The crisis of freshwater has been occurring in the world including Indonesia. Up to now, almost two-thirds of Jakarta’s inhabitants and other big cities of Indonesia still rely on the shallow groundwater individually as source of freshwater. The problem is that they always suffer from drought regularly due to the decreasing water table levels in their surroundings. Precisely, the problem relates with the absence of well-planned urban ecosystem. The condition of shallow groundwater is affected by related factors of population density, land use, and green space elements mainly the urban parks. Through the interpretation of the Qur’ānic verse (an-Naml: 60) and utilisation of the Zalewski’s ‘eco-hydrology’ concept that stresses the relationship between vegetation and hydrology, this study explores water conservation through urban park. The research method covers observation of the urban parks condition in Jakarta and measurement of the soil water status on roots zone beneath the vertical class of vegetation in Ragunan and Pondok Kopi Parks (2004-2005). The study concludes that urban park has ability and suitability to conserve water. The bigger the urban park is the better for water conservation purposes. Regarding with water status as well as roots zone volume of selected species, tree is more valuable for water conservation than shrub, grass, and bare land. Besides, the study introduces the interlinking parks model that connects to green space elements for improving urban ecosystem including groundwater properly. Hence, this study is useful to add the roles of urban landscape planning, water conservation, urban development policy and urban ecosystem. It is also academically worthy of support since it could help disseminate ideas on Islamisation of knowledge. Keywords: urban ecosystem, water conservation, ecohydrology, urban park, and roots zone.

In most of the mosques in the Islamic world, calligraphy is part and parcel of their interior design. The art of calligraphy that developed from Semitic alphabet reached the golden age during the Abbasid period. Besides calligraphy, the art of mosques’ decoration also combines the arabesque, geometry and vegetal patterns. Based on that there is no clear prohibition to decorate mosques, calligraphy and other ornamentation is allowed on condition that it is done with the intention of enhancing the respects and dignity of the mosque. Adopting the historical and descriptive research method, three mosques from Egypt and Turkey respectively and five mosques from Malaysia were chosen via purposive sampling. Cairo offers a fair overview of mosque styles since they have been influenced from many different ruling empires. In Turkey, a very important role in the calligraphy development was undoubtedly played by the encouragement and protection given by the Sultāns as verified by their magnificent mosques. In Malaysia, the interiors and exteriors of mosques also have wonderful examples of Islamic calligraphy, with local calligraphers sometimes working side by side with foreign calligraphers to ensure the best results. The Islamic Arts Museum (IAMM) Kuala Lumpur displays a special role in Islamic Arts and Architecture in Malaysia as there is a gallery dedicated to calligraphy and architecture. Jāwi script is considered to be an endangered script although there are still enthusiasts who exercise Jāwi for a limited purpose. The findings had answered all the research questions. The study that across a thousand years reveal that the Thulth script is evergreen and the most preferable style in mosques followed by Kūfī and Nasta‛līq. The most common theme of Qur’ānic inscriptions in mosques is the Shahādah, followed by themes that illustrate the relationship between man and the Creator, Muslim’s responsibilities and the role of mosque in their life.

Loss of world heritage sites due to massive earthquake, building erosion, human activity, natural disaster, et cetera has been central issues of cultural heritage sites preservation and documentation to safeguard these places of cultural importance for future generations. As such, many research and development projects using digital media, particularly using three-dimensional reconstruction, have been done to acquire and preserve the cultural information and architectural documentation of these heritage sites. However, little is found on disseminating these masterpieces using virtual reality technology for public knowledge and hence there is lacking of user evaluation being undertaken to gauge user responses in real-world use. The central aim of this thesis is to evaluate virtual reality for cultural heritage sites in real-world use. Thus, the objectives of this thesis are as follows: (i) to determine the user requirements of virtual reality for cultural heritage sites in real-world use, (ii) to design and develop a prototype of virtual reality application for cultural heritage sites, and (iii) to evaluate the effectiveness of the developed virtual reality application for cultural heritage sites in the context of Malaysian museums. This study adapts the Design Science Research Methodology, which emphasizes on the need for constructive research methods that allow the disciplined, rigorous and transparent building of a virtual reality application as outcomes and to distinguish the work from an ordinary practice of developing an application. According to user requirements gathered from expert interviews, a virtual reality prototype for architectural heritage was designed and developed. During the development stages, three exp~t reviews were conducted to inform the design. A functional virtual reality prototype was then evaluated by visitors in two museums and students in a laboratory setting. Data collection techniques include quasi-experiment, observation, and post-interview. Usability results were satisfactory for virtual reality, however, observation revealed visitors had difficulties in navigation using two input devices. Presence results were significant for field of view and sense of scale and factors contributing to presence were identified from user responses. For leamability, the user evaluation revealed that by using the virtual reality, visitors were able to capture architectural elements and social interaction that leads to meaning-making in museums has taken place. Comparisons between virtual reality and video and the Web were also discussed. User responses suggest that VR was preferred mainly due to its self-control navigational capabilities and its visual realism which both giving them sense of presence in that cultural heritage site. The thesis provides an empirical evidence of virtual reality in architectural heritage learning in terms of usability, presence, and learnability. Besides, this thesis has proven that virtual reality can technically preserve the architectural elements of a cultural heritage site. This thesis also provides lists of user requirements from perspectives of experts and the general public to assist future virtualreality_foLarchitecturaLheritageJearning development projects.

