Building Projects In Malaysia Research Articles

Study on the Benefits of the Implementation of Green Building Rating in Malaysia

A green building is a sustainable design incorporating environmentally friendly practices in its construction and management. The objective of green building development is to reduce the negative impact of buildings on the environment by mitigating carbon dioxide emissions. Several countries worldwide, including Malaysia have established rating tools under the World Green Building Council to measure sustainability for various types of development. The goal is to encourage all nations to promote green building and replace conventional methods that harm the environment. In Malaysia, two of the most commonly used assessment tools for green building are GBI and GreenRE. The Malaysian government has implemented various policies to manage the construction process of green buildings, such as the National Green Technology Policy, Green Performance Assessment System, and the establishment of Green Technology Master Plan for managing green operations. However, green building projects in Malaysia are still in the formative stage, indicating that the construction industry in Malaysia is still in its infancy with regard to sustainable development. This study aims to investigate the perceived benefits of implementing Green Building Rating Tools in Malaysia. Specific factors that enable company readiness to adopt rating tools include benefits to occupants, facility management, and environmental sustainability. The research methodology used in this study was quantitative, employing a questionnaire survey with 140 respondents. The findings indicate that Facility Management and Environmental Sustainability are significantly related to Company's Readiness to adopt Green Building Rating. It is crucial for policymakers to provide incentives to project teams (developers, consultants, and contractors) to increase awareness about green construction and its implementation.

Stakeholders' Perception on the Current Practices of Industrial Building System (IBS) Construction Technology

The Industrialised Building System (IBS) has been adopted in the Malaysian construction sector to replace the conventional building approach. Despite the government's attempts to encourage IBS adoption, the use of IBS in Malaysian building projects remains low. This study aims to gather stakeholders' views on drivers, barriers, and strategies to improve IBS implementation in Malaysia. About 52 questionnaires were received from IBS stakeholders in Johor such as consulting firms, contractors and IBS manufacturers. Average Index Analysis was used to analyse the questionnaire data on the main factors: current drivers, factors when considering IBS construction, current barriers and strategies to increase IBS construction. From the questionnaire survey, among the main drivers of IBS construction in Malaysia are technology advancement, reduce completion time and improve quality and productivity. Stakeholders also perceived that supervision on continuous and regular improvements and IBS implementation needs planning for productive process among the main factors when considering IBS construction. Meanwhile, the main barriers for IBS construction perceived are high initial cost investment in projects related to IBS construction, lack of skilled workers and unable to adapt instant changes to design modification in IBS construction. Several main strategies were noted to enhance the IBS implementation such as improving the balance between supply and market demand, innovation in creating eco-friendly sustainable construction and factory production optimization for IBS items. The outcomes of the study could assist relevant parties to understand the current drivers and barriers of IBS construction, and further help them to enhance the IBS implementation in Malaysia.

Constraints in Implementation of Green Building Projects in Malaysia: A Short Review

Green building (GB) is the foundation of sustainable construction and a part of promoting environmental conservation. Bringing change to the building construction industry requires multiple efforts from various angles especially to overcome any resistances in the form of technology, human aspects, financial and resources. The transition from conventional to sustainable approach consumes time as it requires changes from different facets in the industry ranging from individual, organizational to industry level. In Malaysia, there are various efforts to bring green into the industry but the progress is low moderate. The current review identified the major constraints that hinder a faster progress for green buildings development in Malaysia which include high initial cost, lack of knowledge and awareness among public and industry players, challenges in technology and expertise as well as lack of government enforcement and incentives. The outcomes of this paper will assist in enhancing and improving the sustainable practice in Malaysian’s construction industry for the betterment of life for sustainable communities.

Dispute Occurrences During Construction Stages of Building Project: A Systematic Literature Review

Disputes arise during construction phases have a negative impact on the outcomes of projects. It is widely known from earlier studies that dispute is one of the factors contributing to the abandonment of building projects in Malaysia. Thus, there is a need to investigate the root causes of it because it leads to delay which affects the overall project performance and loss of money. The study on this research domain in Malaysian construction projects has only been conducted in the general context of the construction industry, without specializing in any specific type of projects or focusing on the phases of project. Hence, this paper aims to investigates the occurrences of dispute throughout the entire process of building construction project based on the traditional approach of project procurement, i.e., starting from the initiation stage until the defect liability period. This study was using systematic literature review and was conducted through searches of relevant publications from multiple electronic sources to review information using specific criteria. The results were presented in two major themes to serve as a theoretical base for the development of framework to minimise occurrence of construction dispute in building projects.

