New Financing Scheme and Minimum Standards for Existing Buildings Announced at the International Green Building Conference 2011

Minister of State for National Development and Manpower, BG (NS) Tan Chuan-Jin announced a new financing scheme and minimum Green Mark standards for existing buildings at today’s opening of the International Green Building Conference (IGBC) 2011, which is part of the annual Singapore Green Building Week.

In the Singapore Sustainable Blueprint, the government has set a target to green 80% of Singapore’s buildings by 2030. 95% of Singapore’s building stock are existing buildings. The challenge is how to green the existing buildings, given the higher cost of retrofitting and the lack of financing.

To help existing building owners overcome the barrier of high upfront retrofitting costs, BG (NS) Tan announced that the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) will launch a pilot scheme from 1 Oct called the Building Retrofit Energy Efficiency Financing (BREEF) Scheme. Read more

Green Mark building scheme gets UN attention [News]

By Jessica Cheam, The Straits Times, 12 Sep 2011.

You might not have noticed, but Singapore’s buildings have been getting greener.

Across the island, 840 have been awarded the Green Mark – which certifies them as environmentally friendly.

The programme has come a long way since it was launched in 2005. That year, only 17 buildings were given this stamp of approval.

But since then, more offices and homes – both existing and new – have been brought up to standard, adopting measures such as energy efficient air-conditioning and meeting targets on recycling.

The United Nations was so impressed by the Green Mark scheme, it wants to work with the Building and Construction Authority, which runs it. This tie-up could involve research and training programmes to promote environmentally friendly buildings, and an agreement is due to be signed on Wednesday. Read more

International Green Building Conference 2011 to Explore Innovative, Sustainable, and Actionable Green Building Solutions Especially for the Tropics and Sub-Tropics [Press Releases]

Singapore, 16 August 2011 – The main highlight of the Singapore Green Building Week (SGBW), the International Green Building Conference (IGBC) 2011, will see industry experts and practitioners, and policy-makers from across the Asia-Pacific and North America gather in Singapore from 13 to 16 September 2011. Together, they will address challenges and explore solutions in green building development, including innovative, sustainable and actionable solutions for the tropics and sub-tropics.

Organised by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA), the government agency responsible for the built environment and green building policies1 in Singapore, IGBC 2011 is expected to attract more than 1,000 participants – from real estate developers to urban planners, architects, engineers and other industry professionals – committed to understanding and putting into action real-world, tangible green building solutions. Also present at the conference will be policy-makers and key government officials from several growth markets, specially invited by the BCA, who will give their unique public sector perspective on green building solutions, policies and plans. Read more

International Green Building Conference and BEX Asia 2009

The inaugural International Green Building Conference (IGBC) 2009 was held recently in Singapore as part of the Singapore Green Building Week. The conference theme was “Build Green. The Future is Now.” and drew about 1,000 delegates from more than 20 countries to focus on sustainable building issues, green building technologies and designs.

During the conference, the new Singapore Green Building Council (SGBC) was launched to help lead and coordinate the building industry’s efforts, together with the government, and accelerate the development of green buildings.

As part of the Singapore Green Building Week, there was also a building exhibition, BEX Asia 2009, which showcases green-related products and services for the building industry. Here are some photos taken at the exhibition:

HDB Green Living

Green Roof System

Green Wall

Wood and Plastic Composite

Recycled Concrete

Solar Roof

Solar Street Lighting

Wind Turbine

Greywater Recycling System

LED Lamps