Social housing is an issue of concern for governments all over the world. In Algeria, the issue of housing has been addressed since independence in 1962 where the housing policies implemented in Algeria have raised many discussions. As urban growth has been increasing steadily and given that adequate quality social housing in urban areas is beyond most low-income Algerians. This research investigates and evaluates social housing quality, adequacy, provision and quality of life of the residents of social housing in the city of Batna in eastern Algeria. It explores and examines the interrelationships between variables affecting social housing. The thesis explores the relationship between Socio-economic Characteristics (SEC), Residential Quality and Housing Adequacy (RQHA), Social Housing Provision (SHP), and Residents’ Quality of life (RQOL) in the context of social housing in Batna city. A conceptual framework was developed through an extensive review of the literature proposing a total of ten hypotheses. To achieve its objectives, this research adopted a mixed-method design by testing the proposed conceptual framework using primary data collected from a survey of 418 residents. The data were analysed using descriptive analysis and Exploratory Factor Analysis through SPSS. In addition, Confirmatory Factor Analysis was performed using AMOS before validating the measurement model and testing the hypotheses through structural equation modelling as proposed in the conceptual framework. A face-to-face semi-structured interview was conducted with five selected experts. These individuals were selected based on their experience and engagement in areas related to social housing. The interviews were analysed using thematic analysis and coding procedures. Besides that, direct qualitative observation was performed to examine the current physical environment of the study area. This was followed by the analysis of documents obtained from the Housing Department including statistics, maps, photos, and architectural plans. The results revealed that six out of ten hypotheses were supported. RQHA appeared to have a vital role in the conceptual framework as it influences SHP and RQOL and it was influenced by SEC. In addition, RQHA fully mediates the relationship between SEC and SHP, and between SEC and RQOL. The findings of the qualitative interviews revealed three main themes, namely housing policies in terms of quality and quantity, housing adequacy and quality of life, and improvement of social housing quality. Accordingly, a significant change in the structure of the Algerian housing policies is effectively needed to offer decent and adequate housing and to meet the needs of their residents especially in terms of internal and external design, and public spaces. The findings would serve as an instrument to support and guide housing policies. This will ameliorate social housing in terms of its quality, adequacy and provision which will lead to improving the residents’ quality of life. The findings contribute significantly to government, housing stakeholders including Offices of Promotion and Real Estate Management, architects, project managers, and urban planners in the context of social housing policymakers, design, planning and construction.

This thesis is concerned with the impact of social factors affecting the satisfaction levels of contemporary Muslim Saudi visual artists (CMSVA). Satisfaction is a strong predictor of overall individual well-being. Although satisfaction level has been subjected to increased scrutiny in recent years, Muslim visual artists’ satisfaction levels have received only slight attention in the literature. This study examines how social factors influence the satisfaction levels of CMSVA. This naturally includes understanding the relationships between the concerned social factors. To achieve this, we develop a comprehensive model and empirically test several social factors affecting CMSVA’ satisfaction. The results from such an analysis will assist in effectively planning approaches to the social and artistic empowerment of CMSVA in the advancement of their careers and the preservation of the artistic identity and integrity of Saudi culture, history, and society. This is the first attempt to identify social factors affecting CMSVA’s satisfaction level in producing visual art and distinguishing the relationship between the social factors affecting CMSVA’ satisfaction level. The research data were collected by means of a survey through personal interviews and a structured questionnaire. Out of 500 targeted respondents, 265 questionnaires were deemed usable for statistical analysis. Statistical tests were performed using statistical procedures of SPSS version 17 and AMOS version 20. The main statistical techniques used included exploratory factor analysis (EFA), the Levene test for homogeneity of variances (ANOVA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) - Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The current research provides significant academic insights and managerial implications and contributes to knowledge in the field of visual art research. The finding confirms that knowledge in Saudi Arabia was one of the social factors positively affecting contemporary Muslim Saudi visual artists’ satisfaction level. We also demonstrated that social and institutional support, environmental effects, audiences, travel and financial abundance can be effective in CMSVA’ satisfaction level along with social accomplishment, personal accomplishment and enhancement as fundamentals of satisfaction. Hence, to improve CMSVA’ satisfaction level, social factors in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia especially knowledge must be studied and examined. The current research demonstrates that the acceptance of the unified model of social factors affecting CMSVA’ satisfaction level established in the Muslim Saudi culture may be transferred to other cultures although with varying degrees of difference. Assessing the satisfaction level of CMSVA helps to enhance their status, eventually leading to improved contemporary Muslim Saudi visual art.

