The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally made us rethink the way we live, work and play. Where we work is now often a question mark, as residential, commercial and retail spaces converge. It has also made us realise the importance of our health and safety, especially in the office where we spend most of our waking hours.

As customers’ expectations evolve, we must continue to adopt a human-centric design-thinking ethos to innovate and further enable Frasers Property and our people to add value through the places we create and the services we offer – enhancing efficiency for customers, or heightening user experiences. With that in mind, we have launched several initiatives with the aim of creating an ecosystem that aggregates property technologies, or ‘proptech’, in response to the challenges today.

A big part of that effort is to use data-driven insights to constantly refine our services. We are also working with external parties to bring best-in-class innovation, technology and business models as part of our push to constantly challenge ourselves.

Intelligent systems for a safe and seamless tenant experience

Likewise, at The PARQ, a commercial building managed by Frasers Property in Bangkok, Thailand, tenants can make use of The PARQ mobile application (app) for a convenient touchless experience throughout parking, lift access and office tower entry – further aided by the development’s facial recognition technology to provide safety for tenants through contactless interactions.

Visitors can also enjoy this hygienic, safe, and forward-thinking experience through the mixed-use project’s advanced thermal scanning technology, as well as its Smart Visitor Registration system. These self-service kiosks feature ID card and passport scanners to provide visitors a QR code for their own touchless entry to the building. Tenants can also generate personalised QR codes for visitors in advance through The PARQ app for a smooth and convenient journey.

Ensuring a healthy and sustainable environment

While we focus our efforts on gradual return to the workplace and the eventual recovery, we remain committed to tackling the longer-term challenge of climate change.

We have designed our buildings with the objective of lowering our carbon footprint, reducing electricity consumption and boosting water efficiency.

Impressive sustainable features can be found at Frasers Towers, which has been accorded the Green Mark Platinum Award by Singapore’s Building and Construction Authority. Among the features are energy-efficient escalators and regenerative lifts, where heat generated by elevators during use is converted into reusable energy for the building. Our ductless fan system, which operates with low static pressure loss, has also helped to reduce overall power consumption. There is even a plug-in electric hybrid vehicle charging system, to encourage the adoption of greener forms of transport.

In Thailand, both The PARQ and Samyan Mitrtown have also been recognised for their strong efforts in setting industry benchmarks in health and wellness.  

The PARQ, managed by Frasers Property, has obtained WELL pre-certification at Gold level and is aiming to achieve LEED certification by the US Green Building Council. Themed ‘Life Well Balanced’, the development reconnects busy urban lives with nature through biophilic design principles that satisfy the inherent human need to embrace natural elements including natural light, healthy air, natural materials and green spaces. The PARQ’s 3,500-sqm garden terrace has CCTV-equipped smart poles, as well as security alert and emergency buttons to ensure the safety of our tenants. High-speed wi-fi also helps them stay connected easily with anyone in the development, and speakers play music to create a relaxing mood.

On the sustainability front, The PARQ features triple-layered glass windows, allowing only 75% of natural light to penetrate through the building to avoid glare for tenants, while also simultaneously removing 25% of heat within to reduce energy usage. Its LED panel lighting system further provides more than 50% energy saving when compared to standard lighting systems.

The PARQ is also the first building in Asia to include Philips SMART Lighting technology in its office spaces, with motion detector illumination, smart remote switches and automated processes to provide comprehensive control while conserving significantly more energy than regular buildings. Tenants can monitor the indoor air quality and control the SMART lighting systems through The PARQ mobile app.

Responding to the growing electrical vehicle uptake in Thailand, The PARQ offers EV charging stations to support a cleaner roadway. 

Meanwhile, Mitrtown Office Tower has been awarded the LEED Gold award. The project was the first mixed-use project to use LED lamps for its entire development, which helped reduce electricity consumption by 50 per cent as compared with conventional lighting.