USM Conference Explores Issues And Challenges In The Global Construction Sector

PPPBP CONFERENCE EXPLORES ISSUES AND CHALLENGES IN THE GLOBAL CONSTRUCTION SECTOR

It is believed that the international conference on the construction industry organized by the School of Housing, Building and Planning (PPPBP) will result in the overall enhancement of knowledge.

The Dean of PPPBP, Ir. Dr. Mahyuddin Ramli said that this is evident from the 2nd International Conference on Built and Environment in Developing Countries (ICBEDC), which commenced today.

He said that the conference, organized for the second time is proof that it provides a variety of input, including providing a platform for more than 170 participants from 20 countries to share experiences and discuss issues related to development and the environment in their respective countries.

‘It can be said that each year, we can gather new information as a result of the discussions with international participants. All this has helped tremendously in resolving developmental issues in our country.’

‘ICBEDC also provides the opportunity for us to enhance our knowledge in the area of construction and development especially from the aspects of planning, construction procedures and so forth,’ he said at a press conference here today.

He added that the theme of the conference, Sustainable Built Environment Bridging Theory & Practice, was particularly apt because the world is facing various problems related to sustainability.

‘Issues such as logging, destruction of water catchment areas and poor drainage that result in floods are very popular today.’

‘Thus, through conferences such as this we can discuss and identify various measures that can be taken to prevent, overcome or rectify the current system for the benefit of society,’ he explained.

Mahyuddin also added that apart from finding solutions to developmental problems and the relationship to the environment, the conference also is the arena for PPPBP to explore many other issues and challenges in the construction sector in a holistic manner.

ICBEDC succeeded in inviting two eminent personalities from the construction industry to deliver the keynote speeches at the conference.

Profesor Takashi Akimoto, from the Institute of Technology, Japan was selected to deliver his paper entitled ‘Designing an Assessment System of Buildings for All Lifecycle Stages based on the Concept of Eco-efficiency’ on the first day of the conference.

Another distinguished personality, the Chief Executive Officer of Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) Malaysia, Dato’ Ir. Hamzah Hassan stole the attention of the participants on the second day of the conference during the presentation of his paper on ‘Issues Regarding the Malaysian Construction Industry’.

ICBEDC 2008, first organized last year, is a platform meant especially for academia and global industry players to share experiences and expertise related to the construction sector. It covers issues and challenges that need to be faced by the construction industry, especially in developing countries.