MBSA receives Sustainable City 2010 award for the third time

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The Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) was recently presented with the Sustainable City 2010 Award at a national-level event.

The recognition marked the third consecutive year the MBSA has won the Sustainable City award since it was introduced in 2008.

For this year, the MBSA came in second with a 90.09% score while the administrative capital of Putrajaya emerged tops with a 94.12% score.

The conferment of the sustainable city title was based on evaluation done by the Town and Country Planning Department in Peninsular Malaysia via the Malaysia Urban Indicator Network (MURNInet) Programme.

MURNInet is an application to create a database in digital form that can measure the sustainability of a city.

Through MURNInet, local authorities would be able to identify the problem, the quality of an urban settlement and present proposals to resolve and improve the level of services to residents.

The assessment was conducted using several indicators like demographic population in a city, utilities and infrastructure that are efficient and sufficient to ensure the residents’ well-being, provision of community and recreation facilities, sociology and social impact to ensure quality of life, management and strong financial standing.

The Sustainable City 2010 Award was presented by Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Wira Chor Chee Heung in conjunction with World Town Planning Day 2010.

Shah Alam mayor Datuk Mazalan Md Noor was on hand to receive the award.

“With the award, MBSA will strive to maintain and enhance several indicators to achieve a more sustainable level and make Shah Alam an ideal place to live, work and raise a family,” he said.

“As the local authority, the MBSA will continue to work and cooperate with all parties, including residents’ representative council (MPP), residents associations, government agencies, public and private sectors and NGOs to ensure the city is always prosperous, and that its residents can live in peace, harmony and with mutual respect for each another.”

The MBSA was also presented a five-star rating in the Malaysian Government Website and Portal Evaluation by the Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC).

The five-star rating for the council’s website was based on the content and information that is regularly updated and current.

The MBSA’s website also has web-friendly features, is easy to browse, posts relevant information like department/ division contacts and client charter, has online payment channels (e-payment), and is linked to myGov and other government agencies websites.

Mazalan added that the MBSA, through its Information and Communication Technology Department, plans to introduce several more applications and approaches to facilitate the Shah Alam community’s access to information and services relevant to the council, including the recent introduction of the Shah Alam Kita portal.

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Glittering night for developers

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Property Man of the Year 2010 Datuk Alan Tong Kok Mau (holding trophy), group chairman of Bukit Kiara Properties, sharing a light moment with Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin. Looking on are organising chairman Datuk Robin Tan Yeong Ching (left) and FIABCI Malaysia president Yeow Thit Sang (right).

PETALING JAYA: It was a glittering and memorable night last Thursday when the best of the country’s property developers were honoured at the Malaysia Property Award 2010.

Amid the glitz and glamour of the event was a strong message to property developers that profits aside, going “green” is not only the way forward but also will be the future demand for residential and commercial properties globally, including in Malaysia. The two most-talked-about issues were sustainable property developments and caring for the environment.

The highlight of the night was centred on the winner of the “Property Man of the Year Award 2010” Datuk Alan Tong, who is also dubbed Malaysia’s Condo King.

“Winning this award is an acknowledgment by the panel of judges that hardwork pays. As a property developer, I believe that being diligent, transparent and having consideration for property purchasers are the most important traits of any good developer,” he said.

Tong received the prestigious award from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin, who graced the event at The Shangri-La Hotel in Kuala Lumpur in a glittering ceremony attended by local and foreign guests.


From left: See Hoy Chan Holdings group director Datuk Teo Chiang Kok, Star Publications (M) Bhd group managing director and chief executive officer Datin Linda Ngiam and Malaysia Property Award 2010 judge Datuk Ng Poh Tip.

The nine other winners of the Malaysia Property Award 2010 included Sunway City Bhd’s Sunway City Ipoh for the Master Plan category; Coronation Springs Sdn Bhd’s Springtide Residences in Tanjung Bungah, Penang (Residential Development – High Rise); SP Setia Bhd’s Precinct 3, Setia Eco Park in Shah Alam, Selangor (Residential Development – Low Rise); Sunway Pyramid Shopping Mall Expansion in Bandar Sunway, Selangor (Retail Development); and Quill group’s Quill 7 in KL Sentral, Kuala Lumpur (Office Development).