This study identified the housing affordability factors among young professionals aged between 25 and 35 working or residing in the Greater Kuala Lumpur. Young professionals in this study refer to at least bachelor degree graduates and narrowed to the built environment profession namely engineer, architect, urban planner, and quantity surveyor (QS). In assessing housing affordability, two different approaches were applied: economic and social. The residual income model (RIM) was used to measure housing affordability from the economic perspective, while the concepts of housing pathways and housing transitions were integrated to explore the aspect of affordability from the social perspective. Five research objectives were composed in this study: (1) To define the young professionals, (2) To identify the young professional group that is adversely affected by housing affordability, (3) To determine housing affordability factors through RIM, (4) To explore housing affordability amongst young professionals through housing pathways, and finally (5) To recommend the success factors of housing affordability. The question nnaires were distributed amongst 341 respondents selected through stratified random sampling and the outcomes were analysed via binary logistic regression (BLR). Additionally, 14 interviewees were involved in the semi-structure interview session and the data were analysed via narrative analysis. The findings revealed that the age range of 25-35 was more appropriate to define the young professionals for this study. Those young professionals between 25 and 28 years old were more affected by housing affordability and amongst all the professions taken into consideration; engineers appeared to be the most affordable ones for housing. The statistical findings showed that the significant predictors comprised of professionals (engineer, architect, QS), presence of children, household income, household expenditure, transportation cost, housing cost, and housing location (Kuala Lumpur, Petaling Jaya and Putrajaya). Apart from these factors, demographics, employment, housing history, health, and aspiration were explicitly explored during the interview sessions. The most remarkable contribution of this study is the discovery of success factors that led young people to afford housing, which are: early awareness, enhanced financial literacy, committed in career, and income diversification. Finally, this study suggests that in order to develop the standard income for young professionals to evade low income offer, enhancing financial literacy and eventually encouraging young professionals to involve in investment are of utmost importance.

Malaysia is an Islamic country that possess beautiful Islamic Architectural charms scattered in every region, and mosque is one of the main attractions. Mosques in Malaysia is not merely a house of worship and an Islamic institution to the Muslim community, yet it is a place to visit among non-Muslim tourists locally and internationally. This is in line with the rapid development and increasing demand for Islamic and Religious Tourism. Most importantly, mosque is an edifice that exhibit and depict the whole picture of Islam, its practice and the diverse cultures of the country. Thus, it is crucial to ensure that Tourism Mosques in Malaysia serve the best facilitation and quality service to tourists, more specifically the non-Muslims. In relation to this, the research aimed at assessing Tourism Mosques’ performance in the perspective and experience of non-Muslim tourists. In conducting the research, a sequential mix-methodology approach was applied. At the first stage, it begun with quantitative approach which sought to evaluate tourists’ satisfaction towards destination determinant attributes through questionnaire survey that were answered by 900 non-Muslim tourists at 6 Tourism Mosques. This is followed by the second stage of qualitative approach that employed hermeneutical phenomenology interview to explore and analyse non-Muslim tourists’ experiences. Statistical data gained from the questionnaire survey were analysed using SPSS Software for descriptive and inferential analyses. Meanwhile, data from semi-structured interview for phenomenology were analysed using thematic coding technique in determining new additional destination determinant attributes. Essentially, combination of data from both the research approaches attempted to develop model of determinant attributes that influence tourist experience at Tourism Mosques. The result obtained from the study had informed that the 6 Tourism Mosques is satisfying to tourists and the satisfaction model and checklist developed through the both stages of assessment is reliable and practical. As an impact, the research is expected beneficial for Tourism Mosque organisers in Malaysia to evaluate and continuously monitor their program performances through the recommended tourist satisfaction checklist. Furthermore, the result, data and recommendation could also be a reference for Islamic Tourism Centre (ITC) Malaysia, Ministry of Tourism and Culture Malaysia (MoTaC) and other tourism players to monitor and plan the better destination development strategies that are relevant to elevate Tourism Mosque’s potential.

Mass Rapid Transit System is the rail-based public transport providing connectivity between fringe and the city centre. Nevertheless, in Klang Valley the targetted ridership has yet to be attained due to several identified issues, including first and last mile connectivity, stations’ facility and dominance of private vehicles undermining the efficiency of buses as an attractive alternative mode for road-based movement. Equitable accessibility is the most ambitious achievement for sustainable transport which is still unsolved. In ensuring a high accessibility level, the integration among various modes of public transportation is essential. The newly deployed MRT Sungai Buloh – Kajang Line should adopt strategies and passengers’ initiatives to reduce the dependency on private vehicle which is a major contributor to traffic congestion and other related issues in Klang Valley. The thesis aimed at assessing the MRT accessibility in maximizing connectivity in Klang Valley. Three objectives were formulated based on problems identified by literature review as well as answering the respective research questions. These objectives are to examine factors influencing the access trip pattern to MRT station, assess the accessibility quality of MRT SBK Line, assess factors that influence trip behaviours through user perception and satisfaction, and to recommend a better plan or program in improving the accessibility level of Mass Rapid Transit. This thesis also constructed a multi-variable assessment tool for accessibility testing, by focusing on MRT SBK Line user-based experience and aspiration. Some 700 samples were intercepted at 10 identified stations, with unequal distribution based on convenient sampling strategy through questionnaire survey forms consisting of parameters adopted from the literature. These assessment variables included station facilities, signages, convenience, pedestrian walking facilities, waiting time, parking facilities, trip characteristics laid out as likert scale from 1 (least) to 4 (most). Out of these 700 samples, only 511 were deemed meaningful and useful after data entry and cleaning. Finding of parameter estimates indicated all but one (parking facilities) variables had positive and direct relations with satisfaction levels in regard to accessibility. As such, it is suggested that to achieve equitable accessibility, MRT SBK Line operator should focus on providing improved station facilities such as station convenience, more effective signages and higher quality pedestrian facilities. Muzium Negara MRT Station (3.39 mean value) was perceived as highly accessible station and Bandar Utama MRT station (3.122 mean value) was viewed as the least one. The thesis contribution was the improvement towards the framework of accessibility assessment, with a development of an indexing mechanism to evaluate each new, existing and planned rail station quantitatively, which can be applicable and trasferrable to other alike cases study and beyond. Keywords: Mass Rapid Transit System, Klang Valley, Accessibility

