Sustainability and the facilities management in Malaysia

¹ Department of Geography, Faculty of Arts and Social Science, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
² Department of Building Surveying, Faculty of Built Environment, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

^a Corresponding author: ezraliza@hotmail.com

Abstract

Facilities Management (FM) in the industry of environment involves numerous expertise, especially from the management side. Other than that, technology and finance are the other factors involved as well. One essential aspect of FM, other than the emphasis on technical operation, is its performance. In parallel, the performance does impact occupant behaviour and, at the same time, this performance does affect the environment. In short, this indicates that FM is in a key position to participate in delivering a sustainable environment for the industry of built environment. Sustainable facilities Management (SFM) is crucial because buildings consume more resources which will, in consequence, negatively impact the environment and generate large amounts of waste. This justifies the importance of sustainability under the umbrella of facilities management. However, FM is quite new in Malaysia’s environment. Government agencies, such as JKR, have adopted and are practicing FM at the moment. Fortunately, there has been an increasing trend and awareness of SFM adoption. Therefore, this paper aims to understand and identify the contribution and practices of Sustainable Facilities Management (SFM) in Malaysia; focusing on the development taken in regards to SFM.