Effected Factors on Standard Measurement Method Adoption in Construction Projects Using SEM Approach

Various factors affect the standard method of measurement adoption in civil construction projects, especially in developing countries such as Malaysia. Hence, this study investigates the relationship between affected factors towards standard adoption using the SEM approach. As a case study, this study focused on quantity surveyors working at a consulting firm in Selangor, Malaysia. This study identifies the effect of standard measuring technique adoption in Malaysian building projects that have a beneficial impact. The factors research model is the first stage in determining the reasons for using the most recent standard measuring technique in civil engineering construction projects and explaining the link between the barrier factors and standard adoption. The information was gathered using a questionnaire survey sent to participants at construction firms that used the standard measurement method. The PLS-SEM approach was used by SmartPLS 3 software to construct and assess a hierarchical model to assess variables and their effects on measuring method adoption. The findings revealed that 17 barrier factor indicators had a significant impact on adopting the standard assessment technique. The coefficient of determination (R2 value) of 0.307 represents the proportion of variance in the dependent variable that one or more predictor variables can explain. Furthermore, the conceptual model’s predictive significance value Q2 is 0.156 greater than zero, indicating that it can predict endogenous latent components. The measured effect size (f2) between the barrier factors (exogenous latent) and the adoption of the model’s standard (endogenous latent) was 0.443, indicating that the developed model had significant explanatory power to represent the relationship among the variables of the factors and the effect on measurement method adoption. There is a need to improve the methods and increase the driver elements described in this study to promote the adoption of standard measurement in construction projects, which impacts the adoption of the standard method of measuring. In the future, researchers can start from this study to compare the situation in Malaysia with developed countries to discover shortcomings and develop a framework for measurement factors that can be applied.

CONTROL OF VARIATION ORDERS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RESIDENTIAL PROJECTS IN MALAYSIA

Variation orders are a frequent occurrence in the construction phase of Malaysian building projects. Increased construction time and costs are inevitable when variation orders appear. The aim of the current research is to identify the effectiveness of a "cost and time model" in controlling variation orders during the construction of residential projects in Malaysia. The model was derived from a literature review, which also examined how case studies and data have been utilised to identify the causes and effects of variation orders. These were analysed using multiple linear regression analysis. Three independent variables were identified as significant positive causes, while two dependent variables were determined to be the effects of a variation order. The independent variables signify the owner’s changes to the scope of work, construction materials and procedures, as well as their modifications to the specifications. The cost and duration of the project is the dependent variables. The model developed was found to be suitable in practice and the authors propose its application in the early stages of residential construction projects to control the occurrence of variation orders in such projects in Malaysia.

Developing the Green Building Materials Selection Criteria for Sustainable Building Projects

<p class='IJASEITAbtract'>The utilization of green building materials (GBMs) becomes necessary. The lack of clear guidelines on utilizing GBMs and difficulties in adjusting GBMs criteria adequately for the three sustainability pillars is a major obstacle. Furthermore, it is an issue of multi-criteria decision that considers all sustainability factors during the selection process and implies multi-criteria decision-making mechanism statistical techniques. Consequently, the main challenge is identifying assessment criteria based on the sustainability concept and prioritizing and consolidating the evaluation framework of relevant criteria. Therefore, this paper aims to determine the selection of GBMs criteria to achieve sustainable building projects in Malaysia. To do so, a total of three key criteria and 32 sub-criteria were identified by a review of the previous literature, accompanied by a semi-structured interview with 12 experts. Data were obtained using a questionnaire from 73 building professionals when exploring the country's GBM criteria using the Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA). The findings indicate that the associations between these criteria across the EFA have three key components: environmental, economic, and social. A mean and standard deviation scatter plot analysis was also performed to evaluate the data descriptively to define the relevance criteria. Finally, this study strengthens the current management of building engineering by enhancing the criteria for selecting GBMs in the Malaysian construction industry to satisfy the sustainability objectives of the building projects.

