Creating a Green Skyline

Green building certification schemes have proliferated around the world as cities and countries attempt to reduce the environmental impacts of the built environment.

One location that is pushing ahead with achieving real environmental gains in this sector is Singapore.

Since the introduction of Singapore’s Building and Construction Authority’s (BCA) Green Mark Scheme in 2005 more than 2,700 buildings in the city-state have been ‘greened’. Today there are 17 BCA Green Mark Schemes in place covering buildings as well as occupant-centric ones such as infrastructure and retail malls. The benefits of achieving a Green Mark include:

• Reduced energy, water and material resource usage
• Reduced environmental impact
• Improved indoor air quality for better health and well-being
• A clear direction for continued sustainability improvement

With more than 31% of the city-state’s buildings Green Mark certified Singapore is well on its way to achieving its goal of greening 80% of all its buildings by 2030.

Creating a green skyline

To reach this goal, Singapore’s Green Building Innovation Cluster (GBIC) is rolling out the GBIC National Building Energy Efficiency Repository (GBIC-Repository) to accelerate the uptake of energy-efficient technologies.

The GBIC-Repository will provide all stakeholders access to novel energy efficiency technologies and products, as currently there are difficulties for building owners and developers to acquire comprehensive information and performance data on these technologies.

Singapore greening its skyline

One-stop portal for building energy efficient technologies

The GBIC-Repository will provide a one-stop portal for building owners, technology providers, consultants and contractors, researchers and policy-makers to access standardized data and reports which will facilitate further development and market penetration of building energy efficiency technologies.

The main features of the GBIC-Repository will include:

• Technology directory: that provides information on energy efficiency technologies
• Projects map: that provides data and information from R&D, demonstration and test-bedding projects funded by GBIC programs
• Decision-making tools: that assists building owners and developers, as well as consultants, make informed decisions on the selection of new energy efficiency technologies
• Building performance database: that enables users to explore, analyze and report the historical building energy performance data

Overall, the GBIC-Repository will help accelerate Singapore’s transition towards an energy efficient ‘green’ skyline.

The take-out

Facilitating access to information and data is key to mainstreaming energy efficient technologies in the built sector.

*Robert C. Brears is the author of  Urban Water Security  (Wiley) and founder of Mitidaption, which consults on climate change risks to business, governance and society.

Facebook: UrbanH20

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Taxonomy

• Energy Efficiency
• Green Buildings
• Water & Energy Conservation
• Energy Efficiency
• Eco-City Development
• City
• Green Building
• Sustainable Building