wild places | wild happenings | wild news
make a difference for our wild places

home | links | search the site
  all articles latest | past | articles by topics | search wildnews
wild news on wildsingapore
  Today Online 10 Apr 07
Kudos to CDL: Now other developers should go green too
Letter from Maryanne Maes

Channel NewsAsia 6 Apr 07
CDL gets green award for eco-friendly mall

Today Online 6 Apr 07
Coming your way: The eco-friendly mall
Hoe Yeen Nie

A URINAL that uses no water and sensors that monitor carbon monoxide levels in the air — these are coming to a shopping mall near you.

The eco-friendly features of City Developments Limited's soon-to-be completed City Square Mall (picture) have won it the Building and Construction Authority's Green Mark Platinum award. This makes it the first private developer so recognised.

The mall, being built at the junction of Kitchener and Serangoon roads, is due for completion in two years with green features such as an urban park and an eco-roof that harnesses solar power while keeping the plaza below cool. There is even a pneumatic waste removal system that promises to clean without any residual smells.

Said Mr Allen Ang, senior manager of CDL's Projects Division: "In designing City Square Mall, we do not just look at the hardware, meaning the eco-features. We have also planned for software, in influencing our tenants and our shoppers to go green with us."

He was referring to eco-learning features such as campaigns and events where the public can learn about conservation. Through innovations such as motion sensors to control lighting levels and a central air- conditioning facility, City Square Mall expects to cut its carbon dioxide emissions by 5 ,700 tonnes annually — an amount that would take roughly 25,750 trees to absorb.

Since the Green Mark scheme was introduced in 2005, CDL has also won the Platinum award for its work on private residence The Oceanfront @ Sentosa Cove, bringing its total number of Green Mark awards to 16.

Channel NewsAsia 6 Apr 07
CDL gets green award for eco-friendly mall

SINGAPORE: City Developments Limited (CDL) has just been awarded the Building and Construction Authority's Green Mark Platinum Award for its soon-to-be built City Square Mall.

The shopping mall's eco-friendly features include a urinal that uses no water and sensors that monitor carbon monoxide levels in the air. The mall will also have green features such as a roof garden, urban park and an eco-roof that harnesses solar power while keeping the plaza cool.

CDL is the first private developer to win the platinum award that recognises exemplary green projects that effectively demonstrate energy and water savings, and possess environmentally sustainable building practices and innovative green features.

Singaporeans will be able to enjoy the eco-mall, located at the junction of Kitchener and Serangoon Roads, in two years' time.

City Developments said its building is not just a mall, but an eco-learning mall. Allen Ang, Senior Manager, Projects Division, CDL, said: "In designing City Square Mall, we do not just look at the hardware. 'Hardware' means the eco-features. We have also planned for the software, which is to influence our tenants and shoppers to go green with us.

"We provide eco-learning for the features we put in. We organise campaigns and events to invite tenants and shoppers to participate in learning about environmental conservation."

Through innovations such as motion sensors to control lighting levels and a central air- conditioning facility, City Square Mall expects to reduce 5,700 tonnes of carbon dioxide emission annually and enjoy cost-savings of almost 39 percent.

"With green buildings, I believe we'll contribute to reducing global warming. And of course we would enjoy savings and see benefits in operational efficiency," said Mr Ang.

CDL has also won the platinum award for its work on a private residence, The Oceanfront @ Sentosa Cove, bringing its total number of Green Mark awards to 16. - CNA/so

Today Online 10 Apr 07
Kudos to CDL: Now other developers should go green too
Letter from Maryanne Maes

I refer to the report, "Coming your way: The eco-friendly mall" (April 6).

I applaud City Development Limited's (CDL) move in committing to an eco-friendly City Square Mall. This should mark the beginning of an era where private corporations carry out their verbal claims on becoming environmentally and socially responsible organisations.

While CDL's efforts should be lauded, it should also be mindful that its environmental policies must stand the test of time.

Very often, corporations are more fixated on attaining certification rather than maintaining their status. There was also no mention of the National Environment Agency's (NEA) role in this development, notwithstanding the Building and Construction Authority's (BCA) key role in the Green Mark scheme.

Carbon dioxide emission is very much NEA's concern, and this agency should look at CDL's pioneering model of eco-friendly mall to gauge the effectiveness of the cutting-edge innovations, and integrate with BCA's efforts to spread awareness among other developers to adopt eco-features.

In addition, why not take this eco-friendly step further? How about getting all shops in the City Square mall to cut down on providing plastic bags to customers?

There is an upward trend on this awareness, and CDL has also committed to influencing its tenants and shoppers to go green with it. This will definitely create a conducive setting for corporations such as CDL to take a serious stand on their corporate environmental and social responsibilities.

I hope other developers would see the bottomline sense in following in CDL's footsteps.
links

Related articles on Singapore: green buildings
about the site | email ria
  News articles are reproduced for non-profit educational purposes.
 

website©ria tan 2003 www.wildsingapore.com