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Borneo Post
3 hours ago
- Business
- Borneo Post
Sabah's first large-scale solar-powered federal building
Rosli (right) performing a symbolic electric vehicle charging ceremony, marking the start of green energy usage at the facility. KOTA KINABALU (July 23): The Sabah Federal Government Administrative Complex (KPKPS) has become the first federal building in the state to utilize large-scale green solar energy. Federal Secretary of Sabah, Datuk Seri Rosli Isa, stated that the completed project will result in significant savings in electricity costs and promote the use of green solar energy in Sabah. 'This marks a major milestone in the management of government buildings. With the installation of a one Megawatt (MW) solar power system, the Sabah Federal Government Administrative Complex is now the first federal government building in Sabah to operate using green solar energy on such a large scale. 'This project was realized through a one-off allocation of RM6 million from the Ministry of Economy, channeled through the Sabah Economic Development and Investment Authority (SEDIA). 'The Facility Management Division of the Ministry of Works (KKR) acted as the implementing agency, while on-site execution was handled by the concession company, Kombinasi Saudagar Sdn Bhd. 'This design is not only practical but also reflects a commitment to eco-friendly technology,' he said during a media interview after officiating the project handover ceremony for the solar system installation at KPKPS on Tuesday. He added that besides cost savings, the project also contributes to a greener, cleaner and more resilient national development. 'Financially, the system is expected to reduce monthly electricity bills by up to RM71,000, contributing to total savings of RM4,260,000 over five years. 'This investment in green technology proves that sustainable approaches can yield long-term economic returns. 'The project aligns with the government's Renewable Energy Technology Policy and aims to reduce CO2 carbon footprints, supporting the goal of a greener, cleaner and more resilient nation. 'May this initiative catalyze more green technology projects for the prosperity of Sabah and the well-being of Malaysia as a whole,' he explained. The RM6 million one-off project, funded by the Ministry of Economy, took eight months to complete, starting from October 2024. Also present were Datuk Dr Roland Chia Ming Shen, director of Sabah Oil & Gas Development Corporation, and Helene Remeo, secretary of the Facility Management Division at the Ministry of Works.
Borneo Post
6 days ago
- Business
- Borneo Post
Modern residences for military personnel in Tawau
Ahmad Maslan TAWAU (July 17): A RM97 million modern residential project is being built for military personnel in Tawau as the government remains committed to enhancing the nation's defense ecosystem. Today, Deputy Works Minister Datuk Ahmad Maslan conducted an on-site inspection to monitor the progress of the Additional Multi-Class Armed Forces Family Housing (RKAT) Project at Kabota Camp, Tawau. This project is part of the government's initiative to strengthen the welfare of defense personnel and their families by providing modern, comfortable, and safe housing. The project commenced on 2 May 2023 and is scheduled for completion by 31 October 2026. To date, physical progress stands at 14%, with expectations to meet the stipulated timeline, cost and specifications. Upon completion, the project will include apartments, bungalows, houses, kindergarten and childcare center, multi-purpose court and playground, and new water tank tower. These facilities will significantly benefit military personnel and their families, ensuring a more comfortable and balanced lifestyle. The modern, well-equipped environment is also expected to boost morale and motivation as they fulfill their duties to the nation. This project reflects the MADANI government's dedication to delivering quality housing for the people, especially defense personnel, aligning with the core principles of Malaysia MADANI: compassion, wellbeing, confidence and sustainability. Speaking to reporters later, Ahmad said the project must be completed by Oct 31 next year, as scheduled. 'There will be no third extension of time (EOT). Two EOTs have already been granted. This is a very urgent and necessary project. Once completed, it will greatly benefit military personnel and their families by easing their burden of high rental costs outside,' he said. The Ministry of Works (KKR) urges the Public Works Department (JKR) to maintain rigorous oversight of the project's progress, collaborate closely with the contractor, and conduct continuous stakeholder engagement and inspections. This ensures timely, cost-effective, and quality completion, accelerating benefits for public defense personnel and their families. Meanwhile, Ahmad urged contractors using the Industrialised Building System (IBS) in government and major projects to produce components in situ or adjacent to the project site. He said the move could help reduce costs and construction time, while also minimising the risk of damage to IBS materials. 'This came after I agreed to the proposal by the contractor for the Armed Forces Family Housing (RKAT) project at Kabota Camp here to establish a temporary site for IBS components. 'It is more economical if the IBS material moulds are made in situ. I believe this is a good solution for government projects. Otherwise, the materials would have to be transported by trailer from the SEDCO factory in Kota Kinabalu,' he said. According to him, transporting materials to Tawau by trailer took 12 hours and posed various risks, including possible damage to IBS poles.
