MRCB determined to go 'green' on buildings

An artist's impression of the 348 Sentral project. It will be the company's first that complies with the LEEDS Gold Standard.

ALL future buildings by Malaysian Resources Corp Bhd (MRCB) are likely to be environmentally friendly, its chief, who is determined to go "green", said.

"Most of the buildings that we're building now are very technologically advanced, and now, the other big thing that we're pushing for is the adoption of the environment standards," group managing director Shahril Ridza Ridzuan said.

He said it was becoming increasingly clear that potential tenants, especially multinationals and big corporates, were becoming more concerned about environmental issues.

"As a developer, we have to respond to the marketplace. It makes a lot of sense for us to move on this path ... it's another selling point for our buildings," he told Business Times.

He said it was a natural step for MRCB, as it is also involved in business like cleaning up rivers and coasts in Malaysia. It is one of the biggest companies to do such clean-up jobs here.

Its 348 Sentral project at Kuala Lumpur Sentral, which comprises an office tower and serviced residence, will be its first that complies with the LEEDS Gold Standard, a green rating system in the US.

But now that Malaysia has its own green rating system for buildings, known as the Green Building Index (GBI), MRCB will also work at having its buildings, old and new, certified by the local standards.

Shahril noted that other developers, especially high-end ones, are also moving into this direction.

It makes sense, he said, adding however that for commercial reasons, this can't be applied to every single project.

"It has to be driven by the market as well," he remarked.

By Business Times (by Adeline Paul Raj)