Green Homes in Kenya: A Surging Trend

 

With the climate crisis inching closer to us every day, everyone is becoming more environmentally conscious, including homeowners. This gives birth to the term ‘green homes’, for those who are looking to reduce their exposure to pollutants, decrease their environmental footprint and switch to sustainable and eco-friendly housing. 

Sustainable or green homes can also increase the durability of your house by protecting it from water and air intrusion. They offer an energy-efficient and non-toxic way of construction and living, by using reclaimed materials, solar panels, airtight insulation to reduce any leakage of energy, and more. All in all, they make for a good and sustainable investment opportunity. 

Why are Green Homes trending in Kenya?

The move towards Green Homes in Kenya is mainly driven by the decline in natural resources such as water and fossil fuels, which were once considered inexhaustible. With the adoption of Green Homes, Kenya is looking to achieve their Sustainable Development Goals and joining the Paris Climate Agreement that recognizes the importance of the construction sector and its role in the current climate change crisis. 

Kenyan Government’s Role in Green Homes

The Kenyan government has issued a decree that all housing development projects under the ‘Big 4’ agenda should meet the EDGE green building standards. They have promised to provide developers with free land to construct affordable houses that adhere to the government’s green housing initiative. The bill was enacted by Kenya’s State Department of Housing and Urban Development. 

The Kenya Green Building Society (KGBS) connects the developers to certifiers so that they can utilize the benefits of EDGE certification for marketing purposes.

The Kenyan State Department of Housing is also working with county governments for affordable housing projects. They have created a Memoranda of Understanding wherein the developers who win the bid get free land to build affordable housing projects on it, as per the EDGE standards.

Mi Vida Green Homes

Mi Vida, a joint venture between Actis and Shapoorji Pallonji Real Estate (SPRE), is one of the best choices for a green home in Nairobi, Kenya. Officially launched in 2019 to address the shortage of affordable housing, Mi Vida comes with an innovative design, modern engineering, and trusted construction. 

Mi Vida houses hold an EDGE certification in green building standards. Their projects adhere to the EDGE standard of 20%less energy usage, 20% less water usage, and 20% less embodied energy in materials, making it an ideal green home to live in. 

What sets Shapoorji Pallonji Investment & Advisors Apart

 

A 100% subsidiary of Shapoorji Pallonji and Company Private Limited (SPCPL), Shapoorji Pallonji Investment Advisors Private Limited (SPIAPL) is an expansion of the company to leverage its name in the Indian market by providing it with a fully integrated real estate development and investment advisory platform. 

Established in 2010 as a part of Shapoorji Pallonji Group’s synergistic expansion strategy, SPIAPL has been consistently delivering value to its stakeholders. 

SP Investment & Advisors: What do they do?

SPIAPL advises assets under management, amounting to US$350 million, which also includes institutional third-party funds and proprietary capital. They are also currently advising the creation of a new India-focused platform to build a Grade A office structure across the key metros in the country. It provides institutional investors with an opportunity to invest across real estate assets by identifying trends ahead of the curve and putting in work towards the creation of a long-term value accretive asset portfolio.

Competitive Advantages of the Company

• Huge market presence in major cities – By utilizing the Group’s network, SPIAPL takes advantage of the extensive geographical presence of the company and leverages its relationships to source off-market investment opportunities.
• Capable of securing strong deals – With its vast experience in the field, developers and property owners already recognize the brand, which works as a strong attraction to partner with SPIAPL. 
• Expertise and knowledge in the Indian real estate sector – SPIAPL comes with skilled real estate development, credit, and risk analysis teams including senior advisors and experts. It also has a strong conflict management process that handles third-party transactions. 
• Robust investment thesis –  Their value proposition is designed in a way that ensures opportunities are utilized completely, with value addition and risk evaluation of the life cycle of each project. 
• Fully integrated real estate platform – Its in-house project management and construction teams evaluate, monitor, and execute the progress of the projects in which investments have been made.
• Unique approach and values – Using its financial intermediary relationships and past experience, SPIAPL constantly works towards improving its operating performance.

