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The drive toward implementing an industrialized building system (IBS) in Malaysia is in line with Malaysia's Construction Industry Transformation Plan 2016-2020, which seeks to increase more than double the construction industry's productivity. IBS is able to accelerate the construction timeline, provide a safer working environment on site, produce a higher quality of construction, and save costs. Although the introduction of IBS in Malaysia is not new, its acceptance has not been extensive, and IBS implementation is still slow. Thus, to support the successful implementation of IBS, it is vital to determine the factors that influence the achievement of this aspiration. Therefore, this study aims to identify and evaluate the critical success factors (CSFs) that contribute to the smooth implementation of the IBS dimensions within the context of the Malaysian construction industry. By doing so, the uptake of IBS can be accelerated. In order to consolidate the set of candidate success factors, these CSFs were identified from the literature review and confirmed through a self-administered survey questionnaire. Then, the value of importance of each CSF was calculated in a second survey. Based on the factor analysis, 15 CSFs were identified and grouped into five major elements: strategy, sources of funding, process, people, and enabler, with each factor comprising its own set of components. The findings indicate that the CSFs in IBS implementation have different priorities and weights.

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Abstract. This study focuses on the compliance of adaptive reuse of historic shop houses for sleep lodging with reference to the Guidelines for Conservation Areas and Heritage Buildings by Majlis Perbandaran Pulau Pinang (MPPP). Through this research, awareness towards the compliance of building conservation guidelines for heritage shop houses will be clarified accordingly. The goal of this study is to determine and extract vital clauses and components of Guidelines for Conservation Areas and Heritage Buildings (GCAHB) towards adaptive reuse of heritage shop houses so that revitalization of these buildings can be ensured when changing the original function of the property. The aim is also to evaluate the compliance of the adaptive reuse of heritage shop houses with the GCAHB, and, lastly, to provide recommendations for adaptive reuse of heritage shop houses, also in compliance with the GCAHB. Additionally, heritage building owners can use this dissertation as a reference whenever they intend to adaptively reuse their buildings. Furthermore, recommendations in this research could be used for future reference.

Abstract. There has been an influx of foreign labourers in Malaysia over the past decade due to sustained economic growth and a limited labour market. As a long term measure to ensure sustainable growth as well as to minimize socio-economic implications, a medium to longer-term policy on foreign workers will be devised with the goal of reducing overdependence on foreign workers while attracting more skilled and trained professionals. In order to reduce the number of foreign workers, the government has encouraged the implementation of an IBS. An Industrialized Building System (IBS) is a construction system in which the components are manufactured in a factory, on or off site, positioned, and assembled into complete structures with minimal additional site work. This research has been carried out to discover trends, whether decreasing or increasing, in the employment of foreign labour in the Malaysian construction industry with reference to the Immigration Department of Malaysia. Additionally, interviews with construction labourers at IBS sites and conventional sites were carried out to identify the number of foreign labourers that are used in such projects.