You know the idiom – There’s more than one way to skin a cat? Well, if you really look at it, there isn’t many ways to build a house. Home construction isn’t like cat skinning – you basically put up the four walls then slap on a roof. Viola!
But as everything around us has changed or modernised over the years, this age-old method of home construction also needs to change with the times…don’t you think?
Well, technology has already lent a hand in this change.
The most modern of them all is actually what was revealed last week at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas. A construction technologies startup company called ICON and housing nonprofit New Story unveiled their version of a 3D printed house. The model is 650 square feet and consists of a living room, kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, and shaded porch. It went from zero to finished in under 24 hours, and it cost less than USD10,000. That’s cheaper than buying a MYVI in Malaysia.
I believe that this technology is also being adopted at El-Salvador to build a township to house an entire community. The target for this development is to make each house ultimately affordable at below USD4,000 each. This is basically the price of 1 month’s rental of a high-end semi-dee here in Malaysia.
The main idea of this El-Salvador project is very noble, the developer wants to make sure people without homes (who have never had a space to call their own) to be able to finally have one.
What are 3D Printed homes?
ICON’s crane-like printer is called the Vulcan, and it pours a concrete mix into a software-dictated pattern; instead of one wall going up at a time, one layer is put down at a time, the whole structure “growing” from the ground up. The printer consists of an axis set on a track, giving it a flexible and theoretically unlimited print area.
This 3D printed house is cheaper than a Perodua MyVi in Malaysia.
With 3D printing, you not only have a continuous thermal envelope, high thermal mass, and near zero-waste, but you also have speed, a much broader design palette, next-level resiliency, and the possibility of a quantum leap in affordability.
Do we have such technology in Malaysia?
Well, we do not have 3D home printing yet, though I feel that it is just a matter of time before it reaches our shores, as before US, 3D house printing was already introduced in Russia, Dubai and Amsterdam.
Gamuda IBS was the first to house a digital IBS facility in Sepang.
However, in Malaysia, thanks to Gamuda IBS, who was the first to house a digital IBS facility in Sepang, we have the next stage of construction introduced to our shores. Leveraging on today’s digital design tools and robotic construction, digital IBS means flexibility in design, fast construction and superior quality finish.
What is IBS?
IBS may not be 3D Printing of homes but it sure looks like a promising solution for affordable homes, here in Malaysia. Industrialised building system (IBS) is a term used in Malaysia for a technique of construction where by components are manufactured in a controlled environment, either at site or off site, placed and assembled into construction works – pretty much like a Lego set. Worldwide, IBS is also known as Pre-fabricated/Pre-fab Construction, Modern Method of Construction (MMC) and Off-site Construction.
The benefits of IBS include, better consistent quality and faster building completion with much cost savings and less dependence on foreign labour. In other words, less cost on construction and quicker turnaround time (by approximately 12 months). This ultimately means – lesser price tag on homes.
There is also the difference between IBS and Digital IBS
Digital IBS further enhances labour reduction compared to conventional precast as it replaces humans with robots for most of its workmanship, and utilise digital design tools very similar to 3D printing.
Recently, I have witnessed two launches where Gamuda IBS had been awarded the construction using Digital IBS – one of these projects was handed over to buyers more than 12 months in advance at really affordable rates of only RM42,000 to RM250,000.
While the other project was recently opened for registration, also selling at very affordable rates.
Now, I believe many of you would be thinking (since I mentioned Lego blocks earlier) that homes constructed with Digital IBS would all be chalk-a-block standard designs – well no. Digital IBS allows for customisation; hence it has a more modern approach, making the quality of homes and its finishing really top-notch.
Why IBS and not 3D printing yet?
Well, when I spoke with Tan Ek Khai, who is the General Manager, Gamuda IBS, his explanation was simple and apt – digital IBS has the flexibility to customise anything landed and high-rise, especially when it comes to more than 15-storey buildings which is hard to do with 3D printing, which is mainly used for individual small landed units.
So why hasn’t IBS been accepted by all developers at the moment?
Well, what we actually do not know is that, as of mid 2016, about 69% of government projects adopted IBS, while the adoption rate among the private sector stood at under 15%.
Now in 2019, more developers are looking at joining the bandwagon as Malaysian’s are really suffering without an actual solution to the two-decade old issue of affordable housing.
Conclusion
While 3D home printing may seem like the real solution to the affordable housing dilemma, IBS may be the stage in between traditional construction and 3D home printing, paving the path for quicker construction with great quality and genuine affordable rates.
My honest opinion is that every developer should work with players like Gamuda IBS to ensure that the Government’s aspiration of building 100,000 units of affordable houses per year is met.
Stakeholder mapping, analysis, engagement and communication needs to be detailed to avoid business losses or even worse, a crisis. How can you do this effectively to prevent failure? ...
Data-driven business decisions have never been as crucial, especially in this era. MGBF leverages off, technology, experience and market presence to aid businesses in making accurate decisions. ...
MGBF provides comprehensive strategic advice and results-focused solutions to solve clients' problems in business-government relations so they can focus on their core business. ...
A critical business challenge is meeting the right decision-makers and potential buyers through the best channel and platform. How will you improve your business competency? ...
A series of networking sessions with various business associations and trade organisations exploring high-value opportunities for business leaders and entrepreneurs looking to build the relationships that matter.
This integrated event will include a forum, dedicated business matching, site visits, a gala dinner and golf. The focus will be on regional food security issues and trends in the context of the supply chain, agriculture technology and trade regulations and policies.
