[UTAR] Learning about Sustainable Construction Management

by StudyMalaysia.com on September 5, 2022 | Top Stories

Living on a planet stressed by climate change and diminishing natural resources, sustainability is increasingly becoming a requirement to encourage good and sustainable development of infrastructure. It is no longer considered as merely an aesthetic feature that motivates consumers’ purchasing intention of buying their first private homes or for investment purposes. Much emphasis is also given on improving the quality of construction and the quality of materials used, which offers healthier indoor environment and reduces cost.

A sector with high carbon and water footprint, the sustainability in the construction industry aims to reduce the footprints such as minimising enormous amount of waste produced by using materials efficiently, recycling raw materials and etcetera. Besides, sustainable construction enables the sound economic development, job creation and safety, enhances quality of live, protects natural resources and environment, and promotes efficient use of financial resources.

In the university’s own effort to promote and encourage sustainability among postgraduate students, the Master of Sustainable Construction Management programme under Faculty of Engineering and Green Technology (FEGT), offered in Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR), enables postgraduate students to further understand the idea of sustainability and its benefits when applied in construction management. The programme allows candidates from the industry to advance their knowledge in construction and project management for sustainable development, and enhances their continuous learning. Meanwhile, fresh graduates will obtain in-depth knowledge and capabilities in the field of construction management within the context of sustainability, thereby providing them better career prospects as a project manager.

“Sustainable construction is not only about constructing an environmental friendly building. That understanding is important and postgraduate students must be aware of the adverse impacts of construction to the environment and society, because sustainability must also be practised in the planning, construction and operations processes. Therefore, the programme will offer an application framework which integrates the construction practices with sustainable elements in the project, which meant to safeguard our environment, manage and ensure resources efficiency, provide liveable environment to community, and reduce operation costs,” explained Head of Master of Sustainable Construction Management Programme ChM Ts Dr Tan Kok Weng.

The programme is designed to nurture postgraduate students with the ability to solve problems in sustainable ways by applying knowledge, principles, and skills in sustainable construction management. It also offers learners thorough understanding on construction requirements and limitation, along with nurturing their ability to plan and manage relevant resources and knowledge to enhance organisational performance. Emphasis is also placed on providing postgraduate students high awareness on safety issues during construction and legal principles in the construction industry. This ensure that learners are competent in practicing sustainable development, and are able to perform well in relevant areas such as managerial, economics and sustainability issues for lifelong learning, research and career.

Apart from the opportunity to participate in design, development and implementation of a construction project, individuals working in the construction industry will also be adopting the best practice towards achieving sustainable development. They will be making accurate decisions and resolve problems through scientific and social science research methodology, and evaluating the feasibility of various technologies and resources to resolve problems during construction. These decision-makings and evaluation processes are important because the construction industry is concern about the health and safety of its workers, as well as of those living and working in the buildings. The decisions they make during project development and construction largely affects the quality of the indoor environment, because the focus is to make the environment ergonomic and allergy-free. A healthy indoor environment is also believed to improve employee health and productivity. Therefore, the theoretical teaching and practical aspects of the Master of Sustainable Construction Management not only equips our future leaders of the construction industry with the right mindset on sustainability, but they also understand that their sustainable responsibly is required throughout the entire operations.

Other postgraduate programmes offered by UTAR FEGT include Doctor of Philosophy (Engineering), Master of Engineering Science, Master of Environmental Technology, and Master of Engineering (Electronic Systems).

UTAR offers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in areas including Accountancy, Actuarial Science, Applied Mathematics, Arts, Chinese Studies, Business and Economics, Biotechnology, Engineering and Build Environment, Information and Communication Technology, Life and Physical Sciences, Medicine and Health Sciences, Media and Journalism, Education and General Studies, and Agriculture and Food Science. The university also engages in the provision and conduct of research, consultation, management and leadership training, and other related educational services at its Sungai Long and Kampar campuses in Malaysia. For more information, please visit www.utar.edu.my or call 05-468 8888 (Kampar Campus), 03-9086 0288 (Sungai Long Campus).

UTAR will be conducting Postgraduate and APEL Open Day on 5 and 6 August 2022 at its Kampar campus in Perak, and 12 and 13 August Sungai Long Campus in Bandar Sungai, 9am – 5pm.

The Master of Sustainable Construction Management programme under FEGT at UTAR enables postgraduate students to further understand the idea of sustainability and its benefits when applied in construction management.