meritocratic colorization: S'pore green building movement takes to the streets

The green building industry needs green attitudes from occupants to be effective. Image: SIEW.

Green buildings may have risen in popularity in Singapore in the past few years, but such buildings are ?green? only if their users are too.

This is why the local green building movement is moving beyond physical walls to reach out to the man in the street, Singapore Green Building Council (SGBC) president Tai Lee Siang told Eco-Business in a recent interview.

Strong government leadership here has enabled building owners to adopt newfangled green technology to make their buildings more efficient. ?But the industry is mindful that if the people who occupy them do not have a ?green attitude? to conserving energy and resources, such buildings will not function well,? he said.

The SGBC, an industry association with more than 300 members, is thus focusing its efforts to include engaging the wider community, so that ?green lifestyles can complement green buildings to achieve greater results?, he said.

For example, SGBC is collaborating with technology giant IBM and the Ministry of Education on ?Project Green Insights?, which will raise awareness of energy efficiency with schools in Singapore. Education is important, said Mr Tai, as green attitudes are best adopted from a young age and the youth will become the future generation of building users.

SGBC?s industry members, such as property developers Lend Lease, are also developing green leases where tenants have to agree to certain environmental targets when they lease a retail space.

This focus on the community will be the main theme at this year?s upcoming International Green Building Conference (IGBC), organized by SGBC, which will feature activities that reach out to tenants, consumers and the youth.

To be held at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre from 10 to 12 October, the conference will convene more than 50 international experts from 25 countries to speak on green buildings and sustainable lifestyles.

National building regulator, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA), is also set to unveil new Green Mark schemes for big users of energy such as supermarkets, retailers and data centres at the conference.

The Green Mark is a system developed by the BCA to rate buildings on their environmental performance. Singapore currently has more than 1,200 Green Mark buildings.

Director of BCA?s technology development group, Mr Tan Tian Chong noted in statement that since its launch in 2005, the Green Mark scheme has ?provided a meaningful differentiation of buildings in the real estate market.?

?Indeed, a Green Mark building is internationally recognized as having best practices in environmental design and performance. This can have positive value-add for building owners as well as end-users as they will be living and working in energy-efficient, greener and healthier environments. We will extend the Green Mark scheme to new frontiers to make Singapore an even greener and healthier place,? he said.

BCA also plans to introduce a web-based carbon calculator that will help building professionals determine the footprint of major construction materials and energy used in buildings.

To ensure that the industry is held to high standards, the SGBC will announce at the conference a new Green Services Certification Scheme, which will cover related sectors such as architectural design, mechanical and electrical services, energy management and consultancy, and contractors.

It is an extension of an existing Green Building Product Certification, launched in 2010, which certifies green building products. SGBC has certified a total of 144 green products to date.

Mr Tai noted that products are only one aspect of what makes a building green. Service providers, who help create such buildings, are also important. ?So the new scheme will create a certain benchmark? on which these providers can be certified,? he said.

Some 10,000 people are expected to attend October?s conference. It will be held together with Bex Asia 2012, an annual regional building expo focusing on eco-friendly products and solutions. Both events are part of the annual Singapore Green Building Week.

Some notable figures due to speak include Professor Jacqueline Cramer, Director of Utrecht Sustainability Institute and former Minister of Housing, Social Planning and the Environment of the Netherlands, Ms Jane Henley, chief executive of the World Green Building Council and the founder of Earth Hour, Mr Andy Ridley.

To register for the upcoming International Green Building Conference 2012, click here.