All New Malaysian Government Buildings To Observe Green Building Index

Bernama 20 Oct 09;

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 20 (Bernama) -- The Ministry of Works has been directed to ensure that all new government buildings incorporate the features of Green Building Index (GBI) Malaysia, the Minister of Energy, Green Technology and Water, Datuk Peter Chin announced Tuesday.

The GBI was introduced early this year.

The index, developed by the Malaysian Institute of Architects and the Association of Consulting Engineers Malaysia, is a profession-driven initiative to lead the Malaysian property industry towards becoming more environment-friendly.

Since its inception, GBI has received full support of Malaysia's building and property players.

"Some of the government buildings are also certified with GBI," Chin said at a press conference after a seminar entitled Building Green-UK Expertise in Green Building Technology, here today. The seminar was organised by the British High Commission and the British Malaysian Chamber of Commerce.

Buildings will be awarded the GBI Malaysia rating system based on six criteria, namely energy efficiency, indoor environmental quality, sustainable site planning and management, materials and resources, water efficiency and innovation.

During his opening speeech at the seminar, Chin said the launch of the GBI and the National Green Technology Policy this year marked significant milestones in Malaysia's commitment to the environment.

"There is an urgent need to be energy efficient, to enable us to achieve energy independence, to reduce or mitigate any negative impact on the natural environment and to ensure that the public are able to enjoy a good quality of life," Chin said.

Acting British High Commissioner Patrick Moody said the UK has already made considerable headway in the area through the implementation of its BRE Environmental Assessment method (BREEAM) certification standard.

BREEAM is the leading and most widely used environmental assessment method for buildings in the UK.

The speakers at the seminar today represent a small part of UK expertise that has evolved in various aspects of building design and construction technology to achieve high levels of sustainability, Moody said.

"We believe there is significant potential here for deployment of such technology to help Malaysia achieve its sustainability goals," he added.

-- BERNAMA