The Adoption and Challenges of Using Green Materials in Building Construction Projects

Problem Statement

Globally, green construction aims to reduce pollution such as noise, vehicle exhaust, waste materials, and the release of pollutants into the ground, water, and atmosphere. In Malaysia, more than six million tonnes of waste have been recorded that was generated, which quarter was produced in the Klang Valley alone. Solid waste issue from construction is one of the biggest environmental problems in Malaysia. The use of housing and industry materials without proper control contributed to environmental problems (Yusoff, 2007). Not only green construction must be incorporated into Malaysia’s goals, the green materials selection must be carried out. The adoption of green building materials must achieve a win-win situation for Malaysia's construction industry and the environment without any negative impact. This is because construction project always suffers from problems such as wastage of materials, cost overruns, and produce low-quality products. Therefore, green building materials adoption is important to decrease the environmental impacts in Malaysia's Construction Industry (Reddy, 2009).