Latest news with #sustainableliving
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
S'pore's new blueprint will give residents more flexibility to choose ideal home: Analysts
SINGAPORE – Singapore's latest draft masterplan will give residents greater flexibility in choosing an ideal living environment across the island, with amenities – as well as workspaces in some cases – located nearer homes, said analysts. The new masterplan – Singapore's land use development blueprint for the next 10 to 15 years – focuses more on creating an environment that fosters a healthier and more active lifestyle, supports the Republic's ageing population and addresses the challenges of climate change, they added. Ms Christine Sun, chief researcher and strategist at property agency OrangeTee Group, said there is a bigger emphasis on an environment that enhances the quality of life for Singaporeans through the provision of more homes with access to sea, river and park views, as well as more parks and amenities, and the preservation of heritage buildings and cultural sites. Furthermore, there is a dedicated effort to build new sports facilities closer to residential areas to encourage a healthier lifestyle, Ms Sun said. This means that Singaporeans will have a more diverse array of housing options to suit their needs, be they near the city centre, schools, parks or waterways. With each community designed to be better connected with essential amenities, this ensures convenient access to schools, healthcare facilities and recreational areas wherever residents choose to live, added Ms Sun. 'All these initiatives will help to create a more balanced, sustainable living experience for all residents, regardless of age and budget,' she said. At least 80,000 public and private homes will be introduced across more than 10 new housing areas in the next 10 to 15 years, with new neighbourhoods planned in areas such as Dover, Defu, Newton and Paterson. Integrated community hubs with sports facilities, healthcare and community spaces are also in the works for Sengkang, Woodlands North and Yio Chu Kang. Mr Marcus Chu, chief executive of real estate agency ERA Singapore, said that with more housing estates catching up in terms of amenities and accessibility, housing demand may start to be spread more evenly across Singapore. This could, in turn, lead to more even price growth across different regions. More land parcels around MRT stations and more business hubs are also being planned outside the Central Business District to bring work closer to homes, spread the load on the transport network and reduce the need to set aside land for roads, said Mr Mark Yip, CEO of property firm Huttons Asia. One such example is the greater one-north precinct, which has developed into a bustling research-and-development hub with more than 50,000 knowledge workers. Mr Lee Sze Teck, Huttons' senior director of data analytics, said there is therefore a need to provide more homes so that the workers can live near their workplaces. 'This will reduce travelling time and stress on the transport network,' he added. The Dover-Medway neighbourhood in the precinct could see 6,000 new public and private homes built in the first phase, while some 5,000 new private homes could be introduced in Mediapolis, which is also in the area. Ms Sun said building more homes in Dover-Medway and Mediapolis will in turn attract more workers, researchers, students and expats to live there, and support business growth in the area. Mr Ismail Gafoor, CEO of property firm PropNex, said land use for three plots in Ayer Rajah Crescent, near Media Circle in one-north, has been changed from business park to residential, with commercial use on the first storey. That should bring more amenities to Media Circle, which is set to see more high-density housing. In addition, two sites in the nearby Singapore Science Park II have been updated from business park use to residential. This ties in with the ongoing rejuvenation of the Science Park, he added. In the heart of town, Paterson – on the doorstep of Orchard Road – could get 1,000 new private homes as part of an integrated development with retail, food and beverage and office spaces above Orchard MRT station. Ms Sun said expanding the residential landscape in the Orchard Road precinct is a good move due to the scarcity of available land in prime areas. New government land sites in prime areas – especially near Orchard Road – are quite rare, and it has been many years since The Orchard Residences, an integrated development near the heart of Orchard, was launched, Ms Sun noted. But given the luxury property market's slower growth, some of these new sites may be placed on the reserve list of the Government Land Sales (GLS) programme, she added. Such sites are launched for sale when a developer offers a minimum price that the Government accepts, or when there is enough market interest. Mr Lee pointed out that the land parcel above Orchard MRT station has been rezoned to a white site, and the plot ratios have been bumped up. White sites refer to land parcels designated for mixed-use development and allow for flexibility in development plans, while plot ratios measure how intensively land can be developed. 