World-Renowned Experts and Advocates Shared Their Views to Promote Well-Being and Sustainability at “WATS Forum 2019” Hosted by Research & Innovation for Sustainability Center (RISC)
- Sponsored by Magnolia Quality Development Corporation, the Well-being Architecture, Technology and Sustainability (WATS) Conference held recently attracted 1,000 participants from diverse professions.
Bangkok, June 2019:
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Singh
Intrachooto, Chief Advisor of the Research & Innovation for Sustainability
Center (RISC) under MQDC, declared at the opening that, “Natural disasters, air pollution, climate change
events are happening around the world and they affect not only the environment
but all of us. WATS Forum
was born from our belief in core value of sustainability. We believe that only through sharing knowledge can
we stand a chance of creating a brighter, better, and happier future.”
This annual platform brings together experts to share their ideas,
innovation, and success stories in preserving our planet. Four speakers shared
their inspiring implementation and ideas.
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From left to right: Dr. KarndeeLeopairote, Moderator; Mr. Stefan de Koning, Senior
Associate Architect from MVRDV; Mr. DashoTsheringTobgay, Former
Prime Minister of Bhutan; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Singh Intrachooto, Chief
Advisor of the Research & Innovation for Sustainability Center (RISC); Professor Michael
Steven Strano, Carbon P. Dubbs Professor of Chemical Engineering at
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Assoc. Prof. Dr. YodchananWongsawat from the
Faculty of Engineering at Mahidol University;
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Dasho Tshering Tobgay, Former Prime Minister of
Bhutan,inspired the audience to investigate ideas of happiness as
he shared stories from 400 years ago,when the former King of Bhutan introduced
a philosophy that the government should provide happiness and well-being to the people. For the past 40 years,the
Bhutanese Monarchy along with the government invented Gross National Happiness (GNH) to measure the nation’s happiness level. It has valued GNH or Gross National Happiness
over GDP because the economy alone does not provide well-being for the people, he
said.
GNH has become a symbol of Bhutan.The United Nations and
many European countries are learning about this model to implement it for the
public good. The
government of Bhutan conducts thorough 2-hour interviews every 5 years with large groups
of people to measure their happiness level based on 9 important indices such as
their living standard, health, education, and environment.
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| From left to right: Mr. Visit Malaisirirat, CEO of Magnolia Quality Development Corporation Limited (MQDC); Dr. KarndeeLeopairote, Moderator; Mr. Stefan de Koning, Senior Associate Architect from MVRDV; Mr. DashoTsheringTobgay, Former Prime Minister of Bhutan; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Singh Intrachooto, Chief Advisor of the Research & Innovation for Sustainability Center (RISC);Assoc. Prof. Dr. YodchananWongsawat from the Faculty of Engineering at Mahidol University; Professor Michael Steven Strano, Carbon P. Dubbs Professor of Chemical Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); Mr. KeerinChutumstid, President, Property & Service Business Group of MQDC |
To further affirm this philosophy of happiness,
Mr. Tobgay added
that, “We have GNH
of Business Certification with 56 indicators to measure the health and
happiness and well-being of
companies and their stakeholders. We
are thus moving from a profit-driven
approach, satisfying only the shareholders, to a holistic approach that includes
everyone among the stakeholders of operations.”
Professor
Michael Steven Strano, Carbon P. Dubbs Professor of Chemical Engineering at
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the author of over 50 innovative papers, showcased an inspiring invention that can light up cities
as well as human creativity. Imagine reading a book by the light of a luminous plant. Through research and development in nano technology,
Prof. Strano and
his team made a watercress shoot glow for 4 hours using luciferase, an enzyme
that enables firefly to glow.
“We are able to inject these chemicals into a living plant. For
the first time we can hack the plant and put particles inside to interact with
it. There’s a long-standing idea of making trees illuminate along roadsides. They could take the place of streetlamps and wouldn’t need an electricity supply, reducing power demand. We have also seen this idea in the popular movie
Avatar,which depicts light-emitting plants in its alien world,” he revealed.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yodchanan Wongsawat from the Faculty of Engineering
at Mahidol University is known as
a pioneer in improving the quality of life of people with disabilities.Working with brain-computer interface (BCI) technology, he is able to use electrical activity to help
people move, cycle, and perform basic functions for themselves. There are about 2 million people with disabilities in
Thailand and 190 million around the world.
