FRONT-END PLANNING AND RISK MANAGEMENT FOR GREEN BUILDING PROJECTS

Abstract

The growing concerns of climate change and arguments on critical environmental issues have resulted in sustainable green buildings gaining its place in Singapore‘s building industry. Before actual construction of green building projects commences, strong emphasis should be placed in its planning phase including Front-End Planning (FEP) and Risk Management (RM). As a result, this dissertation aims to assess current approaches of FEP and RM for green building projects in the context of Singapore. The future of green building opportunities is also proposed. To achieve these objectives, a comprehensive literature review was first conducted. This was followed by survey questionnaires and interview with professionals involved in green building projects. From the analysis, it revealed the main obstacles in FEP was to ensure that green buildings projects are completed on time and budget without compromising the quality. In addition, setting clear objectives for green building projects and the compliance with Green Mark standards were also essential. The most common types of risks faced when managing green buildings were investigated. These include design, construction, financial, regulatory and among project team members. Each of these risk management approaches were also highlighted in this study. From the interview, the role of building owner that can affect green building projects was then examined. Finally, the future trend of green buildings was also discussed. It can be concluded that green buildings are expanding rapidly and will be highly recognized in future construction industry. It is of essence to equip all building professionals with green knowledge to allow greater integration in all green building projects.