Rehda representatives presenting a token of appreciation to Akmal (fourth from right). From left are Muztaza, Seing Liong, Teo, Ng, Tong, Chen and Ho.

PETALING JAYA: The newly launched Real Estate and Housing Developers’ Association (Rehda) Institute Digital Resource Centre which is provisionally GreenRE Certified Gold, aims to promote sustainability and become a research and development (R&D) knowledge centre for all matters relating to housing and real estate in Malaysia.

It will also serve as a centre where government authority stakeholders, Rehda members and universities could also engage with on matters relating to housing research. 

“We have managed to digitise a vast amount of the visual history, photos, videos and presentations from the past few decades of the history of Rehda in its archive,” said Rehda Institute chairman Datuk Jeffrey Ng Tiong Lip. 

“Over time, as we build up our collection, the Rehda Institute Resource Centre aspires to be a Research and Development Centre to publish research and papers relating to the housing industry, where we are working on another extensive paper on affordable housing with a focus to be published in 2024,” he said.

Deputy Local Government Development Minister Akmal Nasrullah, who officiated the launching of the new digital resource centre, said: “As Malaysia continues to progress as a country, in accordance with good governance principles based on the concept of Malaysia Madani, the dissemination of knowledge and promotion of research and development also supports Malaysia’s initiatives towards becoming a knowledgeable, sustainable and developed nation.”

The real estate industry in Malaysia must now embrace a data-driven approach to thrive and remain competitive in today’s market, said Akmal, adding that the increasing availability of data, advancements in technology, and the evolving needs of consumers have made it essential for industry professionals to leverage data to make informed decisions and drive business growth.

The official launching ceremony was witnessed by more than 120 industry captains and stakeholders.

Also present were Rehda president Datuk NK Tong and deputy president Datuk Ho Hon Sang as well as Rehda Institute trustees Tan Sri Eddy Chen, Tan Sri Teo Chiang Kok, Datuk Ng Seing Liong, Datuk Muztaza Mohamad and Tiah Toh Twin.

Rehda Institute is a training, research and education institution with more than 1600 members. Through industry partnerships with top companies in Malaysia such as Progressture Solar, Bank Pembangunan Malaysia Bhd (BPMB) and also collaboration with companies such as Sime Darby, Matrix Concept, IJM Land, IOI Properties, PR1MA and GreenRE, REHDA Institute will be developing unique industry-relevant research papers to improve the housing industry in Malaysia.

To provide better practical research insights, Rehda Institute will also be planning international study tours with emphasis on the best affordable housing practices, sustainable developments and best industrial parks to cities such as Jakarta and Nusantara in Indonesia, Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam and key cities in China in the near future.