Rich Man's Daughter goes Green

It is fortunate to go into business if you have a rich Dad to provide the resources.



Saturday's Star newspaper article by Thean Lee Cheng on Dian Lee Cheng Ling's Bluwater property development project caught my attention. Dian Lee is the eldest daughter of property tycoon Tan Sri Lee Kim Yew of Mines Resorts.




Clearwater Developments Sdn Bhd was set up by Dian and three partners in 2006 and their first project was serviced apartments, Clearwater Residences in Damansara Heights. Since then, she has added three brands to the group – Clearwater, Bluwater and The Heritage.


Bluwater Estate, to be sited on a 240 acre former mining land in Seri Kembangan, Selangor, is an eco-friendly development comprising of leasehold gated and guarded development. This is Dian's most ambitious project to date.Dian is now in New York’s Pratt Institute attending a seven-week course on Sustainable Designs.

It cost quite a sum to be enrolled in one of the premier design school for interior design and architecture in the United States but money is no problem for Dian. She has also brought along her toddler son Jedi and his nanny with her.

The Bluwater project will be focused on four aspects, according to Dian, 'water, energy, landscape and waste management'. Environmental Resources Management Ltd, a provider of environmental consulting services, has been appointed to help in designing Bluwater.

All the 1,000-odd households will have solar heaters. The use of bicycles and buggies to go to the clubhouse instead of cars will be encouraged.

Rainwater harvesting will also be a common feature for all owners. There are plans to keep the lake as clear and clean as possible for water sports.

“We will spend RM2mil on trees and a lot more on landscaping to make this place as green as we can. We will also encourage better waste management, essentially the reuse, recycle and reduce concept with different bins for different types of waste. Our sewage system will not be linked to the lake.” says Dian.

While I am still dreaming of an ideal and sustainable home, here is someone already going to built not one but more than a thousand.

Well,friends,don't forget to incorporate the ideal home characteristices when you design your new home.Let us all contribute to prolonging life on Earth.

Property Players Go Green Too

Green is the way to go for industry players, was one of the headlines in the Star (business) on Saturday, 23rd May.

The Green Building Index (GBI), Malaysia’s very own certification scheme for sustainable buildings, was officially launched on Thursday. This is part of the efforts initiated to green the property industry.

The GBI, developed by the Malaysian Institute of Architects (PAM) and Association of Consulting Engineers (ACEM), will encourage developers of housing and commercial projects to adopt environment-friendly features such as energy-efficient elements, rain harvesting and conservation of original land form and vegetation.

It is noted that although the cost of developing a green building may be more than that of a conventional building, maintaining and operating it would be cheaper in the long run.

If a building is constructed with the right green designs and features, energy costs could be reduced by 50%, which is a substantial saving as energy easily makes up 25% of a building’s operating cost. Together with other forms of savings, green buildings can cut operating costs by about 60%.

GREATER adoption and use of environment-friendly planning techniques, designs and “green” materials in property projects will go a long way towards promoting green practices in the country.

Rather than depending on legislation to make it mandatory for industry players to incorporate pro-environment design features in their projects, it will be more effective if industry players voluntarily adopt green and environment-friendly designs and concepts in their projects.

The Government’s initiative to ensure new government buildings feature energy-saving and other pro-environment measures is a good start to promote the green culture among property industry players.