Interior Design in Relation to Malaysian Construction Industry; the Realism

Abstract

Realism as a noun or realistic as an adjective bring the same definition of referring to the artistic, literary or practical approach of representing life, subjects or situations accurately and objectively as they appear in reality, often without exaggeration. It signifies a focus on truth, practicality and daily life. The realism of interior design is crucial and foundational to its relationship with the Malaysian construction industry. It transforms an abstract creative vision into a detailed, buildable, legally compliant, and financially viable set of instructions. Without realism, a design is essentially a beautiful piece of art that cannot be executed, leading to costly delays and project failure. In construction, time is money. Realism directly impacts the project timeline. Realistic design is the primary tool for managing project risk, which is paramount in the construction sector. An unrealistic design often ignores the actual cost of specialized materials, custom fabrication, or labour-intensive installation methods. A realistic design, developed with input from cost estimators, provides an accurate Bill of Quantities, preventing unexpected budget overruns. A design that violates building codes, fire codes, or accessibility standards (e.g., ADA) is not just unrealistic; it's illegal. The objective of this study is to establish the realism of interior design in relation to Malaysian construction industry and the importance of understanding the reality of Interior Design Scope of Work Details (IDSoWD) in a way to manage and complete the works realistically on time, without or with minimising delays. This study shows strong analysis on the perception of realism in interior design works. In essence, realism is the professional competency that separates a conceptual artist from an interior design professional. It ensures the construction industry can execute the design with efficiency, costcertainty, and compliance, transforming the design into a tangible, high-quality finished space. Realistic designs account for the practical lead times of materials and the duration of specialized trades. It is expected that this study can help more studies that will be done in the future. This realism consciousness in interior design should be awakening to all related project team members in ID construction industry, whereby the earlier involvement of interior designer in any project, by coordinating the related scope of works meticulously and avoiding re-work and re-do repeatedly during the construction period, saving more time and cost.