The A' International Design Award and Competition, based in Italy, has recently announced the Cyberjaya Community Recycling Collection Centre as the recipient of notable Silver A' Design Award for Sustainable Products, Projects and Green Design. The facility is a community recycling project commissioned by Cyberview Sdn. Bhd. as part of its continued development of Cyberjaya into a Smart City and Living Lab for innovations.

"When we set out to re-define our focus for Cyberjaya's transformation under the Cyberjaya Smart City Framework, we made sure that the necessary conditions were put in place to support the development and deployment of Smart City Solutions to improve our impact on the environment, our infrastructure, economy as well as the social element of the city" said Dato' Faris Yahaya, Managing Director, Cyberview Sdn Bhd. "And with the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry recently committing to amending environmental laws; ensuring sustainable development in line with Malaysia's 2050 National Transformation (TN50) goals, it is clear that environmental sustainability will remain a key area of concern for all Malaysians.”

"While we will continue to make strides in improving the liveability factor of Cyberjaya for our inhabitants, it is important to note that these sustainability initiatives including this facility will not only positively impact the lives of the city's inhabitants but also act as test-cases that can be adapted by other up-and-coming urban developments nationwide" Dato' Faris added.

"As designers and guardians of the built environment, it is our responsibility as architects to aim for buildings that minimise our impact on the environment such as through energy or resource efficiency. We are very honoured by the recognition accorded to us for our work on the Cyberjaya Community Recycling Collection Centre; which also happens to be our second sustainability focused project in Cyberjaya following the Green Building Index (GBI) Platinum rated Masjid Raja Haji Fi Sabilillah" said Ar. Azim Tan Sri A. Aziz, ATSA Architects.

Incentivising Sustainable Behaviour

With Malaysians recycling only 5 percent of the 30,000 tons of waste generated every day, there is a pressing need to rapidly improve our waste management practices as urban developments the likes of Cyberjaya continue to develop and grow. The Cyberjaya Community Recycling Collection Centre is operated by Alam Flora who reimburses Cyberjaya inhabitants for their separated domestic waste, most of which will be diverted to recycling centres instead of landfills. The centre also organises recycling scheme initiatives directly engaging businesses based in Cyberjaya.

Cyberjaya Community Recycling Collection Centre design inspiration

The Cyberjaya Community Recycling Collection Centre was designed to be a Green Certified Building and used various materials that are considered green or recyclable. It is a pilot project or a prototype concept that can be replicated elsewhere.

The design calls for an area of approximately 1,200 square feet (111 square metres) to include main entrance, foyer and lobby, seating area, receiving centre, prayer room, restroom and waste segregation area and storage area. A playground area was also included within the built up area. A mezzanine floor is added to accommodate an area for used clothes to be sold. The building is designed to face north-south with minimum exposure to east and west sun. The roof is designed to tilt southeast for maximum exposure to the sun for future installation of solar panels. A signature free-standing wall is incorporated into the building to act as a focal point to identify the building from far. It is built using fly-ash concrete. A water harvesting equipment was also installed to collect water for water irrigation. The whole building is designed to be cooled using natural ventilation and fans.

The walls were designed to reflect the purpose of the building. The top of the walls is left open for natural ventilation, and the walls are made permeable using galvanised steel as a cage to hold recycled bottles, tins and bottles. The ‘cage' is openable to allow for the replacement of the bottles, plastics and tins as we anticipate that due to exposure these materials will degrade over time. The floor boards of the mezzanine floors and staircase threads are repurposed from disused railway sleepers. The entire site is also paved with interlocking grass pavers and it is anticipated that in time, the grass will cover most of the driveway areas. This will reduce the heat generated from the pavement if it is made out of pre-mix. One of the features of the recycle centre is a drive-through bin which allows the public to drop-off their separated recyclables after hours.