BT : Giving a push to the public and private sectors

Business Times - 27 May 2010

Giving a push to the public and private sectors

SOME 80 per cent of all buildings in Singapore have to be 'green' - that is, Green Mark-certified - by 2030, according to a new target set last year.

And to make sure that the private sector plays its part in helping to meet this goal, industry regulator Building and Construction Authority (BCA) has been working hard to promote sustainable design.

The agency's main thrusts revolve around getting more public sector buildings to be Green Mark-certified as well as encouraging private sector developers to aim for higher Green Mark levels.

BCA first introduced the Green Mark award in 2005 to rate the 'environmental friendliness' of buildings here. Depending on the overall assessment and points scored, a building is given a Green Mark Platinum, GoldPlus, Gold or Certified rating. Currently, there are more than 300 Green Mark buildings in Singapore.

A legislation requiring all new buildings and those undergoing major retrofitting works to achieve a minimum standard of environmental sustainability was then introduced in April 2008. This was part of BCA's first Green Building Masterplan, which also saw the introduction of a $20 million incentive scheme for developers of new buildings and a $50 million research fund to encourage greater adoption of green building technologies.

The sharp increase in the number of Green Mark buildings in 2007 was a testament to the success of the first Green Building Masterplan launched in 2006 - which placed emphasis on new buildings and those undergoing major retrofitting - BCA said.

Now, with the second Green Building Masterplan, BCA is pushing the public sector to take the lead. New public sector buildings and those undergoing major retrofitting works will be required to meet the highest Green Mark Platinum status - which will be at least 30 per cent more energy efficient than code-compliant buildings. Existing public sector buildings are also required to meet Green Mark GoldPlus Standards by 2020.

And incentives are in place to encourage the private sector to go for higher Green Mark levels. These include a $100 million incentive scheme for private building owners to retrofit existing buildings. BCA is also offering bonus gross floor area (GFA) allowances for new private buildings that attain higher Green Mark ratings. This has encouraged more developers to attain the higher tier Green Mark ratings of GoldPlus or Platinum awards for new projects, even though they have to pay the development charges applicable for the additional GFA.

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