Review of Industrialized Buildings Experience in Malaysia: An Example of a Developing Country

Building industry is currently under pressing need to move towards a sustainable and productive practice. The demand in residential projects keeps on rising, especially in developing countries. The Industrialized Building System (IBS) is deemed to be more sustainable compared to the traditional construction that uses bricks and mortar. However, there is limited uptake for IBS, especially in the housing sector. The lack of incentives and small-scale projects among main factors impede the increase of implementing IBS in residential projects. Around 5 million housing units have been built in Malaysia by both private and public sector since the first IBS housing project is commenced in 1966. Yet, the gap between supply and demand is around 43% (shortage) with small share for IBS in the housing sector. This study Examined IBS projects growth in term of scale, type and classification development in Malaysian context. Then, analysed reasons, impacts and expected results when employing IBS in Malaysia. The findings illustrate the timeline of IBS establishment and development of IBS housing and building projects in Malaysia. This study tracked the development of IBS with greater focus on housing. Moreover, this study reviewed and analysed the way forward to uplift IBS implementation to a higher level. Finally, this study will guide future research and draw the line for other developing countries to follow the path and learn from such experience.

BIM and CMMS for IBS building maintenance in Malaysia

IBS construction is gradually increasing in many building projects in Malaysia. The projects have involved modern, contemporary and innovation design for construction. The increase of demands for IBS construction every year indirectly contributes the building and infrastructure development but maintenance management however is poor, possesses low defect diagnosis and limited decision making process to repairing. These problems become more complicated in complex and high-rise building projects like Malaysia to which IBS building construction is practiced. Conventionally, the repairing maintenance method (fragmentation approach) has been criticized for serious unacceptable quality or productivity, budget and concept of the IBS building maintainability (reworks and delay). Therefore, a novel and more sophisticated technique is proposed for improving defect diagnosis and decision making process by employing BIM and CMMS integration in maintenance management on IBS buildings in Malaysia.

Project Management Performance and Its Influence on Malaysian Building Projects

Working environment and safety behavior are the primary concern in construction projects which in the long run are part of the yardstick in measuring project management performance. Construction safety and performance should be thoroughly investigated empirically by illustrating the current state of accident and performance in construction industries. Entrenched in the Malaysian construction industry experience, three dimensions of the project management performance (resolve cost, schedule, and quality) can buffer the contractor’s and project manager’s performance in building projects. Following organizational control theory, this research investigated the effects project management performance (resolve cost, schedule, and quality) on construction projects among G-7 contractors operating in Kuantan Malaysia construction industries through a personally administered questionnaire. Structural equation modeling (SEM) opined that schedule and quality have positive and significant influence, while resolve cost has a significant negative influence on Malaysia construction projects.

A review of causes of variation order in the construction of terrace housing projects in Malaysia

Variation order refers to any changes from the scope, plan, specification or contract document in the construction project. This changes of work is a common problem in construction projects in Malaysia. It is inevitable in any construction project and this problem can become more serious when variation order causes work progress to be impaired as a results it increased the construction time and cost that affects the construction industry in Malaysia. This paper critically review the causes of variation order in the construction industry on the double-storey terrace housing project in Malaysia. The discussions began with the construction industry in Malaysia and then related parties involved in the construction industry. The extensive local and abroad literature review on the definitions of variation order and analysis of past studies conducted on variation order and the previous study of the prediction model of variation. The extensive literature on variation order in the construction of building project may help to improve the performance in term of time, cost and quality of the construction of building projects in Malaysia.

Measures to Mitigate Causative Factors of Budget Overrun in Malaysian Building Projects

Completion of a construction within planned budget is one of the main criterion of project success, however budget overrun has become a recurring phenomenon in construction industry. Budget overrun can cause multiple negative effects such as loos of economy, disputes among construction stakeholders, project abandonment, and drop in construction activities. This study aims to identify causes of budget overrun in Malaysian Building projects and then to establish mitigation measures for the identified main causes. Literature review, questionnaire survey and interviews were used in this study. Detailed literature review results in identification of 28 causes of budget overrun. The main causes of budget overrun in building projects in Malaysia were investigated through a questionnaire survey of 83 contractors, 57 clients, and 40 owners. The feedback of questionnaire survey was analyzed statistically. The significant causes of budget overrun were: improper planning, variation in materials price, poor site management, lack of communication between parties, frequent design changes, incompetent contractors, mistakes during construction, shortage of site workers, delay in material procurement, and low speed of decisions making. After questionnaire survey, interviews with 16 construction exports were carried out in order to develop mitigation measures for the top ten significant causes. On the basis of interviews, a list of mitigation measures for each of the top ten significant causes were established. The findings of this study can be useful for construction practitioners in controlling budget overrun and to achieve project success.

