Soft Cost Elements in Green Projects: Malaysian building industry

Authors

  • Nurul Zahirah Mokhtar Azizi School of Housing, Building & Planning, University Science Malaysia, 11800 USM Penang, Malaysia
  • Nazirah Zainul Abidin School of Housing, Building & Planning, University Science Malaysia, 11800 USM Penang, Malaysia
  • Azlan Raofuddin School of Housing, Building & Planning, University Science Malaysia, 11800 USM Penang, Malaysia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21834/ajbes.v3i12.130

Keywords:

Soft cost elements, green building, developer decision, development cost

Abstract

The most commonly cited green building barrier is the high development costs of construction. Many developers share the common perception that green building construction incurs expensive additional costs. A preliminary study was conducted with four industry experts via semi-structured interviews to investigate the soft cost elements (SCEs) in the project. Eighteen SCEs were identified and categorized into three groups namely Professionals, Procedures, and Legal Requirements. Three of the SCEs were found to be unique to green building and contributed a financial concern. The study rendered that these SCEs may influence a developer's decision to invest in green building development.

Keywords: Soft cost elements; green building; developer decision; development cost

eISSN 2398-4295 © 2018. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open-access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.

References

Bandy, R., Danckaert, C., Fetscher, G., Holmes, B., Gale, M., Mursky, M., et al. (2007). LEED in Upstate New York: An Exploration of Barriers, Resources and Strategies. New York: US Green Building Council (USGBC).

BCA Green Mark. (2012, December 12). BCA Green Mark Assessment Fees for Green Building Projects in Singapore. Retrieved March 3, 2013, from Building and Construction Authority: http://www.bca.gov.sg/greenmark/others/GMfees_new.pdf

Bogdan, R.C. & Biklen, S. K. (2006). Qualitative research for education: An introductory to theory and methods. (5th ed.). Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon.

Bond, S., & Perrett, G. (2012). The Key Drivers and Barriers to Sustainable Development of Commercial Property in New Zealand. Journal of Sustainable Real Estate, Vol. 4, No. 1 , 48-77.

Choi, C. (2009). Removing Market Barriers to Green Development: Principles and Action Projects to Promote Widespread Adoption of Green Development Practices. Journal of Sustainable Real Estate, Volume 1, Number 1 , 107-138.

Creswell, J. W. (2012). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches. Sage.

D’Antonio, P. C. (2007). Costs and Benefits of Commissioning LEED-NC™ Buildings. National Conference on Building Commissioning (pp. 1-11). Cambridge: Efficiency Engineering Soultions.

Davis Langdon. (2007). Cost of green revisited: Reexamining the feasibility and cost impact of sustainable design in the light of increased market adoption. Davis Langdon.

EE Solutions. (2012). The Cost of LEED Capital cost is a bit higher when you go Green. Retrieved March 2013, 5, from Energy Efficiency Incorporated: http://www.ee-solutions.com/solutions/Solutions/Cost%20of%20LEED.aspx

Emerging Professional's Companion. (2013). 2C - Construction Costs. AIA and NCARB.

Esa, M. R., Marhani, M. A., Yaman, R., Hassan, A. A., Rashid, N. H., & Adnan, H. (2011). Obstacles in Implementing Green Building Projects in Malaysia. Australian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, 5(12) , 1086-1812.

Hoffman, A. J., & Henn, R. (2008). Overcoming the Social and Psychological Barriers to Green Building. Organization & Environment, Volume 21, Number 4 , 390-419.

Isa, M., Rahman, M. M., Sipan, I., & Hwa, T. K. (2013). Factors Affecting Green Office Building Investment in Malaysia. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, Volume 105, 3 , 138–148.

Kubba, S. (2012). Handbook of Green Building Design and Construction: Leeds, Breeam, and Green Globes. Herndon, Virginia: Butterworth-Heinemann.

Land Surveyors Board Malaysia. (2011). Scale of Fees for Title Surveyors (13 Schedule). Retrieved March 17, 2014, from Land Surveyors Board Malaysia: http://www.ljt.org.my/?q=scale-fees-title-surveyors-13-schedule

Lee, M. (2010). Incentives and Tax Exemption for Green Technology. Green Solutions Property Conference. Kuala Lumpur: PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Lembaga Perancang Bandar Malaysia. (2005). Scale of Professional Fees and General Conditions of Engagement. Lembaga Perancang Bandar Malaysia.

Maxwell, J. A. (2005). Qualitative Research Design: An Interactive Approach . Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.

Means, R. (2010). Green Building: Project Planning and Cost Estimating, Volume 24 of RSMeans Series. John Wiley & Sons.

Morgan, D. L. (2004). Snowball Sampling. In L. M. Given, The SAGE Encyclopedia of Qualitative Research Methods, pp 816-817 (pp. 816–817). SAGE Publications.

Shafii, F., Ali, Z. A., & Othman, M. Z. ( 2006). Achieving Sustainable Construction in the Developing Countries of Southeast Asia. Proceedings of the 6th Asia-Pacific Structural Engineering and Construction Conference (APSEC 2006) (pp. C29-C44). Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.

Shari, Z., Jaafar, M. F., Salleh, E., & Haw, L. C. (2009). The potential of sustainable building rating system in the Malaysian building industry. Wseas Transactions on Environment and Development 5, no. 3 , 260-272.

Sood, S. M., & Peng, K. C. (2011). Sustainable Developmentin the Buildiing Sector: A Green Building Framework in Malaysa. WASET (pp. 08-02). Malaysia: University Tenaga Nasional .

Street, Drainage and Building Act 1974 Act 133. (1997). 132. Improvement Service Fund. Retrieved December 22, 2013, from http://www.cljlaw.com/others/legislationSectiondisplayformat.asp?MY_FS_ACT_1974_133;132.;;

T.I.Lam, P., & Chan, E. H. (2011). A sustainable framework of "green" specification for construction in Hong Kong. Journal of Facilities Management, Vol. 9, No. 1 , 16-33.

Tatari, O., & Kucukvar, M. (2011). Cost premium prediction of certified green buildings: A neural network approach. Building and Environment 46 , 1081-1086.

Transportation Research Board . (2010). TCRP Report 138: Estimating soft costs for major public transportation fized guideway projects. Washington DC: National Academy of Sciences.

USGBC. (2013). Frequently Asked Questions. Retrieved March 3, 2013, from US Green Building Council: http://www.usgbc.org/ShowFile.aspx?DocumentID=3330

Yudelson, J. (2009). Sustainable Retail Development: New Success Strategies. New York: Springer.

ZahirahM.A., N., & ZainulAbidin, N. (2012). Main Elements of Soft Cost in Green Buildings. World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology (72) , 992-997.

ZahirahM.A., N., & ZainulAbidin, N. (2013). Soft Cost Elements That Affect Developers' Decision to Build Green. International Journal of Civil, Architectural Science and Engineering Vol:7 No:10 , 76-80.

ZainulAbidin, N. (2010). Investigating the awareness and application of sustainable construction concept by Malaysian developers. Habitat International 34 , 421-426.

Zhang, X., Platten, A., & Shen, L. (2011). Green property development practice in China: Costs and barriers. Building and Environment 46 , 2153-2160

Downloads

Published

2018-07-19

How to Cite

Mokhtar Azizi, N. Z., Zainul Abidin, N., & Raofuddin, A. (2018). Soft Cost Elements in Green Projects: Malaysian building industry. Asian Journal of Behavioural Studies, 3(12), 135–146. https://doi.org/10.21834/ajbes.v3i12.130

Issue

Section

Articles