Singapore taps international experts to achieve sustainable development

Channel NewsAsia 23 Feb 08;

SINGAPORE : Singapore will draw ideas from a panel of international experts on sustainable development.

And more incentives could be offered to get the building industry to go green.

Speaking at the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) 's first "Breakfast Talk for CEOs", National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan said this is also a good time for the industry to look at alternative materials and methods in view of rising costs."

The BCA has roped in experts to help spur the green movement in Singapore.

Kevin Hydes, Chairman, World Green Building Council, said: "There's almost no cost to going green. In fact there's significant increase in asset value, increase in brand identity for green development. Once the industry learns the new methods and the technologies are purchased in greater volumes, the price comes down."

During the event, industry players heard what European countries and the US are doing to encourage the adoption of green building techniques.

These include tax reliefs, utilities rebates and changes to the legislation.

In Singapore, close to 100 environmentally-friendly buildings have been certified, with another 200 projects awaiting assessment.

Liew Mun Leong, CEO, CapitaLand Group, said: "Even now investors are asking you if you are a green building developer. In fact my institutional investors often ask me, how good are you in green buildings? And this has to cascade down to the types of contractors we use, we also now use green contractors."

But industry players say there are still challenges ahead.

Chia Ngiang Hong, Group General Manager, City Developments Limited, said: "It's the change of mindset at the moment, the acceptance level in Singapore is not very high yet, and the buy-in process is important."

One suggestion is to offer more incentives but that is not the only way to go.

Mr Mah said: "We need to educate consumers, we need to bring households on board. And we need to see whether there's need for legislation. By the next budget we hope to have in place a whole series of different measures, which may or may not include incentives."

Currently, the BCA also gives out the Green Mark Awards to building projects which are environmentally friendly.

And going forward, more new awards will be presented to developers, consultants and contractors who are supportive of the green building movement.

Mr Mah also commented on other issues.

On the rising construction costs, he said there are ways to manage the surge in demand.

For instance, the government, on its part, will postpone S$3 billion worth of projects.

This will help reduce manpower requirements by over 10 percent, including foreign workers, technical and supervisory staff.

And to address the crunch in office space, the government has announced that some of its agencies will be relocating outside the city by early 2009.

Mr Mah said the National Development Ministry, which is situated at Maxwell Road, will also be moving out over time.

Responding to HDB's recent Build-To-Order exercise which saw over 9,000 applications for 278 flats, Mr Mah assured young couples that there are enough flats to go around.

He also advised home buyers to be prudent with their purchase and not spend beyond their means. - CNA/ch

More carrots likely to build green buildings
Panel looking into further measures. Spiralling costs a challenge and opportunity for builders to go greener
Jessica Cheam, Straits Times 24 Feb 08;

THE Government is looking into further incentives and legislation to 'green' more buildings here.

This is integral to Singapore's sustainable development strategy, which remains a key priority, Minister for National Development Mah Bow Tan said yesterday.

Meanwhile, spiralling construction costs present both a challenge and an opportunity for the building sector to go greener, with alternative methods of construction which are energy- and resource-efficient.

Mr Mah was speaking at an inaugural talk, attended by building sector bigwigs, on green building and corporate social responsibility.

The talk was organised by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA). Its preliminary estimates show that a basic Green Mark building costs about 0.3 per cent to 1 per cent more, with a payback of two to five years.

But the benefits go beyond the savings, over the whole lifespan of the building, Mr Mah said.

Green buildings are generally designed, built and maintained for energy efficiency and are better for human health and the environment.

The BCA Green Mark rates buildings for their environmental performance.

Some Green Mark buildings include the National Library and City Developments' Oceanfront@Sentosa Cove, both of which have features such as energy-efficient air-conditioners, efficient lighting and extensive greenery to keep the buildings cool.

Mr Mah called on the 'private, people and public sectors' to work together.

Several incentives are already in place, and a new inter-ministerial committee - co-chaired by Mr Mah and Environment and Water Resources Minister Yaacob Ibrahim - is looking into further measures.

Mr Mah said incentives alone will not solve the problem. 'There is a need for us to take stock and spend some time on this. By the next Budget, I hope to have in place a whole road map.'

Property chiefs such as CapitaLand's Mr Liew Mun Leong and City Developments' group general manager Chia Ngiang Hong affirmed yesterday that going into green projects not only saved them money but has also improved their brand names.

Mr Liew called for more incentives, such as granting additional gross floor area for a green building.

Meanwhile, Mr Mah said the postponement of up to $3 billion in public projects is expected to ease the industry's manpower crunch by at least 10 per cent.

A BCA spokesman told The Sunday Times yesterday the projects to be deferred to after next year included student hostels, school upgrading, hawker centres and some minor projects.

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