Haryati Mohd Isa

Tracking architectural defects in the Malaysian hospital projects

Building defects are always the key concern in the construction projects. Defects represent not only a loss to the project but also hamper the smooth running of the building when in operation when completed. Recognising the need to resolve the continuing problem of defects in their projects, the clients of public hospital projects in Malaysia piloted a scheme to manage defects in public hospital projects during the Defects Liability Period (DLP). This paper presents part of the research which investigates what can be drawn from the analysis of architectural defects in these projects. A combination of qualitative and quantitative methods was adopted. The findings suggest that with a proper methodology in place, there is much that can be learnt from the studying the cause of the defect. This can provide very useful insights to their root cause and how this can avoided in future projects.

Re-learning design and build implementation process in Malaysia: Findings from a workshop

Over the last decade, the Design and Build (DB) procurement system had been introduced in Malaysia as an alternative to replace the traditional procurement system. However, contrary to the belief that the DB procurement will result in better project outcomes, many of the projects operated on the DB fell short of meeting the expectations. Some ended with worse than when operated with the traditional procurement system. The adequacy of the DB implementation process in Malaysia was researched to trace the root cause that contributed to the DB project failures. The findings from the initial research which suggest the factors that contributed to the failures were culminated and discussed in a specially organized workshop. During the workshop, 28 experts representing clients, consultants and contractors with experience with DB projects were gathered to suggest what can be re-learnt from the current DB implementation process. ‘Gaps’ which suggest weakness within existing implementation process were identified and the way forward for improving the practice of DB project implementation were proposed.