Green technologies to win you over

Source : Straits Times – 6 May 2009

SINGAPORE’S nascent green building industry is set to get a boost from a new event in October which will showcase the best of the Republic’s technologies.

The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) yesterday announced that it will hold the inaugural International Green Building Conference on Oct 28.

The three-day event aims to attract 1,000 participants from around the region.

BCA director of technology development Tan Tian Chong told reporters yesterday the event will help realise Singapore’s goal of greening 80 per cent of all its 15,500 buildings by 2030 from the current 1 per cent.

This was one of the targets outlined in a blueprint on sustainable development unveiled by the Government last week.
‘Such events will continue to raise the awareness and adoption of environmentally friendlier, more sustainable designs, materials and construction methods among builders and developers in the region,’ he said.

The conference will be held in partnership with BEX Asia, a green building exhibition organised by events firm Reed Exhibitions, which expects to attract 5,000 participants from more than 16 countries.

Mr Ashvinkumar Kantilal, president of the Singapore Institute of Architects, another event partner, said yesterday that architects have seen a big rise in the number of developers requiring green features in their buildings.

‘The buy-in from the industry has been very rapid, as building owners recognise the potential savings from building green,’ said Mr Kantilal, adding that this has been aided by cash incentives given out by the BCA to building owners.

The success of Singapore’s Green Mark scheme, used to rate a building’s environmental performance, has even led Malaysia’s building industry to work with local players here to develop its own green building scheme, he added.

The BCA will also be opening Singapore’s first zero-energy building at the conference. The complex will have a net zero energy consumption over a year, made possible by solar panels covering an area of 1,300 sq m which will be integrated on the roof of one of the buildings.

SEEING THE LIGHT
‘The buy-in from the industry has been very rapid, as building owners recognise the potential savings from building green.’ – Mr Ashvinkumar Kantilal, president of the Singapore Institute of Architects