Authority (BCA) is developing the 3rd Green Building Masterplan to guide Singapore’s green building journey over the next five to ten years. This Masterplan has outlined a new vision for Singapore – to be a global leader in green buildings, with special expertise in the tropics and sub-tropics,” informed Lee Yi Shyan,
Senior minister of state at ministry of trade and industry and ministry of national development, at the recently held Singapore Contractors Association conference on environmental sustainability.
“BCA is developing the 3rd Green Building Masterplan to guide Singapore’s green building journey over the next five to ten years.”
Under this, starting January, 2015, all companies who are registered or intending to register with BCA’s Contractors Registry (CRS) for general building or civil engineering works must first be certified under the Green and Gracious Builder Scheme (GGBS), he informed, “though this will be done in a phased manner,” Lee added. The Authority will soon release a second edition of GGBS, which will place more emphasis on gracious practices, such as noise mitigation and good human resource practices, leading to higher customer and community satisfaction.
The GGBS was launched in 2009 as a voluntary scheme to raise environmental consciousness and professionalism in the construction industry in Singapore. As of October 2013, 70 builders have been certified under the Scheme.
“HDB is extending the concept of green and sustainable lifestyles beyond Punggol…”
Govt’s support
The Authority has pumped in S$5.3 million since 2010 co-sponsoring more than 60 projects, under its S$15 million Sustainable Construction Capability Development Fund. It covers the entire value chain of the construction industry including contractors, recyclers, suppliers, consultants and builders.
Moreover, S$3 million fund is being set aside for co-funding of training workers in sustainable construction-related industry development programmes.
HDB’s Greenprint
Singapore’s Housing and Development Board (HDB), as part of the – Roadmap to Better Living in HDB Towns, aims to bring sustainable living into existing HDB estates by implementing its Greenprint. “It is a comprehensive and integrated framework of goals and strategies to guide greener HDB town development and create sustainable homes. In the Greenprint framework, HDB is extending the concept of green and sustainable lifestyles beyond Punggol, so as to build Green Neighbourhoods, Green Flats and Green Communities,” informs HDB.
“The Board will pilot the Greenprint at Yuhua estate in Jurong. “Thirty-eight blocks of flats in Yuhua will be the first to be transformed into a ‘Green Neighbourhood’. The findings from this pilot project will be used to refine the Greenprint model, before it is rolled out to other HDB towns.”
History of Singapore’s green building efforts
The Singapore green building movement began in 2005 when BCA introduced the Green Mark rating as the national yardstick to rate the environmental sustainability of buildings. The 1st Green Building Masterplan was formulated in 2006 and it focused on new buildings. Subsequently, the 2nd Masterplan was launched in 2009, placing greater emphasis on ‘greening’ the existing building stock. Under the Sustainable Singapore Blueprint, the government has set a target of having at least 80% of all buildings in Singapore attaining the minimum Green Mark standard by 2030. Today, it is 21%. Additionally, organisations like the Singapore Green Building Council (SGBC), with close to 400 members, have been instrumental in advocating green building design, practices and technologies in the country. The SGBC’s certification scheme for green buildingrelated products and services also is another means to drive demand for greener products. The Council has certified 415 building and building-related products till date.