More homes, buildings in Singapore going green
19,000 homes with energy-saving features built under BCA’s Green Mark scheme
By Jessica Cheam
UP TO MARK: City Developments’ residential project The Solitaire at Balmoral Park is one of this year’s six platinum winners for achieving high Green Mark standards. — PHOTO: CITY DEVELOPMENT
EFFORTS to green Singapore’s buildings are paying off, with more than 19,000 environmentally friendly homes built across the island and 18,000 more in the pipeline.
The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) said on Wednesday that the number of homes with energy-saving features has been on the rise since the BCA Green Mark scheme was introduced in 2005.
Under the scheme, buildings which meet a benchmark in terms of environmentally friendly features are awarded the ‘Green Mark’.
As more developers embrace environmental sustainability, ‘we are seeing the number of green buildings rising exponentially’, said BCA’s chief executive John Keung on Wednesday.
These homes can save their occupants as much as $1,800 a year on power bills, based on a recent survey of green homes by the BCA recently.
Green homes typically boast green features such as energy-efficient air-conditioners and water-efficient fittings which help to cut bills.
As energy costs escalate, it makes ‘even more economic sense to consider green homes’, said the BCA.
And the number of such homes is set to grow even further.
From last month, all new buildings and major retrofitting will have to meet the basic Green Mark standard.
The scheme, which rates a building’s environmental impact and performance, was slow to take off when it was launched. But the initiative has since gathered steam, with about 100 buildings getting the Green Mark stamp last year, and another 200 to be assessed this year.
Of these, about 60 residential projects with 19,000 green homes have been built, with another 60 projects, set to yield 18,000 green homes, in the pipeline.
The BCA has so far dished out $2.6 million in cash incentives to developers of 17 projects to encourage the adoption of green standards.
To recognise developers’ efforts, 42 projects which achieved high Green Mark standards received awards from National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan at the BCA’s annual awards last night.
There are six platinum winners this year, including City Developments’ residential project The Solitaire at Balmoral Park, and Lend Lease Retail’s eight-storey mall above Somerset MRT station, 313@Somerset.
Source : Straits Times - 23 May 2008
Singapore Property - Buy, Sell, Rent, Invest
Mindy Yong
(+65)91002985
mindy@mindyyong.com
OCBC, DBS expand Islamic banking operations »« Thailand govt faces key court ruling
