Experts say more can be done to make existing Singapore buildings energy-efficient

Green drive to focus on older buildings
Jessica Cheam, Straits Times 3 Oct 08;

SINGAPORE'S efforts in recent years to green new buildings have made the country one of the world leaders in sustainability, said an international panel of experts yesterday.

But more can be done to convert existing buildings into energy-efficient ones, including providing financial incentives for the private sector.

These were the findings of a newly formed panel of experts invited by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) to review Singapore's green building policies. The findings were presented at BCA's second 'breakfast talk for CEOs' yesterday.

The BCA launched the Green Mark rating system only in 2005 so the 'speed has been impressive', said Mr Peter Head, panel member and director of British engineering firm Arup Associates.

Mr Head is well known as the architect behind China's first eco-city in Dongtan.

Dr Mohamad Maliki Osman, Parliamentary Secretary (National Development), said yesterday that the BCA will be taking on the panel's feedback.

Its second green building masterplan, to be unveiled next year, will focus on greening existing buildings and providing further incentives, he said.

Dr Maliki also told industry leaders at the event yesterday that there is increasing evidence worldwide that green buildings command higher rents and asset values, as well as increase productivity of its occupants.

The issue is no longer 'whether we should go green, but how fast we can go green', added BCA chief executive John Keung.

Other panel recommendations included mandating the submission of building energy information by owners, as this will help gauge a building's performance.

The BCA can also take the lead in 'green procurement' - sourcing green materials - for the industry, said Ms Maria Atkinson, global head of sustainability for Australian property group Lend Lease.

Further financial incentives were mooted to 'jump start the process'. These included boosting the availability of funds to building owners by involving banks to provide preferential loan rates to Green Mark projects. This works in Japan, where banks make 'green loans' for buildings that aim for higher environmental ratings, said the panel.

It also singled out research and development, capacity building and education as critical in the next leg of Singapore's green journey.

'Government and policy are known to be the major driver for sustainability,' said Ms Atkinson. Singapore's role is even more crucial, as it is well positioned to be an 'adviser' to developing countries in Asia such as Indonesia and Malaysia, she added.

The panel agreed that legislation would accelerate the green building movement and drive energy efficiency.

Other panel members include Professor Joachim Luther, chief executive of Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore; Japanese architect Kazuo Iwamura, known for his urban and architectural research; and Mr Kevin Hydes, chairman of the World Green Building Council.

Buildings account for about half of Singapore's total end-use electricity consumption. There are about 130 green buildings with 200 awaiting assessment.

Business Times - 03 Oct 2008

More funds needed for green building push
Jamie Lee, Business Times 3 Oct 08;

THE Building and Construction Authority (BCA) should offer more funds to owners of existing buildings to make these buildings greener, an international panel said yesterday.

The call comes after BCA said that it would shift its focus from the construction of new green buildings to the greening of existing buildings, which are significant energy guzzlers.

The panel said that one of the barriers to upgrading existing buildings is the availability of funds.

'While there is a strong business case to green existing buildings, there is also a need for incentives to jump-start the process and motivate building owners,' it said.

Parliamentary Secretary (Ministry for National Development) Maliki Osman said that BCA is refining its Green Mark assessment criteria to include 'a performance-based approach' that will look at how developers upgrade existing buildings and the level of energy efficiency.

The panel said that Singapore should make it compulsory for building owners to publicly declare energy information on their buildings. Comparisons between similar properties could then be made, which would help companies 'set realistic energy reduction targets'.

This happens in California and the European Union, said panel member Maria Atkinson, who is head of global sustainability at Australian property company Lend Lease.

But Dr Maliki said that regulation should be the last resort. 'We want to see how best we can use moral suasion to encourage building owners to move in that direction,' he said. 'It works better when one feels this is a cause to be championed.'

The panel members, who spent the past four days reviewing BCA's green policies, said that incentives for higher tier Green Mark projects, such as bonus gross floor area, could help building owners go greener.

Another idea is the 'green lease' - an arrangement that considers the carbon footprint of tenants, as well as energy and water efficiency.

Ms Atkinson said that Lend Lease is structuring Singapore's first green lease for retailers at the upcoming shopping centre 313@Somerset, which is also the first mall to achieve a BCA Green Mark Platinum award.

The panel of experts also asked the government to factor in the green element of tenders submitted for public building projects.

On the private front, banks could offer green or preferential loans for buildings that aim for higher energy efficiency, as happens in Japan, the panel suggested.

Orchard mall to grant only 'green leases'
Straits Times 3 Oct 08;

SINGAPORE'S Orchard Road shopping strip will soon be home to the first eco-mall here with 'green tenants'.

Business people setting up shop at 313@Somerset have to sign 'green leases' committing them to achieving environmental targets, said Ms Maria Atkinson, global head of sustainability for Australia's Lend Lease, the mall's developer.

Ms Atkinson is one of the five international experts invited by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) to review Singapore's green building movement.

As part of their lease terms, retailers at 313@Somerset will have to comply with fit-out guidelines such as using greener materials and reducing water and energy usage, she added. They will have to participate in community programmes to increase awareness of the benefits of green buildings, and report energy consumption to track the building's performance.

Such practices could be encouraged so tenants can help owners achieve certain operational targets for green buildings, added Ms Atkinson.

The green leasing concept was one of the panel's key recommendations. It also suggested the Government rent and lease only green buildings via its agencies to encourage more green buildings.

The panel will convene here again in October next year when Singapore will host, for the first time, the International Green Building Conference.

313@Somerset will be completed late next year.

$10m contract to build zero-energy building
Today Online 3 Oct 08;

THE $10.47-million contract for Singapore’s first zero-energy building (picture) has been awarded to local firm ACP Construction. Work to retrofit an existing building at the BCA Academy along Braddell Road starts this month and should be completed by next year.

As announced earlier, everything in the building, from the lights and air-conditioning, to the water in the toilets, will be sourced from renewable energy.

It will house green classrooms, a library, as well as a visitor centre that can be used for training purposes. The retrofitted building will also function as a test-bed for green building technologies, to see if new ideas can be adopted for commercial use.

The building is part of the Building and Construction Authority’s (BCA) plan to raise awareness of a sustainable built environment and is its flagship R & D project under its Green Building Masterplan.

The BCA had earlier awarded another tender for the building’s solar panel to Singapore firm Grenzone for $1.7 million.

ACP Construction has a track record for constructing high-tech buildings. They were involved in two Green Mark projects — 138 Depot Road and Neuros Biopolis Phase 2 in One North. ESTHER NG