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KUALA LUMPUR: The Asia market is being flooded with numerous green ratings and this is confusing tenants and developers, the Clinton Foundation's Clinton Climate Initiative energy efficiency building retrofit programme regional manager (Asia) Christopher Seeley said in a panel discussion in the session entitled "Going green - technologies/buildings" at the Asian Metrocity Summit here on April 6.
Seeley, who handles projects in more than 12 cities in Asia, added that it is also unfortunate that demand for green ratings in Asia is low compared with Western countries. "When the market puts a value to it [green ratings], then demand would increase. Companies must demand for buildings with ratings," he explained.
Another speaker, Lance A Williams, executive director, US Green Building Council (Los Angeles Chapter) agreed that ratings are definitely market-driven and "people should demand for healthy buildings”. Ultimately, he said, it is the survival of the fittest -- the ratings that provide the best building valuation and highest standards. Williams said there can also be a national mandate (for ratings) although most rating systems start as voluntary (system).
Environmentalist and chairman of the Centre for Environment Technology & Development Malaysia (CETDEM) Gurmit Singh, who was also part of the panel, said enforcement is key: "I am not really bothered with the standards. Enforcements are important and I am very disappointed as many things are not getting enforced. There is a urgent need for fair and uniformed regulations."
Millennium Development International country manager (Malaysia) Richard Polkinghorne, who is currently overseeing and finalising the details for the 2,224-acre Medini development in Nusajaya, Johor, said consistency, assertiveness and quality are essential when building a new township. "Set a vision, absolutely commit to it no matter how difficult and know that it is a long-term process," he said. Medini, a mixed development which is expected to be the new central business district of the southern part of Malaysia with a population of over 200,000, will take 20 years to complete.
The Asian Metrocity Summit entitled "Sustainable Development Solutions for Planning and Urbanization of Cities" started yesterday (April 5) and ends on April 7.