The other winners are The Westin Langkawi Resort & Spa, Langkawi, Kedah (Hotel Development); Cahaya Jauhar Sdn Bhd’s Kota Iskandar (Phase 1) in Nusajaya, Johor (Public Sector); Gloharta (M) Sdn Bhd’s Bunga Raya Island Resort & Spa in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah (Resort Development) and Gamuda Bhd’s Stormwater Management and Road Tunnel (SMART) (Special Award for National Contribution).

Winners of the MPA in their relevant categories will represent Malaysia the following year at the International Prix d’Excellence, an annual competition that honours the world’s best property projects.

SunCity property investment managing director Ngeow Voon Yean said bagging two awards in the FIABCI Malaysia Property Award 2010 was a recognistion of all the hardwork and dedication of the Sunway Group staff.

Quill group executive director Datuk Michael Ong said: “We are delighted to have won the award. It has been a long journey for us,” he said. The property developer won the award for its magnificent 30-storey office tower set in the heart of KL Sentral, Malaysia’s largest transit hub – QUILL 7.

The International Prix d’Excellence is an annual competition which honours the world’s best property projects.

The 2010 Malaysia Property Award was organised by FIABCI Malaysia with Malayan Banking Bhd as the official sponsor.

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Alan Tong named ‘Property Man of the Year'

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FIABCI Malaysia Property Man of the Year 2010 Datuk Alan Tong after receiving his award from the King

KUALA LUMPUR: Bukit Kiara Properties Sdn Bhd group chairman Datuk Alan Tong Kok Mau was named "Property Man of the Year'' at the International Real Estate Federation (FIABCI) Malaysia Property Awards 2010 yesterday.

Tong received the prestigious award from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin, who graced the event at a hotel here in a glittering ceremony attended by local and foreign guests.

Bukit Kiara Properties' projects include luxury bungalows at Aman Kiara and Hijauan Kiara, a luxury condominium. Both developments are located in Mont'Kiara.

Tong attributed his win to perseverance and determination.

"We always need to listen to the interest of the purchasers in our daily operation. This will help a lot for the success of the business," he said.

The award, dubbed the "property Oscars'' by industry players, also acknowledged nine property projects.

The winners for the Malaysia Property Award 2010 included Sunway City Sdn Bhd's Sunway City Ipoh in Ipoh (master plan category), Coronation Spring Sdn Bhd's Springtide Residences in Tanjung Bungah, Penang (residential development - high rise) and SP Setia Bhd Group's Precint 3, Setia Eco Park in Shah Alam, Selangor (residential development - low rise).



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Winners see benefits in clinching FIABCI Malaysia Property Award

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PETALING JAYA: To the casual observer, the annual International Real Estate Federation (FIABCI) Malaysia Property Award (MPA) might just be glitz and glamour, but previous victors have attested that winning has certainly helped boost their business in some way.


Yeow Thit Sang ... Winning the awards had a number of intangible benefits.

FIABCI-Malaysia president Yeow Thit Sang said winning the awards had a number of intangible benefits.

“It helps boost the winner’s branding and marketing. It also helps generate publicity to get their products to another level,” he said.

Perdana ParkCity Sdn Bhd marketing and sales director Susan Tan said when the company won the MPA for best residential (low-rise category) for its Adiva Parkhomes at Desa ParkCity in Kuala Lumpur, prices of the houses shot up.

“We noticed some price appreciation for Desa ParkCity properties in the secondary market with Adiva enjoying as much as 30% additional increase in prices after the awards were announced,” she said.

The following year, Perdana ParkCity’s Adiva bagged the FIABCI Prix d’Excellence Awards 2010 for the residential (low-rise) category in Bali.

“Obviously, winning did put Desa ParkCity in the spotlight and we have benefited from the exposure as more purchasers and investors are keen on other offerings (that we have) available,” said Tan.

Sunrise Bhd assistant general manager for branding and community development, Anne Tong, said winning at FIABCI was like “icing on the cake” for the company.

“Accolades from prestigious professional bodies such as FIABCI builds credibility for the Sunrise brand, which will in turn instill customer confidence in our products and services,” she said.

