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  Today Online 15 Dec 06
Efficient & eco-friendly $20m incentive scheme and $50m research fund for 'green' buildings Tor Ching Li

The Straits Times 15 Dec 06
$50m R&D fund to boost energy efficiency
Jessica Cheam

The Straits Times 15 Dec 06
New public buildings to go green from 2007
By Jessica Cheam

Channel NewsAsia 14 Dec 06
S$70m set aside to encourage developers to 'go green'
By Julia Ng

Channel NewsAsia 14 Dec 06
Govt encourages firms, developers to be more environment-friendly
By May Wong

SINGAPORE : The government is encouraging firms and developers to be more environmentally-friendly through three new initiatives. Minister of State for National Development Grace Fu announced this at the Real Estate Developers Association of Singapore's 47th Anniversary Dinner.

For a start, Ms Fu says all new public sector buildings and those undergoing major retrofitting works must be Green Mark certified. Green Mark is a rating system to evaluate a building for its environmental impact and performance. HDB, the largest housing developer here, will have all its new public housing certified from next year.

The second initiative of $20 million will go into the new Green Mark Incentive Scheme over three years. It will be used to reward those who use green building technologies extensively.

Finally, the National Development Ministry has allocated $50 million to a new research fund over the next five years. It aims to intensify research and development efforts in green building technologies and energy efficiency. A request for proposals will be called next month.

"The above initiatives demonstrate the government's commitment towards green building technologies. We hope to see more developers taking the initiative to develop green buildings in Singapore. The vibrant property development market provides ample opportunities to make use of the incentives and create a quality living environment for Singaporeans," says Ms Fu. - CNA /ls

Channel NewsAsia 14 Dec 06
S$70m set aside to encourage developers to 'go green'
By Julia Ng

SINGAPORE : S$70 million will be set aside for research and incentives for developers to build more environmentally-friendly buildings over the next five years.

And the government will take the lead. From April 1 next year, all new public buildings and those under retrofitting must have the Green Mark certification.

All these initiatives are part of the government's Green Building Masterplan.

It has been nearly two years since the Green Mark scheme was launched in January 2005 to encourage developers to build more environmentally-friendly buildings. So far 10 public buildings, and 24 private properties - one of which is The Exchange Beijing retrofitted by Singapore developers - have been awarded the Green Mark certification.

Dr John Keung, CEO, Building and Construction Authority, said, "A Green Mark building is an energy efficient building. So you can reap the benefit of energy savings year after year; if you're talking about some higher tier Green Mark...25 to 30 percent saving in energy costs.

"So based on our estimate so far, and given the cost of a Green Mark building today, you'd probably need seven to 10 years for a payback for your investment. But in the longer term, it's actually cheaper to build a Green Mark building."

From energy efficient features and water conservation measures, to improved indoor air quality and the use of recycled water, Green Mark buildings have shown that it pays to invest in environmentally-friendly designs and technology.

(Green Mark) Platinum award winner Tan Tock Seng Hospital, for example, saves S$400,000 a year on energy bills by going green. Tan Tock Seng Hospital is among the four public buildings awarded the top honours of Green Mark Platinum.

The public sector will continue to take the lead. Upcoming projects like Alexandra Hospital @ Yishun, the new People Association Headquarters and the Marina Barrage visitor centre will also be aiming for the Green Mark.

From next April, all new public buildings, including new HDB flats, must also be certified with at least the Green Mark.

To nudge private developers into building more green buildings, and to retrofit old ones, a S$20 million Green Mark Cash Grant Incentive Scheme has been set up by the BCA. It will offer a grant of up to S$6 per square metre of built area to help defray additional costs of making buildings environmentally-friendly.

Dr Keung explained, "To get a Green Mark building design, the best way to do it is to get it right from Day One. You design the building to be energy efficient, and so on and so forth. So under this incentive scheme, we're going to assess the building plan. When we're satisfied that they can be awarded certain Green Mark certification - Gold, Gold Plus or Platinum level - we will give them the first instalment - 50 percent of the incentive under this scheme.

"Then after the building is completed, occupied, a year after T.O.P., we would do the check to make sure that they can achieve the 25 percent or 30 percent energy saving. And once we are satisfied, we'll give them the second instalment."

BCA estimates that some 120 to 150 buildings would benefit from the scheme.

