Prelims

Half Title Page

Construction Industry Advance and Change

Title Page

Construction Industry Advance and Change: Progress in Eight Asian Economies Since 1995

EDITED BY

MICHAEL ANSON, Y. H. CHIANG, PATRICK T. I. LAM, & JIANFU F. SHEN

The Building and Real Estate Department of the Faculty of Construction and Environment, Building and Real Estate Department, the Faculty of Construction and Environment, Hong Kong Polytechnic University

United Kingdom – North America – Japan – India – Malaysia – China

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First edition 2022

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Contents

About the Contributors

Nur Ima Zainol Abidin is the Senior Manager of the Business Division, Construction Industry Development Authoriy (CIDB) Malaysia. An Economist majoring in Business Management, she started her career with CIDB Malaysia in 2002. Her experience in CIDB includes the provision of current construction economic information and the analysis of trends. She is currently in charge of the development of construction sector information systems and involved in enhancing the CIDB’s Big Data Analytics capability as well as promoting the export of construction-related services.

Michael Anson, Civil Engineer, Professor Emeritus, is a member of the Department of Building and Real Estate in the Faculty of Construction and Environment at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. He was the first Dean of that Faculty, between 1992 and 2000. An Oxford University graduate in Engineering Science in 1959, he gained his Ph.D. from London University in 1962. Following 6 years with the Division of Building Research, CSIRO, in Australia and 17 years with Lancaster University, UK, in the Department of Engineering, 6 years as Head, he joined the then Hong Kong Polytechnic in 1988 as Head of its Department of Civil and Structural Engineering. His research interests and publications mainly divide between concrete structures design and factors affecting the productivity of concreting on site.

Che Saliza Che Soh is an Economist and General Manager of the Business Division, Construction Industry Development Authoriy (CIDB) Malaysia. She has more than 20 years of experience in the provision of strategic construction information for policies formulation and strategic business planning purposes. In performing this role, she is responsible for the gathering and analysis of construction data, identifying and disseminating trends and reviewing construction sector performance as well as promoting the export of services relating to construction.

Dr Y. H. Chiang, Quantity Surveyor, retired from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University as Professor in the Department of Building and Real Estate in 2020. On his move to the University in 1990, having served the Hong Kong Government as a Quantity Surveyor for 10 years, he taught Construction Economics, mainly, and carried out and published research in the field of competition and performance of the construction sector and its firms.. He has undertaken consultancy studies commissioned by the Hong Kong Government and other public bodies including the Construction Industry Council and the Construction Innovation and Technology Fund.

Ahmad ‘Asri Abdul Hamid, the current Chief Executive of Construction Industry Development Authoriy (CIDB) Malaysia, spent over 36 years in the construction mechanical industry, 13 of them in the post of Engineer in the Public Works Department between 1985 and 1998. He was President of the Professional Services Development Corporation from 2008 to 2011. During his 20 years with the CIDB, he headed various units and divisions as General Manager and Senior General Manager before becoming Chief Executive. He has contributed to the development and implementation of CIDB strategic plans, the Construction Industry Master Plan and the Construction Industry Transformation Programme. He represents Malaysia on many international construction-related platforms and is active on national committees and councils.

Daisuke Hosoda, Social Scientist, has been a Researcher at the Research Institute of Construction and Economy, since September 2019. He was awarded his degree in Social Science from Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University in 2005, before joining Penta-Ocean Construction Co., Ltd. in the same year. After experience in its domestic branch offices for seven years, he was transferred to the Malaysia branch office in May 2012 to work as a Site Administration Manager. He then moved to the Singapore branch office in 2013, also as an Administration Manager, where he was involved in several construction projects including a subway project, a port construction project and others.

Chandima Swarnamali Karunaratne, Civil Engineer, is a Deputy Director of Sri Lanka’s Construction Industry Development Authoriy (CIDA). She joined the Institute of Construction Training and Development in 2005, the forerunner of CIDA, contributing for the last 15 years to training itself and to construction industry development including national awards schemes and disputes mediation and supporting advice. She worked in construction between 1991 and 1994, on roads and water supply and drainage, before spending 11 years in civil engineering teaching at the Katunayaka Technician Training Institute, including seconded experience in Australia and Germany. She took her Bachelor degree in Engineering (Civil) at the Open University of Sri Lanka in 1996. In 2002, she gained a post graduate diploma in Construction Management and is currently studying Geotechnical Engineering at post graduate level.