'This is a prime opportunity to build an iconic shopping and residential project as the last GLS site above Orchard MRT was Ion Orchard and The Orchard Residences in 2005,' he said. But the 60 per cent additional buyer's stamp duty on foreign buyers may not give developers the confidence to bid for that site if it is launched for sale, Mr Lee added. Meanwhile, Ms Catherine He, head of research at commercial real estate services firm Colliers, said sites including Paya Lebar Air Base (PLAB), Sembawang Shipyard and the former Singapore Racecourse in Kranji were chosen for redevelopment into housing estates to optimise land use for the maximum benefit of residents, and relocate industrial and commercial activities farther out. In particular, the relocation of PLAB in eastern Singapore from 2030 will be a game-changer, said real estate consultancy Knight Frank Singapore's research head Leonard Tay. With about 800ha of land to be freed up for the development of residences, offices, factories and recreational areas, this means that building height restrictions imposed for the safe navigation of aircraft in surrounding towns could be lifted. Although higher plot ratios around PLAB have not been announced in the latest draft masterplan, Mr Tay said it would be reasonable to expect some collective sale opportunities, as older properties that are no longer constrained by low-rise plot ratios could see an increase in land values after 2030. Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction Discover how to enjoy other premium articles here
Wall Street Journal
2 days ago
- Lifestyle
- Wall Street Journal
How to Use Artificial Turf to Perfect Your Lawn
'Never in a million years did I think I'd have fake grass,' said Simone Harouche, a fashion stylist who lives in Los Angeles. A passionate green thumb, Harouche tends a lush property of climbing roses and raised vegetable beds. But while her infrequently trod front lawn has obediently stayed alive, the shady backyard refused. 'It was a mud-pit-slash-money-pit,' she said. Fed up with the cost of constant re-sodding as well as with L.A.'s irrigation restrictions, Harouche surprised herself by gravitating toward artificial turf. She found a 'shockingly realistic' variety of synthetic grass and had about 2,000 square feet of it installed in high-traffic zones—around her pool and where her two middle-school children practice sports. 'There's no more dirt tracking into the house, no grass clippings in the pool, no dead sod.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Lifestyle
- Yahoo
Celebrate Canada Day by going plastic free
According to Environment and Climate Change Canada, less than 10 per cent of the plastic used in Canada actually gets recycled. Plastic Free July is a global movement that encourages the public to refuse single-use plastics for the entire month in the hopes that the small, yet significant lifestyle adaptation will continue. Since this yearly challenge happens to fall within the heart of summer, what better way to take part in the incentive than by throwing a picnic? Sans plastic, of course. Canada Day is the perfect time to jump start a plastic-free commitment. Here are some tips. Re-use old food jars to store food. Heading out to a picnic? Pickle and jam jars make for great alternatives to plastic bags when packing up food. Simply give them a good wash and they suddenly become a reusable item in your picnic basket. Ditch plastic cups. Staying hydrated doesn't have to include plastic cups. Keep the whimsy by serving drinks in mason jars. Add sliced citrus and mint for a refreshing beverage. Serving fruit? Avoid plastic-wrapped products. A no-cut fruit salad makes for the perfect guilt-free sweet treat. Picking up fruit from a local farm or farmer's market eliminates the use of plastic wrap and bags. Buy Canada Day snacks in bulk. Buy your nuts (or snack of choice) in bulk! Most bulk food stores allow you to bring reusable produce bags and storing jars. When decorating, consider buying decorations that can be used year after year. Or, better yet: Thrift them! Borrow or rent items you don't own. Opt for paper decor over single-use plastics. We challenge you to be part of the Plastic Free July movement. Choosing to refuse single-use plastics could be as easy as throwing your own plastic free picnic. For more information, visit: Plastic Free July Click here to view the video With files from Lia Nardone and Cheryl Santa Maria. Header image: File photo via Canva Pro.
CNN
5 days ago
- Business
- CNN
These sleek, sustainable homes are breaking the stereotype for prefab construction
Colin Goodson knows more about energy than most people. The tall, bearded Mainer is an engineer on an offshore oil drilling ship in the Gulf of Mexico. But when it came time for him to build a home in Southern Maine, Goodson largely bypassed fossil fuels. The house he built is entirely off the grid, powered from rooftop solar and batteries that convert the sun's energy to electricity. Electrons power much of his two-story home; it is heated and cooled with heat pumps, and Goodson and his wife cook meals on an induction range. Incredibly well-insulated, the entire home is heated by a small wood stove. Goodson loves his new house, even though it has raised the eyebrows of his drilling ship colleagues. 'All the guys at work think I'm crazy,' Goodson said during a recent tour of his home. 'They think I'm living in a shack out in the woods somewhere and I go outside to use the toilet, but that's clearly not the case.' The house, built by New Hampshire company Unity Homes, is a far cry from a shack. Modern and spacious, it has running water and three bathrooms. Despite also having initial concerns about her husband's off-the-grid aspirations, Katie Goodson is a convert as well – especially after the lights stayed on during an intense storm that knocked their neighbors' electricity out. 'I would never go back,' she told CNN. 