In general, fragmentation within the construction industry arises from two areas within the traditional construction process; the construction work process where the most significant division is in the separation of the design and construction phase, and the construction structure itself. The fragmentation process in traditional contracting practice further hinders the integration of construction knowledge among contractors, diminishing the opportunity for them to influence design decisions. When design professionals fail to consider as to how a contractor would construct the designed project results in scheduling problems, delays, and disputes during the construction process. Moving towards team integration is considered a significant strategy for overcoming the issue. Accordingly, this paper discusses the fragmentation issue in more detail including its definition, and causes and effects to the construction projects. It also explores that the team integration strategy alleviates scheduling problems, and helps avoid delays and disputes during the construction process, preventing harm to overall project performance.

Increase of indoor temperature compared with outdoor temperature is a major concern in modern house design. Occupants suffer from this uncomfortable condition because of overheating indoor temperature. Poor passive design causes heat to be trapped, which influences the rise in indoor temperature. The upper part, which covers the area of the roof, is the most critical part of the house that is exposed to heat caused by high solar radiation and high emissivity levels. During daytime, the roof accumulates heat, which increases the indoor temperature and affects the comfort level of the occupants. To maintain the indoor temperature within the comfort level, most house designs usually depend on mechanical means by using fans or air conditioning systems. The dependence on a mechanical ventilation system could lead to additional costs for its installation, operation, and maintenance. Thus, this study concentrates on reviews on passive design and suggests recommendations for future developments. New proposals or strategies are proposed to improve the current passive design through ventilated and cool roof systems. It is possible to achieve the comfort level inside a house throughout the day by reducing the transmitted heat into the indoor environment and eliminating the internal hot air. These recommendations could become attractive strategies in providing a comfortable indoor temperature to the occupants as well as in minimizing energy consumption

An urban heat island (UHI) is a climatic phenomenon caused by modifications to the climate due to changes in the form and composition of the land surface and atmosphere. The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of road pavement types for mitigating or intensifying UHI. This study was conducted in the Kota Samarahan area. Since Kota Samarahan is classified as a suburban area, it is still a developing district. Hence, there is still an opportunity for proper planning, such as choosing the most suitable type of pavement, before this area becomes a UHI. Data was collected by studying four types of pavements (asphalt, concrete, permeable, and industrialised building system (IBS) StormPav) in terms of their characteristics, performance, and maintenance costs. Additionally, their surface temperatures were investigated using ThermaCam and then plotted against the surrounding air temperature. Interview sessions were also conducted with the personnel of Jabatan Kerja Raya to obtain valuable information for this research. As a result, this study found that the construction of asphalt pavement can produce numerous potential impacts on the environment, which further contribute to air pollution and the UHI effect. Concrete, permeable, and IBS StormPav pavements retained less heat compared to asphalt, and can be implement to mitigate the UHI phenomenon. Furthermore, the implementation of green walls, cool roofs, vegetation and trees, and altering the properties and construction of asphalt pavement can help in mitigating this phenomenon.