Malaysia Green Building Technologies - Perspective & Initiatives

Zuhairi Abd Hamid, Kamarul Anuar Mohamad Kamar, Mohd Khairolden Ghani, Maria
Zura Mohd. Zain, and Ahmad Hazim Abdul Rahim (2011), Green Building Technology:
The Construction Industry Perspecti ve and Current Innnitiative, keynote address of
Management in Construction Researchers Association (MICRA) 10
th
Annual
Conference and Meeting, IIUM, Kuala Lumpur, Jul y 2011

Green Building Technology: The
Construction Industry Perspective
and Current Initiatives
Zuhairi Abd Hamid, Kamarul Anuar Mohamad Kamar, Mohd Khairolden Ghani,
Maria Zura Mohd. Zain, and Ahmad Hazim Abdul Rahim
Construction Research Institute of Malaysia (CREAM),
Construction Industry Development Board Malaysia (CIDB)
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Abstract
The adoption of sustainable construction and green buildings has become an
important issue in Malaysia in recent years and has been duly highlighted under
the Malaysian Construction Industry Master Plan (2005 2015). This paper
discusses the perspective of construction industry on green building technology
and highlights current initiatives taken by the government and private sectors to
encourage the adoption of sustainable development and green buildings in
Malaysia.
Keyword: construction industry, green building, technology, Malaysia

1 Introduction
The construction industry in Malaysia plays an important role in generating
wealth to the country and development of social and economic
infrastructures and buildings. The industry provides job opportunities for
762,000 people which represented 6.6% of total workforce. Construction in
2015 is expected to employ 776.5 thousand persons or 5.9% of total
employment [1]. The construction industry is one of the productive sectors
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that constantly contribute to the economy. Recent data showed that the
construction sector annual average growth rate under the 9
th
Malaysian Plan
was at 4.4%. Construction GDP in 2015 is expected to be RM 21,818 million
(2009 =RM 17,321 million). GDP is expected to grow at 6.0% per annum
and construction GDP at 3.7% per annum and construction's share to GDP is
estimated at 2.9% [1]. In addition to the RM 230 billion allocated for
development that would either directly or indirectly benefit the construction
sector, the 10
th
Plan also include a host of initiatives and incentives that are
expected to generate more robust activities in the construction sector. These
include economic reforms in terms of private sector led economy, innovation
led growth, rationalisation of the government's role in business by increasing
privatisation and Public-Private Partnership (PPP), and developing the
SMEs. The industry creates a multiplier effect to other industries, including
manufacturing sector, financial and banking, agriculture, mining and
professional services and has predicted by many as the catalyst of economic
recovery and as a driver for the modernisation of Malaysia. Some of the
more prominent infrastructural facilities earmarked for development under
the 10
th
Plan are [1]:

RM 2.7 billion for roads and rail networks leading to key ports
and airports.
Completion of the double-track rail project between Johor Bharu
and Padang Besar (RM 16.5 billion).
MRT to cover a 20 km radius from the Kuala Lumpur city centre
that is expected to carry 2 million passenger-trips per day when
completed.
RM 1 billion for capital dredging of port channels to cater for
bigger vessels for Westport Port Klang and PTP J ohor, and RM 6
billion upgrading works to these ports and Penang Port.
Expansion of airport capacity at a cost of RM 3.3 billion (to cater
for 62 million passengers in 2015: 47 million in 2008), a new
low cost carrier terminal at KLIA and upgrading of the Penang
International Airport

