CHAPTER 2

SUSTAINABILITY IN
BUILT ENVIRONMENT
WHAT? WHY? WHEN? WHO? WHERE? HOW?
THE GUIDANCE FLOWCHART
2.1: SUSTAINABLE ?

2.2: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT ?

2.3: SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION ?

2.4: MALAYSIAN PERSPECTIVES 2

 3
United Nations
New York, 2004
US crude oil prices (based on average prices paid by US refiners for
all grades of oil based on EIA data) converted to 2012$ using CPI- 4
Urban data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
5
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7
World’s Energy Supply by Source

8
Energy consulting
firm: Ecofys
2.1: SUSTAINABLE
Our planet has enough for everyone’s need, but
not enough for everyone’s greed (Mahatma
Gandhi).
WHAT? - SUSTAINABLE
• The ability to maintain at certain rate or level.

 Attaining sustainability does not mean the

eradication of adverse impact, which is an
impossible vision at present, but rather the
reduction of it to a certain reasonable level.
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2.2: SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT
WHAT? – SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT
• A philosophy called ‘sustainable development’
was introduced in 1987 in Brundtland Report.
• Maintaining a delicate balance between the
human need to improve lifestyles and feeling of
well-being on one hand, and preserving natural
resources and ecosystems, on which we and
future generations depend.

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WHAT? – SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT (cont.)
• “Creating and operating a healthy built environment based on
resource efficiency and ecological design” Charles J. Kibert
• “The balanced uses of resources on a global scale including
physical elements, human elements, and national political
context” Ronald Rovers
• “The development which meets the needs of present without
compromising the ability of future generation to meet their
own need” Bourdeau

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WHY? – SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT
• WHY?
• to alter or improve our conventional way of development into a
more responsible approach which can satisfy our needs for
development without harming the world we live in.

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WHY? – SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT (cont.)
• Climate change: Long-term climate changes have been
observed across the globe. Changes are happening as a result
of human activity, including man-made greenhouse gas
emissions.

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WHY? – SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT (cont.)
• Human activities!!

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WHY? – SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT (cont.)
• Human activities!!

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PRINCIPLE OF SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT

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CONCEPT OF SUSTAINABILITY
DEVELOPMENT

19

…all the same, only details varied

CONCEPT OF SUSTAINABILITY
DEVELOPMENT (cont.)
• Economic Sustainability
• various strategies that make it possible to use available resources
to their best advantage.
• Environmental Sustainability
• reducing the amount of waste produce or using less energy, but is
concerned with developing processes that will lead to businesses
becoming completely sustainable in the future.
• Social Sustainability
• encompass human rights, labor rights and corporate governance.

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CONCEPT OF SUSTAINABILITY
DEVELOPMENT: OBJECTIVES
• Economic:
1. Consider life-cycle cost
2. Internalize external costs
3. Consider alternative financing mechanism
4. Develop appropriate economic instruments to promote sustainable consumption
5. Consider the economic impact on local structure
• Environment:
1. Increase materials efficiency by reducing the material demand of non-renewable goods.
2. Reduce the materials intensity via substitution technologies
3. Enhance materials recyclability
4. Reduce and control the use of dispersion of toxic materials
5. Reduce the energy required for transforming goods and supplying services.
6. Support the instruments of international conventions and agreements
7. Maximize the sustainable use of biological and renewable resources
8. Consider the impact of planned projects on air, soil, water, flora and fauna
• Social:
1. Enhance a participatory approaches by involving stakeholders
2. Promote public participation 21
3. Promote the development of appropriate institutional frameworks
4. Consider the influence of the existing social framework
5. Assess the impact on health and the quality of life
2.3: SUSTAINABLE
CONSTRUCTION
WHAT? – SUSTAINABLE
CONSTRUCTION
• Subset to the philosophy of “Sustainable Development”
is “Sustainable Construction”.
• Sustainable construction, which has been dubbed ‘green
construction’.
• The term “sustainable construction” was originally
proposed to describe the responsibility of the
construction industry in attaining “sustainability”.
• Kibert proposed that sustainable construction means
“creating a healthy built environment using resource-
efficient, ecologically-based principles”.
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WHY? - SUSTAINABLE
CONSTRUCTION
• Construction activities!!
• Before: through materials
• During: energy consumption
• During: the pollution
• After: waste!!

