Drivers and challenges of Industrialised Building System (IBS) in sustainable construction

Abstract

Industrialised Building System (IBS) is defined asconstruction technique in which components are manufacturedin a controlled environment (on or off site), transported,positioned and assembled into a structure with minimaladditional site works. On the other hand, the issues of sustainability and green construction have been duly highlightedin the Construction Industry Master Plan (CIMP) (2005-2015) asbeing of significant importance for the Malaysian constructionindustry. This paper highlights on the relationship of IBScomponents from sustainable construction perspective. The studyrelates the potential contribution of IBS to the implementation of sustainable construction. IBS promotes constructionsustainability from controlled production environment,minimization of waste generation, extensive usage of energyefficient building material, effective logistic and long termeconomic stability which can contribute better investment inconstruction industry. With the growth in construction activities,it has become imperative that design tools be provided which cangive insights into the sustainability of a building at an early stageitself. The research methodology lead to identify long term costbenefits of IBS with sustainable procurement. It helps the designteam incorporate the sustainable solutions in a building veryearly in the design process. With the growing prominence of off-site construction that controlled environment issues of sustainability can be addressed faster and more efficient, IBS canbe a potential solution to achieve greatness in the area of greenconstruction and sustainability