AN INVESTIGATION ON SUSTAINABLE REFURBISHMENT PRACTICE OF BUILDING WORKS IN MALAYSIA

Abstract

Refurbishment is one of the solutions to address the environmental issues that the construction industry is currently facing. Even though so many existing buildings have gone through refurbishment works, many of the buildings still lack consideration to incorporate sustainable elements. Realizing that sustainable refurbishment is one of many ways to solve environmental problems, this research aims to address major barriers faced by the construction players and develop strategies to improve the practice of sustainable refurbishment of existing buildings, specifically in the Malaysian context. Semi-structured interview approach was conducted with six selected practitioners who are dependable to give their perspectives on this research area. The result of the analysis established that the lack of clients’ requirements and high upfront costs has been established as the main problems in the implementation of sustainable refurbishment in Malaysia. Apart from that, the interviewees agreed to the main strategies: strengthening the Government's regulations, elevating the company’s image, and reducing the operational cost of sustainable refurbishment works.