The Sun
12-07-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Over 70,000 visitors attend MADANI Rakyat Programme in Terengganu
KUALA TERENGGANU: The MADANI Rakyat Programme (PMR) 2025 in Terengganu, held at Pasar Kedai Payang here since Thursday, recorded an overwhelming turnout of over 70,000 visitors, far surpassing the initial target of 25,000. The Ministry of Works (KKR) in a statement today said the programme successfully achieved its objective of bringing government services and initiatives closer to the grassroots. 'All the feedback and suggestions received throughout the programme are highly valuable in enhancing the quality of government service delivery towards a progressive Malaysia grounded in MADANI values. 'As the lead ministry, KKR extends its appreciation to all parties across federal and state ministries and agencies, private companies, entrepreneurs and the people of Terengganu for their participation and support in making the event a success,' the statement read. Organised in collaboration with the Implementation Coordination Unit of the Prime Minister's Department (ICU JPM) and the Performance Acceleration and Coordination Unit (PACU), the programme, themed 'MADANI Development, Prosperous People', reflected the Government's effort to build inclusive physical development through roads, bridges and public facilities. At the same time, it strengthened the human values that underpin the MADANI ethos, promoting an ethical, caring and responsible citizenry in advancing shared national development. Among the key activities held throughout the event were exhibitions by federal and state government agencies, the MADANI Sales programme, Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) traffic payment counters, health screenings, job matching opportunities, and a free helmet exchange initiative by the Road Transport Department (JPJ). - Bernama
Newsroom
11-07-2025
- General
- Newsroom
An unseemly hatred for one building
Comment: Heritage buildings can be controversial. The targeting of New Zealand's heritage-listed Gordon Wilson Flats with special government legislation clearly demonstrates this. In what must be a first for New Zealand, the Government will pass this Act to overrule the agreed definition of heritage and its associated decision-making processes – just for one building. Such decisions are normally made by local councils. Heritage listing (or de-listing) a building requires evaluation of heritage significance, while consent to demolish a listed building also assesses other factors. In contrast, using a government bill departs from the convention that heritage legislation provides consistent rules against which specific cases are tested. But no one is challenging this. Instead, it seems that hatred for the building is overriding values that people would normally cherish. Gordon Wilson Flats are located on a hillside overlooking the capital city. This 10-storey, 64m-wide building is heritage architecture that is hard to miss. It is the only remaining post-war, high-rise, state-housing block in New Zealand and is arguably the country's first brutalist building. Its design is indebted to the historic relationship between the Ministry of Works and the London County Council. Its maisonette plan adapts the 1959 Alton West plan, which was influenced by Le Corbusier's 1952 Unité d'Habitation. The flats were heralded in 1958 by British architectural historian Nicholas Pevsner in the Architectural Review as 'exciting in appearance'. Its use in seismic design research gained the attention of Japanese building engineers, because it was an internationally rare instance of a 10-storey post-war building with seismic data. It memorialises government architect Gordon Wilson (1900-59), who died as the building was completed. In May 2012, the tenants were given seven days to leave their homes following a report finding that panels on the façade might fall off in an earthquake or strong wind. Rather than repair these, Housing New Zealand sold the flats to nearby Victoria University, which planned to demolish them to create a university gateway. Attempts to remove the building's heritage protection have failed. Its heritage status was instead reconfirmed in the Environment Court in 2017 and further strengthened with Heritage New Zealand category I status in 2021. The university still wants to replace the flats but now with new student housing. The legislation to enable the building's demolition is the Resource Management (Consenting and Other System Changes) Amendment Bill. Chris Bishop, the minister responsible, has justified this special treatment because: 'The building is owned by a public institution – Victoria University – and because that owner, the council and the community all want it gone.' However, the public ownership of the building brings with it more, not fewer, heritage obligations. Government policy requires that state sector organisations, including universities, take 'a leadership role in being good stewards of the heritage places in its care'. The conflict with this policy, the bypassing of council processes, and the role of the Green Party in this unprecedented move have raised no public reaction. It was in the Environment Select Committee report on the bill that the Green Party advocated that the bill: 'Should go further to enable more effective and democratic management of perpetually derelict heritage protected structures, such as the hazardous Gordon Wilson Apartments in Wellington Central.' Green parties fashion themselves as protectors of the environment and climate-change activists. The Green Party of Aotearoa is no different. But nowhere did its response to the bill recognise The Gordon Wilson Flat's high embodied energy. Embodied energy is the energy needed to make something. For buildings, this includes energy to make concrete and steel and to transport materials to the site and remove excavated soil from it. Being enormous, the flats' embodied energy will not be environmentally insignificant and is important not to discard. As Professor Rebecca Lunn, a co-author of the Royal Academy of Engineering's Decarbonising construction report, has said: 'Our biggest failure is that we build buildings, then we knock them down and throw them away. We must stop doing this.' The flats were also built as a model of high-density inner-city housing, close to employment and transportation routes – the sort of buildings we need in the face of climate change. Its heritage is thus important, not only as social housing, but because of its historic role in contributing to our current understanding of how to build a sustainable city. This proposed sidelining of established heritage processes is extraordinary and it acknowledges that normal planning methods cannot avoid the magnitude of the apartments' heritage significance. But the lack of discomfort with the Government's planned use of special legislation also shows how feelings towards a building can override and contradict fundamental values, including the very idea of heritage. As Janet, a reader of Wellington Scoop, put it: 'I like heritage buildings but not those flats.'
The Sun
10-07-2025
- Automotive
- The Sun
Terengganu MADANI Rakyat Programme 2025 offers benefits for locals
KUALA TERENGGANU: The Terengganu MADANI Rakyat Programme (PMR) 2025 has officially begun at Pasar Kedai Payang, offering a range of benefits for the public. The three-day event, themed *Pembangunan MADANI Rakyat Sejahtera*, is a collaboration between the Prime Minister's Office, the Ministry of Works, and other government agencies. Visitors can access 24 federal and state government service booths, enjoy discounts of 10 to 30 per cent on daily necessities through MADANI Sales, and take advantage of free helmet replacements by JPJ. The Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) is also offering up to 50 per cent discounts on traffic summonses. Job seekers will find over 500 opportunities at the Career Carnival, while young participants can join the JuniorSkills drone competition with prizes for primary and secondary school categories. The event also highlights local culture with activities like the *Karnival Candat Sotong*, traditional game demonstrations, batik painting, and heritage art exhibitions. Spiritual programmes, including Terengganu Bermunajat and a majlis tahlil for UPSI students who recently passed away in a bus accident, will also be held. The event runs until July 13, with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim expected to officiate the closing ceremony. - Bernama
