The awareness of the application of sustainable materials through developer’s perspective / Nur Atiqah Jepri Nor

Raw materials and energy are consumed as much as 24% by construction industry. With more construction projects anticipated in the future, mother nature is in dire need
of change to minimise pollution as well as minimising the depletion of natural resources. Construction industry has to change the norm of using natural resources to sustainable materials. However, there are problems that arise with this concept - lack of knowledge on sustainable materials, lack of realization of policies and lack of demand due to cultural barriers. Thus, this paper aims to study the awareness of the application of sustainable building materials through developer’s perspective. In order to achieve the aim, this paper would focus on the study of the application of
sustainable materials in construction projects, the analysis on the awareness of sustainable materials usage and the identification of barriers in incorporating sustainable materials through developer’s perspective. The data can be obtained through two methods which are primary data and secondary data. The primary data used was questionnaire survey meanwhile secondary data was obtained through
extensive review on literature. The questionnaires were analysed using SPSS. The research findings show that many developers in Kuching have experience in using sustainable materials but there is also a need for the Government to cause a steer in construction industry in order for developers to follow suit. Developers have also
responded to the barriers impeding them to adopt sustainable materials - financial barrier, professional barrier, steering barrier, availability and suitability of materials.
The identification of these barriers is helpful to ensure sustainable materials are being regularly used in future construction projects.