More 'eco ideas' houses coming up

PANAHOME Malaysia Sdn Bhd is looking to build 10 to 20 units of "eco ideas" houses in the country, with sales of up to RM75 million this year.

PanaHome Corp president and chief executive officer Yasuteru Fujii said the company has accepted orders from customers who want to remodel their homes to "eco-ideas" houses.

"We are in talks with local partners for potential joint ventures," he said after opening the PanaHome's first "eco-ideas" house in Malaysia in Bangsar, here.

PanaHome is a housing company under Japan's PanaHome Corporation, a subsidiary of Panasonic Group. It provides comprehensive home-building solutions and township development implementation involving designing, planning, constructing, engineering, interior fittings, installations, landscaping, infrastructure and maintenance.

Fujii also said Panasonic is planning to develop eco-friendly townships in Malaysia in the near future.

He confirmed that PanaHome is in talks with local developers to build such townships.

According to Panasonic Malaysia Sdn Bhd managing director Jeff Lee, the group has received many requests to go into eco-township development.

He said Panasonic has been approached to develop eco-townships in Iskandar Malaysia, Johor and Malacca.

"The entry of PanaHome into the market is timely. Moreover, as a group, Panasonic has all the energy-saving products to offer in building a a sustainable smart town."

Costing RM2 million, the state-of-the-art bungalow in Bangsar showcases the elements of eco and smart homes for Southeast Asia.

PanaHome's pioneer smart town is located in Fujisawa, covering an 18.8ha area. It consists of 1,000 residential homes, commercial facilities and welfare institutions.

A similar project in Kobe is expected to be completed in four to five years.