Rules on green building needed: Entrepreneur

The Jakarta Post

The Jakarta administration should set up fixed rules on the application of "green building" designs to help reduce energy consumption and save the earth, says a businessman.

Property tycoon Pra Ciputra said Saturday the city should also cooperate with developers and entrepreneurs to carry out the program.

"As entrepreneurs, we can't run the green program ourselves because it's very expensive. For green building designs, costs are 10 times more than for normal building construction." "No entrepreneur wants to suffer a financial loss like that. If I, for example, apply it to all of my constructions, while my competitors do not, it's going to hurt quite a bit.

"It's a mass program. That's why the administration needs to cooperate with entrepreneurs and developers," said Ciputra (center) upon receiving an honorary doctoral degree from the University of Tarumanegara in Grogol, West Jakarta.

Rector Dali Santun (right) presented him with the doctoral certificate Saturday during a university senate plenary meeting. Ciputra's wife, Dian Sumeler (left), was in attendance.

Green building designs, Ciputra said, were urgent for the densely populated capital, which has few green areas.

"Indonesia is far behind other countries like Singapore, Malaysia and South American countries, where it's not hard to find green-roof programs and parks on top of skyscrapers."

Ciputra, 77, is responsible for the development of more than 40 shopping centers, housing complexes and townships. His best-known project is the popular seaside theme park Ancol, which was once a swamp. (trw)