To conclude, SPIAPL provides a great value addition model to your investment portfolio as opposed to any other capital allocator model.

Hinjewadi vs Magarpatta – Choosing the best investment location in Pune

 

One of the major Indian cities, Pune is on the radar of many investors for its abundance of employment and educational opportunities. This quickly growing city also has growing potential in terms of development paired with its already established status as an IT hub.

Within the larger area of Pune, let’s take a look at two major locations that could be your pick for a real estate investment – Hinjewadi and Magarpatta.

Location

Spanning 450 acres, Magarpatta is a privately owned gated community in the Hadapsar area of Pune that comes under the Pune Mahanagar Palika. It is a well-equipped residential area that also houses other infrastructure and commercial spaces.

Hinjewadi, on the other hand, is spread across a massive 2800 acres and has gone through 3 different phases of development with the potential for many more phases. It offers the prospect of great real estate appreciation and comes under the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA).

Connectivity

Hinjewadi is connected to NH 48 with a metro station located inside the area. Pune airport in Lohegaon is 23 kms away, Pune railway station is 18 kms away, and the Shivajinagar bus stop is 16 kms from this location.

Magarpatta, on the other hand, is well-connected to the NH 65 Solapur highway with Ramwadi as the closest metro station. Pune airport and Pune railway station are both within 10 kms and the Shivajinagar bus stop is 12 kms from this location. This makes Magarpatta a better residential option for frequent travellers.

Opportunities

Magarpatta contains 40 to 50 companies including Amdocs, Principal, and Red Hat offering employment. The Commerce Zone, Kharadi, and Infotech parks are also easily accessible from here. Magarpatta IHM, K Tech Academy, and Magarpatta Public School are also available in terms of education.

Being much larger in terms of acres, Hinjewadi is able to offer more opportunities than Magarpatta. It has around 2 lakh employees working in 165 companies including Infosys, Tech Mahindra, and TCS. Many of the companies located here are big office campuses of either the all-India headquarters or the Pune headquarters. When it comes to education, there is Vibgyor School, Blue Ridge Public School, Symbiosis College, and Alard College.

Leisure & Culture

Magarpatta currently offers better community and leisure activities with the popular Amanora Mall and Seasons Mall both within a walking distance as well as Inox and Cinepolis theatres. There are also religious locations such as Mahalaxmi Mandir, Shiva Temple, Amina Masjid, and Church of the Nazarene.

Hinjewadi also has access to Zion Mall with a theatre and religious locations such as Dutta Mandir, Mangaon Masjid, and a Methodist Church. Furthermore, the huge land area promises scope for more expansion and construction in more phases of this development.

Residences

Both of these locations have residentials projects constructed by India’s international real estate powerhouse of Shapoorji Pallonji. 

Joyville Sensorium

Joyville Sensorium is located in Hinjewadi, offering 2 and 3 BHK flats that start at Rs.68.6 lakh. The project has 9 towers spread across 10.5 acres with over 80% open space enveloped in the serenity of hills, expansive greenery, and the Mula River. Residents can enjoys tons of luxury amenities with a 2.8-acre multi-level sunken garden, vehicle-free podium, and 1.8 kms of walking boulevard.

Joyville Hadapsar

Joyville Hadapsar is located close to Magarpatta, offering 1, 2 and 3 BHK homes that start at Rs.38.9 lakh. The project is spread across a sprawling 21 acres with over 80% open space. Residents can enjoy 60+ amenities, a 35,000 sq ft clubhouse and 4 mini clubs, 2.7 km of walking boulevard, and 8.8 acres of central amenity space.

New innovations that are changing the solar industry

As the need for us to switch to more renewable sources of energy becomes more evident, the solar industry is continuously growing and innovating to offer us the ideal replacement for the more environmentally harmful options. The use of solar power has grown exponentially in recent years and the constantly evolving technology ensures that the future is bright.

