Sustainability Planning : A Development Model En Sufian bin Abdullah Head, Research & Development Innovation, Sime Darby Property
Abstract By establishing new technologies, utilising new materials and construction methodologies and collaborating with cutting-edge technology providers, more sustainable and environmentally friendly products can be realised. And one of Sime Darby Property key initiatives in sustainable product development is the Sime Darby Idea House showcasing the latest in construction solution and system applications which will be an example of how green architecture, good design and sustainable living can work harmoniously.
The topic that I am going to talk about today is a very exciting one to us, in particular, as Sime Darby as one of the largest property developers in the country. Sustainable planning is a concept we hold close to our hearts. What I am going to focus on today, however, is a particular branch of sustainable development, that is, sustaining development through innovative building design. I am going to talk about the project we call the ‘Sime Darby Idea House’. I think this is one of the first few occasions where we are going to showcase it to the wider public. You are among the first people to see this, and how it relates to the whole concept of sustainable planning in the innovative design process. So we are not just talking about creating sustainable townships or sustainable master plans; we are also talking about how to get the exercise of sustainable and innovative development going. Sustainable planning To begin with, the concept of sustainable planning is very much a reactive concept and is a response to the wider public increase in transmigration from rural areas to the cities. You have seen that happening even in Kuala Lumpur, in the number of cars that increase every year and the number of people that move into the city. The future projection is that it will look extremely dense, to put it simply. High density living leads to urban sprawl. For example, Subang Jaya is a township that we built 30 years ago. This in many respects reflects our commitment not to turn away from the development that we have actually carried out. We would like to revisit our successes and failures - the impact of our own physical development - so it is not so much a process of ‘touch and go’. We would like to see how a community flourishes and how it blossoms as a
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