About 130 students from the Faculty of Design and Architecture, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) participated in an educational talk titled “Designing The Future With Sustainable Timber” jointly organised by the Faculty and the Malaysian Timber Certification Council (MTCC) on 8 October 2018.
The half-day education talk comprising two presentations was aimed at impressing the budding architects to appreciate wood and to embrace sustainability in their designs by prescribing the use of certified timber. It was also aimed at inspiring the architectural students to do their bit for the environment by supporting the implementation of sustainable forest management through certification in Malaysia.
The first presentation by MTCC CEO, Mr Yong Teng Koon provided an update on the Malaysian Timber Certification Scheme (MTCS), the implementation of which has made available the supply of MTCS-certified timber and timber products, both for export and local use.
“Timber is a renewable, versatile and aesthetically appealing building material that architects should capitalise on to design creative sustainable living solutions. Currently wood has been used mainly as form works in construction. Through this talk, we hope to spark the imagination of aspiring architects to use timber and in particular MTCS-certified timber beyond the form works stage, but as building material, be it for structure or interior decoration. In this age when the world is so concerned about the impact of climate change due to greenhouse gases (GHG) emission, the use of more wood in building would enable more carbon to be locked in the buildings throughout their life time. This would also contribute to our national effort to reduce GHG emission in line with our commitment made at the Paris Agreement,” said Yong.
In the second presentation, Ar Azman Zainal Md Nor, an established home grown architect shared his experience in the use of wood in building construction. He is most qualified to give the talk as he has “walked the talk” having built his three-storey wooden house solely with recycled timber and without nails, as well as many other timber bungalows and renovations elsewhere. His immense love for wood was manifested throughout his presentation. According to Ar Azman, “Wood is the most environmentally friendly material. It’s easy to use and shape than cement. More importantly, it is also a healthier choice as wooden homes have been proven to contribute towards the wellness and wellbeing of people dwelling within.”