Let’s take a look at some of the latest innovations in the solar industry that promise to change the game.

Thin Film Solar Cells

Land area and the installation process account for the majority of expenses when it comes to solar power plants. Second-generation thin-film solar cells are geared to change this obstacle. They are lightweight, flexible and easy to install while having much smaller light-absorbing layers compared to the standard panels. 

In addition to being an economic alternative, they have a high efficiency of up to 21%. These narrow and bendable solar cells are constructed using cadmium-telluride (CdTe), amorphous silicon, copper-indium-gallium-selenide (CIGS), and gallium-arsenide (GaAs). 

Perovskite Solar Cells

Another addition to the new generation of solar cells is this flexible, lightweight, and semi-transparent alternative. Hybrid metal halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have great performance in low light, offering excellent light absorption capabilities. 

The main highlight, however, is that these thin films can be printed, meaning that they are much more scalable in the manufacturing process. Other highlights of PSCs are their low price, thin design, low temperature processing, and 12.2% efficiency. Yet to reach the commercial space, they promise a high economic and efficiency advantage in the future.

Transparent Solar Windows

Engineering researchers at Michigan State University have developed a breakthrough innovation that could change the way we see solar power generation. They have formulated a thin, plastic-like material that acts as a transparent luminescent solar concentrator that creates solar energy without disrupting the view. This means that it can be a revolutionary replacement to the bulky rooftop solar units and instead be used on buildings, windows, mobile phones, cars or any other format that have a clear, see-through surface. 

This see-through material absorbs invisible wavelengths of sunlights using organic molecules developed by the researchers. These researchers are able to tune these materials to pick up only ultraviolet and near-infrared wavelengths of sunlight that will be used to generate electricity. These transparent solar cells are able to record an efficiency of above 5% in comparison to the 15-18% efficiency of traditional solar cells. Despite this difference in efficiency, they are able to offer the untapped potential of being applied to a wide number of surfaces in a larger area as well.

Reverse Solar Panels

When it comes to the efficiency of solar panels, the unavailability of sunlight during the night time is a major hurdle. Researchers from the University of California, Davis set out to combat this problem with an interesting innovation. 

Typically, solar cells are cooler than the sun and therefore absorb the light. Reversing this concept, the UC Davis researchers theorised that if you take a warmer object and point it towards sky where space is cooler it will radiate heat towards it in the form of infrared light. This means that, even without the availability of sunlight, thermoradiative cells can be used to generate electricity during daylight as well as the night time. 

Although this alternative could only generate about a quarter of the electricity that a regular solar panel could, it would still be more power than regular solar panels are currently able to generate at night.

Everything you need to know about SD Corp

 

As the economic capital of India, Mumbai is populated with a number of real estate landmarks and iconic high-rises. The premier real estate company SD Corporation brings together some of the world’s best planners, architects, designers and engineers to create these landmarks out of ordinary spaces. The company is a joint venture of Shapoorji Pallonji and Dilip Thacker Group, backed by an impeccable reputation and track record. 

SD Corp is driven by the mission to transform lives by creating quality spaces and redeveloping communities. The company plans to pilot flagship projects that are differentiated from other developments to eventually hold a portfolio of mixed-use developments including high-end hotels and clubs. 

Some of the most iconic structures dotting the Mumbai skyline are the work of SD Corp, evidently reflecting the company’s mission.

1. The Imperial, Mumbai

Soaring at 60 storeys, these are the tallest twin towers in India and an iconic fixture of the city’s skyline.

2. The Imperial Edge, Mumbai

Redefining life at the top, this luxury residential high-rise will house the finest apartments in Mumbai.

3. Sarova, Kandivali

This 55-acre development is one of Mumbai’s largest integrated townships and SD Corp’s most ambitious venture with a number of residential projects within it.

