News roundup: Know all about vernacular technology, plus more headlines

For PropertyGuru’s news roundup, get to know all about vernacular technology. In other stories, WiredScore announced its expansion into India. Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles alone may not be enough without the right leadership, according to Rajeev Peshawaria, CEO of Stewardship Asia Centre.

What are vernacular technologies?

Vernacular architecture has been gaining more and more space in theory and design practice, with its characteristics being studied and revised. An impulse related to different factors, but mainly to the context of climate change that we are experiencing, which calls for more sustainable and context-connected construction solutions.

Within this scope, much is said about the different vernacular techniques employed in architecture, whether it is the production of adobe bricks, thatched roofs, or woven bamboo walls, among many others. However, while vernacular technique focuses on specific actions or skills, its meaning differs from vernacular technologies.

ArchDaily reports that in architecture, while vernacular technique corresponds to construction methods, limited to specific actions, vernacular technology refers to a broader constructive system, processes in constant evolution, aiming for more efficient and effective use of resources. Compared to general building technology, vernacular technology essentially involves local materials, so it does not need to be supported by intricate transportation systems, and it also values the maintenance of materials as naturally as possible, preserving their colours and textures.

WiredScore launches in India to help developers enhance building infrastructure

WiredScore, an internationally recognised digital connectivity and smart building rating system for real estate, has announced its expansion into India, marking a significant milestone in its growth across the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. Already established in Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand and Thailand, WiredScore’s launch in India underscores its commitment to enhancing building infrastructure in the APAC market and its desire to support India’s economic growth as an attractive global hub for the world’s largest companies.

As part of the launch, the company has named leading real estate owners, developers and investors such as Brookfield Properties, Hines, DLF, DNR Group, House of Hiranandani, and Prestige among the first in India to have begun pursuing building certifications from WiredScore across their portfolios, according to Housing.com.

ESG ‘ineffective’ without the right leadership

A desire for a better future is essential to achieve sustainability, and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles alone may not be enough, Rajeev Peshawaria, CEO of Stewardship Asia Centre, said at a conference in Bangkok.

The ESG framework has been around since the 1990s but it is proving effective, he said. Businesses today often engage in greenwashing to avoid trouble, and regulations typically only enforce the bare minimum of responsible behaviour, he added in Bangkok Post.

“Regulations may minimise harm, but they do not maximise good.”

Most businesses today are profiting from challenges rather than creating profitable solutions to challenges, he noted.

Instead of ESG, we should shift to ESL, he said, where “L” stands for “steward leadership” — a genuine desire to create a better future for stakeholders, society and future generations.

The Property Report editors wrote this article. For more information, email: [email protected].