Sustainabilty Initiatives

Biophilic Approach & Three-Tier Planting

Integrating the natural and built environment, we consistently employed the Biophilic approach within our developments. The concept increases our homebuyers’ and tenants’ connectivity to the natural environment which helps to enhance their physical, psychological and social well-being. For many of our curated landscapes, the trees, shrubs and other plants are specially selected to form different tiers of greenery – to mimic a rainforest’s structure. Additionally, some of these selected plants have desirable properties to repel harmful insects such as mosquitoes; and plants with natural soothing and air purifying effects which enhances the surrounding air quality.

Jui Residences: Conserving The National Aerated Water Company Building

The Group understands the importance of preserving significant historical sites, as demonstrated at Jui Residences, Singapore. Strategically located next to the Kallang River, Jui Residences houses a conserved National Aerated Water Company (“NAWC”) building within its premise. By preserving one of Singapore’s main historical landmarks, the NAWC serves as an educational place for residents and tenants of Jui Residences and the community at large. Jui Residences has been awarded with the BCA Green Mark Award (Gold) based on the Green Mark for New Residential Buildings (RB:2016) by Singapore’s Building and Construction Authority (“BCA”). The award recognises SDB’s efforts in adopting sustainable construction practices that minimise the environmental impact of construction activities and implementing green features in its residences.

Hotel Maya: Sustaining Our Cultural Heritage

Heritage, in both its tangible and intangible forms has been gradually recognised for its potential contributions to SDB’s efforts in meeting its sustainability goals. We are committed to preserving and conserving important cultural heritage and knowledge in the community in which we operate, in line with our sustainability tenets and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities).

At Hotel Maya Kuala Lumpur (“Hotel Maya”), we engaged and partnered with Gahara Galore Sdn Bhd (“Gahara”), a Malaysian artisanal Batik textile producer to refurbish the hotel’s newly designed “Heritage Rooms”. Gahara is also a social impact-driven organisation that champions the preservation and development of local arts and crafts.

Through the collaboration, 155 hotel rooms were uniquely styled with custom-designed Batik artistry. Each piece of these Batik imprints, which can be found on the bed headboards as well as inside the guests’ elevators was meticulously made through a series of processes, starting from sketching, to block making, to wax stamping and lastly colouring.

The Batik artistry also leveraged on Gahara’s two unique production methods; by using block motifs and colouring techniques that set it apart from other producers. The block motif composition combined various elements of wood carvings normally found in traditional architectural structures in Southeast Asia. After wax stamping, the fabric undergoes layers of colouring using the shibori or tiedye method. To minimise the impact of Batik production on the environment, Gahara also organised various workshops that focus on using natural dyes and efforts to reduce water pollution, which is in line with SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure). The final Batik product is a result of communal work, as it involved the collective efforts of many artisans in the different production steps.

SDB’s partnership with Gahara represents our commitment to raise awareness and create more economic opportunities for the artisanal community. By helping to expand the reach of these local artists through greater engagement and exposure to their heritage-inspired crafts, we are contributing toward their long-term well-being and economic sustainability as per SDG 3 (Good Health & Well-Being) and SDG 8 (Decent Work & Economic Growth).

For the community at large, our local and international hotel guests are now able to experience the nostalgic charm of the Malaysian traditional culture during their stay at Hotel Maya.

Sungai Satu River Rehabilitation

In ensuring sustainability in the environment in which it operates, the Group is committed to rehabilitating and protecting the natural environment. Doing our part as a responsible developer, SDB helped to transform a 200-metre stretch river at its By the Sea development in Penang into an environmentally and ecologically sustainable ecosystem. The project’s main objective is to enhance the ecological sustainability and economic value of the river, by safeguarding the area against floods and erosion and providing a cleaner and healthier living space for the community.

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