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 WHY? - SUSTAINABLE
CONSTRUCTION (cont.)
Before Construction
➢Utilization or earth
resources for the
production of construction
materials (e.g. fossil, wood,
cement, hydrogen, air,
water, ore etc.)
➢Transportation to/from
factory involving fuel
consumption and causing
pollution and green house
emissions.
During & After
During Construction
Construction
➢ Clearing of forest, and Contributing to:
land for development. ➢ High energy usage
➢ Environmental ➢ High CO2 Emissions
pollution (air, water,
➢ Large water usage
land)
➢ High Solid waste
➢ Large Solid Wastes
generation generation
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WHY? - SUSTAINABLE
CONSTRUCTION (cont.)

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WHO? - SUSTAINABLE
CONSTRUCTION
• “Sustainable Construction”; the
responsibility of the construction industry
to attain sustainability.
• Construction Industry; those providing
design, consulting and construction
services.

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HOW? - SUSTAINABLE
CONSTRUCTION
• Sustainable Construction; it requires
willingness to explore new territory in
construction approach and prepare to
adopt new products, ideas and
practices.

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HOW? - SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION
(cont.)
• The direction of the construction industry is now shifting
from developing with environmental concern as a small
part of the process into having the development process
being integrated within the wider context of
environmental agenda.

=
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 EXAMPLESOF SUSTAINABLE PRINCIPLE:
DEVELOPMENT VS CONSTRUCTION
The Principles of
Sustainable Development
Putting people at the centre
Taking a long term perspective
Taking account of costs and
benefits
Creating an open and supportive
economic system
Combating poverty and social
exclusion
Respecting environmental limits
The precautionary principle
Using scientific knowledge
Transparency, information
participation and access to justice
Making the polluter pay
The Interpretation of Sustainability Principles
within Construction Industry
Show concern for people by ensuring they live in a healthy,
safe and productive built environment and in harmony with
nature
Safeguarding the interests of future generations while at the
same time, meeting today’s needs
Evaluate the benefits and costs of the project to society and
environment
Creating a system which can flourish trades, improve
collaboration and resource efficiency
Improving the quality of buildings and services, create jobs
opportunities and promote social cohesiveness
Minimising damage to the environment and its resources
Assessing risk and uncertainties before any action and rectify
possible damage at source.
Using technology and expert knowledge to seek information
and in improving project efficiency and effectiveness
Opportunities to improve access to information and 30
encourage ethics and professionalism
Legislation compliance and responsibility
CONCEPT OF SUSTAINABILITY IN
CONSTRUCTION

• The concept of sustainability must be

applied into construction industry to
influence the manner in which a
project shall be conducted to strike a
balance between conserving the
environment and maintaining
prosperity in development. 31
CONCEPT OF SUSTAINABILITY IN
CONSTRUCTION (cont.)
Environment

E E

E S E

E S E S

Present Construction Proto- Truly Sustainable System

System Sustainable
System 32
Evolving from Traditional to Sustainable Construction
CONCEPT OF SUSTAINABILITY IN
CONSTRUCTION (cont.)
• The concept of sustainable construction governs three main
pillars:
• environmental protection,
• social well-being and
• economic prosperity.

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CONCEPT OF
SUSTAINABILITY
IN
CONSTRUCTION
(cont.)

