Determining Critical Success Factors For Sustainable Construction

Pembinaan lestari merujuk kepada aktiviti pembinaan bangunan yang berdaya saing dan menguntungkan dengan mengutarakan aspek-aspek seperti kualiti kehidupan manusia, ruang untuk perubahan, aktiviti pembinaan berasaskan mesra alam dan keberkesanan penggunaan sumber. Faktor-faktor kejayaan kritikal pembinaan lestari merujuk kepada faktor-faktor yang menyumbang kepada kejayaan pembinaan lestari. Faktor-faktor tersebut sepertimana yang diutarakan oleh para penyelidik sebelum ini adalah terdiri daripada enam faktor iaitu faktor berkenaan projek, pengurus projek, pasukan projek, peralatan dan bahan binaan, pelanggan projek dan faktor luaran. Pembangunan pembinaan berasaskan lestari masih kurang memuaskan walaupun wujud peluang dan kemudahan untuk mendapat sumber tenaga yang diperbaharui di Malaysia. Justeru itu, pembangunan kerangka yang berciri senarai faktor-faktor kejayaan kritikal pembinaan lestari perlu dilaksanakan untuk memotivasikan pemaju dan pihak-pihak yang terlibat dalam pembinaan lestari di negara ini. Sustainable construction refers to construction activities which is competitive and profitable while focusing on several important aspects such as the quality of human life, space for changes, environmental concerned construction activities and utilised available resources. Critical success factors of sustainable construction refers to factors which contributed to success of sustainable construction. According to research studies carried out by previous researchers, the six factors are factors related to project, project manager, project team, material and equipment, client and external factors. The sustainable construction development is still poor although opportunities and facilities to obtain renewable energy resources are exist in Malaysia. Therefore, development of framework which focused on the criteria of success factors in sustainable construction is essential to motivate developers and other construction parties to involve in sustainable construction in the country

Perception of Lecturers and Students Regarding the Illuminance in the Lecture Theatres and Tutorial Rooms: Case Study in Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR)

Even though artificial lighting is widely used nowadays, it has several negative impacts on human health. Therefore, this paper reported research that comparing the illuminance level in the learning environment in UTAR and recognizing the users’ insights on the illuminance level. Lux meter and questionnaires were used for data collection. Questionnaires were administered to 312 respondents. The results show that the illuminance level in some of the tutorial rooms is too bright and left on even when the rooms are empty. From the descriptive analysis, it is found that almost all the respondents are satisfied with the illuminance level in both research venues. Based on the t-test, it is found the significance for pair 1 and pair 2 is greater than 0.05. Hence, there is no similarity between both research venues. Pair 1 is about the lighting condition preferred by the respondents, while pair 2 is about the condition in both research venues which includes the existence of glaring vision, headache, eye tiredness, and conditions that affect student performance. This paper concludes by suggesting that individual switches be provided for each of the bulbs

Energy Analysis, Building Energy Index and Energy Management Strategies for Fast-Food Restaurants in Malaysia

Commercial buildings in Malaysia contribute to 35% of the total electricity demand. During the recent COVID-19 pandemic, the global economy faced a challenging situation that forced many businesses to shut down. However, fast-food restaurants with drive-through features managed to get through this pandemic phase without much effect from the economic impact. Since COVID-19, the operational guidelines have changed for restaurants. However, from an energy perspective, fast–food restaurants are high energy consumers in the retail sector. This paper analyses the load profile of fast-food restaurants and the potential strategies that can be adopted in a free-standing fast-food restaurant. From analysis, it is calculated that a total of RM 97,365.9 of utility savings can be obtained in a year. A total of 91,392.1 kg CO2, 881.8 kg SO2 and 385.5 kg CO pollutant emissions can be reduced. The BEI for the restaurant was reduced to 856.4 kWh/m2/year. By converting to energy-saving strategies, the return on investment was 27.3% and 3.7 years, which is a very short period of time and is attractive for businesses of this nature

Evaluating and comparing objective and subjective thermal comfort in a malaysian green office building: A case study

This study examined thermal comfort in a sustainable office building in Malaysia, with the goal of understanding how objective environmental data relates to occupants' subjective experiences. The study utilized established thermal comfort models, such as the predicted mean vote (PMV), in conjunction with occupant surveys to evaluate the indoor environment. Objective data aligned with thermal comfort criteria, but subjective thermal sensation vote (TSV) showed a notable difference. The environment felt colder than anticipated by the occupants. This study emphasises the drawbacks of depending exclusively on conventional thermal comfort models, especially in tropical settings. The research emphasises the importance of considering individual variability (physiological and psychological), localised environmental variables, and potential adaptive comfort mechanisms impacted by regional climate. This research aims to develop a thorough understanding of green buildings' inside climates to inform design methods for achieving optimal thermal comfort, energy efficiency, and reduced carbon emissions. The results provide guidance on methods for emphasising occupant-centered design in sustainable buildings located in tropical areas. This study focuses on filling the knowledge gaps regarding the dynamics of thermal comfort in green buildings located in tropical regions. Combining empirical data with subjective feedback emphasises the need for design strategies that focus on occupant well-being in addition to energy efficiency goals

A case study of an office building to identify energy consumption and carbon management solutions using physical data and simulation software

To measure the level of energy performance of a building, there are several categories of energy consumption to be calculated such as oil, natural gas and electricity. In order to significantly minimise the Greenhouse gas emission in an office, it is important to tap into the positive progress of energy efficiency of equipment which contributes to total energy performance of a building. Consequently, to enable accurate building energy consumption of a building, energy modelling method is applied to identify total consumption and cost of energy usage with effects of carbon emission. Hence, this will help to reduce the costing of energy inside building with differences of efficiency options. Therefore, this paper aims to analyse an office building in terms of the level of energy consumption and carbon emission as a case study. The first objective is to identify the amount of energy consumption and carbon emission inside the building using the simulation software. Secondly, to identify the differences between the data recorded through simulation software and physical data. Finally, to identify solutions to decrease the carbon emission by applying measures towards reducing energy consumption inside the building