Dam Related Disaster (DRD) occurrences are an unexpected event that might occurs suddenly without warning, which seriously impacts people's lives that exceed their ability to survive. It has become very alarming, resulting in a catastrophic break followed by a flood wave at high speed with considerable loss of life, and the eventual catastrophic damages to infrastructure and the environment. The surrounding communities are an integral part of disaster management efforts to increase their knowledge to respond toward the disaster. Given these circumstances, the appropriate community preparedness for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) is important to strengthen disaster response strategies. It helps the community to understand the situations to face disaster and interact with present conditions with efficient manners. The research aims to investigate the community awareness and preparedness and the effectiveness of early warning systems toward dam-related disaster. The research is exploratory research that employs qualitative and quantitative methods in eliciting the data. This research engages the case studies method of collecting data, including questionnaire surveys, focus group discussion (FGD) and aerial-mapping analysis of the selected sites. In this research, two dams in Cameron Highland have been selected: Sultan Abu Bakar (SAB) Dam and its vicinity in Lembah Bertam; and Susu Dam and its vicinity in Pos Telanok. The Statistical Package for Social Science Software (SPSS) (Version 25) was used to analyse data from survey questionnaires. The content analysis was used to analyse data from the FGD. The mapping analysis was used to analyse and quantify the disaster impact in the study areas. The findings indicate that the community's awareness is affected by seven factors: disaster experience; causes and indicators of disaster; recognition of hazardous disaster; response towards DRD; disaster knowledge; information on safe location; and signage and mode of transportation. There is a strong contribution of the relationships between community characteristics with their awareness and preparedness towards dam-related disaster. Community participation and involvement in the DRR program, such as awareness program and evacuation drill exercises are very important in developing better community resilience to face disaster. Subsequently, it was discovered that education, experience, and training significantly influenced people's preparedness. These factors need to be nurtured based on local knowledge, experience on the disaster, emergency warning and simulation exercises, and emergency action plan. The mapping analysis proved that the assessment of the potential hazard at both dams becomes another indicator particularly for the dam's owner to alert the communities in advance when there is a potential of flood risks and other emergency calls. This proved that not only for the dam's owner, but the information will be shared directly to the community involved and also the local agencies and authority of Cameron Highlands. These factors have been put forward as the requirement for developing an emergency preparedness framework for dam-related disasters. The framework developed helps the dam owners and local agencies in enhancing community preparedness and building a resilient community to withstand the DRD. The frameworks displayed community-based programs' continuations to ensure community preparedness's sustainability. The framework can assist local agencies and dam owners in formulating strategic DRR programs. These can be done by establishing effective early warning and planning appropriate evacuation strategies to increase people's preparedness toward DRD. The identification of these pertinent factors and framework enables a greater understanding of the community's preparedness for DRR in both dams of Cameron Highlands.

The secularism has brought enormous shifts to the meaning of Islamic aesthetics that caused variance in interpretations of aesthetics and art between Islamic and secular ideologies. Despite many studies in Islamic aesthetics in various disciplines, there has been a handful of study to understand it through appreciation and contemplation in the context of outdoor public art. Numerous studies have attributed Islamic contemplation as the stage of spiritual cognition through the understanding of the Qur’an and Sunnah. In this regard, intellectual and ethical dimensions are vital in dictating the choice of form and content of Islamic public art that promote contemplative outdoor spaces. Even though public art has aesthetic quality, it is often considered only for the beautification of spaces, not promoting a contemplative environment to observers. Thus, aesthetics quality in public art is claimed to contribute limited functions in promoting contemplative environment. This study establishes the concept of ‘Al-Jamaal’ as a lens to explore the Islamic aesthetics concept. A framework derived from the concept can be applied as a public art expression and ways to promote contemplation of outdoor spaces. The framework outlines the meaning, attributes and roles of outdoor Islamic public art in promoting a contemplative environment. Four objectives were set out in the research: (1) To identify the concept of beauty and aesthetics in arts and public art, (2) To examine the meaning of Al-Jamaal in relation to the concept of Islamic aesthetics in public art, (3) To examine the significant attributes and roles of Al-Jamaal concept for public art, and (4) To propose a framework of Al-Jamaal for public art in promoting contemplative outdoor spaces. The research adopted qualitative research with two main types of data collection which are site inventory and in-depth interview. Before main data collections, review from seminal literatures is vital to establish the fundamental concept of Al-Jamaal and the pre-determined variables of the research. Site inventory through direct observation was used to document the forms and contents (message, function and location) of public art with visible Islamic elements such as calligraphy and arabesque forms. In-depth interviews were carried out among 16 key informants by using directed content analysis to explore the meanings, attributes and the roles of Al-Jamaal as public art expression, particularly in the local context. Findings of the research suggest: (1) The meaning of Islamic aesthetics is based on spiritual, intellectual, ethical, socio-cultural, psychological and environmental dimensions. All these dimensions are laid out in the translation of Al-Jamaal (one of the Attributes of Allah as the Most Divine Beauty) in reference to Al-Qur’an and Sunnah. (2) Contents (message of the artwork) and Forms (physical appearance of the artwork) are found to be significant as the attributes of Islamic public art. Findings indicate that outdoor public art applications in the local context have weak meaning and intention. As such, the study suggests that spiritual, intellectual, ethical, environmental and socio-cultural play crucial roles manifest public art in Islamic perspectives. Their contributions transcend the idea of serving society because arts in Islamic context are considered as an act of glorifying the Supreme Creator.