Dr Keung said, "We have in the last two years managed to get 34 buildings to be Green Mark certified, and we hope that in the next few years, with this incentive scheme, we can get (200-300) buildings to come on board." In the longer term, we'd probably need hundreds, if not thousands of green mark buildings to come in to create that critical mass for Singapore...build up a bigger critical mass of green mark buildings and as a result with more buildings coming in for Green Mark, we can achieve better economies of scale. And I guess when the green building technology, the cost of doing it comes down, there'll be more buildings coming in for Green Mark, and it will be a few more steps closer to our vision to have a sustainable city. And when you have buildings that are environmentally more friendly, that's the kind of benefits that we're looking for in the long term."

A S$50 million Research Fund will also be set up. The first-of-its-kind dedicated R&D fund for construction and real estate sectors aims to promote green building technologies, energy efficiency and indoor environment quality over the next five years.

The first Request for Proposal for the Fund will open on January 5 next year and close on February 28 2007. It is open to all Singapore-based proposers, including tertiary institutions, public sector agencies, private companies and individuals.

Successful applicants can get funding assistance to cover 30 to 75 percent of the qualifying cost of the research project, capped at S$ 2million per proposal. But the biggest incentive for private developers to build green buildings has to be because consumers want it.

So a public education campaign will be launched early next year, on the long-term savings and benefits of environmentally-friendly buildings. - CNA/ms

Today Online 15 Dec 06
Efficient & eco-friendly $20m incentive scheme and $50m research fund for 'green' buildings Tor Ching Li chingli@mediacorp.com.sg

THE Marina Bay Sands integrated resort will most probably be a green building--but we're not talking about the colour scheme.

In a push to encourage more "green" buildings--or buildings which are energy efficient and environmentally friendly--the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) has been talking to the developers of the integrated resort to have the Marina Bay Sands certified as a Green Mark building.

"They are very interested," said BCA chief executive John Keung.

If Marina Bay Sands comes on board, it will be help BCA reach its new target to have 200 Green Mark-certified buildings over the next three years.

These buildings should have features such as heat-deflecting building material, solar panels or a pneumatic refuse system to protect the environment, ensure energy and water efficiency and a good indoor environment. Taking the lead is the public sector.

From April next year, all new public buildings and those undergoing retrofitting will have to be Green Mark-certified. The BCA estimates this will apply to five to 10 public buildings each year.

The Housing Development Board will also have all new public housing certified with effect from January.

To encourage more developers to join the green movement, the National Development Ministry has rolled out a $20-million cash incentive scheme. With immediate effect, new and retrofitted buildings that receive the platinum award under the BCA's Green Mark Scheme will be given a cash incentive of up to $3 million or 0.4 per cent of the construction cost, which- ever is lower.

The gold award winners can get up to $300,000, or 0.2 per cent of the construction cost.

Among the new private sector developments seeking certification are The Sail @ Marina Bay, St Regis Residences and The Rivergate condominium.

The Minister of State for National Development, Ms Grace Fu. said at the Real Estate Developers' Association of Singapore's 47th anniversary dinner last night: "Over a life cycle, Green Mark buildings are more cost-effective. People living and working in green buildings enjoy improved indoor environmental quality as well. All of these will allow green developments to command a price and rental premium over 'non-green' developments."

Ms Fu also announced that another $50 million will be channelled towards funding research over the next five years to make buildings more liveable for tropical and humid climates. Individuals, companies and tertiary institutes can submit their projects for funding from Jan 5.

The Straits Times 15 Dec 06
New public buildings to go green from 2007
By Jessica Cheam

Private sector urged to follow suit; Government offers incentives

IT IS goodbye to chilly offices with sweater-clad workers and hello to high-tech air-conditioning, waterless urinals and solar power - as Singapore's buildings gear up to 'go green'.

From next year, all new public buildings and those undergoing major retrofitting have to earn the environment-friendly 'Green Mark' - proof that they are energy- and water-efficient, with good indoor environments.

All new Housing Board flats will have the Green Mark. But not all upgrading HDB blocks have to earn the certification, as the buildings' physical constraints may prevent compliance.

The public sector is taking the lead in embracing green building technology, Minister of State (National Development) Grace Fu said yesterday as she announced the Building and Construction Authority's (BCA) Green Building Masterplan. Ms Fu urged the private sector to follow suit.

She backed the call by pledging $70 million in incentives to encourage developers to embrace sustainable development and the industry to step up research and development efforts.

