Sustainability is the word on the lips of the region's major players in construction today. And like 'world peace', it's the thing that everyone wants to achieve, though views and methods differ on how best to get there.
In any event, the concept of sustainability has spawned a huge industry-within-the-industry.
'If you're in this line of work and have any green credentials or accreditations or work-experience, put these at the top of your CV. Hiring is brisk now for professionals with this kind of background,' says environmental sustainability consultant Trevor Smith, who divides his time between the two high-growth hubs of Kuala Lumpur and Shanghai.
'KL appears to be leading the way in Asia-Pacific,' Smith says. 'Right now, and in coming months, the Malaysian capital is a hotbed of opportunity.'
According to government statistics, Malaysia presents a US$67.8 billion (HK$528 billion) market for both residential and non-residential construction.
And the international business research and consulting firm Frost & Sullivan has calculated that growth of non-residential building construction will outpace residential building construction by 3 per cent to 5 per cent annually until 2015, in this high-performing sector of the Malaysian economy.
