The next property trend: Building for wellness

KUALA LUMPUR (June 26): The next building and property development trend will be to build for wellness of its inhabitants, said immediate past president of Pertubuhan Akitek Malaysia (PAM) Ezumi Harzani and chairman of the Green Building Index Sdn Bhd.

In his presentation entitled "Designing for 'Wellness': Fact versus Fallacies" at the EdgeProp.my Talk on Building for Wellness 2019" organised by EdgeProp.my in collaboration with Panasonic Malaysia, he said that the green building trend is now slowly giving way by the "wellness" trend.

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"Developers will understand that to build a 'well building', you don't have to compromise on the design or incur more cost," Ezumi shared.

He added that a building can be iconic not only in its design, but in the wellness features it offers.

"However, we will need time to change people's mindset on the value of a well building," he said.

"Just like 10 years ago when people started building green buildings, there were many criticisms and questions. Today, people including developers will take green certifications into consideration and perhaps 10 years later, we will also certify a well building like a green building," Ezumi said.

There is currently no organisation that certifies a well building in Malaysia but The International Well Building Institute (The IWBI) does.

"For developers who would like to get their buildings certified as a well building, they may submit their applications to The IWBI. Maybe, it is time for PAM to look beyond green buildings to well buildings," he concluded.

Read the full coverage of the symposium in the June 28, 2019 issue of EdgeProp.my pullout.