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The longhouse is a well-known traditional dwelling of many natives in Sarawak. A longhouse is a terraced street of separate dwellings covered by one roof. Each family who stay in the longhouse has their separate room. These houses are still in use today and are able to provide the basic shelter needs of the occupants. The use of local materials and the setting that create harmonization with the local environment and climate contribute to the provision of comfort to the occupants. However, the traditional longhouse today is a threatened typology as some of them either have disappeared, are no longer constructed, are tourism attractions or are being maintained as cultural artifacts only. There is a concern that someday the distinct identity of the longhouse might be lost. Therefore, knowledge of construction techniques, assessment of the materials used and typological characteristics of the traditional architecture need to be gathered to preserve the built heritage. A comprehensive document is essential for the preservation and conservation of the traditional longhouse. This paper presents the methodology used and data collected on the typology of the traditional longhouse and its construction method.

The bioclimatic building design is essential for a building to adapt to local climates and to provide comfort for the inhabitants while encouraging energy saver features. Comfort inside the house can be achieved with less dependence on artificial lighting and mechanical ventilation, and the application of eco-friendly materials. Wood and bamboo are examples of eco-friendly materials which are excellent in absorbing heat and allowing natural ventilation thus giving comfort to the occupants. These materials are widely used in the construction of Dayak traditional longhouses in Sarawak, Malaysia. Therefore, a study has been conducted to assess the presence of bioclimatic building design approach in the Dayak traditional longhouse. In the study, observation and photo analysis were carried out at selected traditional longhouses in Sarawak. This study found that traditional longhouses practice bioclimatic building design. The traditional longhouse with its passive design for lighting and ventilation and materials contribute to its natural adaptation to the hot and humid weather conditions in the tropical climate. The findings are expected to generate ideas for bioclimatic building design for other modern houses in a tropical climate. In conclusion, the Dayak traditional longhouse in Sarawak, Malaysia is a good example of bioclimatic building design of the past.

Polymer nanocomposites have been attracting attention among researchers as electrical insulating application from energy storage to power delivery. However, partial discharge has always been a predecessor to major faults and problems in this field. In addition, there are a lot more to explore as the characteristic of partial discharge in nanocomposites is not clearly understood as well as the electrical properties of the nanocomposites. By adding a few amount of weight percentage (wt%) of the nano fillers, the physical, mechanical and electrical properties of polymers can be greatly enhanced. This is due to its amazing characteristic of having large specific area as a consequential from its nano sized particle that could enhance the electrical properties of the insulator. For instance, nano fillers in nanocomposites such as silica (SiO2), alumina (Al2O3) and titania (TiO2), play big role in providing good approach to increase dielectric breakdown strength and partial discharge resistance of nanocomposites. Such polymer nanocomposites will be reviewed thoroughly in this paper based on previous experimental works and studies. This paper provides reviews from related publications from year 1997 to 2011 including the results of experimental works which have been conducted by the authors with main focus on partial discharge characteristics in polymer nanocomposites, which demonstrates that research and utilization of polymer nanocomposites has well developed from past decades and will possess a high demand in future as electrical insulating material.

Polymer nanocomposites have recently been attracting attention among researchers in electrical insulating applications from energy storage to power delivery. However, partial discharge has always been a predecessor to major faults and problems in this field. In addition, there is a lot more to explore, as neither the partial discharge characteristic in nanocomposites nor their electrical properties are clearly understood. By adding a small amount of weight percentage (wt%) of nanofillers, the physical, mechanical, and electrical properties of polymers can be greatly enhanced. For instance, nanofillers in nanocomposites such as silica (SiO2), alumina (Al2O3) and titania (TiO2) play a big role in providing a good approach to increasing the dielectric breakdown strength and partial discharge resistance of nanocomposites. Such polymer nanocomposites will be reviewed thoroughly in this paper, with the different experimental and analytical techniques used in previous studies. This paper also provides an academic review about partial discharge in polymer nanocomposites used as electrical insulating material from previous research, covering aspects of preparation, characteristics of the nanocomposite based on experimental works, application in power systems, methods and techniques of experiment and analysis, and future trends.