4. Aubburn at Sarova

Alpine at Sarova

5. Epsilon at Sarova

6. Astron at Sarova

7. Siennaa at Sarova

8. Codename Hello Epic, Sewri

This residential development on Mumbai’s eastern waterfront aims to raise the bar with its 2 and 2.5 BHK apartments.

9. The Lumiere, Andheri

This project offers sea-facing apartments with unmatched connectivity and exclusive facilities.

It stands as one of the best real estate builders in Mumbai and is committed to becoming the developer of choice in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). The long-term goal is to establish an international presence with equally iconic developments in other global financial centers.

7 Best Locations to Invest in Pune

 

With the pleasant weather and location, booming IT sector and great Returns on Investment (ROI), Pune is quickly becoming a great real estate investment choice for many people. For all these reasons and more, Pune is seeing a great influx of people coming to the city to settle, making the real estate market even more active.

But what are the best locations to invest in Pune? Would you like to find out? Let’s dig in!

1. Baner

Located in the northwest region of Pune, Baner is surrounded by Balewadi and Aundh, with close proximity to Hinjewadi, which is the IT hub of the city. A 23.3 kilometre Metro line along the Hinjewadi Phase 3 – Civil Court route further improves its connectivity with the rest of the city, making it a great location to buy a house in. You can get a 2BHK in this area between 25 lakhs to 2 crores, depending upon different factors. 

2. Hinjewadi

Located in the northeast part of Pune, Hinjewadi is a very popular and well-connected area. It is also the largest IT hub of Pune with the corporate offices of most MNCs including Infosys, Wipro, Cognizant and more. Being the centre of employment and connectivity, Hinjewadi has become an ideal place for real estate investors. A great residential project to invest in for new families is Joyvile Sensorium, which starts at an affordable price of 68.6 lakh.

3. Kharadi

Kharadi is located on the eastern side of Pune and is full of various residential and commercial projects. What makes Kharadi an ideal place to invest in is that it is located close to the airport and major areas like Koregaon Park, Kalyani Nagar and Cyber City. It is well connected to the city with its recent road development projects and affordable housing. An average 2BHK in this area would cost you somewhere between 22 lakhs and 1 crore.

4. Wakad

Wakad has lately seen a lot of infrastructural developments including improvements in water and power supply, new residential projects and advancement in the health and education sector, making it an ideal location to invest in. You can find a 2BHK in Wakad starting around 40 lakhs. 

5. Hadapsar

With corporates like IBM, Accenture, and TCS in Hadapsar, it becomes a good location to invest in for those looking to find a place closer to their offices. Hadapsar also houses a lot of recreational and entertainment facilities, making it a good area to settle down in. You can find a 2BHK in Hadapsar at a very affordable price of 17 lakhs.

6. Bavdhan

Each location comes with its own special privileges and lifestyle. Located near Chandni Chowk and Kothrud, Bavdhan is a great place to buy a house for those who are looking to live close to their Maharashtrian roots. It is also closely located to Hinjewadi IT Park, which is only a 30 minute ride from the Pune-Bengaluru Highway. If you want to invest in a modern home which is surrounded by lush green gardens, then look no further than Vanaha by Shapoorji Pallonji. They offer 1, 2 and 3BHK homes, starting at just 37.5 lakhs. 

7. Viman Nagar 

Viman Nagar offers good transportation facilities and is located in close proximity to the airport and major IT Parks in the city. It offers both luxurious and affordable housing options, starting at just 26 lakhs. 

You can also explore other locations like Dhanori, which is well-connected to the micro-markets of Pune along with premium areas like Viman Nagar and Koregaon Park, or Keshav Nagar, which is one of the growing industrial IT hubs of Pune with great amenities and infrastructure. Wherever you choose to invest, based on your personal preferences, it is important that you do thorough research before putting your money on it.

