3 UNIVERSITI PUTRA MALAYSIA Alam Cipta Vol 5 (2) December 2012 ABSTRACT In Malaysia there is both top-down and bottom-up pressure to deliver a sustainable built environment. However, most new projects display few sustainability features, explaining the continuous presence of, and increasing problems related to, the environment in Malaysia. This paper presents nine categories of barriers and four categories of measures to overcome the barriers and to promote sustainable building practices, drawn from qualitative research undertaken with thirty Malaysian building stakeholders via in-depth, semi-structured interviews. The primary barriers that were identified by the stakeholders are: 1) a lack of expressed interest in the clients’ requirements; 2) a lack of political will, legislation and enforcement; 3) a lack of technical understanding among project team members; 4) a lack of consideration of sustainability measures by project team members; and 5) real and perceived costs. Whilst measures suggested by the stakeholders are related to the government and regulatory stakeholders, research and education sector, private sector, and clients of the construction industry. The paper concludes that regional characteristics need to be reflected in any sustainability assessment methodologies in order to encourage sustainable development locally. Keywords: sustainable building, sustainable development, construction industry, barriers, actions, building stakeholders, Malaysia 1 INTRODUCTION Economically, Malaysia has one of the fastest growing construction industries in the world; and currently categorized as a “newly industrialized country” (Mankiw, 2008) or an “emerging market/economy” (Dow Jones Indexes, 2011). However, the industry activities have contributed crucial environmental and social impacts in the country. The exploitation of resources, uncontrolled, and improperly planned development has resulted in the deterioration of the environment (Department of Environment Malaysia, 1997). On top of this, the industry’s reliance on foreign labour has resulted in low level of productivity and quality (Chan, 2009; CIDB Malaysia, 2007a). Further, occupational safety is normally compromised, explaining the higher rate of work-related accidents (Abdul-Aziz, 2001; CIDB Malaysia, 2007a). These predicaments reflect the imbalance between environmental and socio- economic development; thus the benefits of development may be negated by the costs of environmental and social impacts. If this is the case, then the current Malaysian construction and building practices can be deemed as not sustainable. The adoption of sustainable development (i.e. balancing economic development with environmental protection and social development) in the Malaysian construction industry is therefore very timely and crucial. DELIVERING SUSTAINABLE BUILDING STRATEGIES IN MALAYSIA: STAKEHOLDERS’ BARRIERS AND ASPIRATIONS Shari,Z. a* , Soebarto, V.I b a Department of Architecture, Faculty of Design & Architecture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia b School of Architecture, Landscape Architecture & Urban Design, the University of Adelaide, 5005 South Australia *Corresponding author:zalina.shari@gmail.com