Green building practices may be mandated

Source : Straits Times – 9 Jul 2009

NATIONAL Development Minister Mah Bow Tan yesterday called on the building industry to get greener and ‘build more with less’ .

He underlined his call by suggesting that if the industry does not start adopting more environmentally sound materials and recycling practices, the Government could legislate it.

He pointed out that the building industry is the third-largest contributor to Singapore’s carbon emissions after the manufacturing and transport sectors.

That, added the minister, means it is important to optimise the energy usage of buildings and reduce the use of carbon-intensive materials.

This includes reducing natural material usage, and using recycled materials and efficient waste management systems.

Education will be the first point of engagement, and the Government will try to avoid mandates, Mr Mah said.

‘However, if it doesn’t (work), and things don’t move as fast as we would like to, or the situation becomes more critical…mandatory standards or legislations are the fastest way of getting things done.’

Mr Mah was speaking to the media at the opening of developer City Developments’ (CDL) office building, 11 Tampines Concourse.

The project, which won a Green Mark award for the building’s environmental performance, was cited by the minister as an example of sustainable construction.

Materials such as spent copper slag and recycled concrete aggregates were used to make ‘green concrete’, saving more than 1,000 tonnes of natural sand and granite, said Mr Mah.

Tampines Concourse also etched a new milestone in the building industry here for being the first development to be carbon neutral.

This means that the carbon emissions produced by the building in its construction phase and its operations have been offset by carbon credits, neutralising its environmental footprint.

These credits are generated by projects such as in renewable energy or resource conservation.

CDL has offset about 6,750 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions and will offset 1,500 tonnes annually during the lifetime of this transitional office site, which has a lease of 15 years.

With average current prices of voluntary carbon credits at £10 (S$24) a tonne, this translates to costs of about $162,000 initially and $36,000 annually for CDL.

The firm said the costs of the carbon offset and the building’s green features – which save it 620,000 kilowatt-hours or $120,000 in energy bills a year – amount to 2 per cent to 5 per cent of total construction cost.

Mr Mah praised CDL for its efforts: ‘This is the first voluntary effort on the part of the private sector and I think it’s something that should be encouraged.’

CDL managing director Kwek Leng Joo noted that carbon offsetting is relatively new in this region, and ‘being the first to foray into uncharted territory, we hope other local firms will take a stronger stand in tackling climate change’.

Mr Mah said all the key stakeholders of the built environment – developers, designers and builders – play an important role in the sustainability of our environment.

In a recent blueprint focused on improving Singapore’s sustainability, a target was set for 80 per cent of all existing buildings to achieve the basic Green Mark standard by 2030.

How to be carbon neutral

ALSO known as climate neutral, the term ‘carbon neutral’ means achieving zero carbon emissions. This can be done by creating a carbon credit to counterbalance the carbon emissions generated by an activity.

Carbon credits can be earned by funding renewable energy or energy conservation projects. In the case of Tampines Concourse, the carbon footprint it generated through its construction activity and operations has been ‘offset’ by an equivalent amount of carbon credits.