LKC FES student receives three awards at ICRISC 2022

Master of Engineering Science student Ho Mun Ling of Lee Kong Chian Faculty of Engineering and Science was recently awarded “Best Research Paper Presentation”, “Best Research Paper Award” and “Best Student Research Award” at the International Conference on Research and Innovation in Sustainable Cities (ICRISC) 2022, organised virtually by Centre of Green Technology for Sustainable Cities (GTSC) of Politeknik Ungku Omar, in collaboration with Smart and Sustainable Township Research Centre (SUTRA) of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta (UMY), from 26 to 29 September 2022.

Ho thanked her supervisor Ir Ts Assoc Prof Dr Yew Ming Chian for his guidance, advice and support. She then explained, “It has always been my goal to reduce the building’s interior temperature because, over the years, the temperature of the building’s interior has increased, especially during the night, due to the built-up of thermal energy from the day. This leads to more people relying on air conditioners. Therefore, this research project provides a new idea for retrofitting the current roof system. The roof system in Malaysia did not have significant upgradation despite the increase in the city’s temperature and cooling load demand. Hence, there grows a huge potential for modernising the roof system as the roof is the biggest solar absorber. A roof system with higher thermal resistance allows lesser heat transferred to the building, namely the ‘cool roof’. Cool roofs were designed and further studied in the project.”

Her award-winning research titled “Influences of Lightweight Foam Concrete Roof Tile Hollow Sections and Thermal Reflective Coating in Cool Roof System” also highlights that modern civilisation is increasing the commercial and residential buildings demand, while a big part of the energy consumed in buildings is for cooling purposes. Modern building design requires sustainable cooling facilities whereby  an excellent roofing system plays an important role. This research investigates the performance of a cool roofing system that integrates lightweight foam concrete roof tile and a passive cool roofing system. The research has proven to be effective in reducing the building interior temperature, and thus also reduces the reliance on daily cooling load. The research is also in line with Sustainable Development Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities as it promotes natural cooling approaches to reduce a building’s interior temperature and the design of the roof suggested also executes the cooling function on its own without external energy consumption.

Themed Advancement Technology in Sustainable Construction through IR 4.0 for a Green Future, the conference served as an information-sharing platform to discuss and resolve recent issues and encourage research and innovation activities in sustainable urban development. The conference brought together students, researchers, scientists, engineers, industry players, and stakeholders interested and passionate about sustainability worldwide. The conference aimed to establish scientific links internationally to share and disseminate valuable information on activities in sustainable urban research, especially in developing countries.