The Perception of Malaysian Architects towards the Implementation of Green Roofs: A Review of Practices, Methodologies and Future Research

¹ Public Works Department of Malaysia (JKR), JKR Malaysia Headquarters, 50582 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
² Department of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia.
³ Unit for Fundamental Studies in Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia

Abstract

The implementation of green roofs or vegetated roof as a sustainable tool to mitigate the Urban Heat Island effect is relatively new in Malaysia. Although it has not been tested on an urban scale, many research findings have indicated that green roofs can contribute towards enhancing the environmental and aesthetical quality of the built environment. It was hypothesized that the low application of green roofs in the Malaysian construction industry is due to the lack of awareness, understanding and experience in its benefits especially among building practitioners. As a result, this research was initiated to determine the perception and understanding of Malaysian architects in green roofs implementation issues, as well as to identify their level of acceptance and readiness. This paper reviews practices and different research approaches in understanding the factors that influence architect’s perception towards the implementation of green roofs in the Malaysian construction industry. Architects were chosen as the only respondents due to their intensive involvement in the conceptualisation, planning, design and construction stage of a built environment project. Extensive literature review was conducted to explore past experiences in green roof implementation and to develop the theoretical framework for this research.