Stakeholders’ Perception on Critical Cost Variation Factors in Malaysian Building Projects

Effective cost management is one of the prime requirements for successful completion of construction projects. However, deviation from initially planned cost had been prevalent in construction projects. Cost variation has become a frequent phenomenon in construction projects and Malaysian building projects has no exclusion. This paper aims to establish the critical factors instigating cost variation in Malaysian building projects. Extensive literature review and field survey were two main methods for conducting this study. 34 factors causing cost variation were identified through deep literature review. A questionnaire survey based on identified factors, was carried out among construction stakeholders: clients, consultants and contractors involved in handling of building projects in Malaysia. The collected data was analyzed using SPSS V22 software, which enabled the ranking of factors based on their Mean Value. The results of the survey indicated that (1) fluctuation in cost of materials, (2) improper planning, (3) Incompetent main contractors, (4) poor site management, (5) and client financial problems were top five critical factors causing cost variation in building projects. The inferences drawn in this study can serve as a guide lines for construction stakeholders to achieve effective cost management in building projects.

Ranking of Effects of Construction Delay: Evidence from Malaysian Building Projects

Abstract The problem of delay is a regular phenomenon in construction projects all around the world and the Malaysian building projects has no exclusion. The aim of this paper is to determine and rank the effects of delay in Malaysian building projects with respect to their Relative Importance Index. Literature review and questionnaire survey were used to gather data for this study. A thorough literature review was performed to identify the common effects of delays in building construction projects. A questionnaire was distributed among key project participants; contractors, clients and consultants, to rank the effects of delay in Malaysian building projects based on the perception of survey respondents. In total 300 questionnaires were distributed, as a result of 240 questionnaires were received. The collected data of questionnaire survey was analysed using statistical software SPSS. In total, 17 effects of the delays have been determined and findings from the survey revealed that time overrun, cost overrun, dispute, loss of profit, arbitration, claims, contract termination, litigation, poor quality of work, and total project abandonment were the main effects of delay in Malaysian building projects. The findings of this study might encourage construction stakeholders to focus on the issue of delays in building projects.

Rework in Malaysian building construction: impacts, causes and potential solutions

PurposeRework is detrimental to project outcomes. However, there is still a lack of attention about rework within the Malaysian construction industry. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of rework on schedule and cost performance, to explore the causes of rework and to propose effective measures to minimise the occurrence of rework in building construction projects in Malaysia.Design/methodology/approachUsing a sample of 114 construction stakeholders consisting of 39 clients, 36 consultants and 39 contractors from the Klang Valley region, the authors investigated the variables on rework through a questionnaire survey. The level of importance of the causes and the potential solutions was ranked and correlated.FindingsFrom the primary data analysis, the study on Malaysian building projects unveiled the cost of rework to range from 3.1 to 6.0 per cent of the project value and the schedule growth due to rework to range from 5.1 to 10.0 per cent. The significant causes of rework were identified and prioritised. The 18 causes were further categorised into five underlying dimensions by using a factor analysis. Effective rework reduction measures were also given. Finally, the relationships between the causes of rework and the potential solutions were identified using correlation tests.Research limitations/implicationsWhile this study is limited to rework in Malaysian building construction, rework in infrastructure projects is a potential area to discover new causes and possible solutions.Practical implicationsThis paper provides insights into the effects of rework to project outcomes, causes of rework and feasible solutions in reducing rework in building construction projects.Originality/valueRework has been the focal point of research; however, empirical studies on rework have been under-represented in the Malaysian construction industry. This paper seeks to fill the gap by conducting an in-depth investigation on rework in the context of Malaysia.

Investigating design changes in Malaysian building projects

ABSTRACTThe complexity and uncertainties associated with construction projects mean that contracts invariably provide sufficient flexibility for changes in design as the work proceeds. However, the concomitant effects of this arrangement often cause time and cost control to be adversely affected – resulting in schedule delays and cost overruns. In seeking an improved understanding, this study aimed to identify the specific causes of design changes and their implications –cost performance of Malaysia-based building projects. A total of 39 causes were first identified through a comprehensive literature review and, in conjunction with 12 semi-structured interviews with experienced construction industry practitioners, then categorised into those originating from clients, consultants, contractors, site and external sources. A questionnaire survey of 338 clients, consultants and contractors was then analysed to infer and rank the identified causes and their overall effect. The research reveals that building projects in Malaysia encounter time–cost overruns of 5–20% due to design changes. Lack of coordination among various professional consultants, change of requirements/specification, addition/omission of scope, erroneous/discrepancies in design documents and unforeseen ground conditions are the five most significant causes. The analysis also reveals considerable heterogeneity of perceptions between the respondent groups of the most significant causes of design changes, attributed to the adversarial culture within the industry.

