Medini Iskandar Malaysia Master Plan

Tell us more about Medini Iskandar Malaysia’s role as a master developer, and what makes Medini Iskandar a livable future city as the preeminent habitat for urbanites.

Medini Iskandar Malaysia Sdn. Bhd (‘MIM’) is the master developer for the 2,230-acre township development called Medini Iskandar Malaysia (‘Medini’). 2013 and 2014 were crucial years at MIM as we transitioned from being only a master developer and master infrastructure manager for Medini to now a property developer and township management service provider.

In 2013, Mitsui & Co., Ltd. acquired 20 per cent stake in MIM. Mitsui brings with them a breadth and wealth of knowledge and experience in smart city development. This gave depth to our vision of turning Medini into a smart and connected Central Business District of Iskandar Puteri (formerly known as Nusajaya). MIM is currently majority owned by the subsidiary of Khazanah Nasional Berhad (Jasmine Acres at 60 per cent), United World Infrastructure (20 per cent) and Mitsui (20 per cent).

MIM is a niche catalytic developer focused on delivering commercial products, particularly office buildings as the primary focus with a secondary focus on residential developments. Residential products in Medini are currently being developed by a mix of local and international property developers.

As a destination, Medini aspires to become ‘The Icon of Future City Living’ and this budding urban township is carving its journey in becoming a destination of choice for both foreign and Malaysian investors. For Medini, the essence of ‘Future City Living’ lies in harmoniously aligning work, live, play and learn within a space that values time, nature and sustainability. This is coming to fruition through the presence of some of the country’s premier developers in Medini, such as the Eastern & Oriental Group (“E&O”), BCB Berhad, CI Medini Sdn Bhd, WCT, Sunway Iskandar, UMLand, Mah Sing Group and many more where MIM leverages on the diversity and strengths of these partner developers to create a multi-faceted destination.

By being an inclusive city builder, we have the advantage over other townships by offering a diverse range of high quality products through our developer partners.

As we arrive at a collaborative era of city building, everyone is involved, from architects, planners, developers, banks, private companies to governmental bodies. How does Medini Iskandar Malaysia work with these collective?

Building a city from greenfield is both exciting and challenging. It is important to get the foundation right because cities contribute to the growth of nation’s population and national income. If steered off-course, it could cause many problems in the future. Therefore, it is important for MIM to adopt a collaborative or inclusive city planning approach where various stakeholders are involved. To this date, MIM has also established close working relationship with Majlis Perbandaran Johor Bahru Tengah (“MPJBT”) and the State Government.

An example of a collaborative city planning is the development of the Medini masterplan.

The Medini masterplan has been carefully crafted as a result of an actively engaging process where designers, investors, development managers and authorities provided input to produce a comprehensive plan that meets the purpose of Medini, poised to become the exclusive and premier urban township development in Iskandar Puteri.

It is designed to:

• Provide convenience and comfort, which means easy access to entertainment, “retail therapy”, hospitals, schools, etc.
• Promote sustainable development by preserving green spaces i.e. retention pond, parks, maintaining natural topography / terrain where parks are built around them

In addition, MIM is currently undertaking pilot projects such as smart building elements, solar power generation and deployment of electric cars.

The masterplan is regularly reviewed to ensure that it remains relevant, and enable us to make any adjustments in response to significant economic changes when required.

As the owner and custodian of the masterplan who is also responsible for the township development, MIM goes through strict governance process to review development proposals from plot developers.

To make the invisible visible on the scale of a new development, what are the steps taken for local and international audience?

As the inclusive city developer we work alongside our developer partners to promote the destination. We’ve had various collaboration with property developers who brought in groups either from Malaysia or overseas into Medini for a briefing session and site tours.

In terms of sustainability, livability, sociability, and urbanism, what would be the components or criteria which are required for developments in Medini?

Below are the key components essential to the development of Medini

– Cooperation: Developers, businesses and authorities must work closely to ensure all respective projects continue to complete on time;

– Market Analysis: It’s important for us to monitor demand and supply factor and make necessary adjustments to potentialise on the opportunities;

– Consumer Trust & Confidence:  The successful sales success rate and timely completion of projects on ground will serve as a testimony that Medini is showing continued progress. Constant communication with the public is also a necessity to build confidence. The continued commitment by our plot developers to undertake rigorous marketing initiatives to promote their respective projects and the Medini destination is a necessity.  With the presence of reputable property developers in Medini, it raises the credibility of Medini as the premium location.

– Creating the Livability Factor: We’ve completed the infrastructure works and whilst developers deliver their committed projects, the new township needs the provision of necessary amenities. Offering the basics of convenience and security would be critical.

In relations to ‘creating the livability factor’, fundamental to the operations of MIM is the active participation of MIM in community building activities. The greatest cities in the world have unique offerings with prominent characteristics. It takes years to build a city, and placemaking is an art of creating a place with a soul where visitors and residents would feel emotionally connected and belonged.  In the area of placemaking, MIM has initiated infrastructure works to develop cycling and running paths, and parks. In terms placemaking events, we launched Medini Live! which is a signature annual music, film, arts and community festival event held in Medini.

Part of our other community building (CSR) activities that we undertake include:

a.Medini Mind, focusing on educational activities that will contribute to the development of younger generation;

b.Medini Cares, reaching out to members of our community who are less fortunate; and

c.Medini 7s where we promote rugby as a key sporting even

What can Johoreans and the international community look forward to with the on-going or future developments in Medini?

Amidst the ongoing construction of several projects in Medini, we are happy to see the opening of Gleneagles Medini, the facilities and amenities within Afiniti i.e. Somerset Medini, the CIMB Leadership Academy and Afiniti Residences located nearby LEGOLAND® Malaysia Resort.

With basic amenities in place, MIM focuses on developing office buildings that complements and acts as a catalyst for the developments carried out by our plot developers who primarily focus on residential projects. This ensures that there is a balanced ecosystem that allows Medini to secure its position as a smart and connected Central Business District of Iskandar Puteri. By 2018/2019, we will see more of our developer partners’ projects and also ours completed.

MIM plans to develop its four integrated development clusters. They comprise The Compass, a luxury commercial development cluster; The Crescent, a lifestyle retail & business park cluster; The Pulse, a premier commercial development cluster; and The Park, a residential and boutique commercial cluster. These clusters play an integral part of propelling Medini into a smart and connected Central Business District of Iskandar Puteri.

The first cluster development, being The Pulse, caters to the needs of entrepreneurial businesses looking for immediate occupancy into Medini.  The premium office spaces offered by MIM range from work space suited for start-up companies who desire commercial premises that could meet their demands for office space as their business expands, to office space that are catered to more matured businesses with an average floor plate of 30,000sqft per floor. MIM currently offers a choice of three buildings that are already completed with another fourth commercial premise, Medini 9, which will be a 21-storey commercial tower due for completion in 2018.  This rising Central Business District of Iskandar Puteri is fast becoming a premier growth location for local and multinational companies. Presently home to well-known corporate brands such as Frost & Sullivan and Huawei.