Constructing Malaysia (Hardcover)

This book addresses the evolution of Malaysia's construction industry from independence in 1957 to the present day. Rather than viewing construction simply as a technical or economic activity, it analyses the sector as a product of historical, political, social and institutional forces that have shaped Malaysia's broader development trajectory. Through a multidisciplinary perspective, the book explores how state policy, market structures, professional institutions, labour systems, technology adoption and infrastructure investment have collectively influenced the industry's transformation.

The chapters examine Malaysia's historical development context, affirmative action policies and their impact on contractors, the role of foreign construction firms, the long-standing reliance on migrant labour and the emergence of the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) as the country's principal industry development institution. The book further analyses national construction industry development strategies, the promotion of industrialised building systems and prefabrication, environmental sustainability initiatives and the evolution of green building policies and rating systems.

The book also traces the development of the three principal built-environment professions in Malaysia: architecture, engineering and quantity surveying. It examines the institutionalisation of these professions through legislation, education, professional bodies and their contributions to national development while reflecting on the challenges posed by globalisation, digitalisation and international competition.

A detailed case study of the North-South Expressway illustrates the complex interaction between infrastructure development, privatisation policy, risk allocation, political economy and state intervention. The book concludes by synthesising lessons from six decades of industry development and assesses the extent to which Malaysia has succeeded in creating a productive, competitive, technologically capable and sustainable construction sector.

By combining historical analysis, policy evaluation, institutional review and industry case studies, Constructing Malaysia provides a comprehensive account of one of Southeast Asia's most important construction industries. It will be of interest to researchers, students, policymakers and practitioners in construction management, engineering, architecture, quantity surveying, economic development, public policy, urban studies and infrastructure planning.

Abdul-Rashid Abdul-Aziz was Professor at Wawasan Open University, Penang, Malaysia, from 2022 to 2025. Prior to this, he had a distinguished career at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), where he served for 31 years from 1991. During his tenure at USM, he was seconded to Universiti Malaysia Sarawak from 2019 to 2021, where he contributed to the development of its undergraduate quantity surveying programme. His research interests include international construction, labour issues in the construction industry, contractor development and privatisation. He holds a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Quantity Surveying and a PhD from the University of Reading. He is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, a member of the Royal Institution of Surveyors Malaysia and a registered Consultant Quantity Surveyor with the Board of Quantity Surveyors Malaysia. Abdul-Rashid Abdul-Aziz currently runs his own quantity surveying practice.

Toong-khuan Chan is Associate Professor in Construction Engineering and Management in the Department of Engineering, La Trobe University. His research interests include construction economics, construction industry development, and infrastructure policy. His work has contributed to industry development initiatives in Malaysia and Indonesia. Prior to academia, he spent many years in the petrochemical and construction sectors in Singapore and Malaysia, including consulting for major construction and multinational companies across Asia. He has previously taught at the University of Melbourne, Nanyang Technological University and the Malaysia University of Science and Technology. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Civil) from the University of Malaya and a PhD in Engineering from the University of Cambridge.