Best Indian cities to invest in a residential property this festive season

 

As the real estate market picks up post the COVID-19 pandemic, 2021 promises to see more demand than ever. The stagnant property prices in the major Indian cities have begun to take a positive turn while attractive offers and discounts have also emerged. Homebuyers can get the best result out of this situation this festive season with the option of deferred payments and banks offering the lowest home loan rates in a decade with some also foregoing charges. 

Major banks like State Bank of India, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Punjab National Bank, Bank of Baroda are among the banks who have slashed their home loan rates by around 15-60 basis points to 6.5% or 6.7%. This has buyers and investors excited with 35% of urban Indians between 25 and 44 years old planning to invest in real estate over the next six months, as found in a survey.

With all this in mind, let’s take a look at which Indian cities are the ideal location to make the most of these investment opportunities.

Navi Mumbai

Navi Mumbai has been seeing a steady growth in terms of real estate opportunities and it only promises to grow further. The upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport, expected to be completed by 2024, will catapult real estate appreciation in the city. Additionally, CIDCO’s housing scheme will provide 90,000 flats to homebuyers in the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) and Middle-income Group (MIG).

Pune

This major Indian city drives 13% of Maharashtra’s GDP and is also the 3rd largest contributor to India’s IT exports. This megacity is constantly developing to greater highs in terms of connectivity, technology, and industry.  Pune has been consistently providing employment across sectors including IT, financial services, and manufacturing. Over 18,000 newly launched projects emerged just in the 1st quarter of 2021 with around 75% increase in real estate sales. There is no better signifier that Pune offers an exciting return on investment to home buyers.

Shapoorji Pallonji Vanaha – Book 1, 2 & 3 BHK flats in Pune amidst 6 acres in Pune, starting at Rs.37.5 lakh.

Thane

Thane offers the dual benefit of excellent accessibility to Mumbai along with affordability to real estate investors. This area has seen a steady expansion of commercial as well as social infrastructure, leading to great appreciation and rental yield with an increase of 20% in the 1st quarter of 2021. The upcoming metro project will only improve the connectivity to Thane and reduce traveling time by 50%. There is also the upcoming Kalyan business district to bring employment opportunities to the area.

Shapoorji Pallonji Northern Lights – Book 2 BHK Flats at Pokhran Road 2, Thane West starting at Rs.1.27 Cr.+*

Bangalore

This industrial and employment hub has been gradually improving in the real estate market as well. It accommodates leading IT giants like Infosys, IBM, Google, Wipro, and more. In addition, it has also seen an 18% increase in real estate sales in the first quarter of 2021, as per the India Residential Market Update – Knight Frank Report.

Shapoorji Pallonji Parkwest 2.0 – Book Luxury 2 & 3 BHK Apartment in Binnypet, Bengaluru starting at Rs.1.25 Cr.* and Rs.1.85 Cr.* respectively.

Chennai

This city has seen over 4,500 new housing units including those by A-grade developers just in the first quarter of 2021. This coupled with the availability of discount deals and low-interest rates has resulted in a surge of real estate purchases. The new Chennai-Bangalore highway being planned by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will reduce the distance between the cities by 50-60 km. 

Hyderabad

Apart from being a major center for the tech industry, Hyderabad is one of the most affordable cities for investments with great infrastructure. It also has excellent connectivity through a network of highways like NH-163, NH-765 NH-44, NH-65. The state also has 56 notified Special Economic Zones (SEZs) which are the highest in India of which 34 are operational which are the 2nd highest in India. Considering this entrepreneurial hotspot, low cost of living, excellent connectivity, there was an 80% growth in real estate sales here.

Ahmedabad 

This city has a real estate growth of 2-4% each year and, following the halt during the pandemic, capital and rental values have now started to increase. The city has a robust public transport system and it is set up to become among the first 20 smart cities in India. AUDA (Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority) also plans to develop 6,800 hectares in the periphery of the city which will eventually provide plenty of residential opportunities.