Environmental Impacts of a Forensic Unit Construction at a Teaching Hospital in Malaysia

• Published in: Green Infrastructure: Materials and Sustainable Management
• Main Author: Shaari N.S.N.; Khuzaini N.S.; Adenan F.N.; Dan-Jumbo N.; Shafie F.A.
• Format: Book chapter
• Language: English
• Published: Springer Nature 2024
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85205625525&doi=10.1007%2f978-981-99-7003-2_10&partnerID=40&md5=75c1bca172345e2ef869d50877dc8be3

This study aims to understand the material waste generation, energy and water consumption, and total carbon emissions from constructing a forensic unit at a teaching hospital in Malaysia before the COVID-19 pandemic. The material waste magnitude identified using the material flow analysis approach showed that bricks have the biggest share (88.6%) in construction waste, whereas the smallest proportion is derived from sand (1.5%). Meanwhile, the highest and lowest water consumption to construct the forensic unit was 519 kL in May 2019 and 155 kL in December 2019, respectively. The annual electricity-related energy consumption at this site was 112,826.28 MJ, which was the lowest compared to other energy usages, such as operating the bulldozer, which consumed 914,191.71 MJ of energy per year. Interestingly, the energy source that emitted the lowest amount of carbon was the excavator, which contributed 5% (equivalent to 12,420.86 kgCO2e) to the total emissions of the forensic unit construction, while the source with the largest carbon footprint remained the bulldozer (28%, equivalent to 64,463.04 kgCO2e). Our findings will help develop strategies, policies, and rules to effectively manage waste and carbon emissions from construction activities in Malaysia. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2023.