Making their mark on the environment
Developers here find green technology and features increasingly attractive because of their cost-effectiveness, reports OLIVIA HO
THE push for sustainable buildings here is picking up steam, as industry stakeholders warm to the idea that it makes business sense to go green.
More and more buildings are qualifying for the Building and Construction Authority's (BCA) Green Mark award. This year saw BCA award 102 buildings Green Mark status - far above the 16 buildings recognised in 2006 by the then-fledgling award.
Launched in 2005, the Green Mark scheme evaluates buildings for their environmental impact and performance. Depending on the overall assessment and point scoring, buildings will be certified BCA Green Mark Platinum, GoldPlus, Gold or Certified, with Platinum being the top rating.
Certified Green Mark buildings must be re-assessed every three years to maintain their status.
Developers are finding the green wave increasingly attractive because of its cost-effectiveness. 'Reducing the life cycle or operating cost of buildings is seen as the prime business reason for developing a green building,' said a BCA spokesman.
Cost savings are derived from efficient use of key resources such as energy and water, leading to lower operation and maintenance costs. Intangible benefits, such as enhanced occupant productivity and health due to good indoor environmental quality, also make themselves felt in the long run.
However, an increasing demand for green buildings has given developers added impetus to go green. 'Clients - ranging from socially responsible multinational corporations to sophisticated individual consumers - are demanding to lease or purchase only green buildings and homes,' said the BCA spokesman.
Developers acknowledge that consumer demand is a key factor in sustaining the development of green buildings. Says Kwek Leng Joo, managing director of City Developments Ltd (CDL): 'Where there is greater demand, there will be increased commitment for the development of sustainable properties.'
To date, there are over 440 Green Mark buildings in Singapore. The improving response to the awards has led BCA to extend the scheme to other categories. For instance, it launched the Green Mark for Office Interior last year after it was approached by a number of international firms to develop such a category.
As one of the 21 Green Building rating systems recognised by the World Green Building Council (WGBC), the Green Mark scheme has also gained popularity in the region, as it is developed especially for the tropical climate. As at 2009, there are more than 70 Green Mark projects across the Asean region, China, India and the Middle East.
Despite the scheme's success so far, BCA is not letting up. It announced in March that it would be tightening standards for the Green Mark certification. For instance, the minimum energy efficiency standards that must be met before a new building can get certified will be raised by 10 per cent from today's standards.
BCA will also be upping the energy efficiency standards for other Green Mark levels. Currently, a building must achieve at least 25 per cent energy savings to qualify for GoldPlus, and at least 30 per cent to qualify for Platinum.
CDL is undaunted by the stricter standards. It has already garnered the largest number of Green Mark awards for a single developer. It has 40 Green Mark developments, of which 10 are Platinum. CDL said it would continue to raise the bar for the construction industry by achieving a minimum Green Mark Gold rating for all its new developments.
Among CDL's latest green achievements is the W Singapore Sentosa Cove, which this year became the first new hotel to be certified Green Mark Platinum. About 3.5 per cent of the hotel's construction cost was invested in the development of green innovations, which are expected to result in energy savings of over 3.3 million kilowatt hours (kWh) per year.
These innovations include the Heat Pump Templifier, which heats water more efficiently while simultaneously producing reusable chilled water as a by-product. This reduces the burden on the hotel's otherwise overloaded boilers and cooling towers, thus lowering electrical demands.
High-tech innovations aside, W Singapore Sentosa Cove also impressed Green Mark assessors with simple features such as sensors installed in the balcony doors of all guestrooms. The sensors automatically cut off the air-conditioning system if the doors are left open after a stipulated time period, thus reducing the amount of energy that guests may waste unconsciously.
Another Platinum-certified new building is the East Campus of United World College South-east Asia (UWCSEA East). Developed by JTC Corporation, the Tampines campus is designed to consume around 25 to 30 per cent less electricity than conventional buildings of similar size and function. Energy-saving features include a solar thermal system that uses the sun's heat to power the campus' air conditioning and heat its water.
Not only will the greening effort save UWCSEA East an estimated 3.08 million kWh per year, it also provided inspiration for the building's aesthetics. The campus' Education Block 1 sports a 'green shield' - greenery planted on the exterior walls of the building's corridor. Apart from reducing the temperature, the unusual façade is intended to make visitors feel like they are walking through a forest.
While green investment may be hefty, BCA advises companies that having clear green goals from day one will save them a great deal of both money and trouble, as effective collaboration between consultants and stakeholders at inception will produce a more cost-effective design.
Some developers feel that the benefits more than outweigh their expenditure in the long run. CDL, which typically invests between 2 per cent and 5 per cent of construction costs in green technology and features, estimates that it can save about $4 million in electricity annually from just the 10 buildings it got certified in 2009.
For CDL, a company's greatest difficulty in going green is not cost. 'The biggest challenge in sustaining green practices is the nurturing and integration of this conviction into a company's DNA,' says Mr Kwek.
'Building green development is more than just placing a couple of eco-friendly features within a property,' he says. 'The entire cycle must be aligned with environmental commitment.'
Copyright © 2010 Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. All rights reserved.
Energy efficient: Platinum-certified UWCSEA East (above) is designed to consume 25-30 per cent less electricity than conventional buildings of similar size and function.
Green innovations at the WSingapore Sentosa Cove (above), also certified Platinum, are expected to result in energy savings of over 3.3 million kilowatt hours per year
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