An unused land, the surface was cleared, after a thorough check, the first pilling was laid. Years later, the building is up. Decades after, a city is formed. Over about a century, perhaps a country is born.

A simple process requiring straight forward discipline yet it is not an easy journey. A common message directed at me by many elderly successful businessmen, “only hard work pays and please, no short cuts!”

Toiling around the clock is surely hard work but not necessarily the absolute solution. Integrity, experience, wisdom and management, these are just as essential to complete the journey firmly and successfully. Yes, it sounds traditional and even cliché but the truth is, that’s a fact!

The above, I call it the transition period. It is a time to swallow all pride and ego, disregard what you like and dislike, to narrow your vision to only one, serving the majority interest with the best you possibly can.

Home Finder celebrates its 2nd Anniversary now and the good news is, we have more work to do. Funnily enough, the more I know, the more I know what I don’t know. Seems like a never ending process. Nevertheless, our infinite will to serve motivates us to continue to strive, to deliver to you more useful and functional information, not fantasy centric nor fallacy but one that is more personal, realistic, practical and easier for you to relate and apply to.

Especially important also is to get the right people into our family, people who actually care about your interest, to ensure your million dollar decision making process is backed by accurate information, accumulated through our innate passion and zeal for the industry.

In conjunction with our 2nd birthday, what better way to celebrate it than sharing the theme of sustainability of the ecosystem and the human race! It is my wish for Ecological Modernization to enliven the spirits of all mankind for a wholesome journey into the future.

Not forgetting, I would like to express my gratitude to say many thanks to my dear readers, clients, friends and everyone at Home Finder!

Eddie Tan
Managing Director

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Energy consumption in this production? Up to 20% of the usual consumption.

Every bit saved counts!

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COVER STORY

In a lush tropical climate like Malaysia, there are new waves in thinking that are inherently not fresh concepts but are less spoken of. They have a viable presence that is slowly but steadily burgeoning in the real estate industry. The concept of eco-friendly properties has been around but are these homes for the future?

By Asha Nair

“The eco-friendly properties are slightly more expensive and foreigners do have an interest in such properties. It costs more but the value will increase in the long run and that makes it more worth it,” says Koe Peng Kang, Chief Executive Officer of Bandar Eco–Setia Sdn Bhd, part of the SP Setia Bhd Group.

But why eco-friendly? The first thing that is wrong about non-eco friendly properties is that there is no greenery around. As the sun goes down each day, a lot of afternoon sunshine is absorbed into the house and the urban heat island effect is really the effect of heat being trapped in the house after sunset, pushing interior temperature 5 to 6 degrees higher than the outside. And this is just the tip of the melting iceberg for rising temperatures globally.

On a grander scale of things, Ng Yiek Seng, Principal Associate Architect of Veritas Sdn Bhd, says that eco-friendly homes have some features that are aesthetically pleasing. There are various elements that can be introduced into the architecture to make it friendlier ecologically although a simple eco-friendly facet that captures the imagination can be just as basic as a large garden balcony.

Koe Peng Kang Chief Executive Officer, Bandar Eco–Setia Sdn Bhd	Ng Yiek Seng Principal Associate Architect, Veritas Sdn Bhd
John Bulcock MD, Ecological-Ventures Sdn Bhd	Poul Kristensen MD, IEN Consultants Sdn Bhd

He cites that the Eco theme adopted by SP Setia at Setia Eco Park, Country Heights’ Country Home and Leisure Farm by Mulpha International in Johor as being the closest in local development that are truly eco-friendly. Still, the Homestead concept heralds green and healthy living rather than outright green-led technical solutions.

John Bulcock, a British expatriate and Managing Director of Ecological-Ventures Sdn Bhd, contends that the concept of eco-friendly properties in Malaysia is skirting around the periphery of green development. It is not truly big as in the West but becoming greater as a lip service. Both John and Poul Kristensen, a Danish architect partner in John’s company who also helms IEN Consultants Sdn Bhd as Managing Director, however exude enthusiasm on SP Setia as an eco-friendly lush theme housing development on a large scale that is quite different from other developments.

The last five years have seen some trends but this has not progressed to a fair extent. The next step would be to put this thinking into action. This will manifest gradually to the level in Europe perhaps in five to ten years time as sustainability becomes a key issue. At present however, “We can look at the “hot” property areas developed by Sime Darby, YTL and Putrajaya Perdana few years ago as examples of green developments,” say the two expats, who have been pooling resources between their companies in a bid to construct more green developments in Malaysia.

What is so different then about eco-friendly homes? How does this affect the human environment and how do you manage the ecological gap? All these and more in our latest Anniversary Edition 2008!

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GLOBAL WATCH

By Professor Morad, London South Bank University, UK, and one of the key speakers at IRERS 2008 in KL recently.

The theme adopted by the International Real Estate Research Symposium (IRERS) 2008, Benchmarking, Innovating and Sustaining Real Estate Market Dynamics, provides a timely focus on the importance of benchmarking and innovative solutions, in order to address the challenges faced by the real estate markets globally. These challenges have been exacerbated by the recent global credit crisis triggered by the subprime market in the United States and elsewhere. The ensuing adjustments in the investment patterns that have accompanied the recent credit crisis come at a time when the real estate markets have had to engage with another compelling dynamic, in the form of environmental sustainability.

Environmental responsiveness is vital, if the real estate markets are to have a future. Urban planning policies, property legislation and financial agendas, coupled with pressures from owners and tenants, make it crucial that real estate researchers and practitioners have greater appreciation of the issues and solutions that will shape the future of real estate as a sustainable industry.

