THE Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of a conducive environment and living space for all.

       This links to the rising trend in the environmental, social and governance (ESG) agenda for stainability, and mitigation of climate change.

       As ESG has become a value-driver for property development, the new norm of working and staying at home has also influenced designs for a safe and spacious home.

       With sustainability measures as part of its DNA, S P Setia Bhd strives to connect thriving communities through its development philosophy of “livelearnworkplay.”

       “We hold close to heart, our eco-centric developments, and continue to play a role in conserving the environment, empowering communities and positively influencing the locations in which we operate,’’ according to S P Setia.

       SP Setia logo

       S P Setia views ESG initiatives, especially in conserving the environment, as an investment for the future, while maintaining its business sustainability.

       “We believe our efforts to manage climate change have added value to our purchasers, and that is reflected in our good sales; for the first six months of 2021, we had achieved 70% of our sales target for this financial year,’’ said S P Setia.

       Being early adopters of new regulations, best practices, policies and procedures helps S P Setia to mitigate risks, benefit from new opportunities and remain competitive.

       Its charitable trust, Setia Foundation, has touched the lives of more than 10,000 children. S P Setia is committed to support global efforts in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).

       Cognisant of market needs, Sime Darby Property (SDP) has seen a strong demand for freehold landed homes within a reasonable distance from big cities.

       “Flexible home layouts can accommodate individual families’ needs such as space that can be transformed into an interchangeable workspace, study room, play area and more,’’ said SDP group managing director Datuk Azmir Merican.

       People spending more time indoors could lead to higher usage of household energy. SDP will continue to introduce green and energy efficient features in its upcoming products.

       SDP also incorporates quality fittings and features that maximise comfort for homeowners such as better air circulation and more natural light sources.

       In its “Concept Home 2030 Competition,” in partnership with the Malaysian Institute of Architects, SDP invites participating architects to reimagine the potential style of living in Malaysia in 2030.

       It also encourages them to articulate their vision of the future-ready terrace home by stepping out of the box to produce ideas that will make a dynamic shift in how we live.

       The SDP 2030 sustainability goals, which are aligned with the UN SDGs, comprise 18 goals which focus on creating positive impact across four strategic spheres to:

       > Shape thriving and inclusive communities,

       > Have good biodiversity practices.

       > Lead in sustainable technology solutions, and

       > Embed transparent governance.

       At SDP, the landed home segment is seeing good take-up at the City of Elmina, Bandar Bukit Raja and Serenia City projects, which had secured take-up rates of over 90% on launch weekends throughout 2020, and the first half of 2021.

       SDP achieved total sales of RM1.3bil in the first half of financial year 2021. Its sales target is maintained at RM2.4bil for the current financial year.

       “We will continue to feed into the demand for landed residential properties with focus on launching projects at strategic locations, with the right price points,’’ said Azmir.

       With working from home being the popular topic in town, the concepts of being “people-centric” and focus on “home making” are important in the design thinking process at Mah Sing Group Bhd.

       “This will mainly revolve around personal and sustainable spaces for a home by focusing on, among other things, health, cleanliness and protection, rather than just building a house.

       “This also coincides with our vision to invent sustainable future living that enhances the quality of life,’’ said Mah Sing CEO Datuk Ho Hon Sang.

       Mah Sing Ho Han Sang

       The importance of ESG is reflected not only in the features of Mah Sing’s developments, but also during its construction processes.

       Mah Sing strives to balance costs while maximising the feasibility of including highly demanded features in its homes.“The key is about adding value, and we believe once the customers are ready to acknowledge the different values provided, they will be more willing to pay for it,’’ said Ho.

       The Covid-19 pandemic has added momentum to efforts at UEM Sunrise Bhd towards sustainable development, and future-proofing of its products.

       “We are exploring ESG-driven designs that will tackle functionality issues brought about by Covid-19,’’ said UEM Sunrise CEO Sufian Abdullah.

       UEM Sunrise is addressing new design needs, particularly through spatial flexibility and non-superfluous architectural elements, that are cost-optimised.

       To address the issue of cost optimisation, UEM Sunrise is emphasising on the use of building information modelling (BIM) and modularisation of design.

       BIM is a highly collaborative process to ensure that the planning, design and construction of buildings is highly efficient.

       Modularisation divides the product structure into modules, enabling companies to optimise and transform their products in more flexible and accurate way.

       This is achieved through effective means of material procurement and production.

       “We are working towards a design-led environment within UEM Sunrise, that achieves efficacy through modern methods of construction,’’ said Sufian.

       UEM Sunrise Sufian Abdullah

       The “UEM Sunrise product DNA” stipulates sustainability as a key pillar that will guide the group in approaching design more holistically.

       It also expects to make “great strides” in its journey to strengthen its sustainability management governance, and set the right plans to measure ESG performance.

       UEM Sunrise believes that having a strong DNA that can meet design needs and spatial flexibility, as demanded by the market, will lead to popular take-up of its products.

       In the past year-and-a-half, there has been an increasing demand for attainable products with flexible spaces within the homes, and common facilities.“Anchored by sustainability, an integrated product design and more effective processes in our production will lead to cost optimisation which will contribute to our bottom line.

       “As ESG principles become more entrenched in our DNA, we are more capable of sustaining value in the long term,’’ said Sufian.

       Driven by new trends and norms, property designs are set to take on new, innovative forms.

       May we look forward to a new, exciting chapter in our homes selection.

       Yap Leng Kuen is a former StarBiz editor. The views expressed here are the writer’s own.