YOUNG & RESTLESS
Jetsetters and trendsetters in their own right, these next generation developers travel the world in search of inspiration for their projects.
By Yvonne Yoong
The young next generation developers are a well-travelled lot. Having gone far and being exposed to various overseas lifestyle developments, they are infusing global trends, concepts and ideas into their developments to benefits the local real estate scene. In this exclusive interview, YES paper delves behind the scenes to gauge their future directions. Close on the heels of Visit Malaysia 2020 peeking upon the horizon, and buoyed by optimism despite an overall sluggish market sentiment, here’s how they are seizing the silver lining to turn the property market around.
Avid traveller and next generation developer Kenneth Lee travels to understand the historical significance of buildings from different geographical, economic and cultural settings in order to “create the future of old buildings”.
“The younger generation may forget how the past looked like while older generations didn’t witness how new technology is created. By combining both elements. The evolution of the future trend of properties can be crystallised.
“All of my ideas come from property, people and places. How homes connect past links with the future and how people perceive the shift from the old to the new generation, what the story is and how lives are built around properties,” he says.
Culture, infrastructure and technology plus how people and places are connected via travel are important in the overall scheme of things. Personalising activities are also key for the project’s success, with events and shows coming from different countries complemented by new amenities and outstanding functions.
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“An efficient eco-system is where people, culture, health, education and technology congregate to attain convenience in a safe community where the emphasis is on culture, health, education and technology.”
Essentially, the future he says, is all about being eco- and vision friendly by designing products that are energy efficient, recyclable and reusable while being environmentally friendly.
Which counties have inspired you?
Bangkok, China, Prague and Japan have inspired me with their unique designs and structures, innovation, knowledge as well as decorative details.
What’s next on your bucket list?
Next on my travel bucket list are Egypt, Italy and Iceland.
Properly market outlook?
Out of all the schemes – Rent To Own (RTO), reduction of stamp duty and lowering of the foreign investment benchmark for condominiums and apartments but which are limited to unsold units based on Budget 2020 – these only create a minor savings impact to developers.
From my personal conclusion, the government should open this up for all property types in the Kiang Valley and not just restrict this to high-rises. With surrounding Asian countries being unstable and in economic crisis. Visit Malaysia 2020 can promote Malaysia as a priority consideration as the world’s second home.