Readiness of Malaysian on Sustainable Development in Solar Energy Application

Solar energy is a non-vanishing renewable source of energy that is eco-friendly. However, the solar energy adoption rate in Malaysia remains low due to the low readiness level among the Malaysian. This phenomenon should be emphasized where solutions need to be figured out to encourage the adoption of solar energy in buildings. Thus, this research was conducted to explore the readiness and challenges of the Malaysians in adopting solar energy. A mixed research method was adopted where a total of 200 sets of online questionnaire surveys were distributed to the public, and a semi-structured interview was carried out to obtain the opinions from the expert in the industry. Based on the findings of the questionnaires, the top 3 challenges in solar energy adoption are (1) high setting up cost of solar panels, (2) limited public awareness of solar energy and (3) efficiency of the solar panel depends on the weather. Next, the qualitative study found that 48.9% of 139 respondents were willing to adopt solar energy in the future. The findings show that that breaking down the barriers of high investment cost and long return investment would further enhance the solar energy adoption rates at the residential scale. Since this study had explored the challenges and solution to these barriers, the outcomes of this study can be used by the policy maker as the fundamental to encourage the adoption of solar energy in the existing buildings where the current adoption rate is low

Secure Cloud Computing based Energy Analytics Framework in Construction of Residential Buildings

The buildings are emanating a massive producer of data amidst being massive consumers of energy resources. Electrification of a region is seen as a breakthrough in fostering the economic development of the region. However, rapid urbanization has paved the way for the construction of huge buildings which is home to a large amount of population, which directly or indirectly contributes to energy consumption. Energy analytics is a form of energy conservation, especially in residential buildings, which is generally harnessed through cutting-edge computing technologies. This work proposed a comprehensive framework with five layers that collects data from the energy monitoring edge devices to build energy analytics by processing the data in the cloud platform. In addition to this, the framework uses a security score to monitor the illegitimate access of the cloud source by tracking the registered devices. This is a robust and generic framework that has the scope to include AI-based strategies that can be orchestrated in the cloud computing platform

IMPACTS OF GREEN SITE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ON ENERGY AND WATER CONSUMPTION EFFICIENCY IN THE MALAYSIAN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

This study aims to investigate the impacts of green site management on corporate environmental and economic performances by improving the efficiency of energy and water consumption at construction sites. The identified green site management has been proven to improve both environmental and economic performances. This study allows practitioners to study and advocate for appropriate green site management strategies. A qualitative method was carried out since this research focused on the construction players’ opinions on green site management practices. Five contractors were selected randomly from the construction sites in Malaysia based on the convenience sampling method. All selected respondents were qualified to give opinions as they held management posts. The results have shown green site management practices can reduce the consumption of resources and improve energy efficiency management and water consumption management, which are considered to have a positive impact on the construction project’s environmental and economic performance. The findings also revealed that green site management practices implementation must not affect their economic performance, such as increasing the construction cost with high initial and maintenance costs. As the construction industry consumes a vast amount of water and energy daily, these consumption reductions can help construction sites achieve energy efficiency and utilize natural resources, eventually improving corporate environmental and economic performance. Thus, green practices must be implemented to bring sustainable development to the construction industry

Green Site Management Practices in the Malaysian Construction Sites

This study intends to explore the available green site management practices for construction stakeholders. Green site management practices have been introduced to the construction industry to mitigate the negative impacts of construction activities if construction stakeholders start to implement them. Therefore, green site management practices such as land control, construction site waste management, dust, noise, and vibration control, and a green and conducive environment shall be explored to promote green development in the construction industry. A qualitative method was employed since this study focused on the views of construction stakeholders on green site management practices. Five contractors were randomly selected from the construction sites in Malaysia based on the convenience sampling method. All respondents were qualified to give opinions as they hold management posts. The process collecting of opinions from the respondents stopped when no new issues were found in their feedback. The results reveal that land control, construction site waste management, dust, noise, and vibration control, and a green and conducive environment were considered green development in the construction industry. However, these practices were not systematically practised as there were no clear guidelines to lead the practitioners. The results also showed that the government has the power to enforce green practices on construction sites. Green site management practices will bring another new era to the construction industry, which is intended to protect the environment while ensuring that the practitioners can be financially sustainable. The results will shed light on green construction development, whereby these green practices can be promoted to construction site

