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OUTCOMES OF CONFERENCE AND SEMINAR
1. Generally there is an increase in awareness on SBC in the region however not across the whole spectrum of the building and construction sector.
2. Majority of SBC projects in SEA are especialf and cutting-edge rather than the enormf and concentrated on public buildings.
3. SBC practices concentrated on energy efficiency designs and aspects.
4. The need of further examples of SBC practices and demo/pilot projects to convince stakeholders.
5. Need of stakeholder involvement in the early design of the project.
6. Early participation of stakeholders in the construction process needed.
7. Need to encourage the use of holistic building concept (IDP)
8. Financing of SBC projects are major problem unless if government driven.

OUTPUT

Proceedings of The Conference on Sustainable Building South-East Asia
(distributed at the conference)
Agenda 21 for Sustainable Buildings in South East Asia.
This publication will be made available and distributed through CIB, UNEP and CTMC

(i) Awareness on sustainable building
Sustainability is still a relatively new concept for the construction industry in the developing countries and has not yet received sufficient attention. However, generally, there is an increase in awareness on sustainable building and construction (SBC) in the region however not across the whole spectrum of the building and construction sector.
Many important stakeholders (contractors, manufacturers, developers) in South-East Asian construction industry are not even aware of the concept of sustainable building, and so are naturally resistant to change. Hence, the greatest barrier to implementation is the lack of understanding of the NEED for sustainable design.
The economic barriers are also inextricably tied to the awareness mentioned above, because markets are based on demand.

(ii) Special and cutting edge projects
It appears that majority of sustainable building projects in South-East Asia (SEA) are especialf and cutting-edge rather than the enormf. Currently, the extent of sustainable building practices is limited to office and commercial buildings. The sophisticated nature of the projects involved only major organizations/corporations and those with the resources and capability to undertake such major projects.

(iii) Sustainable Housing
In regions marked by poverty and economic problems, it is very difficult to establish environmental sustainability as a national priority. Sustainable construction in South-East Asia tends to focus on the relationship between construction and human development hence marginalising the environmental aspects. The development of sustainable housing projects, as well as related research in this area is still in its infancy. Currently, there is no guideline/policy available to address sustainable housing construction.

(iv) Project delivery
Project delivery is a major issue in developing countries. Due to the fragmented nature of the construction industry, project delivery is complex. Sustainability has added to this complexity. The quality of construction delivered is a major issue which in many respects are linked to the far wider issues of educating the population and promoting investment. Just like developed countries, it needs effective procurement and regulations to ensure satisfactory in project delivery.

(v) Public policies and regulatory frameworks
In some countries, public policies and regulatory frameworks do not encourage the development of the construction sector. Policies that negatively affect the growth of the industry are often related to technology imports, government subsidies for certain materials, distribution and pricing control of the industry.

(vi) Energy efficiency driven
SBC practices concentrated on energy efficiency designs. The cost of sustainable building options is a barrier to the routine use of sustainable strategies in the construction profession. Some respondents quoted gThe construction industry wonft go sustainable unless it saves money somehow.h Majority of clients focused on energy efficiency heat, which is believed to lead to an immediate payback.

(vii) Need of demonstration projects
The lack of interest from clients was cited as one of the significant barrier to more widespread sustainable building practice in South-East Asia.
There is a clear need of further examples of SBC practices and demo/pilot projects to convince construction stakeholders to adopt sustainable building concepts. Builders and architects illuminate the perceived discord between profits and environmental protection within the construction industry. Many designers, especially from small-medium enterprises (SMEs) perceived sustainable design and construction to involve extra costs, thus reducing the competitiveness of their tenders and potentially resulting in loss of business.

(viii) Stakeholder involvement at early design stage
In some projects stakeholders participation came at the later stage of construction. Hence, there is a need to make clear the importance of stakeholders involvement in the early design of the project. Implementing sustainability issues starts at the strategic and concept planning and project programming stage where the technical and economic feasibility of alternatives will be compared in order to select the best possible project.
Sustainability decisions made at the beginning of a project life cycle have a far greater influence than those made at later stages since design and construction decisions will influence the continuing operating costs and, in many cases, revenues over the buildingfs lifetime

(ix) Participation of stakeholders in construction process
Early participation of stakeholders in the construction process is needed. The participatory approach needs to be emphasized to all stakeholders to encourage successful implementation of projects.

(x) Holistic design concept
Need to encourage the use of holistic building concept (Integrated Design Process). Basic understanding of the concept will lead to appreciation of integrated design team which encourages involvement of stake holders from the beginning.

(viii) Financial support
Financing of sustainable building projects are major problem unless if government driven.

(xi) Public-Private partnership
From case studies, most economic players agree that to undertake sustainable building projects a gpurely publich or gpurely privateh mechanism will no longer fit the bill. It can be seen that Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) are not simply a budgetary tool, but a fully-fledged instrument that encourages co-development and contributes at an operational level to general socio-economic growth.

(i) Awareness Programmes
The awareness programmes on SBC for South-East Asia need to be enhanced through Sustainable Building SEA Forum, SEA countries information exchange, SEA-EU & SEA-international exchange through meetings, websites or newsletters. Considerations for the development of a centrally coordinated activity with international supports and funding to undertake these activities are proposed.
A Sustainable Building Awareness Campaign should be considered as an outreach programme to promote the benefits of sustainable building. The campaign should target the general public, the design and building community and importantly education at all levels. In general it is believed that currently in South-East Asia the sustainable building idea simply does not have a high enough profile.

Elements of the marketing efforts mentioned above should emphasized on:

• Lifecycle cost savings of sustainable buildings (energy savings and employee productivity benefits)
• Natural evolution of building standards (changing needs from conventional designs to sustainable design incorporating performance requirements and needs for disabilities. This may be targeted to building designers and authorities, building code/regulatory officials and related stakeholders to encourage understanding on the need for change)
• Health benefits of green buildings
• Targeted outreach to all education levels

(iii) Development of expertise on SBC at universities
The development on SBC expertise plays a crucial role to pave the way towards sustainable building and construction.

(iv) Develop pilot projects to demonstrate the benefits of SB
Develop pilot projects to demonstrate the benefits of SBC and create bigger impacts on stakeholders and public.
To support sustainable building clients and convert new ones, there is a need for:
(a) credible evidence of the advantages of sustainability
(b) case studies of sustainable building materials and performance
(c) long-term studies of the value of environmental effects resulting from building materials and operations
(d) fiscal studies of capital and operating cost increments for sustainable features and
(e) research on the impact of sustainable building design and construction techniques on occupant productivity.

(v) Develop Builder Incentives
Financial disincentive to builders is shown to be one of the major obstacles to the mainstreaming of sustainable building. The challenge is to create a structure that allows some of the value of the long-term benefits to be transferred to the builder to offset first-time costs.

• Proposal for builder incentives calls for a Sustainable Building fund where governments invest in public funds for energy efficiency, which could spark private sector activity in this area. This strategy could be effective in creating financial incentives to construct sustainable building.
• Development of government and industry-led voluntary initiatives to encourage best practice like 'Partners in Innovation' and the Construction Best Practice Programme', or Public-private partnership campaign - all with sustainability as part of their remit will raise awareness of the importance of sustainable construction.