The objects under research represent three 19th century Songket pieces belonging to the Royal family of Malaysia, preserved in the National Museum of Malaysia collection. Two of these represent the Indonesian art in their weaving technique and motifs, while the third one displays Indian influence. There is a lack of awareness among Malaysians on the preserving of songket textiles towards identifying deterioration factors, preventive conservation and restoration of historical songket textiles. This study aims to establish a new method for the conservation of historical songket textiles. In order to conserve and restore the samples, identification of the material technology on natural and metal threads, weaving as well as dye and motifs were carried out. The fabrics were graphically documented by macroscopic and microscopic observation and the degree of damage was assessed. It became evident that by exposing fabrics to improper storage and display technique had caused considerable harm to the physical, chemical and mechanical parts of the samples. This project is integrated in three phases: historical analysis, scientific analysis and experimental research. In historical analysis the background history of Malay songket textile is studied to identify the materials and techniques through the published and unpublished literary references. Scientific analysis is used to analyze the materials used in songket textile under investigation by examining the natural and metal fibers using chemical analysis, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and identification of dye and pigments using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The condition survey was carried out and analyzed through the original historic samples to identify its feature and behavior against physical, chemical and biological agencies. The experiments on the historical samples were also done to evaluate the materials composition through scientific analysis in order to choose the best method for conservation and restoration techniques and to prepare a scientific guideline for preservation of songket textile. Finally, after accurate survey and examination, the researcher developed a new approach of conservation and restoration that was adopted in the National Museum of Malaysia.

Birthing, in the continuum of life, is a natural event and not a clinical process. Each society celebrates a new life with different cultural significance. Birth has traditionally been conducted at home in a family atmosphere. However, due to concern for safety of the mother and the unborn child in home-birth setting, societies were encouraged for hospital birth. Medicalization of birth for a natural event in a clinical setting is currently a fact. Birthing spaces in current maternity facilities are designed as ‘clinical spaces’ for the function that ensures safety of the mother as well as the safe delivery of the unborn child. This realisation led to movements in the Western society to de-medicalise or humanise the birthing process and environment to how it was. The emergence of the ‘homelike’, or ‘salutogenic environment’ approaches to birthing spaces, with a home-like treatment, familiar to mothers, is one of the most crucial transition phases in normalizing birthing experience. Many researches in the development for a safe and comfortable birthing environment linked its findings to the mother’s cultural dimension i.e. the familiar or normal daily environment. The cultural dimension would provide the calming effect, and, therefore, create a humanised experience for better birth experience. In Malaysia, with the exception of a few, almost all mothers gave birth in hospitals. Birthing spaces or labour delivery rooms (LDR) are not design to the need of the Malaysian mothers’ cultural dimension. The aim of this thesis is to highlight the importance of cultural dimension in the design of birthing spaces for Malaysians, with the Malay-Muslim practices as the case study. The thesis focuses on the architectural design of birthing spaces only. Qualitative and quantitative research methods are appropriately employed to achieve the objective of this thesis. The thesis had gathered both observational and empirical data through content analysis, post-occupancy-evaluations (POE), including semi-structured interviews in identifying the cultural aspects of the Malay-Muslims birthing practices. The thesis explores and assessed current birthing spaces design in-use, for both cultural and clinical dimension, in the LDR spatial studies within the Malaysian public healthcare system. The analysis identifies the core space of birthing within the LDR as the ‘critical dimension’, while considerations for privacy, family involvement and required tangible and non-tangible cultural traditions as the ‘cultural dimension’ or the ‘soft space’. The findings identify ‘culturally imbued environment’ as a safe and comfortable environment for birth. The findings also noted that although the ‘cultural dimension’ exist in the form of obligations to privacy, modesty and psychological support spaces in existing LDR, is significant, it is however, required to be gazetted as an essential activity within the standard operating procedure (SOP) for designers to mandatorily include in the space planning and design. It is, therefore, imperative that the cultural dimension of the birth practice be integrated holistically with the ‘critical dimension’, as part of the design process, to achieve appropriate space and configuration for the safe birthing. With the Malay- Muslim birth practices as the case study, these findings thereby serves as a recommendation for the future LDR room designs for Malaysians, and thus act as an impetus to the designs of other healthcare spaces that cares for Malaysians.

