A villa at the Popa Mountain Resort showing the wide verandahs which contribute to energy efficiency.

THE tourism industry would benefit from an ASEAN energy efficient building prize awarded to Popa Mountain Resort operated by the Woodland Group of Companies, said the group’s chairman, U Win Aung.

A delighted U Win Aung said the resort was already well known in Europe and the prize would help to generate more interest among tourists, including those from Asian countries.

The resort won the first prize in the tropical buildings category of an annual competition for energy efficient buildings organised by the ASEAN Centre for Energy, based in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta.

“The prize is awarded from among many entries from other regional countries and we are proud to have won it,” said U Win Aung, adding that it was a great honour for the country as well as for the company.

He said efficient energy use, minimal environmental impact and conservation awareness were among the criteria considered in deciding the prize.

A committee comprised of officials from the ministries of Energy and Industry No (2), Myanmar Engineering Society and the Myanmar Construction Entrepreneurs Association nominated the resort for the competition. The MCEA headquarters in Thingangyun township was nominated in the special submission category.

The results were announced early June. The resort and a building in Singapore shared the prize in the tropical building category.

The prizes will be presented during a meeting of ASEAN energy ministers to be held at Siam Reap, Cambodia, from July 9 to 13.

The prize also showed that Myanmar can compete against other regional countries in the construction sector, said U Win Aung, who will attend the presentation ceremony.

He said the resort, built in 1995 on a 10-acre site on Mount Popa, about 50-miles southeast of Bagan, was designed by Australia’s Grounds Kent Architects to minimise both its impact on the environment and energy use.

The resort maximised the use of sunlight to conserve energy, U Win Aung said.
“Though we use natural light to save energy during the day the rooms are designed to be sheltered from direct sunlight,” he said.

This is achieved by the use of wide verandahs on the 30 deluxe and 20 superior rooms at the resort, which provides visitors with panoramic views.
U Win Aung said accommodation facilities at the resort were limited, which made its room rates high compared to other hotels in Myanmar.

About 70 per cent of the guests at the resort are foreigners, with most from France, Germany, Italy and Spain, he said.

Activities at the resort include horse-riding, trekking, bird and butterfly watching, swimming and golf.

The Pyay Road headquarters of Kanbawza Bank won first prize in the special submission category of the competition in 2002.