(L-R): City & Country editor Jacqui E Chan, Better Bamboo Buildings founder Low Ewe Jin, Ho Partners Architects chair Nicholas Ho, YTL Cement head of sustainability Clarisse Loh, DTLM Architect principal Tan Loke Mun, CIDB deputy chief executive I Zaid Zakaria, The Edge Media Group publisher and group CEO Datuk Ho Kay Tat, YTL Cement managing director Datuk Sri Michael Yeoh, Sime Darby Property Bhd head of development services Sharon Ruba Krishnamurthy, The Edge Media Group editor emeritus Au Foong Yee, The Edge Media Group editor in chief Kathy Fong, Gamuda Land executive director Jess Teng and Gamuda Land CEO Chu Wai Lune at The Edge Sustainable Construction Forum on Friday, June 23, 2023. (Photo by: Low Yen Yeing/The Edge)
PETALING JAYA (June 23): With legislation and high demand for greener buildings, more industry players are turning to sustainable construction methods. However, to make a significant change, this requires the concerted effort of all stakeholders in the construction industry.
This was the reason 265 industry stakeholders gathered at Friday’s (June 23) Embracing Sustainability in Construction and Real Estate Symposium to exchange opinions and ideas.
Entitled "Myth vs Reality", Friday’s forum is part of The Edge Malaysia and YTL Cement’s Embracing Sustainability in Construction and Real Estate Symposium, a two-day event held on June 23 and 24 at the Sime Darby Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur.
Organised by The Edge Malaysia and YTL Cement, Gamuda Land and Sime Darby Property Bhd are partners for the event. The knowledge partner is Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) Malaysia.
Friday’s forum was held for C-suites and directors of property developers, the construction industry and relevant associations. Meanwhile, Saturday's forum will be open to the public with discussions on real estate trends and investment opportunities. Both are half-day forums.
In his opening speech, The Edge Media Group publisher and group CEO Datuk Ho Kay Tat said that while the construction industry is a major contributor to environmental challenges such as climate change and pollution, there is a growing movement towards sustainable construction.
"There are a number of ways to make your construction project more sustainable. For example, you can choose to use sustainable materials, such as bamboo or recycled materials. You can also choose to design your building to be more energy-efficient. I am heartened to see the construction industry responding to the government’s ambitious target for reducing greenhouse emissions by adopting more sustainable practices," he noted, adding that the forum on Friday is an important opportunity for industry stakeholders to share knowledge and best practices on sustainable construction.
YTL Cement managing director Datuk Seri Michael Yeoh, in giving the welcome note, said that while the Malaysian construction industry is gradually recovering and moving in the right direction from the pandemic, it becomes imperative that sustainability is prioritised in the industry.
"The industry has been grappling with the complex challenge of maintaining our financial performance while simultaneously improving our ESG performance. Conversations around this are gaining momentum and there is a pressing need for all of us to step up. We must re-evaluate our actions, strategies and objectives... creating a sustainable future necessitates partnerships, collaborations and joint actions," Yeoh said.
Building an ecosystem
The presentations on Friday featured four industry experts speaking on topics ranging from an overview of the construction industry and trends to materials and sustainable development. They were CIDB deputy chief executive I Zaid Zakaria; Ho Partners Architects chair Nicholas Ho; Gamuda Engineering executive director Lim Hui Yan; and Sime Darby Property Bhd head of development services Sharon Ruba Krishnamurthy. After these presentations, there was a panel discussion featuring YTL Cement head of sustainability Clarisse Loh, Better Bamboo Buildings founder Low Ewe Jin, and DTLM Architect principal Tan Loke Mun.
In the first presentation titled "The Malaysian Sustainable Construction Journey: Are We On Track?" by CIDB’s Zaid, he shared about the background of Malaysia’s green construction, the role that CIDB plays, and the challenges that the industry is facing in going green. Most importantly, he highlighted that a sustainable construction industry requires all stakeholders to work hand-in-hand.
"CIDB has done sustainable construction through various programmes and we hope these tools will encourage strategic and innovative approaches in the utilisation of low-carbon and high-performance construction materials. We also have training programmes and workshops nationwide to create awareness and build capacity to adopt and utilise technology effectively. Collaborations and partnerships with industry stakeholders are also very important to make this journey a reality. CIDB cannot work alone," he said.
The next speaker, Ho Partners Architects’ Ho shared about what the construction industry is not doing enough of to achieve sustainable construction and what the solutions and trends are. He also highlighted some efforts the Hong Kong construction industry is making for greener and more sustainable construction in his session titled "Sustainable Construction Trends: What Works and What Doesn’t".
"Some 37% of global energy related GHG (GreenHouse gas) emissions are from buildings, and 36% of global energy is consumed by buildings, which contributes to global climate change... Sustainable construction is never about ticking all the boxes of constructing a green building, it is about establishing the entire ecosystem — the technology, solution, financing and mindset—from the bottom up and top down. For example, if consumers stop buying products that do not have carbon transparency, it will force corporations to go into the green direction," Ho noted.
The next presentation session entitled "Cost of Going Green,", which was co-presented by Gamuda Engineering’s Lim and Sime Darby Property’s Krishnamurthy, focused on how and why sustainable construction is key to responsible property development.
Lim, who took the first half of the presentation session, shared the story of Gamuda’s sustainable construction journey and its trials and tribulations, such as the questions and doubts from the market on the establishment of its first digital Industrialised Building System (IBS) plant eight years ago, as well as the achievements and milestones so far.
"The perception of IBS was (the problem of) water leakage when it first started in the 1970s to 1980s, but we are now in 2023. In Gamuda, we are truly investing in a system, using robotic, cloud, and smart technology in IBS, moving away from the boxy and boring IBS design and other limitations such as a minimum order volume. Most importantly, we are able to upskill local talent and reduce the dependency on foreign labour," Lim shared.
Meanwhile, Krishnamurthy offered Sime Darby Property's journey in sustainable development, as well as the myth of green and sustainable construction from the developer’s perspective.
"There is a cost increase in building with IBS, but it is not as expensive as we thought. For us to go beyond the minimum 50% IBS score adoption, let’s say 70, there is an additional cost of 1% to 2% for the landed project. Meanwhile, there is no cost difference between using green raw materials and traditional raw materials. It is about mindset, and let’s push the boundary and try to make a change," she said.
The panel discussion, themed "Material Matters", featured three speakers, namely YTL Cement’s Loh, Better Bamboo Buildings' Low and DTLM Architect’s Tan. The session was moderated by The Edge Media Group's editor emeritus Au Foong Yee.
Loh focused on the advantages of the lesser-known environmental benefits of cement, such as when it is prepared correctly, is strong, durable, non-combustible, and does not emit harmful gases when exposed to fire.
Then Low highlighted the benefits and limitations of building with bamboo, as well as the growing demand for bamboo in construction, albeit it requires frequent maintenance as it is a natural building material.
Then DTLM Architect’s Tan spoke on the use of materials that are sustainable and green. He also shared his thoughts on the future trend of overall city development, such as space sharing and the increasing demand for green certified buildings.