Tong said winning at FIABCI helped to elevate awareness to purchasers on its product quality and service excellence.

“Winning a competitive award confers peer acknowledgement that we are on track in our mission to deliver sustainable value to customers.”

Sunrise has won accolades at FIABCI for projects such as Mont’Kiara Palma (1997), Mont’Kiara Sophia (2001) and Mont’Kiara Damai (2005).

Selangor Dredging Bhd communications and corporate affairs manager Lina Othman said among the benefits of winning a FIABCI award was that it gave credibility to the development as it was recognised to be one of the finest in the country.

“It also gives credibility to the company for being able to come up with an award-winning building. This of course helps with marketing of other developments as it is a testimony of the company’s commitment and capability in developing quality homes,” she said.

Selangor Dredging won the MPA in 2009 for its Park Seven development (residential high-rise). The project was subsequently runner-up at the Prix d’Excellence 2010.

FIABCI Malaysia will be organising the 2010 MPA on Nov 11 in Kuala Lumpur with Malayan Banking Bhd as the official sponsor. A total of 10 categories will be contested.

Winners of the MPA in their relevant categories will represent Malaysia the following year at the International Prix d’Excellence, an annual competition that honours the world’s best property projects.

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Environmental preservation wins top marks

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KUALA LUMPUR: Since organising the inaugural Malaysia Property Award (MPA) in 1992, the International Real Estate Federation (FIABCI) has been striving to raise the standard of the local property sector through this annual event.

Tougher qualifying rules and transparent judging processes over the years have ensured that many local property players keep with the times and also on par with the world’s top class developers.


Yeow ... ‘MPA award has set benchmark on how today’s local developers embark on their projects.’

The awards, which is today considered the “Oscars” of the local property industry, had set the benchmark on how today’s local developers embarked on their projects, said FIABCI-Malaysia president Yeow Thit Sang.

“Local developers know the kind of awareness winning this award brings. Many of them are tailoring their designs to these (FIABCI) standards. They look at our guidelines on how to improve their projects.”

Over the years, FIABCI Malaysia has placed increasing emphasis on environmental awareness and preservation. Initially, the impact of a development on the environment used to account for 10% of the judging criteria for the MPA. This year, it’s 25%.

“Environmental awareness is a global concern and it’s everyone’s responsibility to ensure everything they do has a minimal impact (on the environment),” said Yeow.

He said many local developers today were cautious with the way their projects impacted the surrounding landscape.

Yeow cited Mulpha International Bhd’s Pinggiran Bayou Village Homes, the winner in the best residential development (low-rise) category at the 2007 MPA.

He said prior to construction, the company took great pains to ensure minimal impact on the surrounding ecosystem.

Apart from preserving the environment, Yeow said many developers also designed their projects so that the surrounding elements actually became the highlight of the projects.

“Today, houses built are no longer just boxes on pieces of land. They’re a lifestyle masterpiece.”


Yu ... ‘Environmental awareness will account for more than 25% of the judging criteria at next year’s MPA.’

FIABCI Asia Pacific executive director Yu Kee Su said environmental awareness would account for more than 25% of the judging criteria at next year’s MPA.

For the first time this year, the judging process comprised a three-tier system as part of the organiser’s efforts to raise the bar of the participants, he said. In previous years, the judging process comprised only two levels.

“We evaluate the judging process every year. We get feedback and try to improve ourselves,” he said.

The first tier consists of site visits by evaluators who are senior personnel from the real estate industry. The second tier comprises a jury of senior representatives from various organisations within the property industry while the third tier comprises independent judges from various sectors.

FIABCI Malaysia will be organising the 2010 MPA on Nov 11 in Kuala Lumpur with Malayan Banking Bhd as the official sponsor.

The categories to be contested are: Property Man of The Year, Master Plan, Hotel Development, Office Development, Public Sector, Residential Development (low rise and high rise), Resort Development, Retail Development and Special Award for National Contribution.

Winners of the MPA in their relevant categories will represent Malaysia the following year at the International Prix d’Excellence, an annual competition that honours the world’s best property projects.

By The Star

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