2 Problem statement
Construction industry is a major consumer of non-renewable resources and a
massive producer of waste, and the operation of buildings is responsible for
around half of the total CO2 emissions. Based on recent study in developed
countries, 30-40% of natural resources were exploited by building industry,
50% of energy used for heating and cooling in buildings, almost 40% of
world consumption of materials converts to built environment and 30% of
energy use due to housing [3]. The similar percentage is expected in the
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developing countries including Malaysia. This is a huge amount of resources
and energy consume in the building life-cycle, let alone the usage of
resources and energy during the construction phase. It was recorded that
more than six million tones of waste has been generated which quarter was
produced in the Klang Valley alone, the most affluent area in Malaysia [4]
and today, solid waste issue is one of the biggest environmental problems in
Malaysia [5]. The construction exploits natural resources such as forest for
timber, housing and industry without proper control contributes to the
environmental problems [6]. Many of environmental issues that occur in this
country are due to lack of environmental considerations in the exploitation,
development and management of resources as well as lack of control of
pollution resources. These issues if not tackled strategically will further
aggravate and exert challenges towards sustainable construction in the
following way. It was observed that the Malaysian construction industry is
still behind in waste management, rainwater harvesting and reduction of
carbon footprint as compared to the developed nations.

3 Sustainable Development and Green Technology
Sustainability has become buzzwords in the last 10 years. In 1987, the
Brundtland Commission articulated the concept of sustainable development,
as it known today. The Commission provided the most simple and widely
used definition for sustainable development as Development that meets the
needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs [7]. In this concept, social well-being
environmental conservation as well as intra and intergenerational equity are
simultaneously possible while a nation achieves its full economic potential
and enhances its resources base. The concept was given currency at the
United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in
1992, and reinforced at the World Summit on Sustainable Development
(WSSD) in 2002. UNCED saw the first global agreement on programmes for
action in all areas relating to sustainable development, as documented in
Agenda 21. The Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) was
established to monitor the progress of implementing Agenda 21 which also
includes sustainable construction as one of the key area under it [8].

Figure 1 below shows the three spheres of sustainability which describes the
pertinent elements in sustainability agenda including the social, economy and
environmental. The sub-elements of sustainability spheres are social-
environmental, environmental-economic, and economic-social. In a
developing country like Malaysia, the sustainable construction trend tends to
focus on relationship between construction and human development and
marginalising environmental aspects. However, in light of the severe
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environmental degradation experienced by most of the developing countries,
construction industry cannot continue to ignore the environment [9].

Figure 1: Three Spheres of Sustainable Development [10]

Apart from the three spheres of sustainable as mentioned above, the main
thrust of the sustainable in construction is encapsulated in three areas of
classic construction management target namely time, cost and quality. Each
of these is not standing itself, but dynamically complemented with the other
elements which would pertinent to be part of the holistic structure for
sustainable construction that consider safety, security, environmental and
health in construction as seen in Figure 2. With the technology advancement
and competitive environment striving for excellence positive balance of
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interaction between all aspects in, sustainable development is no longer
beyond expectation.

Figure 2: Holistic Structure in Sustainable Construction

On the other hand, green technology is the important elements under the
sustainability domain. Based on a research by Lockwood [11] published in
Harvard Business Review, there are 10 principles to be adopted if one wants
to implement green construction. Figure 3 below shows the 10 principles of
the green as a guiding principle for industries in implementing green building
as a holistic approach. This principle will guide the way forward with regard
to green construction and implementation of sustainability.

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Figure 3: Principles of the Green Sustainability [11]

4 Sustainable policies and commitment of Malaysia
Malaysian in fact, is one of the earliest nations in the world to have adopted a
serious concern towards our environment by enacting the Environment
Quality Act way back in 1974. Recently, the honourable Prime Minister of
Malaysia in his speech at the United Nations Framework on Climate Change
Conference (Copenhagen Summit) has stated the commitment of Malaysia to
reduce the carbon dioxide emission by as much as 40% compared to 2005
levels. As the results, the Malaysian government is working on the Green
Technology Roadmap to guide Malaysia in becoming a low carbon green
growth economy. For a start, the government is conducting a baseline study
for green technology in Malaysia. The baseline study comprise the following
sectors; energy, waste water, building, transportation, manufacturing and ICT
[12]. Further, The National Green Technology Policy was developed with the
aims to establish green technology as a catalyst and driver to accelerate
economic growth and sustainable development. There are four pillars under
the policy are [12]:
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Figure 4: The National Green Technology Policy [11]

To coordinate actions and programme inter-ministries, agencies and private
sector and all stakeholders, The National Green Technology and Climate
Change Council chaired by The Honourable Prime Minister was established.
The council is supported by a steering committee and seven working groups;
industry, research and innovation, human capital, public awareness,
transportation, green neighbourhood and climate change [12].

