🌳 Driving Green Action in Malaysia’s Built Environment

A huge thank you to Chin Hin Group Property Berhad for organizing the insightful “Building Malaysia’s Greener Future: From Vision to Action” panel discussion!

 

The conversation, skillfully moderated by Adj. Prac. Prof. Cheah Kok Hoong, President of ESG Association of Malaysia (ESGAM), brought together industry leaders on making sustainability the new standard in Malaysia.

 

We heard critical perspectives from:

1. Ir. Ashwin Thurairajah, Executive Director of GreenRE

2. Mitch Gelber, CEO of Malaysia Green Building Council (MGBC)

3. Ar. Dexter Koh Yew Peng, Deputy President of Pertubuhan Akitek Malaysia (PAM)

 

Key Takeaways:

1. Lowering Cost, Increasing Value: Sustainability is financially viable. By focusing on smart design and leveraging low-carbon materials that are reaching price parity, developers can significantly lower the Building Energy Index (BEI) and deliver long-term value and lower operational costs.

 

2. Performance Over Pomp: The focus must be on tangible performance. With 70% of a building’s life cycle carbon coming from operations (mostly cooling in a tropical climate), the key is embracing true energy efficiency and technology without compromising user comfort. Sustainability must be driven by data and real-world impact.

 

3. The 5 P’s: People, Planet, Profit, Purpose, and Partnership: A holistic approach is essential. Achieving net-zero requires cross-sector collaboration—from architects and engineers to policymakers—to ensure green building is accessible and addresses affordability, moving it from flagship projects to the mainstream Malaysian built environment.

 

#ESGAM #GreenBuilding #ChinHin #EnergyEfficiency #LowCarbon