'When I tell co-workers or neighbors that we live off-grid and they see the house, they're always like, 'Whoa, this isn't what I was expecting!' It's really fun surprising people; I live a totally normal life.' The Goodsons are part of a small but growing number of homeowners who are choosing to build energy-efficient 'panelized' homes that are pre-made in a factory. The homes are better for the climate, and although they have a high upfront cost, several homeowners say their energy savings, quality of life and overall cost of living has greatly improved since moving in. Unity, a brand of custom home company Bensonwood, is one of several companies in New England building homes in a factory. It's a modern spin on the 1900s Sears Roebuck catalogue of mail-order houses, now with energy efficiency front of mind. Companies like Unity and Maine-based BrightBuilt Home offer several basic designs that owners can customize. At Unity, much of the design is done ahead of time, before the house's walls, windows and doors are assembled inside the company's Keene, New Hampshire, factory, then wrapped tightly in reusable plastic and put on a truck bed. Once it's on site, a panelized house can be built in a matter of days. It is a very different model from traditional 'stick-built' home construction, where the structure is built 'stick by stick' on site and can take months to finish, all the while leaving wood and materials exposed to rain, snow and wind. 'There's a logic to building a structure in a climate-controlled environment. That really resonates with a lot of folks,' said Parlin Meyer, managing principal for BrightBuilt Home. The number of factory-made homes still pales in comparison to traditional stick-built homes in the United States — just 3% of all single-family homes as of 2024, according to the National Association of Home Builders. The trend is much more popular in Europe; in Sweden, most new homes are built in factories. 'That's been relatively flat for a number of years,' said Devin Perry, an assistant vice president at the National Association of Home Builders. 'But anecdotally, there seems to be momentum behind that method of construction, and people looking for energy efficient options.' Three New England companies specializing in factory-built and energy efficient homes told CNN they are seeing a rise in interest. Prefabricated homes used to be associated with cheap, poorly made housing, but that has changed. 'I think for a long time, modular homes had a bad reputation, both earned and not,' Meyer said, adding that more manufacturers are leaning into energy-efficient homes and being willing to customize them has spurred consumer interest. As the US grapples with a shortage of housing, Unity's sales lead, Alison Keay, said the company believes this model is 'the future of construction.' The Goodsons didn't start out intending to build a home. The couple scoured the southern Maine housing market for nearly two years, striking out time after time. 'We put in offers on probably half a dozen houses well over asking and were perpetually beat out by people who were paying cash, coming up from Boston or New York,' Goodson said. 'The housing stock was nonexistent, to say the least.' House-hunting in cities comes with the same problem. When Tim Buntel and Cynthia Graber started looking for homes in Somerville, Massachusetts, they kept finding condos listed for far more than they were worth. 'They were often very expensive, and they were flips,' Graber said. 'Developers come in, they take old properties and do a lot of things that are pretty in their eyes. And it's really crappy quality.' Massachusetts is one of the costliest states in which to buy a house. The greater Boston market has remained stubbornly expensive, with low inventory clashing with high demand. Graber and Buntel eventually found a property with an old cottage they considered renovating. But after several sky-high quotes from architects, they decided to demolish it and build a new home with Unity. 'It was more flexible for our (urban) setting,' Buntel said. 'Bringing the panels in on a flat pack and assembling them here was just more feasible, given the constraints of the streets and the neighborhood.' Unity Homes started with the intent to offer quality, sustainable homes at a lower price point than the bigger custom homes built by its parent company, Bensonwood. The final price can range widely depending on how big the customer wants to go, or whether it comes with features like a porch or a garage – anywhere from $300,000 for its smallest home up to $900,000 or just over $1 million for its biggest builds. BrightBuilt's houses range from $275,000 to over $2 million, Meyer said. High costs are still a big barrier to prospective customers, said Alan Gibson, principal at Maine-based builder GO Logic, where a shell for an ultra-efficient, two-story, 1,400 square foot home with three bedrooms can cost around $600,000. Homeowners also need to factor in additional costs, like buying and developing a suitable plot of land, and in some cases, getting access to water, electricity and septic, Gibson added. The way to bring down costs, Gibson believes, is more panelized, multi-family housing. 'It can be done so much more efficiently,' Gibson said, 'and there's a lot more repetition' for the developer, making the process faster and less expensive than custom multi-family builds. Goodson, the homeowner in Maine, was able to save big money with his engineering background and penchant for DIY. He installed a rooftop solar system and electrical improvements himself, saving hundreds of thousands of dollars in the process. He wound up spending around $500,000 in all, which he estimates was $200,000 less than he otherwise would have. 'It's a big number to swallow, I'm not making light of that at all, but it's not that far out of what's reasonable,' Goodson told CNN. It's also not considering the long-term savings he will experience with no utility bills. He was also able to take advantage of federal tax credits that reduced the cost of his rooftop solar, which saved him more than $10,000 on his panels. Those tax credits are now endangered with House Republicans' tax bill. 