The BCA's Green Mark scheme, launched last January, rates buildings for their environmental impact and performance. It takes into account energy and water efficiency, indoor environment quality, building management and environmental innovation.

Green buildings are also good for the bottom line. 'Studies in the US have shown that water savings of up to 30 per cent, and energy savings of 20 to 30 per cent are possible,' said Ms Fu.

BCA chief executive John Keung said this initiative was a critical milestone for Singapore and hoped the incentives would encourage more green buildings, as increased demand will create more competition and prices for materials and services will fall.

'We want Singapore to know we are very serious about this,' he said. 'Our buildings are a major consumer of energy and the greatest generator of waste. As a small built-up country, sustainability is even more important.'

Developers can draw cash incentives of up to $3 million per project from the $20 million Green Building Incentive Scheme. The amounts depend on the level of a building's Green Mark rating. A Gold rating is given to buildings that score between 70 and 79 points in the BCA assessment, Gold Plus for 80 to 84 and the highest Platinum for 85 to 100 points.

In addition, Singapore-based companies and individuals can obtain grants from the $50 million MND fund for R&D of green technologies for the building industry.

Currently, 34 buildings have Green Mark certification. Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) is one of four public buildings that obtained the Platinum rating. TTSH's green innovations - like sensors that turn down air-cons when it rains - have saved it $3 million a year in power bills.

Private properties like City Developments' The Sail@Marina Bay and St Regis Hotel & Residences, which have features like solar heating for swimming pools, have obtained the Gold and Gold Plus awards respectively.

CDL's general manager for projects, Mr Eddie Wong, felt the government offer to defray some of the additional costs 'will help tip over some developers sitting on the fence'.

Smaller developers also welcomed the move. Hong How Corporation chief executive Daniel Teo said he had been looking into green buildings but had been deterred by the initial development costs, which are usually 3-6 per cent more than regular buildings.

Singapore Environment Council executive director Howard Shaw said it was commendable that the public sector had committed itself to a deadline. But he said Singaporeans also needed to be informed about the benefits of going green.

'The more educated Singaporeans are, the more they will respect the environment,' he said.

Dr Keung agreed that public education was crucial: 'Only when there's a consumer-driven demand will the industry respond.'

BCA will also embark on campaigns and public education early next year to drive home the message. It hopes Singapore has 200 more green buildings in the next three years.

The Straits Times 15 Dec 06
$50m R&D fund to boost energy efficiency
Jessica Cheam
Priority for ideas that emphasise sustainable development, green building technologies

IS SOLAR energy viable for HDB blocks? Can heat be harnessed from air-conditioning units and reused? These problems may be tackled - and the solutions applied - in the next five years as research and development in green technology is given a $50 million boost in Singapore.

The R&D fund, the first in this industry, was announced by Minister of State for National Development Grace Fu at the 47th anniversary dinner of the Real Estate Developers' Association of Singapore last night and was warmly welcomed by industry players.

Associate Professor Lee Siew Eang of the National University of Singapore's Department of Building said there was an urgent need to look at renewable energy sources and energy efficiency.

This follows naturally from Singapore's recent signing of the Kyoto Protocol, an international agreement among industrialised countries to meet greenhouse gas emission targets.

'This is a timely era of development for us, as we don't want to fall behind other countries in this region,' said Prof Lee.

According to the Department of Statistics, Singapore's electricity consumption has grown at a compounded annual rate of over 4.7 per cent since 1996.

'We've been looking at overseas partnerships and establishing links in countries like Switzerland and Germany to develop more knowledge and incorporate the technology,' said Prof Lee.

Ms Rita Soh, president of the Singapore Institute of Architects, said local architects have long been advocates of green technology but have been limited by high costs.

'With the upcoming big projects like the integrated resorts, we can utilise this fund to pursue the application of green architecture and eco-friendly features,' she said.

Mr John Ting, principal architect of AIM & Associates, said he was already considering applying for funding. 'There's a lot that can be done, in terms of design, building facades, materials and reusability. We're definitely very excited about this,' he said.

The fund will give priority to proposals that emphasise sustainable development, green building technologies and energy efficiency.

There is a $2 million cap per proposal. Applications for grants open on Jan 7.

Mr Joreg Walderer, managing director of the Singapore-based SolarWorld, which supplies solar products and technology, said this initiative was a good start and that the Asian market was showing encouraging signs of shifting towards greener products.
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