Dr Patrick T. I. Lam, Quantity Surveyor, Builder and Engineer, served in the private sector, with consultants and a contractor with a development arm, before joining the academic world. He recently retired from his Professorship at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, where he led a well-subscribed M.Sc. programme in Project Management. His research interests are in contractual and construction cost issues, buildability, quality assurance, specifications, project financing, renewable energy and smart cities. His publications in these areas are frequently cited and awards have been granted for his teaching, research and service to industry.

Chijoo Lee, Architectural Engineer, is an Associate Research Fellow at the Construction Economy and Industry Research Division of the Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements in South Korea. He obtained his Ph.D. degree in Architectural Engineering from Yonsei University and is a former Research Professor in Pohang University of Science and Technology. His main research areas are in building information modeling (BIM), economic analysis, data analytics, construction automation, modular construction, green building and construction policy. He is author of more than 15 refereed journal and conference publications. His research goal is to contribute to construction policy and develop technologies for the construction industry.

Ahmad Farrin Mokhtar, is the Senior General Manager of the Corporate and Policy Sector, Construction Industry Development Authoriy (CIDB) Malaysia. He is responsible for matters related to strategic planning and corporate affairs as well as the development and execution of policies to advance the construction industry. He has over 29 years of experience in the construction industry, including 9 years in quantity surveying and contract management for private sector projects. He has headed various divisions in CIDB and publishes articles on construction technology and policy implementation.

Yukinobu Nagamine, Civil Engineer, an Executive Fellow at the Research Institute of Construction and Economy (RICE) since July 2019, received his Master degree in Civil Engineering in 1994 from Hokkaido University. He commenced employment with the National Land Agency of the Cabinet Office within the Japanese Government (now, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transportation) in 1994. He has also worked with UN-HABITAT and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. Before joining RICE, he was seconded to the Reconstruction Agency of the Japanese Government involved in mitigation and other work following the great East Japan earthquake. He is a member of the City Planning Institute of Japan.

Krishna S. Pribadi, certified Project Manager, is currently Professor and Chair of the Construction Engineering and Management Research Group at the Bandung Institute of Technology. He served as Vice Chair of Research and Development, Training and International Collaboration for the National Construction Service Development Board between 2016 and 2020. A graduate form Institute National des Sciences Appliques, Lyon, France in 1985 his research interests include construction industry development, human resource development and disaster mitigation in the construction sector and business continuity planning. He is a certified mediator in conflict resolution, with more than 20 years of experience in construction project management and in directing research projects and investigations.

Madhuri Jyothi Rani, a Social Development Professional with over three decades of experience in Capacity and Institutional Building in the Construction Sector, holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Delhi. She is a certified Life Coach, Alternate Medicine and Pranic Healer. As Deputy General Manager (Projects) at the Indian Construction Industry Development Council (CIDC) she has initiated pan-Indian skill development training programmes, and organised more than 50 national and international conferences. During those years, she has collaborated with the Governments of Bhutan, Indonesia and Sri Lanka and many organisations and universities around the world and participated in many conferences and workshops to promote the Indian Construction Industry and new technologies. She has wide cultural interests and is a supporter of holistic living, value-based education and sustainable development.

Jianfu F. Shen, Economist, completed his Ph.D. degree in Real Estate Finance at The University of Hong Kong. He obtained his Bachelor degree in Land Management and his Master degree in Finance from Renmin University of China in Beijing. He is a certificated Financial Risk Manager and Chartered Financial Analyst. He joined the Department of Building and Real Estate, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University in June 2019. He teaches Construction Economics, Construction Finance, Housing Studies, Development Finance, Business Valuation and Project Appraisal. His major research interests lie in real estate finance/economics, urban studies and capital markets.

Biemo W. Soemardi, certified Project Manager, was the Chair of the Committee for Research and Development at the Construction Service Development Board, between 2016 and 2020 and has been a member of the Research Commission for the Board of Higher Education, the Ministry of Research Technology and Higher Education. Dr. Soemardi joined Bandung Institute of Technology in 1991 and is currently an Associate Professor in Construction Engineering and Management. His research interests include project management, contract and legal aspects and the application of technology in construction. He has published more than 30 articles in conferences and scientific journals. He has more than 20 years of project management consultancy experience.