The ASEAN two-wheeler market represents more than 25 per cent of the global market and growing exponentially. What are the business opportunities for Malaysia especially in the context of mobility, ESG and supply chain?
MGBF is hosting a networking session focusing on building a resilient future for critical industries as part of the networking series leading up to ASEAN's Food Security Nexus 2023.
Last week SPM results came out, 373,974 aspirants who have been waiting patiently over the last few months would now know their fate. Some 10,109 have received all A’s, the golden standard of academic success and the ticket to those looking to study the “more advanced” subjects in university. Proudly, […]
The classic knee-jerk reaction is to say, fire the coach, change the leadership of associations, and reduce the funding till they start performing better. This kind of negative reinforcement may work for kindergarten children, but we are dealing with high-performance adults – individuals much further along in their psychological and […]
Since its earliest tea plantations in 1929, Cameron Highlands has grown to become a key player in the agricultural landscape of Malaysia, producing 40 per cent of all vegetables grown. Despite Malaysia shifting its economic focus away from agriculture, the industry remains imperative for food security and the livelihoods of […]
Although at first glance the travel industry and the agricultural sector appear to have nothing in common, they actually share more than meets the eye. The economic benefits of tourism to the agricultural sector can be multiplied several times over. “Tourism brings the end consumers closer to the source, which […]
The Malaysia Global Business Forum (MGBF) recently held a high-level roundtable themed ‘Designing the Future of the Digital Economy’, attended by industry leaders and business associations. The guest of honour was Yang Berhormat Syerleena Abdul Rashid, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bukit Bendera in Penang. The MP’s Special Session […]
The Malaysia Global Business Forum (MGBF) will be hosting a roundtable on ‘Designing the Future of the Digital Economy’ on 23 February 2023. It is the culmination of the first three MGBF Exclusive Roundtable Series titled ‘The Evolving Threat Matrix in the Digital Economy’ held throughout 2022. According to the […]
The Founding Chairman of the Malaysia Global Business Forum (MGBF), Nordin Abdullah, today spoke on Bernama TV’s leading English talk show, The Brief, hosted by Jessy Chahal, on the topic of a stable political reality and what that means for the Malaysian economy. Nordin said, “The first thing that it […]
More than 1,100 years ago, Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi was developing the mathematical formulas that we know today as algorithms which now have become so intertwined with the business fortunes of global media giants and the very fabric of geopolitics. A series of recent high level international reports have revealed […]
KSK Land has been recognised by the Malaysia Global Business Forum (MGBF) for its role in attracting high net-worth individuals to Malaysia post-pandemic. The first challenge in investor attraction is “selling” the country. In the context of Asia, Malaysia is competing with some very established investment destinations. The second […]
Malaysia, in particular Kuala Lumpur, continues to position itself as a regional centre to do business, educate a family and enjoy a global lifestyle. One company, KSK Land, has taken the lead in positioning itself and the city of Kuala Lumpur as a property investment destination for the global citizen […]
The upcoming budget represents an opportunity to build resilience in the critical sectors that will form the backbone of the country’s future-facing economic ambitions. This however needs to be achieved in the context of managing the community sectors most impacted by COVID-19 over the past two years. The Keluarga Malaysia (Malaysian Family) […]
Malaysia Global Business Forum (MGBF) has moved to support the creative economy as the overall economy moves into a recovery phase following the COVID19 pandemic. As a step in the direction of normalcy, the MGBF has agreed to host the art exhibition “I Know You’re Somewhere So Far” by one […]
Congratulations to Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob for taking up the mantle of the ninth prime minister of Malaysia. There is nothing normal about the situation; it could not have been scripted but it has kept the spectrum of media, mainstream and social, gripped. The first order of business for […]
In a stirring speech to the nation, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. stamped his brand of leadership on the presidency, in his first act as the 46th president of the United State of America, it signaled several shifts. Perhaps the weather was foreboding with snow falling before the ceremony that […]
KUALA LUMPUR, 6 July 2022 – As the global economy continues to deal with unprecedented levels of disruption caused by the pandemic and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the convergence of energy security and food security issues has become a front-of-mind issue faced by policy makers and consumers alike. […]
KUALA LUMPUR, 23 June 2022 — Malaysia Global Business Forum (MGBF) ties up with scoutAsia to ensure that businesses are equipped with deeper regional insights. The past two years has seen a massive shift in the way businesses are conducted with digitisation, digitalisation and automation continuously being adopted to improve […]
KUALA LUMPUR, 25 May 2022 – The Malaysia Global Business Forum (MGBF)’s exclusive roundtable on ‘Security Concerns in Critical Value Chains’ was held in a hybrid setting yesterday at the Eastin Hotel Kuala Lumpur. The guest of honour was Yang Berbahagia Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Rafidah Aziz, former minister of […]
We live in the age of crisis. At the heart of any crisis is the threat of rapid change. Change too deep or too wide that the current coping mechanisms for an individual, corporation or government are unable to remain resilient. An unwelcome paradigm shift, like the proverbial spider, that […]
The Malaysia Global Business Forum (MGBF) has released a report following the roundtable on ‘Digital Resilience in the Corporate Sector’, which was recently held in Kuala Lumpur. In attendance as guest of honour was Deputy Minister of Communications and Multimedia, Datuk Zahidi Zainul Abidin. The report recommended several critical development […]
