An ecological study on enhancing the Malaysian construction ecosystem: readiness implementation factors in Industrialized Building System (IBS) projects

For construction stakeholders to fully embrace sustainability, its long-term benefits and associated risks need to be identified through holistic approaches. Consensus among key stakeholders is very important to the improvement of the ecological performance of industrialized building systems (IBS), a building construction method gaining momentum in Malaysia. Sustainable construction has become an increasing concern in the Malaysian construction industry nowadays. One of the approach by the Malaysian Government to enhance the ecology or sustainability is through the implementation of IBS in the construction projects. IBS has been introduced in Malaysia since year 1960s and many industries players and academics acknowledge the advantages of IBS. Nevertheless, there have several obstacles faced in order to increase the implementation of IBS and most of the obstacles are rooted from the issues of readiness. To change from conventional or traditional method to a modern method of construction or IBS is not an easy to execute. The key point of the change is a readiness and how to ready for change. Therefore, this highlights the factors which are the key readiness factors to improve sustainable construction through the implementation of IBS. This paper used qualitative approach and interview as a research technique in data collection process.Finding from data interview and literature review, there are three key factors that influence readiness in the implementation of IBS. The key factors are suitability, knowledge and ability. The output can also be used as a guideline for construction players towards the betterment of IBS implementation by introducing the factors that should be emphasized to make sure they ready to implement IBS and get advantages from it