Keynote Speakers - Ar. Tan Seong Yeow
Managing a sustainable built environment on ecological principles - Projects with an adaptive lifecycle.
Ar. Tan Seong Yeow
Faculty of Engineering and Green Technology,
Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia
Abstract:
The built environment constitutes man’s largest investment of time, finance and consumption of resources. However, these resources need to be consumed in a manner that meets the needs of future generations. Thus it is the management of our consumption and subsequent waste that determines sustainability. There are many variable factors at play such as population, wealth distribution and access to clean technologies. Sustainability needs to look not just at conserving, reducing and reusing, but to include regenerating for future growth. Nature is made up of ecological systems, which are inter-related, complex yet works in a symbiotic and holistic balance. Its management self regulates, adapts and regenerates itself. Thus there is an opportunity here to identify if the existing project management theories in construction can readily be used to adapt to an ecological approach. This approach is adaptable to uncertainty over a building life cycle, able to absorb upgraded green technologies to avoid premature obsolescence and subsequent demolition. The future is all the more environmentally challenging because it will require us to do more, to do better with less.
Biography:
Architect Tan Seong Yeow obtained his undergraduate degree from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia and completed his M(Sc) Project Management in Universiti Sains Malaysia. He is registered with the Architect’s Association of Malaysia as well as the Board of Architects Malaysia as a professional architect since 2004. He has 10 years of industry exposure in architectural consultancy before joining University Tunku Abdul Rahman in 2008, where he continues to teach, research and carry out consulting work. He was Head of Department where he oversaw the development of the Construction Management program under the Faculty of Engineering and Green Technology, Kampar Campus until 2012. He is currently involved with the Perak Heritage Society in advocating a heritage management strategy. His research areas of interest are building dilapidation surveys, heritage conservation and building life cycle adaptability.