“Half my life has been dedicated to solving this problem. I want to be able to create opportunities for people
with disabilities to move themselves because that’s their dream, to do things for themselves instead
of relying on canes, wheelchairs, or human assistance.”
Dr. Yodchanan was able to create miraculous changes in
people’s lives
even bringing 2 clients to participate in the Cybathlon, which is a unique
championship for people with physical disabilities to compete against each
other using technological assistance.
Stefan De
Koning, Senior Associate Architect from MVRDV, one of the most influential urban design practices in the
world,offered a solution to solve the impact of Bangkok’s rapid population growth.
Bangkok’s population is forecast to be 9.4 million by 2020 and 12.1 million by 2030. Mr. Koning suggested that Bangkok could benefit from
architecture models used around the world, such as in Kemang Jakarta, where
traditional villages are built as vertical cities, with tall towers and stacked
floors.
“The question is how we can improve quality of life while
growing the city. There are
10,000 km of so is in Bangkok and these are places where people feel safe, with a
sense of community and tradition. In Kemang, Jakarta, we were requested to build a large
mixed-use
development with restaurants, gardens and we stacked the villages literally. The housing is in a tower formation, same size as
you would have at ground level. What we try to achieve here is to have a high-rise development which is community-centered. In that sense, could this be something that could be
applied in Bangkok? What if we were to stack the soison top of each other?” suggested Mr. Koning.
Bangkok
ranked among the top 3 cities for pollution in the world.Mr. Koning proposed that one potential way to solve the problem
could be to have buses underground and to create sky bridges that connect
destinations, making them educational walks with trees and nature. With climate change, there is no escaping rising
water levels but there are ways to combat this. His ideas include trees alongside the Chao Praya
River and adopting models that have worked in other cities to make Bangkok
resilient for the future.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Singh
Intrachooto concluded that, “If we all think about our society and our
environment, making that a priority, maybe we’ll have a chance to create a happy future. Environment has not been our top priority and we can
change that now by focusing on the needs of this world, not just humans but all
living beings.”
As one of the leading property developers in
Thailand, MQDC hopes to improve the industry through its “sustainnovation” concept, which embraces
novel solutions for individuals and communities to live well, both physically
and psychologically.
“WATS Forum 2019” will continue as an annual international conference
with a primary objective of promoting the creation of sustainable well-being for all lives.
About Research & Innovation for Sustainability
Center (RISC)
Research
& Innovation for Sustainability Center (RISC) is a research hub for sustainable
buildings with a focus on well-being that provides public information resources and
operates an international network of researchers.
RISC’s 990 sq.m base in Bangkok includes Thailand’s first office built to the specifications of the
WELL Building Standard from the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI). The site’s host of healthy and sustainable features includes
Intelligent Systems that monitor and control energy consumption and indoor air
quality (IAQ)across
its 8 specialized zones.
RISC is
committed to making its resources accessible to spur change within property
sector. RISC
curates Thailand’s first ‘eco-material library’, for example, with publicly accessible samples and
details of over 400 materials.
More
information is available at www.risc.in.th
About Magnolia Quality Development Corporation
Limited (MQDC)
Magnolia
Quality Development Corporation Limited (MQDC) is a property developer that develops, invests in, and
manages residential, mixed-use, commercial, and hotel projects with a corporate
commitment ‘for all
well-being’.
MQDC brands
include Magnolias, Whizdom, The Aspen Tree, and Mulberry Grove, catering for a
range of healthy, sustainable lifestyles.
The company
provides an industry-leading 30-year warranty on its residential units in line with its
exceptional construction standards.
Under its
philosophy of ‘sustainnovation’ MQDC aims to lead its sector in sustainability. The company supports the Bangkok-based Research & Innovation for Sustainability
Center (RISC), Asia’s first research base for sustainable building with a
focus on well-being.
MQDC is
determined to operate with concern for all life on earth, advancing this agenda
through sustainable development for the wider benefit of society.
For more
information, visit www.mqdc.com
For more information, please contact:
Neo Target
Co., Ltd.
Ms. JirapornPissamai or Ms. Porntipa Yoosang
Tel. 02 631 2290-5 or 094 526 4663, 081 813 4429
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