Pham Van Bo, Economist, is Vice President of the Academy of Construction Managers for Construction and Cities. He took his B.A. in Economics at the Hanoi Commercial University in 1988, an M.B.A. in Economics at the National Economics University in the year 2000 and in 2005 in India, his Ph.D. in Economics at the Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. He has published many scientific articles and conference reports, two books and at Ministerial Level has directed four scientific topics. He is currently Project Director of the international project, ‘Institutional Strengthening and Capacity Building for Sustainable Urban Development’.

Foreword

This book has been written to mark the first 25 years of existence of the AsiaConstruct Conference.

The AsiaConstruct Conference, an annual meeting of Asian Construction Industry representatives, exists to promote mutual knowledge, to recognise and discuss factors affecting industry performance and share information on recent trends and progress. The book participants are organisations representing the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China and the seven countries of India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Vietnam. The first conference was held in November 1995. Each chapter in the book relates to each of these eight construction economies for the period 1995–2019.

The Research Institute of Construction and Economy, Japan had the privilege of hosting the first 1995 AsiaConstruct Conference in Japan and is pleased, therefore, to be accorded the honour of writing the Foreword to this book. The project was conceived in Kuching, Malaysia, in November 2018. A publisher was then found, followed by project confirmation in Madurai, India, in November 2019. Professor Mike Anson, representing the Hong Kong Polytechnic University Team was appointed Coordinator by the AsiaConstruct leadership. His continuing dedicated efforts in that role, with his team, are warmly acknowledged.

All eight contributors are regular attenders at the annual AsiaConstruct Conference hosted in rotation by network members. AsiaConstruct exists, ‘within a spirit of friendship and cooperation’, to share knowledge among its members, of construction industry practice, progress, difficulties and standards, including the construction market, methods of procurement, resources provision, standards of constructed quality, site safety, productivity and others, as they apply in the different countries. At the annual conference, alongside a paper on a topic chosen by the host country (e.g. financing construction, resources supply and disaster management), each country also submits a construction economics report for the year, providing up to date statistics on the construction market, construction investment, labour and materials costs and trends, the proportions of private and public investment and contributions to gross domestic product (GDP).

In the same spirit of sharing knowledge, the eight main chapters outline 25 years of recent construction industry progress in Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Vietnam. Chapter 1, an overview chapter, identifies concerns common to all eight industries on the one hand and the more unique concerns which exist, on the other. For example, land shortage stands out as a serious constraint in Hong Kong.

The eight chapters differ considerably in the emphasis placed on the different factors affecting industry progress and performance, although all are unified in their ambition to employ the new Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to the maximum useful extent in the coming years. Japan, for example, says much about the consequences of the massive earthquake of 1995 and the 2011 major earthquake and tsunami event. India, very large scale, is notable for its programme to develop 100 smart cities with differing focusses. The chapter by Hong Kong, a single city, is at a totally different level of detail. Indonesia is a big population country, and one widely dispersed geographically with many islands. The eight chapters also divide between economies with high levels of GDP per capita and those with lower levels.

This book is intended as an interesting ‘good read’ for the construction professional or student of construction, interested in a broad appreciation of the contribution made by construction industries to the economic progress of the nations they serve, the issues of quality, productivity, safety and resourcing which affect that progress and the differences which exist between the industries of different countries. All construction industries have the same general objectives, but unlike the car industry, for example, all are ‘home grown’ long-term derivatives of the local culture, history and geography, economic circumstances and economic and political ideologies.

Indeed, this book is not without interest to any citizen, immersed in the outputs of his/her construction industry and concerned for the surrounding built environment, but is most likely to engage construction industry professionals with wide interests and construction industry development policy makers within governments. The book is not a scholarly reference work of the type sought by academic researchers containing large amounts of comparative statistical data, but remains not irrelevant to such persons.

I hope all readers will enjoy this book and widen their understanding of construction industry progression and achievement, and of the attendant constraints affecting them.

OZAWA Keiichi

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President

The Research Institute of Construction and Economy (RICE)

Tokyo, JAPAN

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February, 2021

Acknowledgements

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This book is an Initiative of AsiaConstruct, first mooted 2018 in Kuching, Malaysia, and confirmed in Madurai, India, in 2019.

The Eight Chapter Contributing Organisations