5 Sustainable development and green buildings initiatives in
Malaysia
Under the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) and The 10
th

Malaysia Plan, the Malaysian construction industry will become an
important sector in providing infrastructure and buildings for other sector to
growth. Therefore, awareness in green and sustainable issues is needed so, all
the developments of infrastructure and building as stipulated in these plans
addresses the issues of green and sustainability. The Construction Industry
Development Board Malaysia (CIDB) is a body to develop and modernise
the Malaysian construction industry has always take a proactive actions to
address the issue of sustainable construction and assist the stakeholders in its
adoption. Back in J une 1999, the CIDB had established a technical
committee to look into developing good environmental practices in the
construction industry. The Technical Committee 9 on Good Environmental
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Practices in the Construction Industry (TC9) comprises environmental
experts from government agencies, professional bodies, academia and
construction related associations. Six working groups have been established
under the TC9 are [13]:

TC 9: Good Environmental Practices in the
Construction Industry (CIDB/TC9)
WG 1
WG 2
WG 3
WG 4
WG 5
WG 6
Guideline on Environmental Management System for Construction Industry
Development of Strategic and Programmes for Good Environment Practices
Prevention and Control of Soil Erosion and Sedimentation in Construction
Good Environmental Practices in Storm Water Management
Accreditation Scheme for Environment Management System for Contractor (DIY)
Guideline and Management of Construction Waste Material

Figure 5: Technical Committee Good Environmental Practices in the
Construction Industry (TC9)

Under the TC9, CIDB had published Strategic Recommendations for
Improving Environmental Practices in Construction Industry which
highlighted recommendation to be the strategic way forward in environment
in Malaysian construction industry adopted by all players. The
recommendations are summarised as follows [14]:

Strengthening the development approval process
Enhancing law and enforcement
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Promoting self-regulation, reflecting the best regulatory
practices which is necessary to achieve sustainable construction
in future
Increasing capacity and public awareness and addressing
knowledge gap

In J une 2006, the Construction Industry Master Plan 2006-2015 (CIMP) has
been published to chart the way forward for Malaysian construction. The
CIMP has identified that the demand on environmental sustainability is
necessary to achieve and sustain economic growth and social development.
The following milestones have been highlighted under the roadmap to be
achieved in 2015 [2]:

Foster a quality and environment-friendly culture and to
increase customer demand in the global environment in
construction
Encourage external accreditation in quality and environmental
management i.e. ISO 14001 certifications
Promote environment-friendly practices
Initiatives on green building materials to ensure impact
activities can provide in order to spur economy and social
benefits at large.

Malaysia Green Building Index (GBI) has been developed and widely used
since 2009. This private sector driven initiative aims to promote
sustainability in the built environment and raise awareness among the
industry players about environment issues. Building will be awarded GBI
rating score based on six key criteria; energy efficiency, indoor environment
quality, sustainable site planning, material and resources, water efficiency
and innovation.

In February 2010, the CIDB together with industrys stakeholders has met up
to strategise the green technology and sustainable agenda. The aim is to
formalise the strategic direction in green construction and sustainable. The
focus areas which have been identified as the priorities and need urgent
action are:

Formulation of green technology roadmap for construction
industry
Establishing eco-labelling task force
Standardisation of provision and legislation on green technology
Education and awareness

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Based on the output of the meeting, the CIDB is establishing technical
committee for green technology best practices in construction. The technical
committee is looking on four area of interest; eco-labelling, training,
development of contractors and development of roadmap for green
construction. As one of the most important aspect of sustainable construction
and green buildings which need urgent attention, eco-labelling task force was
established comprised captains from industries to look into the development
of eco-labelling scheme for construction materials. Construction Research
Institute of Malaysia (CREAM), subsidiary of CIDB has set-up product
testing facilities in its laboratory to ensure construction materials to be
certified as eco-label. CIDB is also developing Green Assessment System in
Construction (GASSIC). GASSIC is a system or method to measure and
evaluate the green attributes of a construction work from design to
construction stage based on developed standard. This assessment system will
be used together with GBI as a measure to certified green buildings in
Malaysia. GASSIC will be made mandatory to all public projects in the
future to ensure total adoption of green technologies and sustainable
development.

