Located in KL’s premier international enclave, Solaris Parq marries successful and forward-thinking sustainable businesses in a people-centric environment with lifestyle spaces that enhance the office experience.
The community developer’s sustainability blueprint focuses on Liveability, Affordability, Sustainability and Resilience
WHETHER or not to incorporate sustainability into a business strategy nowadays is no longer an option.
A values-driven approach that focuses on environment, social and governance (ESG) values is vital to long-term competitive success whilst protecting the environment and relevant communities.
While large corporations have historically been the biggest contributors to climate change, they are now making significant changes in their operations and strategies that reduce their carbon footprint.
For instance, businesses have moved to using ethically sourced materials, cutting down on energy consumption, and streamlining shipping practices as steps in the right direction.
That said, ESG values cover a broad spectrum and every single business decision can be traced back to how it can impact these values. It is essential for organisations to break down these macro-level visions and ambition into something that can be embedded into their daily operations and processes.
Sustainability Blueprint 1.0
Charted in UEM Sunrise’s Sustainability Blueprint 1.0 is their path towards building a low carbon future by 2030 with the eventual goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2050.
To achieve a low carbon future by 2030 means UEM Sunrise will better manage its carbon and water footprint and increase energy efficiency across all operations.
The community developer will also create positive social impacts in the communities where they are present while providing a safe and healthy workplace for their workforce.
A number of their developments are already piloting this approach outlined by their blueprint which will also lead UEM Sunrise to rethink how they look at property development.
Notably, in UEM Sunrise’s Sustainability Blueprint 1.0 are four guiding principles that serve as pillars – Liveability, Affordability, Sustainability and Resilience.
Liveability: Building for everyone
Clearly, real estate and infrastructure are closely related. The real estate industry is a major consumer of energy. Therefore, the construction of sustainable buildings, equipped with new eco-friendly materials or smart technologies will not only help the environment but also boost the return of the respective real estate investment over time.
This is perhaps the most crucial pillar for any property developer in the market, that is creating liveable cities and communities.
Most of UEM Sunrise’s developments are universally designed with age-friendly elements. These include roads, pedestrian network, proximity to amenities, connectivity quality and access to services.
These new adaptive homes for agile and flexi-living come after the effects of Covid-19 and how it changed the way we live and work. Homes now need to account for modern life that is easily configured to its occupants’ changing needs and lifestyles.
Flexibility becomes an important design consideration.
UEM Sunrise addresses this through design elements like removable partitions and “plus one” spaces for occupants to change and enhance their living spaces as they wish.
Unique to our culture on this side of the world is multigenerational living.
Understanding this, the community developer will cater to the needs of different age groups, from young millennials to families and the silver-liner population.
A range of options for one customer means a range of options for everyone, leading to a diverse and inclusive neighbourhood within the developments.
But, a neighbourhood is only as good as its community.
UEM Sunrise’s vision of ‘Building Communities of the Future with You and for You’ is grounded in creative placemaking.
This comes in the form of master planning that not only includes the “hardware” like landmarks, streetscape, safety and security, accessibility and urban amenities, but also the “software” and “heartware” where the “life” in these spaces will be built.
Building a community means creating opportunities for those who live in that neighbourhood.
Recently, UEM Sunrise kick-started K’Artulistiwa at KAIA Heights, in Equine Park, Seri Kembangan, Selangor – a development surrounded by a 2.4ha nature reserve.
K’Artulistiwa is an art initiative to engage, educate and raise public awareness on topics such as conservation, preservation, biodiversity and threatened habitats.
Suzi Chua’s ‘The Malayan tiger’ is currently on display at the KAIA Heights sales gallery under the K’artulistiwa initiative. Part of the proceeds will directly go into supporting conservation efforts for the Malayan tiger and Bornean sun bear.
Affordability: Compact homes, attainable living
The community developer is also addressing homeownership gaps by incorporating units of 300-450sqft into urban developments, supported by good connectivity and transportation networks.
This strategy will fill the gap, particularly for the next generation who cannot afford open market property prices or are ineligible for the affordable housing schemes.
Owning a property in a central business district for this burgeoning group will no longer be a dream.
Alongside a renewed look at their automation and offsite construction, UEM Sunrise will also be able to address ongoing shortages of skilled labour and rising wages while minimising waste of expensive construction materials.
This translates into cost savings and offers prospective homeowners more affordably priced units for purchase.
UEM Sunrise’s vision of ‘Building Communities of the Future with You and for You’ is grounded in creative placemaking. This comes in the form of master planning that not only includes the ‘hardware’ like landmarks, streetscape, safety and security, accessibility and urban amenities, but also the ‘software’ and ‘heartware’ where the ‘life’ in these spaces will be built.
Sustainability: Green development
For UEM Sunrise, building with sustainability in mind starts with the product’s design and intent.
There are four elements the community developer is planning to address environmental sustainability, namely energy efficiency, water efficiency, environment protection and indoor environmental quality.
The challenge for property developers then is to ensure that the comfort of the residents and communities is preserved without damaging the surrounding environment.
Sustainability features are assessed throughout a project’s lifecycle including the design, tender, construction and maintenance stages to ensure that they are being implemented as planned.
Walking the talk, six of their projects in the Klang Valley achieved Green Building certifications in 2020:
> Solaris Parq The Suites (Green RE Bronze)
> Solaris Parq The Office (Green RE Bronze)
> Solaris Parq Retail (Green RE Bronze)
> Residensi Solaris Parq (Green RE Bronze)
> KAIA Heights, Equine Park (Green RE Silver)
> Allevia Mont’Kiara (Green RE Gold)
Resilience: Pandemic ready
In pursuit of resiliency, UEM Sunrise has introduced features in their products that are adapted to this new normal including the provision of disinfection and sanitisation zones at the main entrance of each unit prior to entering the living area and a dedicated collection area to minimise physical contact.
As the work from home (WFH) arrangement continues, UEM Sunrise is also providing co-working spaces in most of their stratified developments as an alternative where residents can enjoy working in a conducive working environment, easily accessible from their homes.
Additionally, the developer has created two hUb-themed applications: hUb Home and hUb Mall.
The hUb Home app serves as a marketplace that provides residents with a wide range of services by professionals to assist with their daily chores and errands.
The hUb Mall app is a multi-service platform whereby users can get news, upcoming announcements as well as promotions from various stores at UEM Sunrise’s creative retail space, Publika Shopping Gallery. Not only that, users can also earn hUb Mall points for every purchase and redeem them for attractive rewards.
The hUb app series signifies UEM Sunrise’s commitment in creating a more digitalised and customer-centric experience.
Driving investment value
Investors nowadays are increasingly aware and proactive in investing their capital in businesses that govern and operate in an ethical and sustainable manner.
The slow initial pick-up in adopting ESG standards was due to the misguided conception that focusing on positive (or sustainable) initiatives would reduce financial return.
Covid-19 turned that misconception on its head.
UEM Sunrise’s Sustainability Blueprint sets the framework to operationalise sustainability – ensuring its entrenchment throughout the organisation, as well as aligning with global movements and the government’s plan to advance green growth for sustainability and resilience as detailed in the 12th Malaysia Plan.
As one of the handful of property developers who are constituents of the FTSE4 Good Bursa Malaysia Index (F4GBM), UEM Sunrise is looking at the long-term success that meets the needs of their stakeholders while honouring the principles of sustainability.
