New initiatives launched to promote green building movement

Channel NewsAsia 22 May 08;

SINGAPORE: The green building movement in Singapore has gained momentum and the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) hopes to spur it further by enhancing its Green Mark Incentive Scheme.

At the BCA awards ceremony on Thursday, City Developments was named Singapore's first Green Mark Champion.

This new award is given to developers and building owners who have at least ten projects that have attained the BCA Green Mark Gold and Platinum standards.

However, BCA was unable to find a winner for the ultimate prize – the Green Mark Champion Platinum Award, which requires developers to have at least 50 eco-friendly projects to qualify.

Among the 97 winners at this year's BCA award ceremony, three CityDev projects secured the Green Mark Platinum prize. They are 9 Tampines Grande, Cliveden at Grange and The Solitaire. They were evaluated based on several criteria, with more weightage placed on energy efficiency.

National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan said: "A key aspect of sustainability in the built environment is how efficiently you use resources, especially energy.

"All indications show high energy prices are here to stay for quite some time, so a focus on energy efficiency will reduce costs and enhance the competitiveness of the building."

BCA expects more industry players to tap into its S$20 million fund which has been set aside for the Green Mark Incentive Scheme in 2006. So far, S$2.6 million has been committed to 17 projects.

There are over 100 green buildings in Singapore and BCA said another 200 are waiting to be certified. With effect from Thursday, it has expanded the scheme to smaller buildings, as well as other stakeholders in the industry as the minimum gross floor area (GFA) eligibility is reduced from 5,000 sqm to 2,000 sqm.

Dr John Keung, CEO of BCA, said: "If you do your green building design from day one with that objective of energy efficiency in mind, you'll tend to have a more cost-effective design, so we are extending the incentive scheme to the architects and to the mechanical and electrical engineers to encourage them to take charge from day one."

Huge savings can be reaped from green developments. For instance, the new mall – 313@Somerset – is expected to generate S$1.3 million in energy savings a year.

Another new initiative is the Green Mark for Parks Award as the BCA is working with the National Parks Board to promote sustainable practices and features in parks.

The three winners for the new award this year are Fort Canning Park, Chinese Garden and the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve.

BCA also launched the inaugural Design and Engineering Safety Excellence Award on Thursday to commend industry players who have upheld high construction safety standards.- CNA/so

More homes, buildings in Singapore going green
19,000 homes with energy-saving features built under BCA's Green Mark scheme
Jessica Cheam, Straits Times 23 May 08;

EFFORTS to green Singapore's buildings are paying off, with more than 19,000 environmentally friendly homes built across the island and 18,000 more in the pipeline.

The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) said on Wednesday that the number of homes with energy-saving features has been on the rise since the BCA Green Mark scheme was introduced in 2005.

Under the scheme, buildings which meet a benchmark in terms of environmentally friendly features are awarded the 'Green Mark'.

As more developers embrace environmental sustainability, 'we are seeing the number of green buildings rising exponentially', said BCA's chief executive John Keung on Wednesday.

These homes can save their occupants as much as $1,800 a year on power bills, based on a recent survey of green homes by the BCA recently.

Green homes typically boast green features such as energy-efficient air-conditioners and water-efficient fittings which help to cut bills.

As energy costs escalate, it makes 'even more economic sense to consider green homes', said the BCA.

And the number of such homes is set to grow even further.

From last month, all new buildings and major retrofitting will have to meet the basic Green Mark standard.

The scheme, which rates a building's environmental impact and performance, was slow to take off when it was launched. But the initiative has since gathered steam, with about 100 buildings getting the Green Mark stamp last year, and another 200 to be assessed this year.

Of these, about 60 residential projects with 19,000 green homes have been built, with another 60 projects, set to yield 18,000 green homes, in the pipeline.

The BCA has so far dished out $2.6 million in cash incentives to developers of 17 projects to encourage the adoption of green standards.

To recognise developers' efforts, 42 projects which achieved high Green Mark standards received awards from National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan at the BCA's annual awards last night.

There are six platinum winners this year, including City Developments' residential project The Solitaire at Balmoral Park, and Lend Lease Retail's eight-storey mall above Somerset MRT station, 313@Somerset.