In line with government effort to reduce dependency on foreign workers and
utilise green construction technologies, CIDB is geared toward the adoption
of innovation method in construction in the form of Industrialised Building
Systems (IBS). The fundamental idea of IBS is to move on-site work to more
controlled environment in a manufacturing floor. IBS promote sustainability
from controlled production environment minimisation of waste generation
effective usage of energy, efficient building materials, effective logistic and
long term economic stability which can contribute to better investment in
environment technologies. IBS also proved that wastage can be reduced
greatly due to prefabrication of most of the building components.
Prefabrication in factory environment enables waste reduction through
process orientation that entails controlled production and standardise process.
Since 2008, IBS is made compulsory in public building project, where 70%
of components using in the construction must be IBS.

In closing the technological gap and changing people mindset, research and
development is the ways ahead. Ongoing research areas in sustainable
construction and green buildings funded by CIDB are:

Construction practices for storm water management and soil
erosion control for the construction industry
Achieving sustainability of the construction industry via
International Environmental Management Systems Standard
Waste minimisation and recycling potential of construction
materials
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Materials security and waste management for Industrialised
Building Systems (IBS)
Environmental management plan in the contract tender
document of construction projects
Utilisation of waste materials for the production of concrete
pedestrian block

6 The future outlook
New business will emerge to utilise green technologies and captured market
share in construction industry. It includes construction firms that are
specialised in providing consultancy services for clients which would like to
use green technology. In addition there are potential market for
manufacturer to produce innovative green product in the construction such
as panels, roof system, walls, rain-water harvesting system and solar panel.
The green technology initiative also creates multiplier effect for other
industry. More business can be created in the area of recycling, water
purification, air purification, environmental remediation, solid waste
management, renewable energy and energy conservation. Under Budget
2010, the government provides effective financial incentives through Green
Technology Financial Scheme (GTFS) in the amount of RM 1.5 billion to
explore green technology and adopt green practices [12]. This fund will
provide soft loans to companies that supply and utilise green technology.
For suppliers, the maximum financing is RM 50 million and for consumers
and companies RM 10 million [12]. In addition, the government is also
considering tax incentives such as tax deduction for contribution towards
environmental funds and tax breaks for buildings and designs that work
harmoniously with nature.
For attaining better future, the government of Malaysia is in the midst of
integrating green topics in the national education system and increase
modules and courses related to green technology in institutes of higher
education in both public and private institutions. Further, the government
creates green jobs roadmap through integrating skills training standard in
National Competency Standards (NCS) and National Occupational Skills
Standards (NOSS) [12]. Green ICT Working Group has been set up under
The Malaysian Technical Standards Forum Berhad to actively promote the
Green ICT concept in relation to the ICT industry, to set up a minimum
Green ICT guideline that can be used across industries and to continuously
seek to establish a sustainable ICT industry through eco-friendly
technology. However, there are several challenges in adopting green
technologies in construction. The challenges are lack of skill and capacity in
this area, overlapping of roles among the government agencies, slow
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industry follow through on government programs, lack of research and
innovation, lack of understanding of environmental implications and its
solutions and cost versus benefits in term of implementation of green
technology. The barriers are also related to law and regulation. Currently,
the government of Malaysia fails to regulate and enforce due to the lack of a
legislative framework specifically for green technology or green growth.
Thus, unable to apply the carrot and stick principle and reach
industries/people at all levels. These issues need to be addressed to ensure
successful adoption in the future.

