This course has been both incredibly insightful as well as challenging for me. At the beginning of the semester, I set myself the goal to become more confident speaking in front of a large audience. While I feel I have made some progress and am proud of my growth, there are definitely areas for improvement. Initially, I found it extremely awkward to maintain eye contact with the audience and struggled with maintaining my train of thought while standing in front of an audience, feeling vulnerable and exposed. However, throughout the semester, I have managed to overcome this by transforming my nervous energy into a positive force. Before speaking, I constantly remind myself that I am the most knowledgeable person in the room and all I am doing is sharing that information with the class. In addition, rather than think of myself as feeling nervous, I think of myself as enthusiastic and excited. This has helped tremendously with my confidence and even seems to help me become more focused an
Utilization of Living Materials as Concrete Alternatives in Singapore to Combat Rising Carbon Emissions. Introduction: In alignment with Singapore's Green Building Masterplan, the team aims to place greater emphasis on reducing concrete use in the design and construction of buildings. On top of this, BCA's Green Mark scheme recognises projects that go beyond the regulatory requirements, for example, by using alternatives to concrete such as Mass Engineered Timber. The team aims to implement/introduce mycelium bricks into Singapore’s market, as it has never been used in any infrastructure. Background: Currently, Singapore consumed an average of 11.5 million m3 of concrete per year over the last five years (MND, 2021) and concrete consumption is projected to remain within the range of 10.5 million to 12.2 million m3 per year until 2025. The aim of this proposal is to introduce new cement material such as mycelium bricks. A mycelium brick is an organic brick that is formed from