A Preliminary Exploration of the Barriers of Sustainable Refurbishment for Commercial Building Projects in Malaysia

Malaysia is one of the developing countries that faced frequent and serious floods in recent years. Sustainable refurbishment seems to play an important role to fight against the climate change. Additionally, sustainable refurbishment approach is the greatest potential ways for reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Existing commercial buildings in Malaysia have been found for one-third of the total electricity consumption. However, the amounts of sustainable refurbished buildings listed in the Green Building Index (GBI) certified are still considerably lower and not fully explored. That is, this research aims to identify the potential barriers that hinder commercial building owners to implement sustainable refurbishment and to determine the drivers that could improve sustainable refurbishment implementation in Malaysia. The qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interview with an experienced commercial building manager in Kuala Lumpur. The content analysis used in utilizing the entire dataset to identify underlying themes presented through the data. The result indicated that the key barriers of sustainable refurbishment are the higher cost of sustainable refurbishment than traditional methods and lacking of sustainable awareness among Malaysian. This preliminary research also found that the drivers that could improve sustainable refurbishment implementation are able to enhance their corporate image and to reduce the environmental impact. The findings of ongoing research can be beneficial for building owners to deliver their refurbishment projects with a green awareness and environmental considerations in the future.

Empirical Study to Determine Fragmentation of Construction Projects

AbstractFragmentation is a well-known problem in the construction field; however, the literature shows a lack of a precise definition and appropriate measurement of this notion. The purpose of this paper is to determine indicators of fragmentation in construction projects using a second-order formative measurement model. The data were collected using a questionnaire survey from big building projects in Malaysia. Three procedures were used to analyze the data. First, we used principal component analysis (PCA) to determine fragmentation constructs and develop the hierarchical model. Second, partial least squares-path modeling (PLS-PM) was conducted to analyze the hierarchical model and validate the constructs. Lastly, a multicollinearity test was performed to validate the formative variables. The results indicated four new constructs of fragmentation, namely: integration, spanning knowledge across boundaries, barriers, and decoupling of diversity. This paper contributes to the development of a new definitio...

Impacts of Implementation of IBS Score Regulations of CIDB on the Concrete Volumes Required for Building Projects in Malaysia

Improvement of construction industry will contribute to the economy of Malaysia because it is one of the five sectors used to calculate the national GDP. This fact is encouraging the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) of Malaysia to prepare many development plans like Roadmap 2003-2010, CIMP 2006-2015, and Roadmap 2011-2015. Adoption of the Industrialized Building System (IBS) is the step stone for all these plans. CIDB has created an indicator to assess the degree on industrialization for applied building system; IBS score. Furthermore, CIDB has specified the minimum values of this score for the building projects of government and private sector. This paper discusses the effects of adjusting these values on the structural design of an office building. The CIDB method of calculating the IBS score, the moment distribution method of structural analysis and BS8110 code of design will be used to analyze the selected case study.

A Review on Sustainability Principles of Building: Formulation of a Theoretical Framework

Sustainable development has received encouraging attention since the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development was signed in 1992 Earth Summit. In Malaysia, the focus on sustainability in building, especially in devising policies has been spelled out in the government policies at national, state and local level. It can be considered that many efforts relating to sustainability in building project have been implemented in the country, however till now sustainability in Malaysian building projects are still remain without proven. It was revealed that most of the current frameworks of sustainability in the country are not equipped to handle sustainable building project. It is often encouraged environmental measure in most cases, yet the rest of measures are less promoted. To response to the issues, this study therefore aims to explore the sustainability principles of building through the review of relevant literatures. Content analysis is used to identify the principles in the sustainability literature relevant to building projects. A theoretical framework of sustainability principles of building was then formulated to be the main outcome of the study. The framework consists of a list of 29 sustainability principles of building to be taken into account throughout the project development process. The findings is very important to be a useful starting point for future study, especially for formulating a clear guide for the development of upcoming sustainable building projects to its actual meaning.