34
Abidin, 2005
CONCEPT OF SUSTAINABILITY IN
CONSTRUCTION –
1. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
• The built environment refers to the activities
within the construction project itself, which may,
if not handled effectively, have a serious adverse
impact on the environment.
• Conserving natural resources. Although builders
have little influence over the extraction of
natural resources, they can help discourage this
activity by demanding less non-renewable
natural resources, more recycled materials, and 35
efficient use of energy and mineral resources.
CONCEPT OF SUSTAINABILITY IN
CONSTRUCTION –
2. SOCIAL WELL-BEING
• Social well-being concerns with the
benefits of the workers and the future
users.
• This aspect is concerned with:
• human feelings: security, satisfaction,
safety and comfort, and
• human contributions: skills, health, 36
knowledge and motivation.
CONCEPT OF SUSTAINABILITY IN
CONSTRUCTION –
3. ECONOMIC PROSPERITY

• Micro economic focuses on the factors or

activities which could lead to monetary
gains from the construction.
• While macro economic relates to the
advantages gained by the public and
government from the project success.
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PRINCIPLES OF IMPLEMENTING
SUSTAINABLE IN CONSTRUCTION
1. Minimize resource consumption (conserve)
2. Maximize resource reuse (reuse)
3. Use renewable or recyclable resources (renew/recycle)
4. Protect the natural environment (protect nature)
5. Create a healthy, non-toxic environment (non-toxics)
6. Apply life cycle cost analysis and true cost (economics)
7. Pursue quality in creating the built environment
(quality)

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PRINCIPLES OF IMPLEMENTING
SUSTAINABLE IN CONSTRUCTION
(cont.)
Based on Kibert’s “Principles Concepts of Sustainable
Construction”

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 SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION:
SOME STRATEGIES
1. Procurement: Specific procurement strategies to ensure sustainable construction
requirements are addressed.
2. Site / Environment: Methods to reduce the environmental impact of construction on the
project site and surrounding environment are identified.
3. Material Selection: Identifies environmentally friendly building materials as well as harmful
and toxic materials that should be avoided.
4. Waste Prevention: Methods to reduce and eliminate waste on construction projects are
identified.
5. Recycling: Identifies materials to recycle at each phase of construction and methods to
support the onsite recycling effort.
6. Energy: Methods to ensure and improve the building’s energy performance, reduce energy
consumed during construction, and identify opportunities to use renewable energy sources.
7. Building and Material Reuse: Identifies reusable materials and methods to facilitate the
future reuse of a facility, systems, equipment, products and materials.
8. Health and Safety: Methods to improve the quality of life for construction workers are
identified. 40
9. Indoor Environment Quality: Methods to ensure indoor environmental quality measures
during construction are managed and executed properly.
 SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION:
POSSIBLE IMPLEMENTATIONS?
ANY SUGGESTION?Construction Project Management Facilities Management
Construction Management
Site Management
SEVERAL SUSTAINABLE
STRATEGIES:
1.Procurement
2.Site / Environment
3.Material Selection
4.Waste Prevention
5.Recycling
6.Energy
7.Building and Material Reuse
8.Health and Safety
9.Indoor Environment Quality

Construction
3+4+5+6+7+8+9 41
Decommissioning
Handover
Planning Design Procurement Site activities 6+7
5+7 Liability period
3+5+6+7 3+4+5+6+ 1 started 5+7
7 2+4+5+7+8+9
BENEFITS OF SUSTAINABLE
CONSTRUCTION
• The concept of green building costs lower than conventional
method and saves energy.
• Sustainable buildings will contribute positively to better
quality of life, work efficiency and healthy work environment.
• Sustainable construction will enable the construction players
to be more responsible to the environmental protection needs
without neglecting the social and economic needs in striving
for better living.

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 More information..

1. Towards sustainable construction: promotion

and best practices
2. Sustainable Construction in Malaysia –
Developers’ Awareness
3. Issues and Challenges in Sustainable
Construction in the Built Environment: Malaysia
Construction Industry Initiatives
4. Sustainability Factors in Industrialised Building
System

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2.4: MALAYSIAN PERSPECTIVES

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SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION IN
MALAYSIA
• ‘Malaysia’s Vision 2020’ published in 1993: one of the basic
visions that emerged is for the country to be ecologically
sustainable.
• The issue of sustainable development has emerged as one of
the top issues in the Eight Malaysia Plan (2001 – 2005): the
government gave high priority to research and development
as one of their strategy for sustainable development.
• The Construction Industry Development Board Malaysia
(CIBD) also gave concerted efforts in dealing with sustainable
issues through extensive researches.

