IMPACT OF
REFURBISHMENT
CONSTRUCTION WASTE
IN MALAYSIA
By Siti Nazziera Mokhtar, Noor Zalina Mahmood
Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya
FEATURE
Che Rosmani Che Hassan
Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering,
University of Malaya
Sivapalan Kathiravale, Shanmuga Kittappa, Noor Mohd Syeqqal Ismail
Environmental Preservation and Innovation Centre Sdn Bhd (EPIC)
Haji Razuki Haji Ibrahim, Haji Mohd Khairolden Ghani
Construction Research Institute of Malaysia (CREAM)
Zuhairi Abd Hamid, Khairul Nizam Anuar Bashah
Construction Industry Development Board Malaysia (CIDB)
Refurbishment consists of upgrading,
alteration, extension and renovation work to
existing buildings to improve their life span,
design, space and facilities but excludes routine
maintenance and cleaning work. Refurbishment
projects are risky, complex and less predictable
within the construction industry. There is no
standard definition of refurbishment, however
the Carbon Trust defined refurbishment as a wide
range of activities with relatively minor works to
very significant alteration to the fabric or internal
layout of a building. Refurbishment is considered
as an alternative to demolition and construction of
a new building and it is economical and financially
feasible. Construction authorities have reported
that refurbishment issues have not been focused
for many years. There is an urgent need for the
Malaysian construction authority and the industry
to conduct a detailed study in refurbishment
especially on carbon mitigation, construction
waste material reduction, and sustainability. The
primary reason for refurbishment is to maximise
space, income and asset value. The scope of
refurbishment can be generalised into four areas
as listed in Table 1.
There are other non-economic factors that
should be considered such as environmental
and socio-economical influence when doing any
refurbishing work, but these aspects are often
overlooked. The demolition and waste disposal
processes create carbon emission and unwanted
waste disposal. All new materials to replace old
materials require energy to create them giving rise
to carbon emissions. The second consideration
is social benefits and employment. Generally,
refurbishment carries a higher proportion of
labour costs than building a new construction. For
example, the repair of a concrete structure and
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