Museum exhibition environment provides experiential learning through its messages with a view to influence knowledge, attitudes and learning behaviours of visitors. Connections in visitors’ cognitive, affective, emotional and physiological responses play a beneficial role in museum visits. The focus of this study is on understanding and enhancing visitors’ experience of science centre. Its subject matter is informal learning, situated in the context of both experiential design and exhibition design. The aims of the research are to understand the experiential design strategies that improves science centre intent. The first objective is to determine the tools for enchantment of message in the science centre experience. The second objective is to established the interconnection between science centres’ representational systems and the tools for enchantment. The third objective is to explain design opportunities that will improve science centre visitor experience. The theoretical framework is confined to the interrelationship between the concept of atmospheric context, experiential learning, enchantment as a tool of message, representational modes and design opportunities in science centre. The changes in atmospheric context and enchantment are influenced by the design opportunities available in the science centre. Qualitative research methodology namely photographic observation and in-depth interviews were employed to achieve the objectives of the research. The research involves case studies of science centres in Asia pacific. The first finding of the research indicate that the tools for enchantment of message in the science centre experience are thematization, spatialization and scenarization of the experience. The experiential strategies include the spectacular, immersive, ritualized and commercial dimensions. The second finding suggest that design can influence visitor participation with different emphases on three dimensional representations, lighting quality and degree of linearity. The third finding propose design opportunities that improve science centre visitor experience, identified in five main themes: invoking interest, delivering the message, connecting personally, designing inclusive/immersive experience and balancing the constraints. Research conclude that design emphasis increases in complexity to overwhelm, stimulate, and transform, resulting in greater emotional impact that uplifts the level of visitor perception from mere acceptance to motivation and enjoyable learning experience. Well-designed exhibition evokes direct participation and transformational experiences for visitors. The analysis of representative modes on the dimensions of classification, formality and framing revealed the way that visitors are socially constructed as learning subjects. The design of the exhibitions creates a ‘model visitor’ who is highly motivated to interact with the exhibits and is also autonomous in deciding his/her own learning experiences. The research clarifies that science centre acknowledged the four processes that affect learning: attentional, affective, cognitive and compensatory. The implications from this research are design knowledge which includes connection between science centre offerings, exhibition design emphases, and visitor experiences; the concept of visitor interaction with atmospherics and the exhibition environment; and the design opportunities to improve visitor experiences.

As Islam is the nation`s official religion, the government of Malaysia strives to adopt Islamic image in Malaysia`s built environment. Yet, given Malaysia`s heterogeneous society, are Islamic concepts been implemented correctly and appropriately in the construction of Malaysia`s built environment? Therefore, the aim of this study is to develop the definition of Islamic built environment in Malaysia by sieving through the interpretation of Malaysian public opinion shapers referred as ‘experts’ in this study. The ‘experts’ are defined as those who are relevant as a Malaysian opinion shapers or related in the design process including (1) public and political figures or administrators, (2) professionals, (3) academicians and (4) Islamic scholars, from the variety of races and religion in Malaysian heterogeneous society. This study has employed descriptive and survey-based research designs rooted in qualitative research paradigms with two research techniques (1) Delphi Method and (2) Media Content analysis. The first research method used structured and semi-structured interviews for primary data collection. The second method used the Media Content analysis as supporting data collection. This study fulfilled the aims and objectives of the research by obtain firstly, a definition of ‘Islamic built environment’ that is in accords to the situation in Malaysia. The study has defined an appropriated ‘Islamic built environment’ in Malaysia is a correlation between the (3) three elements with the six (6) main themes and ten (10) indicators. The first elements are; a situation or setting that encompasses the combination of created elements (spaces, places and structures), secondly, the implementation of Islamic ideology to serve human needs and values and third, the concept considers the suitability of people`s lifestyle (both Muslim and non-Muslim) by symbolizing spiritually and physically the essence of Islam. The six main theme are; T1- Associated with Local context, T2- Avoid Political Agenda, T3- Created by Spiritual and Values of Islam, T4- Translation of ‘Tauhid, Jannah and Jamaah’, T5- Not for Branding and T6- Escape from Identity Conflict. The second finding is a framework of indicator of factors that make an environment truly Islamic. The ten indicators are; Tolerance, Natural Environment, Social Need and Human Comfort, Religious Identity, Order, Economic, Hygiene, Jannah, and Safety. The third finding is the level of satisfaction with comment on problems and shortcomings of the implementation of the existing ‘Islamic built environment’ happening in Malaysia. Fourth, recommendations for improving efforts towards implementation of existing ‘Islamic built environment’ and finally the fifth a comparative study between the opinion of the ‘experts’. The findings of this study hopefully will be beneficial to Malaysian administrators, developers and designers because it’s provided a fair and representative definition of Islamic Built Environment in Malaysia as derived from selected Malaysian opinion shapers. It is congruent with the nature of Malaysian heterogeneous society and with Malaysian current agenda of 1 Malaysia and the concept of Islamic moderation.

The focus of this research is to develop cost modelling tool which can help the designer to estimate affordable green home. This is in line with the aspiration of this country to become a developed and sustainable community. Therefore, this research aims to develop cost modelling tool for the construction project which is affordable and user-friendly. In order to achieve the aim and the objectives of this research, the theoretical framework was developed as a basis for establishing the cost modelling framework. It was started by identifying the green criteria which can be possibly implementing during planning, design and construction. Then it followed by determining the most appropriate cost model which can help the designers to predict the green home project at the design stages. The process continued with the development of the cost modelling tool by utilising Microsoft Excel (MS Excel) software to make it interactive and handy. This tool is expected to compliment with the shortfall of BIM (Revit software as for example) as it still lacking a real-time base cost modelling tool which can merge between green design and cost. Functional Testing was conducted once the cost model completed then it was calibrated to adapt with the environment of its use. User Acceptance Test (UAT) has been conducted to ensure that the tool is easy to use and operate. The result from UAT shows that the tool is user-friendly, handiness and economical to evaluate construction project especially green home. It also allows the designers to estimate and conduct comparative cost studies on the economics of the project during the design stage without going through the conventional process.

