green roof has the potential to reduce the temperature due to the effect of urban heat islands (UHI). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Continued construction activity is increasing demand to produce cement-based composites. Meanwhile, construction and demolition activities also generate solid waste that is disposed of in landfills. The disposal of ceramic tile waste (CTW) generated from construction projects at landfill pollutes the environment. Therefore, this study explores the impact of utilizing ceramic tile powder (CTP) as a partial cement replacement on the flowability, compressive strength and water absorption of mortar. Several mortar mixes were prepared with various percentages of CTP as a partial cement replacement in the mortar. All samples were subjected to continuous water curing. The results show that the use of an appropriate percentage of CTP results in comparable compressive strength and water absorption of the mortar. However, excessive use would result in a deterioration of mortar strength. In principle, the utilize of CTP in concrete would help to save natural resources and promote a cleaner environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing cement production contributes to global warming by harvesting a significant quantity of raw materials from the environment and calcination of limestone. Simultaneously, the cockle trade produces cockle shells, which are disposed of as environmentally damaging trash due to their slow decomposition rate. Using cockle shells as a mixing ingredient in cement production would alleviate the waste from ending up at the dumpsite. The purpose of this study is to determine the setting time, compressive strength and water absorption of mortar made using cockle shell powder subjected to the heat of 100°C and cockle shell ashes calcined at 650°C as a partial cement substitute. Cockle shell ash was employed at different amounts, namely 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40% by weight of cement during the production of mortar specimens. All specimens were water cured until the testing date. Few types of testing have been conducted, namely setting time, water absorption, and compressive strength. The findings show that mortar produced using 10% cockle shell calcined at higher temperature exhibits lower water absorption and higher compressive strength. Success in utilising cockle shells for cement production would reduce pollution caused by cockle waste disposal and the cement industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]