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SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION IN
MALAYSIA (cont.)
• The subject of sustainability continues to be one of the
important agenda of the government since it has been
identified as one of the five key thrusts in the Ninth Malaysia
Plan, which was unveiled on the 31st March 2006.
• Many local universities (government & private entities) shows
interest in researching on the sustainable issues in
construction.

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EXAMPLES IN MALAYSIA:
SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION
• Tanarimba at Janda Baik, Pahang.
• DDC Project (Demonstration and Documentation Centre for
Sustainable Urban Household Energy Usage), launched in 2004 by
the Centre for Environment, Technology and Development, Malaysia
(CETDEM).
• Malaysia Energy Centre (PTM) on zero energy office building (ZEO) at
Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor.
• The Planning and National Development Doctrine (DPPS), served as
the foundation for the planning and development of Putrajaya and
Cyberjaya.
• A total of 32 physical planning guidelines were established by the
Town and Country Planning Department (TCPD) to ensure
sustainable development of area such as coastal areas, islands, open
space, housing, retention ponds, solid waste disposal areas,
conservation of trees and for environmentally sensitive areas. 47
EXAMPLES IN MALAYSIA:
SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION (cont.)
• Tanarimba at Janda Baik, Pahang.
• sustainable housing project
• blends man-made and natural elements
• exciting concept of ecologically sensitive community
development
• introduces the world to eco-tourism opportunities in Malaysian
highlands
• has been dubbed as the forefront of the ecological movement in
construction

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http://www.tanarimba.com.my/concept.html
EXAMPLES IN MALAYSIA:
SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION (cont.)
• Menara Mesiniaga, Subang Jaya:
• Sky gardens that serve as villages
• Spiraling vertical landscape
• Recessed and shaded windows on the East and West
• Curtain wall glazing on the North and South
• Single core service on hot side -East
• Naturally ventilated and sunlit toilets, stairways and lift lobbies
• Spiral balconies on the exterior walls with
• full height sliding doors to interior offices

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 Hong Kong Science Park – Solar Glass

Here’s an example of day lighting at the Hong Kong Science

Park. Notice that the light is filtered through translucent skylights
and clerestories in a central atrium, thus reducing glare and
overheating. The top of the building has shades, see them after
Sunshades are extensively incorporated into the the jump:
external facades to shield direct sunlight penetration,
reducing heat gain to the office so as to reduce
electricity consumption for air conditioning
PUNGGOL ECO-TOWN, SINGAPORE

• At Punggol Eco-Town, the elements

of nature will be harnessed in line
with the concept of “green living by
the waters”
• Integrated public transport system
• Charging stations for electric cars
• Cycling lanes
• 3.2 megawatt solar farm pumping
straight into the grid and eliminate the
use of batteries. [see the Star 5 Oct
2010 p. T3]

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Hong Kong Science Park – Solar Glass

The installation of BIPV panels can pursue new clean

energy technologies, reduce consumption of natural
resources and cut emissions to the atmosphere. It can
save approximately 250MWh of electricity consumption
annually.

BIPV panels have been fitted to the facade, the louvers and the roof canopy
of the Buildings in Phase 1. The BIPV is connected to the electricity grid
and have an approximately 200 kilo-Watt output.
 ZEO Building, Bangi – Another example

• Zero Energy Office (ZEO) houses the

Malaysia Energy Centre . It was built
with a targeted building energy index
[BEI] of as low as 50 kWh/m2 per
year; and with the use of renewable
energy to bring the building to a zero
energy status.
• ZEO is the only such building in
Malaysia that integrates energy
efficiency and renewable energy in
one working demonstrator building.

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THE DIAMOND BUILDING [THE HEADQUARTERS OF ENERGY COMMISSION OF
MALAYSIA –[ BEI of 61KwH/m2] AND THE PRIME MINISTER’S DEPARTMENT
[RETROFIT TO GREEN STANDARDS], PUTRAJAYA

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EXAMPLES IN MALAYSIA: SUSTAINABLE
CONSTRUCTION (cont.)

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EXAMPLES IN MALAYSIA: SUSTAINABLE
CONSTRUCTION (cont.)
…it can reduce up to…

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