Students’ Perception of Using Salvaged Materials within the Built Environment Programme

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.70917/fce-2025-006

Keywords:

Salvaged Materials, Sustainable Campus, Education Access, Solid Waste, Resource Reuse, Resource Efficiency

Abstract

This research is to understand the students’ perception on reusing salvaged materials and to propose a sustainable approach for Higher Education Institution. The main thrust of this study is the amount of wastage from students work which are often left over after every assignment, that contributed to serious problems such as space issue, safety concerns, and visually unpleasing. The lack of understanding that each material, which has a significant value and the potential of reusing by integrating it as educational resource as a sustainable solution. This study is conducted to 853 students from the School of Architecture and Built Environment (SABE) at UCSI University, Malaysia. Hence, the main objective of this research is to identify what are the suitable recovering programs that could provide a potential sustainable solution towards the campus. A quantitative method approach using questionnaire survey as primary data to achieve the research objective. The finding of this research can contribute to better understanding on revaluing materials, prolonging its usage and the potential of implementing a circular material resource centre.

Author Biography

  • Nangkula Utaberta, UCSI University

    Nangkula Utaberta is Professor of Islamic Architecture, International Writer and Architect who has written 26 academic research books of Architecture in Malaysia. Born in Jakarta, Nangkula obtained his Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Architecture degree from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia in Johor Bahru as the Best PhD and Master Graduate in 2009 and 2005.  

     

    Currently he is Professor of Architecture at School of Architecture and Built Environment (SABE), UCSI University. Before this post, Nangkula was an Associate Professor at Architecture Department, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM), a Professor and Director of Research Development Centre (RDC), Linton University College, Research Fellow at Halal Product Research Institute (IPPH)-UPM, Head of WARIS Research Group-UPM and Expert Committee (Pakar Bidang) for Architecture-Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka Malaysia (DBP).  Nangkula is the recipient of the National Book Award of Malaysia for Popular, Academic, Architecture and Creative Books for three years in 2014, 2015 and 2017 awarded by Prime Minister of Malaysia. He also a recipient of Anugerah Gemilang Putra as the Best Staff in UPM for Book Publication awarded by Sultan (king) of Selangor in 2018.

     

    As an academic since 2009 besides 26 books, Nangkula has written more than 50 chapters in books, 373 papers in SCOPUS and ISI WOS indexed journals, 28 articles in Citation Index Journals, 139 papers in indexed proceedings and over 30 articles in newspaper clippings in Indonesia and Malaysia. Up to 2018, he used to lead 20 major Malaysian Government Major research projects including Permata Pintar Project, Lake Chini Biosphere Research, Fundamental Research Grant, Trans Disciplinary Research Grant (TRGS), Flood Disaster Management, Community-University, and Industrial-University Grant worth more than RM 4.3 million. As an Architect, he involved with the design of mosques in Indonesia and Malaysia and is also involved in several interdisciplinary consultancy projects since 2010, bringing the High Impact Industry and Community Award from the UPM Vice-Chancellor for the Design of Indonesian School of Kuala Lumpur and some mosques design in 2016, 2017 and 2018.

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2025-02-24 — Updated on 2026-10-18

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Students’ Perception of Using Salvaged Materials within the Built Environment Programme. (2026). Future Cities and Environment, 11. https://doi.org/10.70917/fce-2025-006 (Original work published 2025)