Top management of property development firms attend indoor air quality talk

KUALA LUMPUR (June 26): More than 80 top management of property development companies took time out to learn more about ways they could incorporate wellness in their projects at the EdgeProp.my Talk on Building for 'Wellness' today. They were also told about the importance of indoor air quality from the experts.

The talk was organised by EdgeProp.my in collaboration with Panasonic Malaysia.

* The next property trend: Building for wellness

* Developers should take indoor air quality more seriously, says industry expert

* Start turning your abode into a healthy home

In her welcome note, EdgeProp.my managing director and editor-in-chief Au Foong Yee highlighted that “wellness” is more than just sports or health retreats -- it is also the quality of the air we breathe in every day.

“Mention wellness and the picture of gym, yoga, spa and health retreats probably flash across your mind. Wellness is never as simplistic as staying fit and trim through a strict regime of exercise and diet. Wellness is more, much more than that.

“Do you know that, according to reports, we breathe in 18kg of air every single day? We in Malaysia are lucky. We only have to suffer the occasional haze – this would be the time when sales of air conditioners, ioniers and purifers would spike. Yes, we can continue to take air for granted, but what we don’t see could, slowly but surely, harm or even kill us,” Au noted.

She shared that a primary cause of poor indoor air quality lies in pollution sources that release gases or particles into the air inside within buildings. Meanwhile, inadequate ventilation would also heighten indoor pollutant levels which, over time, could trigger harmful effects, immediately or years later.

“However, the good news is there are many ways to improve and protect indoor air quality of new or even old buildings. As serious and responsible leaders of the industry, we urge you to pay more attention to IAQ (indoor air quality), if you have not done so already,” Au said.

She also urged property developers to take heed of what indoor air quality entails in the planning and design stage of their next projects. "Prevention is better than cure and it is also less painful on the pocket," she added.

The first speaker at the talk was immediate past president of Pertubuhan Akitek Malaysia (PAM) Ezumi Harzani who spoke on the topic Designing for ‘Wellness’: Facts versus Fallacies.

The next speaker was Architect Centre’s accredited building inspector and trainer Anthony Lee Tee. His presentation was on "How ‘sick’ can a building be? – Kisah Benar”.

The last speaker was Dr Michael Tan from Singapore. He is the CEO and founder of Life Research Wellness Pte Ltd. He provided an insight on "International Trends and Practical Approach to Wellness Living”.

The half-day event ended with a demonstration on indoor air quality management at the Panasonic Malaysia’s Home.2.com Solution Centre.

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