GREEN SITE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES IN THE MALAYSIAN CONSTRUCTION SITES

This study intends to explore the available green site management practices for construction stakeholders. Green site management practices have been introduced to the construction industry to mitigate the negative impacts of construction activities if construction stakeholders start to implement them. Therefore, green site management practices such as land control, construction site waste management, dust, noise, and vibration control, and a green and conducive environment shall be explored to promote green development in the construction industry. A qualitative method was employed since this study focused on the views of construction stakeholders on green site management practices. Five contractors were randomly selected from the construction sites in Malaysia based on the convenience sampling method. All respondents were qualified to give opinions as they hold management posts. The process collecting of opinions from the respondents stopped when no new issues were found in their feedback. The results reveal that land control, construction site waste management, dust, noise, and vibration control, and a green and conducive environment were considered green development in the construction industry. However, these practices were not systematically practised as there were no clear guidelines to lead the practitioners. The results also showed that the government has the power to enforce green practices on construction sites. Green site management practices will bring another new era to the construction industry, which is intended to protect the environment while ensuring that the practitioners can be financially sustainable. The results will shed light on green construction development, whereby these green practices can be promoted to construction sites

Awareness level and factors affecting intention of Penang construction industry toward green building development

Purpose – This study has identified the awareness level and factors that affecting the trend of practicing green in Pulau Pinang construction field. The participating firms are from developer background as these organizations are the main influencer to the industry. Property developers are the first stakeholder who initiate the construction project which means they are playing crucial roles in encouraging green practices in construction industry

Innovation technology towards Construction & Demolition (C&D) waste management

Purpose–The vast amount of Construction and Demolition (C&D) waste generation reported implicates that construction industry didn’t perform well in handling resource management.Research gap which shows that effectiveness in waste management has highly correlation with knowledge acquaintance level of the practitioners. This study has investigated the acquaintance level of project upstream stakeholders to standards of C&D waste innovations. Design/methodology/approach–Aqualitative methodhas been deployed to assess and review insights and opinions from respondents through their experiences and exposure on C&Dwaste innovations. Semi-structured interview with 10 respondents in order to probe with more findings from respondents.Findings–Highest acquaintance level on C&D waste innovation standard in using Building Information Modelling (BIM)following by using RFID, barcode, GIS, and mechanical sorting innovations and lastly none from SMART Waste innovation.Research limitations/implications–This paper is limited on the responses coverage on Penang area which doesn’t represented findings to the whole construction industry in Malaysia. Originality/value–The paper findings depicted the current status of the industry towards waste management efforts with innovation.This also help to foster initiative plans in deciding which lifecycle of project should be given emphasizing by the regulators as all waste innovations have its own respective functions,timeline and varied effectivenes

Implementation Framework Of Green Supply Chain Management In Malaysia Construction Industry

Construction industry has contributed to the raise of Malaysia’s economic but rapid development has caused environmental issues that severely impacted the daily life of citizens. Therefore, Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM) was introduced to the construction industry in the last decade as this practice has earned good reputation in improving green corporate performances. However, GSCM did not assimilate into majority of the construction activities. This study was intended to identify the main GSCM practices that can be successfully implemented in the construction industry which can improve green corporate performances of property developers significantly and to develop a GSCM framework in construction industry which learned from the manufacturing industry. Since this study was focusing on big area of Malaysia construction industry, a quantitative method was employed to carry out the research with 188 respondents. Moreover, the findings of study revealed that the five main GSCM practices can improve the green corporate performances in the context of environmental, economic and operational performances. Furthermore, the moderation effect of internal and external roles of stakeholders in the supply chain between GSCM implementation and green corporate performances can enhance the impact of GSCM practices on green corporate performances improvement. Therefore, this research has developed a GSCM framework for construction industry successfully as practitioners’ reference. Lastly, future practical implications and conclusions were provided which shed light on GSCM implementation development for property developers in Malaysia construction industry

House owning challenges and solutions for Malaysian first home buyers in the Postcovid-19 pandemic era

This study intended to identify the factors and solutions that help first home buyers successfully purchase their first home after the COVID-19 pandemic where the current issues and challenges faced by first home buyers in Malaysia should be investigated. The housing prices are still pricey and the prices are progressively rising every year, as the economy develops. However, household income has not increased in lockstep, which is the primary cause of Malaysians’ inability to purchase a home. Furthermore, during the COVID-19 pandemic, this scenario intensifies as economic containment tactics have a negative impact on the economy and social aspects. This study adopted a quantitative research method where the primary data were collected through online survey. The survey was conducted through internet platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp to collect more responses as online survey brings convenience to respondents. 155 feedbacks were collected from the respondents. From the results, the personal income has the highest impact on the affordability of respondents to purchase their first property in Malaysia where the respondents think the government should promote more incentives and initiatives in helping youngsters to purchase their first home. The government should emphasize the housing sector development as this sector is linked with social development significantly in term of citizens’ satisfaction level with the government policies. The outcomes can be referred to by first home buyers when they encounter similar situations as guidance to help them understand the problems. Although, the government has implemented several housing measures, including allocating available homes to qualifying homebuyers but it is insufficient. The outcomes can help the solutions developed by the government and private banking companies in resolving and alleviating the challenges reported by first home buyers in Malaysia