Practicing building maintenance management in the high-rise commercial buildings are made up of complex communication activities involving many parties. Previous studies reveal that the communication gaps have existed between maintenance management group and building occupant group. The problems identified are related to the complex building maintenance process often involve interests-competing and tasks interrelated organizations. It has therefore become an ineffective communication system among building maintenance stakeholders for supporting value aspect in the building particularly on the operation and maintenance activities. The aim of the research is to investigate the communication factors impact on building maintenance communication performance in building maintenance management practice of high-rise commercial buildings. Thus, the research focused on building maintenance communication which is the transmission and exchange of related information. In this study, a model was developed to show the reality of the relationship between the communication factors and the communication performance indicators. A framework of these factors for managing communication system has been built up from both theoretical and practical points of view in this study. It sets out the relationships between the determining variables of communication factors and influenced variables of communication performance indicators. Based on this model, questionnaire survey was designed to investigate the impacts of communication factors on building maintenance communication performance. One hundred and ten (110) high-rise commercial buildings in Kuala Lumpur and thirty-nine (39) high-rise commercial buildings in Selangor which are two (2) interesting locations for local and international investors in Malaysia have been selected for the study which involving two (2) groups of respondents called as building maintenance stakeholders. The in-house building maintenance personnel (IH) and outsourced team (OS) are in maintenance management group whereas the building owners (BO) and tenants (T) as the building occupant group have been structured interviewed based on the value aspects of communication factors. The testified statistical analysis indicates that, only eight (8) factors of schedule for communication and information distribution, social and informal mechanisms for a cooperative working environment, arrangement of building maintenance management structure, building maintenance information with high quality content, building maintenance stakeholders’ experiences, capable building manager, building maintenance information documentation, and building maintenance communication media infrastructure discovered their impacts on the building maintenance communication performance which had a significant relationship with building maintenance communication effectiveness (BMCE). So, it can help maintenance management team to develop strategies for improving communication effectiveness during the operation and maintenance activities by applying needed actions to the related predicting communication performance indicators. In conclusion, effectively managing communication factors through communication performance indicators in building maintenance practice can improve the building maintenance management performance and further benefit for all building maintenance stakeholders and the objectives of the whole operation and building maintenance activities.

Life Cycle Cost (LCC) is an economic assessment technique that produces outputs, which will give useful cost information to the clients, cost estimators and researchers in facilitating them to make better decision in the process of determining the most optimum total ownership costs of an asset over an anticipated life or in comparing the most cost-effective of mutually exclusive alternatives. The availability, accessibility, currency and reliability of cost data used as inputs in LCC analysis is of paramount importance that should be emphasized in the estimation to produce reliable LCC outputs. The aim of this research is to enhance quality of LCC outputs through the enhancement of quality data input requirements. There are different kinds of data inputs used in LCC analysis; however this research only focuses on cost data inputs of building LCC. This research seeks to achieve the following objectives; (i). to establish the background, evolution and the present practice of LCC with specific reference to its practice in the construction industry, (ii). to assess cost data used as inputs in the practice of LCC, (iii). to develop and propose strategies in relation to the practice of LCC focusing on data inputs, (iv) to develop, evaluate, validate and test protocol which provide procedures on how cost data as inputs of LCC could be made more available, accessible, current and reliable into the process of producing reliable LCC outputs in the Malaysian construction industry. The methodology employed comprises a literature review, modified Delphi and Focus Group Discussion (FGD). The literature study has found that one of the major hurdles in carrying out the LCC analysis is lack of current and reliable data. In addition, commentators pointed out that there is a very important need to give greater emphasis on the quality of data used as inputs in LCC analysis to ensure reliability in LCC analysis can be achieved. Furthermore, the literature study has found the practice of LCC analysis in the Malaysian construction industry has been relatively limited however; it has gone through the process of evolution. The results of modified Delphi show all the panellists have the same opinion that there is limited availability and inaccessibility of current and reliable cost data inputs of LCC in the Malaysian construction industry. In addition, the modified Delphi study has generated consensus regarding the most appropriate strategies that could be proposed to make the data more available, accessible, current and reliable as inputs into the process of producing reliable LCC analysis. Looking at the proposed strategies, there is an overwhelming requirement for a clear procedure to be prepared on the acquisition of cost data inputs in purposely to enhance quality data input requirements of LCC. Hence, a protocol of LCC data input requirements process that comprises a flow chart, step by step procedures and remarks was developed, evaluated, validated and tested in this research using FGD approach to provide robust procedures on how the cost data could be made more available, accessible, current and reliable as inputs into the process of producing reliable LCC outputs in the Malaysian construction industry.

