A Malaysian ministerial delegation and members of the Construction Industry Advisory Board of Malaysia visited the Zofnass Program to explore best practices in Sustainable Infrastructure Planning and the Envision™ Rating System, as the emerging Industry Standard in the USA

On 12 September 2014, the Zofnass Program for Sustainable Infrastructure hosted the Honorable Datuk Fadillah bin Hj. Yusof, Minister of Works, Malaysia, heading a ministerial delegation, and Dr. Judin Abdul Karim, Chief Executive of the Construction Industry Development Board of Malaysia (CIDB), heading a delegation of CIDB. Their visit focused on best practices in Infrastructure Sustainability. At Harvard, they were presented the program’s applied research and its collaboration with the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI – www.sustainableinfrastructure.org). Malaysia wants to adopt a sustainable infrastructure development framework and the Construction Industry Advisory Board (CIDB Malaysia – www.cidb.gov.my) will be one of the involved agencies to embrace a systematic assessment tool in the sustainability measurement of infrastructure development.

From R to L: Madam Dr. Jamilah binti Mohd Marjan (Special Officer to Chief Executive CIDB), Mr. Mohammad Faizal bin Abdul Hamid (Special Officer to Chief Executive CIDB), Dr. Andreas Georgoulias (Research Director of Zofnass Program & Lecturer at Harvard GSD), Prof. Spiro N. Pollalis (Program Director, Zofnass Program & Professor of Design, Technology and Management at the Harvard Design School), Honorable Datuk Fadillah bin Hj. Yusof (Minister of Works Malaysia), Bill Bertera (President & CEO, ISI), Dato’ Sri Prof. Ir. Dr. Judin bin Abdul Karim (Chief Executive CIDB Malaysia), Dato’ Ir. Ismail bin Haji MohdSalleh (Director General of Malaysia Highway Authority), Dato’ Lim Keng Cheng and Dato’ Rohaizi bin MohdJusoh (General Manager of CIDB Malaysia).

Background information from CIDB Malaysia, established under the Act of Parliament, ACT 520 CIDB is a statutory body under the Ministry of Works, entrusted to coordinate and develop the Malaysian construction industry. The Malaysian construction industry has been a major engine of economic growth in Malaysia’s march towards high income developed nation status by 2020 when our per capita GDP is expected to reach US $ 17,000.0. Since the beginning of this century, the Malaysian Government has been incorporating sustainable development concepts into national policies and practices. The coming Eleventh Malaysia Plan (2015-2020), will see an even more intense adoption of sustainable practice that will radically alter the sustainability landscape of Malaysia. CIDB is tasked to assure best practices in sustainable management and operation in Malaysia’s infrastructure sectors in general and its construction sector in particular.

An important CIDB agenda for this meeting was capacity building in sustainable infrastructure and sustainable construction through policy forums and training courses.  Prof. Spiro Pollalis, Zofnass Program director, presented the successful outcome of research undertaken since 2007 at the Zofnass Program that resulted in collaboration with the ISI and formulation of the Envision™ Ratings System for Infrastructure Projects. Prof. Andreas Georgoulias, Zofnass Program director, presented the results of the research that applied Envision™ in Latin American infrastructure projects, and the Zofnass Economic Tool framework. Bill Bertera, President and CEO of the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure, presented the Envision™ Rating System and its industry wide growth in USA and ongoing application in International contexts of Latin America, Europe and Asia. A valuable proposition to collaborate and train the executives and professionals in Malaysian Infrastructure Industry was made by Mr. Bertera. Zofnass Program takes great pride in instigating sustainable infrastructure planning as well as sustainable collaborations in the US and beyond through such efforts.

More images from the meeting