A push for more environmental-friendly structures is paying off with the nation now having some 5.6 million sq m of certified green buildings.
Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan said this achievement also reflected private sector awareness on the importance of such structures.
He said his ministry had undertaken various efforts in mandating the use of green technology or using environmental-friendly building concepts and worked together with various other agencies and professional bodies to introduce the Malaysian Green Building Index (GBI).
The GBI is a rating system and is an opportunity for developers to design and build structures with energy and water-saving characteristics while providing a healthier indoor environment.
“In tandem with the GBI, my ministry has also come up with the Green Neighbourhood Planning Guideline, a tool in the planning and formation of green areas nationwide,” he said when launching a hotel and commercial centre project here.
He said the property developers stood to benefit from building green structures in terms of achieving higher sales or rentals.
