Penang was the first state to launch a plan to turn green. After a successful ‘No Plastic Bag’ campaign which was later adopted by the Selangor Government, Penang has been steadily turning its attention to Green Buildings.

‘No Plastic Mondays’ was launched by the state government to turn Penang into the country’s first green state in July last year. But little was heard then about the Green Building Index (GBI) which was officiated just two months prior to the campaign. However, the momentum has gradually increased and now more interested parties are taking the GBI seriously.

Paint it Green

Talk about green buildings and the first image that comes to mind is that of a green coloured office block. Rather than a gaudily coloured block, green buildings are actually environmentally friendly structures. The concept of a green building promotes the use of energy-saving materials and fittings while building on a design that minimizes energy usage throughout the day.

By integrating green buildings with several programmes introduced by the Penang state government to reduce carbon emission such as waste reduction, tree-planting, river cleaning and a transportation master plan; the state is taking yet another step towards a more environmentally friendly stand.

Making the State of affairs Green

In May 2009, the Penang state government once again made the other states turn green with envy as it became the first to actively promote the construction of green buildings. By encouraging more developers to meet the GBI, Penang has taken yet another step towards being Malaysia’s first green state.

YAB Lim Guan Eng, Chief Minister of Penang in his speech during the Malaysia Green Building Index Forum in July last year said, “Just like green rating tools in other countries, such as LEED (the United States and Canada), Energy Star (US), BREEAM (Britain), CASBEE (Japan), Green Star (Australia), Green Mark (Singapore), and Greenship which is being developed in Indonesia, GBI is being set as a voluntary effort to keep natural resources sustainable and to combat climate change and global warming”.

He also added, “The rating system will provide opportunity for developers to design and construct green, sustainable buildings that can provide energy savings, water savings, a healthier indoor environment, better connectivity to public transport and the adoption of recycling and greenery for their projects”. With better energy efficiency, Penang can then focus on using its resources to further improve other areas in the state.

Pruning New Projects

Penang is constantly in a state of development. With new projects being launched almost every other month, the state is considering imposing the GBI rating as a criterion for several upcoming development projects.

Chief Minister YAB Lim Guan Eng said, “There are certain prime sites that the state is planning to open for bidding and tender (for projects). We are considering adding a stipulation that these projects should be GBI accredited”. He further adds, “Personally, I support the GBI initiative to ensure that buildings are more sustainable and energy efficient”.

Although the state refuses to disclose which of the upcoming projects will come under this new initiative, it is speculated that the Bayan Mutiara medical hub and the proposed Meetings, Incentives, Convention and Exhibition (MICE) centre would be the likely targets.

Sprouting the Effort

While the state debates about which project to turn green, private developers have already taken their own steps towards implementing an eco-friendly approach to their own projects.

IJM Land Bhd is heading the pack with efforts to turn their celebrated The Light waterfront project into Penang’s first green development. 5% of its construction costs is said to be channeled into green-related technologies such as recycled pavers and composite timber.

Other steps taken to promote a ‘greener’ workflow includes the reduction of materials instead of actively sourcing for recycled products and designing to allow for more natural lighting and cross-ventilation of structures. Rainwater harvesting is also said to be incorporated to reduce water consumption for landscape purposes.

The first phase of The Light covers an area of 16.8ha which includes The Light Linear and The Light Point condominiums, both of which will be built according to GBI standards.

Meanwhile, SP Setia has also taken up the green challenge by announcing that two of their upcoming projects are earmarked to be GBI-compliant. The Brook Residences development next to the Jesselton area and Ara Setia in Sungai Ara, measuring 0.8ha and 12ha respectively, are set to sprout in the near future.