Sustainability vital in construction industry

PETALING JAYA: Sustainability is vital for construction as the industry faces depleting resources, said Construction Industry Development Board Malaysia (CIDB) chairman Datuk Hamzah Hassan.

"We are promoting sustainability because of depleting resources. We have to safeguard the resources for our future use," Hamzah said at the Sustainability in the Globalised World conference on Monday, Apr 25.

"Previously, the notion was that our raw materials are limitless. But now, we can't exploit the materials and there must be sustainability. We have to nurture our environment and building techniques," Hamzah added.

Asked if sustainability development will incur higher cost for the construction industry, Hamzah said: "Initially, yes. When you introduce a new methodology, definitely there is an element of cost to it. However, the total cost will reduce in the long run."

He said one must look at life cycle costing, new materials and maintenance costs that starts from the drawing board to the end-users when constructing a new building.

Works Minister Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor said based on the reality that resources are finite, it is incumbent on the industry to select resources that are sustainable, replaceable, recyclable and do not contribute to depletion of natural resources.

"It is obligatory upon us to revolutionise design so that environmentally-mitigating parameters encompassing life-cycle analysis, environmental performance index, ecological footprints, among others, are accounted for at the working level. This must be the basis of sustainable design," Shaziman said in his opening speech that was read out by Works Ministry Deputy Secretary-General Datuk Nasir Mat Dam.

Shaziman said the government had put in several policies including the creation of the Energy, Green Technology and Water Ministry reflecting the country's seriousness in creating an economy that depends on clean, green and sustainable solutions.

"In addition, a RM1.5 billion funding scheme has been set aside to promote the use of green technology. Malaysian companies that produce or use green technology are eligible for a 2% interest rate discount that will be borne by the government and will also help to mitigate risk by guaranteeing 60% of financing for the usage of the green technology," said Shaziman.

In his speech, Shaziman also said he hoped that the industry would embrace the Industrialised Building System (IBS).

"Clearly, IBS promises numerous benefits over conventional method such as lower number of site workers due to simplified construction methods, better quality of end-products through controlled prefabrication process and reduction in the consumption of construction material as well as reduction of construction waste due to the usage of standardised components and less on-site materials," he said.

He attributed the cold response from the industry to the availability of cheap labour, which is counter-productive to the development of Malaysian construction industry as it makes it more inefficient and less competitive.