First carbon-neutral building in Asia Pacific unveiled in Singapore

Asha Popatlal, Channel NewsAsia 9 Jul 09;

SINGAPORE : The first carbon-neutral building in the Asia Pacific was unveiled on Wednesday in Singapore.

A carbon-neutral building offsets the carbon footprints created in the process of construction and operation.

In Singapore, the building sector is the third largest contributor to carbon emissions after manufacturing and transport industries.

And so, it wants to encourage more green projects like Tampines Concourse, which used recycled materials widely to save on natural resources.

City Development, the developer of the three-storey office building, also bought carbon credits to offset the carbon dioxide it emitted during construction and during operations - a relatively new move in this part of Asia.

The carbon credits City Developments purchased will be used to finance three "green" projects in China, which would otherwise have been financially unviable.

In terms of costs, the bill for City Developments to add the green measures and carbon offset measures is about 2-5% of overall construction cost.

Going forward though, the company hopes to save about S$120,000 in energy savings annually.

City Developments said it is keeping an open mind as to whether it will adopt similar green measures for all future projects.

"This one is very hard for us, because Tampines ground is a test ground for us to carbon-neutralise our property. And carbon trading is still very new in Singapore. We are still learning from the experience of this test ground," said Esther An, head of Corporate Social Responsibility, City Developments.

Realising that initial costs are a barrier, the Singapore government plans to sweeten the ground first with financial incentives. But if this doesn't take off, like the Netherlands and Japan, Singapore might turn to legislation.

"We have taken the decision to start off with education and start to incentivise, and also to get the industry to build up its expertise and capabilities. Let's try this for a couple of years. However, if the industry doesn't respond, or things don't move as fast as we would like to, or the situation becomes more critical, then you find that mandatory standards or legislation is the fastest way of getting things done," said National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan.

The development currently has more than 50 per cent occupancy. - CNA /ls

Green building practices may be mandated
Govt may resort to legislation if industry fails to adopt such practices: Mah Bow Tan
Jessica Cheam, Straits Times 9 Jul 09;

NATIONAL Development Minister Mah Bow Tan yesterday called on the building industry to get greener and 'build more with less' .

He underlined his call by suggesting that if the industry does not start adopting more environmentally sound materials and recycling practices, the Government could legislate it.

He pointed out that the building industry is the third-largest contributor to Singapore's carbon emissions after the manufacturing and transport sectors.

That, added the minister, means it is important to optimise the energy usage of buildings and reduce the use of carbon-intensive materials.

This includes reducing natural material usage, and using recycled materials and efficient waste management systems.

Education will be the first point of engagement, and the Government will try to avoid mandates, Mr Mah said.

'However, if it doesn't (work), and things don't move as fast as we would like to, or the situation becomes more critical...mandatory standards or legislations are the fastest way of getting things done.'

Mr Mah was speaking to the media at the opening of developer City Developments' (CDL) office building, 11 Tampines Concourse.

The project, which won a Green Mark award for the building's environmental performance, was cited by the minister as an example of sustainable construction.

Materials such as spent copper slag and recycled concrete aggregates were used to make 'green concrete', saving more than 1,000 tonnes of natural sand and granite, said Mr Mah.

Tampines Concourse also etched a new milestone in the building industry here for being the first development to be carbon neutral.

This means that the carbon emissions produced by the building in its construction phase and its operations have been offset by carbon credits, neutralising its environmental footprint.

These credits are generated by projects such as in renewable energy or resource conservation.

CDL has offset about 6,750 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions and will offset 1,500 tonnes annually during the lifetime of this transitional office site, which has a lease of 15 years.

With average current prices of voluntary carbon credits at £10 (S$24) a tonne, this translates to costs of about $162,000 initially and $36,000 annually for CDL.

The firm said the costs of the carbon offset and the building's green features - which save it 620,000 kilowatt-hours or $120,000 in energy bills a year - amount to 2 per cent to 5 per cent of total construction cost.

Mr Mah praised CDL for its efforts: 'This is the first voluntary effort on the part of the private sector and I think it's something that should be encouraged.'

CDL managing director Kwek Leng Joo noted that carbon offsetting is relatively new in this region, and 'being the first to foray into uncharted territory, we hope other local firms will take a stronger stand in tackling climate change'.

Mr Mah said all the key stakeholders of the built environment - developers, designers and builders - play an important role in the sustainability of our environment.

In a recent blueprint focused on improving Singapore's sustainability, a target was set for 80 per cent of all existing buildings to achieve the basic Green Mark standard by 2030.

CDL unveils Tampines Concourse
It is developer's first CarbonNeutral® project in region
Business Times 9 Jul 09;

CITY Developments Ltd (CDL) yesterday unveiled 11 Tampines Concourse - the first CarbonNeutral® development in Singapore and the Asia-Pacific.

The three-storey office building - with a gross floor area of 124,001 square feet and lettable space of 108,000 sq ft - has an energy-efficient design and eco-friendly fittings that will yield energy savings of 620,000 kWh, or at least $120,000, a year.

The building has been awarded the CarbonNeutral® mark, which certifies that all carbon dioxide gas from construction and energy consumption has been measured and offset either through savings arising from more environmentally friendly processes, systems and behaviour, or by paying for an equivalent amount of carbon dioxide to be saved by an accredited project elsewhere.

Aside from natural lighting in the atrium and lift lobbies, the building has an indoor non-compressor cooling system that uses water instead of ozone-depleting chemical refrigerants to cool incoming air through a natural heat exchange process.

The building itself is constructed from recycled materials and 'green concrete' comprising sustainable materials.

No dollar figures were given, but all in all, the eco-friendly features added about 2 to 5 per cent more to building costs. These costs have been budgeted for.

CDL is looking for 'green' tenants. Rents for office space in the Tampines area is between $3.50 and $4 psf.

CDL managing director Kwek Leng Joo said: 'Championing the environmental cause is no walk in the park. In earlier years, there were not many who believed in sustainable development.

'But fast-forward to today, with greater awareness of climate change issues, 'green' and 'sustainability' have become the buzz words.'

Esther An, head of corporate social responsibility at CDL, said: 'We have just started marketing 11 Tampines Concourse and have been doing so quite selectively, looking for tenants who share our commitment to environmental conservation.

'The response has been very positive. We have leased over 50 per cent to date.'