'That was huge,' he said. 'It's fairly unfortunate they're looking at doing away with it.' Unity and BrightBuilt factory-built homes share an important feature: They are airtight, part of what makes them 60% more efficient than a standard home. GO Logic says its homes are even more efficient, requiring very little energy to keep cool or warm. 'Everybody wants to be able to build a house that's going to take less to heat and cool,' said Unity director Mark Hertzler. Home efficiency has other indirect benefits. The insulation and airtightness – aided by heat pumps and air exchangers – helps manage the movement of heat, air and moisture, which keeps fresh air circulating and mold growth at bay, according to Hertzler. Buntel, a spring allergy sufferer, said his Somerville home's air exchange has made a noticeable difference in the amount of pollen in the house. And customers have remarked on how quiet their homes are, due to their insulation. 'I'm from New England, so I've always lived in drafty, uncomfortable, older houses,' Buntel said. 'This is really amazing to me, how consistent it is throughout the year.' Some panelized home customers are choosing to build not just to reduce their carbon footprint, but because of the looming threat of a warming planet, and the stronger storms it brings. Burton DeWilde, a Unity homeowner based in Vermont, wanted to build a home that could withstand increasing climate impacts like severe flooding. 'I think of myself as a preemptive climate refugee, which is maybe a loaded term, but I wasn't willing to wait around for disaster to strike,' he told CNN. Sustainability is one of Unity's founding principles, and the company builds houses with the goal of being all-electric. 'We're trying to eliminate fossil fuels and the need for fossil fuels,' Hertzler said. Goodson may drill oil by day, but the only fossil fuel he uses at home is diesel to power the house battery if the sun doesn't shine for days. Goodson estimated he burned just 30 gallons of diesel last winter – hundreds of gallons less than Maine homeowners who burn oil to stay warm. 'We have no power bill, no fuel bill, all the things that you would have in an on-grid house,' he said. 'We pay for internet, and we pay property taxes, and that's it.'
Zawya
5 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
Amirah awards main contract for Dubai Islands residential project
Amirah Developments, one of Dubai's leadng real estate developers, has signed up Shine Square Building Contracting for its maiden project – Bonds Avenue Residences – that will be constructed on Dubai Islands, a new waterfront mixed-use community. The residential project, located in one of Dubai's promising urban corridors, will offer a carefully curated mix of contemporary apartments, landscaped courtyards, leisure amenities and community facilities, all designed with the modern family and urban professional in mind. Smart home integrations, energy-efficient systems, and pedestrian-friendly design principles will echo the sustainable ethos that made Bonds Avenue a model for eco-conscious living, it stated. Bonds Avenue Residences will redefine beachfront luxury with its architectural innovation and commitment to sustainable living, said the developer. For the project, Amirah has roped in Al Gafry Consulting Architects Engineers to oversee the construction work, it stated. As the main contractor, Shine Square Building Contracting will be delivering Amirah's signature project on Dubai Islands, within a two-year period. The contract signing takes place within a month of the launch of the Bonds Avenue Residences, reflecting the developer's commitment to deliver it on time and with the best quality that money can buy, said senior officials at the signing ceremony. "Today's ceremony is not just about signing a contract; it is a celebration of shared values and a unified vision for what urban living in Dubai can and should be," remarked Muhammad Yousuf Jafrani, Founder and Chairman of Amirah Developments after signing the deal with Chirag Pati Gupta, the Managing Director of Shine Square Building Contracting. The agreement was inked in the presence of senior executives, project managers, consultants and key stakeholders. "This new partnership with Shine Square and Al Gafry builds on that legacy. It is a proud moment for everyone at Amirah Developments, and a promise to our clients that we will continue to set new benchmarks for quality and timely delivery," stated Jafrani. In line with its vision to deliver projects that stand the test of time, Amirah Developments has laid out a comprehensive construction and delivery timeline for the new community. Enabling works will commence immediately following today's signing, with full-scale construction planned for later this year. The project is on track for completion by the first quarter of 2027, it stated. With Bonds Avenue Residences units being sold and the transaction level expected to jump in the second quarter, Amirah Developments is well-positioned to meet the city's evolving demand for thoughtfully planned, high-quality living spaces. In addition to superior build quality, the project will offer flexible investor-friendly payment plans, echoing the successful financial models that supported Bonds Avenue Residence's market reception., said the Emirati developer. This approach aligns with Amirah's philosophy of creating accessible luxury that balances aspirational living with sound investment value, it added.-TradeArabia News Service Copyright 2024 Al Hilal Publishing and Marketing Group Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