The focus of this study is on the effects of urbanization on the intensity of the urban heat island, through a case study on the city of Kuala Lumpur (KL), Malaysia. The study aims to identify whether there is a relationship between the level of urbanization and the intensity of the urban heat island of the city as well as to what extent this relationship goes. There are two methodologies followed in this study. Firstly, the methodology to study the urbanization process in KL by collecting data from secondary and primary sources of data and by reviewing the literature along with official documents. Secondly, there are two methodologies combined to study the horizontal nocturnal urban heat island of KL by using weather station networks method and traverses survey method. The parameters included for studying and measuring the levels of urbanization in the city are population density, traffic activity and land use change. Moreover, the three parameters are measured using traverses survey method; air temperature, relative humidity and wind speed levels. The study shows that, the level of urbanization is proportional to the values of temperature registered, while the temperature clearly varies from weekdays to weekends. The working days are relatively hot compare to non working days. Nevertheless, it is difficult to relate the relative humidity values only to working or non working days. The relative humidity can be related to green or non green areas, as well as to location and human activities among those specific areas. Furthermore, it is difficult to relate wind speed levels to the day of the week, while there is a strong relation between the wind speed levels and the location of the station. The further away the station from of KL city center, the higher the levels of wind speed. The study shows that, wind speed levels are inversely proportional to the level of urbanization of the city. The study indicates that, the increase in the intensity of the UHI of Kuala Lumpur City since 1985 reaches 1.5 o C. Furthermore, it shows that, the location of UHI nucleus has shifted from Chow Kit area in 1985 to Puduraya area (2004). The study concludes that, the intensity of the UHI of the city is proportional to the commercial, road and rail reserves land use and inversely proportional to the open space and recreational, residential, industrial, institutional, and agricultural/ fishery/ forest land use. Furthermore, the intensity of the UHI is also proportional to the population density, number of cars and motorcycles vehicles, while it is inversely proportional to public transport vehicles. Therefore, the study concludes that, the level of urbanization is directly proportional to the intensity of the UHI of Kuala Lumpur City.

The natural ventilation in living units of high-rise residential buildings are commonly assisted by mechanical ventilation systems to achieve desired indoor environment quality. The usage of mechanical ventilation is also due to different reasons like the climate condition and the overall buildings design. However, because of its disad-vantages, such as the negative impacts on the occupants health and the overall energy consumption, there is a necessity to ameliorate natural ventilation performance as a passive cooling strategy. Improvement made through suitable design configurations to improve the internal environment quality may reduce heavy electricity consumption. Hence the research aims to investigate if the integration of voids combinations as pas-sive design feature in high rise residential buildings can enhance the indoor air velocity in the living units of high-rise rectangular plan residential buildings. The hypothesis is good control of the configuration of voids combinations can lead to better naturally ventilated living units. The research evaluates the introduction of various horizontal voids sizes and positions, combined with the commonly used vertical voids to opti-mize natural ventilation. The methods used in this research are the field measurement as a full-scale experiment and the computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulation using Ansys CFX. The results of the high-rise residential buildings inventory were used to determine the appropriate building for the field measurements. The validation of the CFD building model against the field measurements data ensures the reliability and the accuracy of the CFD simulation. CFD simulation includes three main experiments which are the CFD building validation against the field measurements data, the effects of voids combinations on the air velocity inside the voids of building models and fi-nally the influence of the proposed voids combinations on the internal air velocity in the living units of the building models. The experiments are done in living units under different openings conditions located at different heights and orientations. This study found that the provision of double-sided horizontal voids larger by 50 % connected directly to central vertical void can improve the indoor air velocity (m/s) in the living units by 1.23 % to 0.179 m/s under north east (NE) and by 4.59 % to 0.165 m/s under east (E) wind directions. The suitable voids combinations were recommended to im-prove the natural ventilation performance. This study contributes to a better under-standing of ventilation performance in high rise rectangular plan residential buildings designed with voids configurations. It also recommends the possible voids combinations as design strategy for indoor air velocity (m/s) performance in the living units of the high-rise rectangular plan residential buildings in Malaysian for adequate thermal comfort level.

As a result of globalization, one of the most major factors affecting the success of the construction industry would be the formation of a winning multicultural project. As construction projects leaders continue to command globally, there is a serious demand for managing professionals and a workforce that is more diverse than ever. The multinational workforce has distinctive views on project culture, work ethics, communication, operations management and incentives; finding common grounds is very essential. Multicultural or multinational projects has become more prevalent in recent years, contemporary international management literature has identified that the engineering management of multicultural projects is an important aspect of human resource management, without its proper practice a lot of benefits of these projects will turn into losses. Recent studies have focused on the positive effects of using multicultural teams (Earley and Mosakowski, 2000) stated that multicultural engineers and workforce are been utilized because they are perceived to out-perform monoculture teams, especially when the performance requires multiple high skills and judgment. In developing countries where approximately 85% of the world`s population lives in (Human Development Report, 2011), governments develop multinational mega construction projects to achieve their social and economical development goals and objectives. In contrast, many developing countries suffer from having a short age in providing the essential knowledge, skills, capabilities and finance which ultimately creates a set of challenges towards achieving competitive success rates. This study aims to identify and validate the challenges related to multicultural /multinational projects in developing countries with a special reference Sudan, and the potential resolutions to improve their success. The study presented a model by employing AMOS software that was derive from the results of the questionnaire carried out in order to study the factors and possible answers for better development and advancement of the construction industry management systems. The data obtained, reflected that four major aspects that were found to affect the development and success of multinational construction projects, which are the risk management, building materials industry modernization, international financing and contracts and technology transfer. It was found out that technology transfer through international management practices should be practiced on many different levels under legal, technical, cultural and human resources consideration. Additionally, construction organizations and companies in Sudan should aim for better joint international conventions, international consortium and insurance policies to attract and protect investors into the construction industry.