Knowledge-Based Sustainable Decision-making Framework for the Implementation of Innovative Technologies in the Malaysian Construction Industry

摘要

In moving towards a high-income economy, improving the people's quality of life through sustainable development is the core of Malaysia's development agenda. The use of modern machineries and innovative technologies in the Malaysian construction industry is projected in the implementation of government mega projects under the Entry Points Projects (EPPs) within the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) where the expected benefits are seen in terms of ability to perform with optimal cost and in a shorter period of time. Despite the measures introduced by the government to encourage the use of innovative technologies such as prefabrication and mechanisation in the construction industry and the policies and incentives put in place, there has been very little research done on identifying the decision-making criteria or variables from the perspective of the users and addressing the sustainability issues in the decision to use innovative technologies in their construction process or activities. The aim of this research is to develop a sustainable decision-making framework for the implementation of innovative technologies in construction; taking into account the knowledge collaboration principles and sustainability issues that need to be considered. The scope of the research is mainly on the use of Industrialised Building System (IBS) by construction industry players in Malaysia; and the research methodology includes interviews, observations, a questionnaire survey and case studies of construction projects. This paper discusses the findings of the preliminary phase of the research, which is the interview; and analysis results indicate that the decision to acquire the technologies in Malaysia is based mostly on cost and affordability, government incentives and perceived benefits; without much consideration given on the sustainability of the decision, and the need for collaborative knowledge to sustain its implementation.