3 new requirements for buildings to be energy-efficient [News]

By Saifulbahri Ismail, Channel NewsAsia, 10 Sep 2012.

From next year, building owners will have to do more to show they’re energy efficient.

They have to fulfil three new requirements under the Building Control Act.

They have to get a minimum Green Mark standard when a cooling system is installed or changed.

The Green Mark is a benchmarking scheme by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) to promote sustainability such as reducing water and energy consumption by adopting best practices in environmental design.

They also have to submit energy audits on the cooling system once every three years as well as energy consumption data every year. Read more

New Green Mark schemes for supermarkets, retail and data centres to be launched at International Green Building Conference 2012 [Press Releases]

Singapore, 22 August 2012- New initiatives to engage the business community will be rolled out at the International Green Building Conference (IGBC 2012) to be held from October 10 to 12, 2012 at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore.

These will include new Green Mark schemes for supermarkets, retail and data centres – all of which are major energy consumers – and a web-based carbon calculator that will help building professionals find out the carbon footprint of major construction materials and buildings. These initiatives will be unveiled by Building and Construction Authority (BCA).

Some 10,000 people are expected to attend IGBC 2012 and Bex Asia 2012, an annual regional building expo focusing on eco-friendly products and solutions. IGBC 2012 is organised by Singapore Green Building Council (SGBC). Read more

A Look Inside Autodesk’s LEED and Green Mark Certified Office

Autodesk announced recently that its Singapore office at Solaris has received the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum Certification for Commercial Interiors (LEED CI-2009 Platinum), and this is Autodesk’s first office in Asia to be LEED certified. LEED is a rating system for green buildings developed by the US Green Building Council. In addition, Autodesk’s Solaris office also received the BCA Green Mark Platinum Award from the Building and Construction Authority of Singapore (BCA).

To find out more about this green office, we visited Autodesk at Solaris to explore the green features and understand what goes into achieving the LEED and Green Mark certification. After taking a tour of the office, we found that there were several green features in the office, including: Read more

MBS receives Green Mark Gold award for ‘green’ efforts [News]

By Evelyn Lam, Channel NewsAsia, 3 Mar 2012.

Integrated resort Marina Bay Sands (MBS) has been awarded a Green Mark Gold award for its sustainability efforts.

MBS is the largest building to receive the prize.

More than a hundred tonnes of waste get recycled at Marina Bay Sands each month, since it first opened its doors in 2010.

And it is doing so by incorporating several eco-friendly practices into its daily operations. Read more

Raffles Institution engage NEC to deploy real-time energy monitoring solution campus-wide [Press Releases]

Raffles Institution (RI) announced today that it has engaged NEC Asia Pacific (NEC APAC), a wholly owned subsidiary of NEC Corporation (HQ: Japan), to deploy real-time energy monitoring solution throughout its entire campus, as part of its bigger plan to improve energy efficiency and to achieve cost savings.

This initiative is part of RI’s continuous efforts towards creating a more environmentally-friendly campus. In August this year, RI was named the first recipient of the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) Green Mark GoldPlus Award [1], the second highest Green Mark rating under the BCA Green Mark for Existing Schools, which places stronger emphasis on raising the awareness among students and educating our future generation on the importance of environmental sustainability and conservation. Read more

Can S’pore buildings go “green” by 2030? [News]

By Joanne Chan, Channel NewsAsia, 22 Oct 2011.

The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) said the goal of “greening” 80 per cent of Singapore’s buildings by 2030 is an “ambitious target”.

Most buildings were constructed before new energy efficiency guidelines kicked in.

So far, about 12 per cent of existing floor areas had been “greened” and most of this took place in new buildings.

But BCA said the situation is improving, and it is working with existing building owners to recognise the benefits of being energy efficient.

In the National Development Ministry’s addendum to the President’s address, Mr Khaw Boon Wan pledged to step up efforts in “greening” buildings to make them more energy efficient and eco-friendly. Read more

BCA extends its Green Mark certification to restaurants [Press Releases]

1. BCA is extending its Green Mark scheme to another category beyond, or rather, within buildings – the restaurants. In the latest initiative to raise greater awareness of the importance of users’ sustainability thinking and behavior within buildings, BCA awarded five restaurants with the BCA Green Mark – the national green certification for buildings and one of the world’s first green building rating system to be developed for the tropical environment.

2. Four outlets of global restaurant chain McDonald’s were amongst this pioneer batch of restaurants to receive the accolade. They were also McDonald’s first restaurants to be certified ‘green’ in Asia. American-style diner Brewerkz at Riverside Point is the other recipient of the Green Mark certification. Read more

Restaurants awarded BCA Green Mark certification [News]

By Channel NewsAsia, 12 Sep 2011.

Singapore’s Building and Construction Authority (BCA) announced on Monday that it is extending its Green Mark scheme to restaurants.

Four McDonald’s outlets and an American-style diner, Brewerkz, were the first restaurants to be awarded the BCA Green Mark – the national green certification for buildings.

BCA said its new Green Mark for Restaurants scheme was introduced as a result of McDonald’s interest to “green” their restaurants as an extension of their global green strategy.

The McDonald’s outlet at Jurong Central Park, Asia’s first restaurant to be awarded the BCA Green Mark Platinum – the highest rating for green buildings – was conceptualised as a green building even before it was built. Read more

Momentum to “green” buildings picking up [News]

Green buildings are picking up momentum in Singapore, with the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) giving out a record number of BCA Green Mark awards to 164 winners this year, up from 102 last year.

Incentive schemes have been introduced encourage developers to go beyond the mandatory basic Green Mark standard for new buildings, such as additional floor area, which could translate to higher profit, said BCA chief executive office John Keung. “As a result, nowadays, you see a lot more Platinum projects, a lot more Gold Plus projects being developed,” he said.

Other incentives include reimbursements for engaging environmental experts, who can help in achieving an energy-efficient design for buildings. Read more

Autodesk to Expand Research and Development in Singapore [Press Releases]

Autodesk, Inc., a world leader in 3D design, engineering and entertainment software, continued its commitment to environmentally responsible operations, opening the company’s first green location in Asia Pacific. The new facility in Singapore’s Solaris building will house development teams supporting Autodesk’s broad product portfolio.

“Since establishing our regional headquarters in Singapore in 2001, Autodesk has become one of the country’s largest software developers,” said Amar Hanspal, senior vice president, Platform Solutions and Emerging Businesses, Autodesk. “We’re honored to have raised the bar for both design software and more responsible, energy efficient offices. We currently employ hundreds of people in Singapore, comprising 20 nationalities. Through our ongoing collaboration with the Singapore Economic Development Board, Autodesk plans to continue to increase its local workforce in the coming years.” Read more

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