MEDIA RELEASE [embargoed till 20 May 2018, 6pm]

• More developers and building owners are choosing to green their buildings and are achieving higher-tiered BCA Green Mark ratings

• The Green Mark experience opens up opportunities for Singapore consultants to venture into overseas green building markets

• Exemplary developers recognise the value of BCA Green Mark and are going the extra mile in engaging tenants to go green

   

Singapore, 20 May 2018 – The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) will be giving out the Green Mark Award to 420 projects this year, a significant increase from the 347 awarded last year. Nearly half of the awards conferred this year will achieve the higher-tiered BCA Green Mark Platinum and Gold^PLUS ratings.

 

1. The increasing number of Green Mark projects show that building developers and owners are recognising the value and benefits of green buildings, which include lower operating cost throughout a building’s life cycle. Many building owners also recognise the importance of maintaining their buildings green and are returning for Green Mark recertification every three years. Notably, one in five of the Green Mark awards this year is given to such existing buildings.

    

2. Mr. Hugh Lim, BCA CEO said, “2018 is designated as the Year of Climate Action in Singapore. This year’s awards demonstrate the growing community of stakeholders in the Built Environment who are indeed taking action to address climate change. BCA and industry have jointly set high green building standards and capabilities which we continue to improve year after year. Thanks to the collective efforts of industry partners such as the Singapore Green Building Council, developers and building owners are becoming more aware of the environmental, social and economic benefits of green buildings and are willing to invest in higher-tiered Green Mark buildings. We will continue to encourage greater collaboration between industry and communities in setting higher benchmarks for sustainable practices in our built environment.”

    

Green Mark Champions: HDB, MHA and Frasers Property

 

1. The Housing & Development Board (HDB) will be conferred the Green Mark Platinum Champion award this year, the first public agency to receive this award. As the master planner and developer of Singapore’s public housing, HDB has an overarching Sustainable Development Framework to guide the development of new HDB towns and projects, so as to push the boundaries of design, sustainability and liveability to enhance residents’ quality of life and living environment. Thus far, more than 360 HDB projects have met Green Mark standards. This is about a quarter of Singapore’s green buildings by floor area, the largest single contribution by far from a developer.

    

2. Among HDB’s 21 Green Mark projects this year is SkyResidence @ Dawson, which will be conferred the BCA Green Mark Platinum Award, the highest accolade under the BCA Green Mark scheme. Energy efficient lighting with motion sensors at the staircases, regenerative lifts, separate chutes for recyclable waste at blocks and eco-pedestals for toilets in flats are some examples of features adopted within the estate to manage energy, waste and water more efficiently. <More details on HDB in Annex B>

    

3. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Frasers Property Singapore, will also join the ranks of the BCA Green Mark Champions. These two organisations have shown their strong commitment to environmental sustainability through the number of projects which have attained the BCA Green Mark awards.

    

4. To date, MHA has received 16 BCA Green Mark awards. The Sentosa Fire Station was the first fire station to attain the BCA Green Mark Platinum Award in 2015.  This year, both the Woodlands and Tuas Checkpoints have achieved the Green Mark Platinum ratings through the retrofitting of their chiller plants, as well as installation of energy efficient LED lighting and solar photovoltaics (PVs).  Together, these measures are expected to save around 30% and 50% of energy each year, for Woodlands and Tuas Checkpoints respectively. <More details on MHA in Annex B>

    

5. The other Green Mark Champion, Frasers Property, has bagged 26 Green Mark awards thus far. One of the winning projects this year is Northpoint City, which recently completed an asset enhancement initiative for its North Wing while introducing a second precinct known as the South Wing. Northpoint City employs both passive design and active solutions for its green features. Besides incorporating lush greenery, the building is designed with a high performance building envelope such as low emissivity double-glazed glass to reduce heat gain into the building. To cut down on the energy consumption, there is also a highly efficient air conditioning and lighting system, as well as sensors in the stairway. These features helped Northpoint City achieve the Green Mark Gold^PLUS rating. Another shopping mall under Frasers Property, Causeway Point, will retain its Green Mark Platinum status this year, after returning for their second recertification. Causeway Point was first conferred the BCA Green Mark Award in 2011. <More details on Frasers Property in Annex B>

    

Green Mark experience opens up opportunities for Singapore consultants overseas

 

1. Since the BCA Green Mark scheme was introduced in 2005, Singapore consultants and developers have consistently raised our industry’s standards and built up their green building capabilities. To date, close to 50 Singapore-based firms are involved in many of the 300 overseas Green Mark projects in 14 countries.

    

2. One such consultancy firm is Building System & Diagnostics (BSD) Pte Ltd. They are one of the pioneers in the green building arena, having started out in 2003 by providing advisory services in the areas of sustainable building design and energy optimisation solutions, amongst others. Besides Singapore, they currently have branches in Malaysia, China and Myanmar.  BSD has provided consultancy services to more than 160 Green Mark projects thus far, including 46 this year. <More details on BSD in Annex C>

    

3. Mr Tan Phay Ping, Co-Founder and Managing Director of BSD said, “The BCA Green Mark is well sought after in the region due to its robust assessment methods and its focus on the tropics. With our strong foundation and track record in Singapore, BSD decided to venture overseas as there was growing demand for expertise in green building design in the region.”

    

Greening from the inside: Exemplary building owners go the extra mile in engaging tenants to go green

1. While the Green Mark Awards are conferred to exemplary building projects, BCA also recognises landlords who have gone the extra mile in getting their tenants to go green.

    

2. A case in point is City Square Mall - the building itself has gone through three rounds of Green Mark recertification and consistently retained its Green Mark Platinum rating. The landlord, City Developments Limited (CDL) recognises the value and benefits of green buildings and premises, and has been actively engaging its tenants to green their restaurants, retail outlets and offices.

    

3. In recognition of its efforts in getting at least 70% of City Square Mall’s tenanted area certified under BCA’s Green Mark schemes, CDL will be accorded the top-tiered Green Mark Pearl Prestige Award for City Square Mall this year. They will also be receiving another two Green Mark Pearl awards for Republic Plaza Tower 2 and Manulife Centre.  Additionally, CapitaLand Group will be receiving their first Green Mark Pearl Award for Capital Tower, for their efforts in engaging their tenants to green over 50% of the building’s total tenanted area. CapitaHub, CapitaLand’s headquarters located within Capital Tower, achieved the Platinum rating under the Green Mark for Office Interior scheme in 2016.

    

4. With the latest batch of Green Mark projects, Singapore has ‘greened’ more than one-third of its buildings’ total gross floor area. This brings Singapore another step closer to the national target of greening 80% of all buildings by 2030.

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