7 Recommendation
Recommendations to accelerate the adoption of sustainable construction and
green buildings in Malaysia are:

To further incorporate and applies innovation in construction in
the form of Industrialised Building System (IBS). The
fundamental idea of IBS is to move on-site work to a
controlled environment of manufacturing floor. IBS promote
sustainability from controlled production environment
minimisation of waste generation effective usage of energy,
efficient building materials, effective logistic and long term
economic stability which can contribute to better investment in
environment technologies

The introduction and adoption of while whole life cycle costing
and green procurement in construction industry is important
way forward. The concept refers to the total cost of ownership
over the life of an asset. It also commonly referred to as cradle
to grave or womb to tomb costs. The primary benefit of whole-
life costing is that costs which occur after an asset has been
constructed or acquired, such as maintenance, operation,
disposal, become an important consideration in decision-
making. By introducing the whole life cycle costing and green
procurement, the industry has resources to plan for sustainable
and use green materials when the investment is justified.
Environmental considerations will be integrated into all stages
of development, programme planning and implementation and
all aspects of policy making. Environmental inputs shall be
incorporated into economic development planning activities,
including regional plan, master plans, structure and local plan.
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Human capital development is one of the important elements
that need to be taken onboard. A system for formulation of
grading and certification mechanisms for competent personnel
in green technology is the way forward. The learning curve and
education syllabus on sustainable and green construction
should be included right from primary education until
university level.
Research and innovation is the best way to improve and
expand knowledge and technology. The government should
increase grant allocation on the research related to sustainable
and green construction and encourage research cluster on green
issues. The research agenda needs to include benchmarking
and technology transfer of best practices from developed
countries in implementing sustainable and green construction
agenda.
Integrated and effective cooperation and coordination among
government and other sectors shall be enhanced in order to
achieve efficient environmental management and protection.
Environment-related legislation and standards shall be
reviewed regularly and revised where necessary to ensure the
continued effectiveness and coordination of laws. Particular
attention will be paid to effective enforcement. However, there
is a need for clarity in the roles of the agencies to avoid
confusion and overlapping in roles and programs

8 Final remarks
Mitigation to sustainable mentality requires a lot of change in attitude,
innovation, creativity, research and support from many stakeholders.
Construction industry must inevitably change its historic of operating with
little regard for environmental impact to a new mode that makes
environmental concern a centre piece of its effort. The era of sustainability is
taking its stand and the construction industry must demonstrate that it can
abide by this new stand. It is important for the government of Malaysia to
exploit their foresight regarding this transition to maximise its potential
benefit through policies supporting the development of the private demand
for and supply of activities which meet this agenda. Change requires
investments, and the vast majority of those investments must happen through
the private sector with the government providing adequate enabling effect.
Political will is also needed to continue the policy in the future.

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Reference
[1] EPU (2010), Tenth Malaysia Plan 2011-2015, The Economic Planning
Unit, Prime Minister Department, Putrajaya, Malaysia
[2] CIDB, (2008). Construction Industry Master Plan 2006-2015 (CIMP).
Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) Malaysia, Kuala
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[3] Bourdeau, L., (1999), Sustainable Development and the Future of
Construction: A Comparison of Visions from Various Countries, Building
Research and Information, 27(6), pp. 354-366.
[4] Yusoff, S. (2007). Sustainable Solid Waste Management : Incorporating
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[5] Nasir, H., Nurlaily, H., Rakmi, A. R., Zamri I. and Saifullah, R., (1995).
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[6] Ibrahim, R. (1999). Environmental Management in Malaysia. The
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[7] WCED (1987). Our Common Future. World Conference on Environment
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[8] Latiff, A., Pereira, J . J., Hezri Adnan, A., Aldrie, A. A. (2004), Assessing
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[9] Begum, R. A. (2005). Economic Analysis on the Potential of Construction
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[10] Sandra, I., Rodriguez, Matthew S., Roman, Samantha, C., (2002).
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[11] Lockwood, C. (2007). Building The Green Way, Harvard Business
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[12] Ramnick, K (2011) Green growth strategies and challenges in Malaysia,
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[13] CIDB. (1999). Terms of Reference. Technical Committee 9. Construction
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[14] CIDB, (2006). Strategic Recommendations for Improving Environmental
Practices in Construction Industry. Construction Industry Development
Board (CIDB) Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur.

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Zuhairi Abd Hamid, Kamarul Anuar Mohamad Kamar, Mohd Khairolden Ghani, Maria

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