[SINGAPORE] New and existing buildings will now have to hit higher sustainability standards to be certified green, with the reduction of embodied carbon in developments as one of the criteria emphasised.

The changes to the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) Green Mark scheme come as Singapore pushes towards its target to become a low-carbon built environment.

The refreshed scheme places greater emphasis, among other criteria, on the integration of smart technologies, the creation of healthier environments for building users and the reduction of embodied carbon in developments, said National Development Minister Desmond Lee on Tuesday.

Embodied carbon refers to the carbon or energy consumed through the production of materials used for construction and during the construction process itself.

The refreshed scheme was launched at the virtual International Built Environment Week 2021 event, which runs till Friday.

In his opening address, Mr Lee said there is a need to continually review and raise standards for sustainability in buildings, in order to hit key targets set in the Singapore Green Plan 2030. "Over the years, we have reviewed and refined the scheme to ensure that we consistently raise the bar for our best-in-class standards, and to broaden the scope for sustainability in our built environment," he said.

A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU

Friday, 8.30 am

Asean Business

Business insights centering on South-east Asia's fast-growing economies.

Sign Up

"(In the refreshed Green Mark scheme), we will raise our standards in energy performance, and place greater emphasis on other important sustainability outcomes."

Under the BCA Green Mark 2021, new and existing buildings will need to meet higher minimum-energy efficiency levels and score sufficient points in the sustainability sections to be certified green. It will also be applicable to buildings that have already been certified Green Mark.

In Singapore's push for more super-low energy developments, residential buildings that achieve at least 60 per cent improvement in energy efficiency compared to 2005 will also be recognised, said Mr Lee.

The Green Mark 2021 scheme is aligned with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals. Launched in 2005, the BCA Green Mark certification scheme is a rating system that evaluates a building's environmental impact and performance.

In his speech, Mr Lee said that a one-stop digital platform to streamline the submission process to relevant government agencies is also in the works. The submission process now involves more than 20 approval processes, but will be consolidated into just a few across the design, piling, construction, occupation and completion phases.

The digital platform rollout is part of wider efforts to accelerate the transformation of the built-environment sector, which has been badly hit by the pandemic. Called Corenet X, it is slated to be launched in the second half of 2023.

"The end goal is an efficient, faster, and an easier-to-navigate regulatory approval process that will benefit both industry practitioners and our regulatory agencies," said Mr Lee.

In a discussion at the event hosted by Jessica Cheam, founder and managing director of Eco-business, Mr Lee said the pandemic, while harsh, has pushed many stakeholders to adopt and advocate for the digital transformation of the built-environment sector.

However, for the sector to weather "black swan" events like the Covid-19 pandemic and future crises to come, it will take more than just government legislation and contractual commitments, he added. "It's the collaborative mindset that allows developers, main contractors and the rest of the ecosystem to have that relationship to support each other beyond what is written in black and white," he said.

"To get a project completed involves many players, and if it's an arms-length relationship, it only takes you so far. "But if there's trust and open conversation with each other, it can take you to the finish line in better shape than most."

When asked what he imagined Singapore's built environment to look like in the future, he said: "I'll push to be a City in Nature." "This requires the built environment stakeholders to not just build more sustainability, but also be stewards of the environment, people, biodiversity, heritage, enterprises and communities in and around the projects we work on."

THE STRAITS TIMES 

READ MORE: 

• Directory of Green Mark buildings in Singapore