As the Worldwatch Institute’s State of the World 2008 report indicates, there has been a sea of change in business attitudes toward the environment over the last few years, across all sectors of commerce, manufacturing and real estate development. The change in attitude has been prompted by recognition that the environment is more than the need to comply with regulations, cost analysis and risk management. Waste management, pollution control and environmental planning provide significant market opportunities furnished by the availability of substantial public and corporate funds aimed at mitigating environmental degradation (so called ‘cleantech’ opportunities) and reducing eco-liabilities (including carbon quota trading). With the costs of hydrocarbon fuels at a record high, the adoption of cleaner, environmentally sustainable energy saving measures now make a great deal of sense to raise profitability margins.

The principle of making the environment a central component of corporate strategy is very good business, because no industry today, including the real estate sector, can disregard growing energy costs, pollution damage, and other environmental challenges.

But how does Ecological Modernization come into this? What is its significance and what has it got to do with efficiency?

*IRERS 2008 - International Real Estate Research Symposium 2008 organized by National Institute of Valuation (INSPEN), Valuation and Property Services Department, Ministry of Finance Malaysia. Home Finder, the Exclusive Official Magazine for the event.

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SPECIAL

By Mary Anne Tan

Global warming has been a ‘hot’ topic on the global front for some years now and many Malaysians are vaguely aware of its dangers and the consequences of ignoring such an important issue. The attitude was that it is a Western matter and one designed for the richer countries with spare funds and time to discuss and argue till kingdom come.

Well not anymore. Global warming has hit Malaysian shores and for the last 2 years at least, Malaysians too have begun to feel the inescapable ‘heat’ of this climate change. Let’s face it, ever since the great Tsunami of December 2004, the climate has become so much more unpredictable, if not chaotic. Even the Malaysian Natural Resources and Environmental Ministry is concerned enough about the climate change to issue a dire warning that unless stronger measures are taken to tackle global warming, some 1,200km² of Malaysian coastline will be overtaken by the sea!

What are we doing about this so far? We’re doing certain things but we could definitely step up gear to take on a bigger role. Malaysia is a party to several multilateral environmental agreements including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), it is also a member of the Like-Minded Group of Megadiverse Countries, a signatory to the Cartagena Protocol on Bio-safety, among others. The first significant step Malaysia took to address the issue of environmental protection was in 1974 when it enacted the Environmental Quality Act which provided the legal foundation for the enhancement of environmental quality as well as the reduction and control of environmental pollution.

That was 33 years ago and how effective has Malaysia been in reigning in environmental pollution and degradation? Further, as a developing country, how do we fair in the juggle between developmental needs and environmental concerns? And what in the world is a Honeycomb and how does it share the same attributes with bamboo and the color white?

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MORE IN THIS EDITION...

Totally Relevant World
Property development that harnesses the Total Property Solution. This is a story about Group CEO Jason Doo and how Total Property Solution has propelled MetroWorld to be among the niche developers of Malaysian real estate with projects ranging from exclusive condos, canal homes to industrial factories. This is just the beginning!

Benchmark Revelation
Out of the top 50 real estate transactions in the world last year, 13 took place in Asia. Throughout 2007, Asia recorded a phenomenal growth of 27% compared to the global’s meager 8%. And amidst the US credit turmoil, in the second half of 2007, Asia’s real estate prowess proves potent, charting a 22% growth to eclipse the 8% contraction suffered globally. The first two months of 2008 saw Asia recording 100% growth while the global’s slumped to a negative 20%! But despite such strong revelations, Asia is still under represented…

Commercial Sustainability
Do you know that energy conservation projects in a commercial building can result in savings of up to 30% and you could recoup up to half your investment in less than 5 years? Even the Clinton administration initiated a sustaining effort in 1993 for the sake of saving the dollars. Join Dr Soong Sau Khong, Deputy Director at the Energy Centre, Energy Management Services of Singapore’s United Premas Ltd, as he shares his insights in conjunction with the 6th FIABCI Asia Pacific Regional Summit in Singapore.

Green Roof
In December 2004, an MoU was signed between three Singaporean organizations, the Housing Development Board, National Parks Board and United Premas Ltd, to develop a green system that is suitable in the Republic’s tropical climate conditions. The result, PEG or Prefabricated Extensive Green Roof Tray System. Find out what the green roof is and how it is designed to sustain our lifestyle amidst the tropical heat and humidity. Tony Khoo, Director of Corporate Marketing & Communications of United Premas Ltd, shares this innovation at the 6th FIABCI Asia Pacific Regional Summit in Singapore.

Looking for a home loan? How about a revolving home loan from RHB? No tricks, no frills, no additional charges and even allows you to withdraw up to the remitted amount to meet your sudden needs!

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Bringing to you Live!

If you’ve missed the inaugural Malaysia International Luxury Properties Exhibition 2008 in Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre recently, we’ve got it covered for you!
Home Finder, the Exclusive Official Magazine

Cityscape Asia 2008 held in Singapore recently was a display of real estate marvel. See for yourself!
Home Finder, the Regional Media Partner

2008 Frost & Sullivan Industrial Technologies Awards, honoring Industrial Technologies Excellence around the region in areas of Environment & Building Technologies, Industrial Process Control, Electronics & Security, Energy & Power Systems and Measurement and Instrumentation.
Home Finder, Media Partner of the Awards, Exclusively in Environment & Building Technologies.

Subscribe & Win
In conjunction with the eco sustainability theme, Home Finder is giving away Clean Car Wars to 5 lucky subscribers!

Clean Car Wars: How Honda and Toyota are Winning the Battle of the Eco-Friendly Autos is a new book published by John Wiley & Sons (Asia) Pte Ltd that brings us behind the scenes of the intensifying competition over green technologies in the automotive sector worldwide. The book is written by Senior Journalist Yozo Hasegawa and translated by Anthony Kimm.

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UPCOMING EVENTS or click here for more events.