This paper challenges the fact that the absolute freedom for residents to locate themselves wherever they want can lead to sustainable cities. Urban sprawl is the corollary to this freedom. Urban sprawl has become a controversial issue. Lines of thought among academics, practitioners, and local authorities have been diverse. Some academics advocate the compact city as an antidote to urban sprawl, some scholars doubt the ability of conventional notions of containments to create sustainability, and others are fascinated by urban technologies and believe in the feasibility of these technologies, whereas local authorities impose policies, one after the other, without effective results. The problematic point is the absence of a comprehensive approach to undermining the urban sprawl sustainably. On the other hand, the physical urban compactness alone cannot meet containment aims. The study therefore study poses a question: Is there a theory or policy that can accommodate all of these ideas? This study attempts to find a sustainable compromise through a critical review of the impact of auto-mobility on urban affairs and to solve the dialectical contradictions between the protagonists of compactness and their counterparts who advocate urban sprawl. The review ends with a comparison between urban initiatives and theories related to auto-mobilities, and highlights the approaches to sustainable urbanism. The conclusion is that all classic planning theories have neglected the sociocultural impact on the urban realm, and that the current initiatives and mutual debates consider the resident just as a physical object who cannot contribute effectively to sustainable urban syntax. The study concludes that urban sprawl can also be a compacted zone if authorities ensure the equity of loci-services. Then, the preference for housing locations will not be a challenge to urban residents’ movements to settle closer to their work. In the end, the inhabitants will share in making an integrated and real urban containment.

This study evaluates the envelope thermal performance of high-rise apartment buildings in Malaysia, which are being largely dominated due to the high economic development and increased population. The evaluation was conducted using the Overall Thermal Transfer Value (OTTV), which is the key tool used in the Green Building Index to assess the Energy Efficiency of buildings. Different high-rise apartment buildings were selected with different architecture styles, to account for several periods of building construction. The OTTV value was calculated for the west-oriented façade of the selected buildings, which is considered as a critical orientation that receives high solar radiation. The results showed that four out of the five investigated buildings achieved the minimum requirements for the OTTV, i.e., less than 50 W/m². The maximum and minimum OTTV values with the buildings’ original design were 82.60 W/m² and 41.54 W/m², respectively. However, one of the buildings achieved a lower OTTV value with the installation of shading devices by the owners, i.e., decreased from 48.39 W/m² to 37.60 W/m². The solar radiation penetration through the fenestration was found to be the major contributor to the total OTTV, while it can be controlled by the shading devices. Besides, using dark paints increased the heat conduction through the opaque walls by more than double compared to light paints. This study shows that some design considerations, such as paint colour, shading devices, and glazing material, can have a great influence on the heat gain in buildings.

Buildings account for nearly 50% of the total energy consumption. The use of air-conditioning is one of the major influencers to the high energy consumption in buildings. To tackle this high energy consumption, buildings are required to be more energy efficient. This study aimed to investigate the retrofitting of existing residential building for energy efficiency by using the Overall Thermal Transfer Value (OTTV) as an assessment tool. Various retrofitting measures were involved, including varying the colour of the opaque wall with different solar absorptivity, the U-value and shading coefficient of the Glazing system, and the type and projection of the external shading. The results showed that applying the retrofitting measures individually (i.e., using light colour with low solar absorptivity, replacing the glazing system to have lower shading coefficient and U-value, and the installation of external shading systems with low shading coefficient) can decrease the OTTV by 26% to 33.4%. However, combining these measures managed to decrease the OTTV by up to 75.6% (i.e., the OTTV decreased from 82.87 W/m² to 20.19 W/m²). This can improve the building energy efficiency as it contributes to less cooling load for the air-conditioned buildings, while it provides a better indoor environment in non-air-conditioned buildings.

This study investigated the lasting influence of British colonial architecture (129 years) on contemporary building design in Aden, Yemen. The initial focus was on the perception of British Neo-Classical architecture as a symbol of superiority, overshadowing Aden's rich architectural history. This research explored Aden's architectural transformation from pre-colonial to colonial periods, analyzing the impact of colonial-era building facades on modern design practices. Through observation and interviews with built environment professionals, the study examined the broader social, political, and economic effects of British colonialism. The findings reveal a significant influence of British colonial architecture on the design of building facades in Aden. This influence is evident in structures like the repurposed church on Crater Mountain, which now serves as a government building. The influx of British administrators, soldiers, and workers from diverse backgrounds (Indian, Somali, Jewish) during the colonial period contributed to Aden's architectural diversity by constructing churches, temples, and government buildings. Unfortunately, the ongoing war in Yemen has damaged or destroyed many of these structures. This study also found that classical architectural elements from British colonial buildings like the Military Museum in Crater, the Heritage Museum, and the Tax Office continue to influence modern design. These elements and the miniature Big Ben clock in Al-Tawahi stand as prominent symbols of British influence in Aden. However, the Yemeni government's restoration efforts for these colonial-era buildings have been slow and largely ineffective. The research further explored the enduring influence of Neo-classical architectural ideals in Aden. The study highlights the formal guidelines, specific modules, and proportions used in designing arches and columns, particularly in residential buildings. These elements contribute to the aesthetic qualities of these structures. While the British incorporated classical elements during their rule, architectural advancements and new materials have led to the incorporation of novel elements in contemporary design.

This study attempts to analyze and do a comparative study on thermal surface temperature to two high-rise apartments designed with colonial and neo-minimalist style in Penang, Malaysia. Penang is an island located in the North-Western part of Malaysia. The study focuses on multi-storied residential building furnished with elevators. The on-field survey will provide thermal images of the building frontage at the west facades during evening time taken using Fluke Ti20 Infrared Camera. These images will be analyzed to understand the level of sustainability awareness to the application of colonial and neo-minimalist style on architectural facade design with reference to the climatic context. The analyses will be able to provide a better understanding of awareness level of the architects based on their ability to apply shading devices to the building design with colonial and neominimalist architecture style to cope with the local climate. Two residential apartments were selected as the case studies of this research namely Halaman Kristal apartments as the first case study located in Jelutong, while the second case study is Baystar Apartment which is located in Bayan Lepas, Penang. The result of analysis indicates that both apartments have the facade design relatively fair awareness performance. As a conclusion, the study finds that the architects fairly have a sense of awareness in applying passive design strategy using shading devices to reduce the heat gains from solar radiation.