IN the early morning of March 29, the effects of the earthquake which hit northern Sumatra jolted a number of Malaysians, literally and otherwise.

Some home-buyers were concerned about the structural safety of some high-rise developments and this eventually led to high-rise living versus landed properties.

There is no need to push the panic button, says Real Estate Housing Developers Association (Rehda) president Datuk Jeffrey Ng.

“There is no need to overreact. If home owners find clear evidence of structural cracks as opposed to plaster cracks, they should get qualified consulting engineers to check the safety of the building. They are also duty-bound to inform the authorities to make a decision on the safety of the building,” Ng says.

Malaysia is not classified as an earthquake zone although there is talk about that. Real as the tremors felt last Dec 26 and last Monday may be, there is no need to put a classified on your high-rise apartment tomorrow.

This is not the second or third time Malaysia has felt tremors when an earthquake hit Sumatra. There have been other cases. But these last two have hit a nerve among many.


No need to push the panic button, says Ng
Does this mean the sands are shifting (the plates are definitely) and will there come a time when Malaysia will be under the quake zone?

The Government will have to decide after its consultation with local and foreign experts.

At state level, Penang's Public Works, Utilities and Transportation Committee chairman Datuk Koay Kar Huah says guidelines requiring all buildings, roads, highways and bridges to incorporate quake-safe features may be introduced.

Among 13 states, Penang has been the most affected thus far. Even before the Dec 26 biggie which resulted in a tsunami that claimed more than 270,000 lives, there have been reports about the island feeling the effects of earthquakes in Sumatra.

It is too early to gauge what all these would mean for the country’s developers and engineering circles, the authorities, home owners and buyers. It would appear to be a waste if developers have to plough extra investment just to have quake-mitigating factors in their projects. The home buyer will, at the end of the day, bear the costs of these measures.

On April 4, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Dr Jamaludin Jarjis said his ministry would be getting local and foreign experts to study the risks of the Sumatran fault line and other dormant faults as well as the impact of tremors on buildings in the country.

As Malaysia was not earthquake-prone, he said there was no provision for quake-proof buildings. But with the possibility of more frequent tremors, there was a need to revise the building by-laws, he said.

“There are a few skyscrapers here and the owners of very tall buildings would have already spoken to their consulting engineers to ensure more flexible structures are allowed in the design,” says Ng

“For example, steel structures are basically more costly but they are less rigid compared to reinforced concrete structures. What we are saying is, chances are that owners of very tall high-rise buildings would have already complied, even over-complied.”

High-rise buildings cost millions to develop and owners would not want to be penny-wise and pound-foolish.

“It is part and parcel of the risk management by the owner,” Ng says.

As for demand for high-rise, potential buyers may exercise caution in the short-term but unlikely to result in a dip in demand unless Malaysia is reclassified as a quake-prone zone. Even then, this sense of cautiousness on the part of potential homebuyers is just a knee-jerk reaction, he adds.

“We will not come to a situation where suddenly there is no demand for high-rise. Even in countries like Taiwan, Japan and the US, which are prone to earthquakes, people still stay in high-rise developments. It is just that in Malaysia, the preference has always been for landed,” Ng says.

What Ng does foresee is that in the prime areas of KLCC where more than 10 developers are building high-rise condominiums of about 20 storeys high, “it is very likely some developers, particularly if they have not started construction, may be asking their consultant engineers to design foundations that takes into account the tremor factor and make that into a marketing point.”

On strengthening older buildings in the city, Ng says that is a very costly exercise.

“When a building has to be strengthened, it has to be done at the design stage and not as an after thought,” he says.