Meridin East is a 1,313-acre gated lake garden community blessed with ample outdoor activity spaces.
Mah Sing’s stellar lineup of developments is in line with its ongoing ESG initiatives
Environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices in property development are on the rise and property developer Mah Sing Group Bhd has been gearing up its initiatives to adopt more concepts into its business operations and strategy.
Their sustainability approach is not only in line with their principle to leave no one behind but also driven by the group's sustainable policy that is guided by global sustainability goals such as the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“Mah Sing is a home-grown property developer that aspires to be a national builder. The team has been building this brand name for the past 28 years, with the top five traits that I believe in – passion, perseverance, quick action, adaptability and innovation.
“We would not have reached this level without these attributes," said Mah Sing founder and group managing director Tan Sri Leong Hoy Kum.
As one of Malaysia’s leading property developers, Mah Sing has taken strides to begin its ESG journey by incorporating the design thinking process in its planning stage by reviewing and listening to customer needs.
Homeowners can expect ESG elements weaved into its current projects such as its M Series projects with a gross development value (GDV) ranging from RM378mil (M Adora) to RM2.2bil (M Vertica) as well as its Southville City in KL South at RM11.1bil and Meridin East in Johor at RM5bil.
This is also extended to the group’s exciting lineup that is in the works such as the M Series developments – M Astra in Setapak with a GDV of RM618mil, M Nova in Kepong at RM790mil and M Minori in Johor Bahru at RM469mil.
M Nova is planned to be a mixed development with three blocks of serviced residences that is furnished with sustainable features.
Greener homes
The group has cleverly infused green building design concepts, elements and features in their developments – achieving more than 25% of green spaces in their M Series projects.
For instance, the group opted to preserve a large rain tree by replanting the tree at the ground-level entrance roundabout at their M Centura development as well as transplanting 24 hopea odorata trees – a vulnerable species under IUCN Red List classification – to the garden facing the drop-off area of the same development.
Most of the group's current and ongoing projects are also privy to sustainable development. This includes community-based farming to encourage community interaction, reducing carbon emissions by incorporating electric vehicle (EV) charging stations as well as water-efficient fittings and rainwater harvesting systems to optimise water consumption and minimise the usage of potable water.
Energy efficient fittings are also included such as T5 or LED lighting, utilisation of natural ventilation and daylighting for habitable rooms and ensuring – when conditions allow – that the developments are in the North-South orientations to reduce thermal heat gain into the building and hence reducing the energy needed to cool the building.
The M Astra development in Setapak for one comes with an automated waste collection system, EV charging station and other eco-friendly features with an affordable selling price of RM399,000 per unit to encourage low-carbon mobility among the masses.
The group also utilises environmentally friendly materials and products such as low volatile organic compounds (VOC) paint, coatings and sealant, green labelled tiles, eco-friendly building block and roof thermal insulation foam among others.
The group’s M Aruna development in Rawang was the first to begin implementing the Industrialised Building System (IBS) to improve output quality, construction efficiency and delivery time.
This allowed the development to clinch many green certifications from leading green building certification bodies including Malaysia’s Green Building Index (GBI) certification and Singapore’s Building and Construction Authority’s (BCA) Green Mark.
Mah Sing's M Centura in Setapak transplanted a total of 24 Hopea Odorata and preserved a 15-year old Samanea Saman.
Taking care of people
The group aims to take care of people through their developments such as ensuring that the projects are well connected and close to an array of public transportation such as M Oscar, M Vertica and D’sara Sentral developments.
Mah Sing has also gone above and beyond by investing in the construction and upgrading of surrounding amenities and infrastructure to improve the lives of residents.
For instance, Meridin East's 23.5-acre lake garden is outfitted with a jogging track, a basketball court, a playground and a viewing deck. The park also has lush greenery from various plant life for local communities to enjoy.
Taking care of those who help build homes is also at the forefront of the group's initiatives as they are governed by fundamental human rights principles as well as the employment laws where they operate.
This includes employing Safety and Health Assessment System in Construction methodology, departmental activity monitoring and root cause analysis with the Ishikawa fishbone method to reduce risks and hazards at work.
Aside from their developments, the group also employs three key pillars of focus – Education, Community Development and Health and well-being – into their business strategy and efforts to give back to the community.
This is done through the Mah Sing Foundation, since its inception in 2005 spearheads community programmes and continuously supports and strengthens the local community. They are also in support of the government’s effort in developing “Rumah Selangorku (RSKU), Rumah Mampu Milik Wilayah Persekutuan (RUMAWIP), Rumah Mampu Milik Johor (RMMJ) dan Kedai Kos Sederhana (KKS).
Stellar business governance
The group has close to three decades of experience and has successfully survived four major financial crises as well as the recent Covid-19 pandemic.
They have shown dedication to creating functional yet high-quality design spaces for everyday living through innovation strategy with a diverse portfolio that includes high-rise residential projects, master-planned townships, integrated developments, Grade A office buildings, retail projects, SoHo and industrial developments.
Their corporate governance and sustainability governance structures oversee a wide range of important ESG issues, including anti-corruption, cyber security, labour issues and health and safety.
For instance, the group takes a zero-tolerance stance against bribery, corruption and unethical behaviour in terms of sustainability governance. Before beginning any work with the Group, all new consultants and contractors must sign, acknowledge, and accept the code and Anti-Bribery and Anti-Corruption (ABAC) policy.
What’s more, their staff undergoes ABAC training to ensure that the group and its partners are held to high standards. Moreover, the group ensures that all panel contractors are Construction Industry Development Board Malaysia (CIDB) registered.
That said, illegal labour is strictly prohibited and will result in termination and – if necessary – legal action. Compliance with labour laws is required. There must be no use of forced or child labour, intimidation or harassment, threats or coercion, or practices that deprive workers of their human rights and dignity.
Mah Sing has stood the test of time and continuously created iconic developments that have won over 300 domestic and global awards, solidifying its position as one of Malaysia’s fully integrated developers.
The most notable of which was three consecutive years as "The Company of the Year" by the Sustainability & CSR Malaysia Awards 2022 under the property development category and bagged the outstanding ESG Impact Corporate Excellence Award by the Malaysia SDG and ESG Impact Awards in 2022.
For more information, visit https://www.mahsing.com.my/.
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