Terrace houses have been one of the oldest types of properties in Malaysia. Taking the approach of form to function, their design and architecture have hardly changed. But the world has changed. People now live in the world of metaverse, artificial intelligence, and social distancing.
Many things such as massive social gatherings are slowly being alienated to safeguard against the pandemic (which is here to stay and people have to accept living with it), people are evolving and changing their living preferences.
Buying a property is one of the most significant moments for most Malaysians and they want a perfect home. Though demand for terrace houses is still there, people now have some additional requirements post-pandemic.
What are home buyers looking for in terrace houses in the new normal?
In a recent IG story poll by Sime Darby, it was shown that 64% of Malaysians desire to reduce the generation of carbon dioxide in their homes. Another 63% wish to have more personal space than gathering space in their house.
This suggests Malaysians are looking for more innovative home designs apart from the staple structure that current terrace houses provide. From assemble-it-yourself to ‘tech brain’ designs, people are now open to new concepts to redefine their terrace homes.
As such architects and developers need to look into the following currently changing factors to meet this new target market to design a modern-day terrace home:
- Global trends
- Climate change
- New technology and artificial intelligence
- No-contact facilities
- Spacious and open spaces inside the house
Sime Darby launched Concept Home 2030 to contribute to the development of such a modern-day terrace house
Sime Darby Property’s Concept Home 2030 is a trendsetting initiative to reimagine how homes should be designed and built in 2030. The initiative is focusing on 4 key pillars to transform conventional terrace houses into modern-day homes:
- Sustainable solutions
- Modern construction methods
- Expandable and customisable modular designs
- AI or tech-infused homes.
2 ways Sime Darby’s Concept Home 2030 helped redefine terrace houses:
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Invited industry experts and consumers to exchange innovative home ideas
The platform welcomed consumers and industry experts to share their breakthrough ideas on how to make terrace houses versatile and can adapt to climate change. They encouraged them to develop concrete ideas that can be turned into prototypes to build homes that are not only for the betterment of Malaysians but for the environment as well.
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Sime Darby Property launched Concept Home 2030 competition in collaboration with the Malaysian Institute of Architects (PAM)
In August 2021, Sime Darby Property and the Malaysian Institute of Architects (PAM) collaborated to launch a competition that challenged visionaries to design homes that can radically shift the way future homes would look like.
Top architects of the country participated in the competition, bringing some breakthrough home design ideas to the surface. The architects explored different themes that included:
- Smart technology
- Circular ecosystems
- Climate adaptations
- Human needs
The top contenders embraced nature and promoted elevated living in their modular house concepts. Out of 117 registered participants, 10 of them introduced the most groundbreaking home concepts with prototypes that could be expandable, customised, and conformed to different family needs.
Sime Darby Property wishes to utilise the Concept Home 2030 initiative to address the needs of home buyers in the new normal by reimagining the way Malaysians live in the future. The 2 methods adopted by Sime Darby above are able to draw a sketch of what homebuyers are looking for in their future houses.
The biggest challenge of terrace homes has been their cost and lack of sustainability features. But the innovative home designs garnered by Sime Darby’s Concept Home 2030 initiative can make way for terrace houses that can resolve these challenges. It can find ways to build houses more efficiently, allowing better use of space and functional versatility in homes to enhance the decade-old structure of the terrace houses.
