2010-03-10

Singapore buildings to get leaner and greener

Singapore’s Building & Construction Authority (BCA) is set to make changes to some of its regulations to push the construction industry towards green building and greater productivity.


The mandatory minimum energy efficiency standard that must be met before a new building can receive a Green Mark certification will be raised by 10 per cent from today’s standard. The energy efficiency standards for other Green Mark levels - Gold, GoldPlus, and Platinum - will also be upped.


BCA will also increase the regulated minimum buildability score so that firms will have to use labour-efficient construction technologies. The industry regulator said that it has not yet decided on the new minimum score, which now stands at 75 - a significant climb from 61 in 2001.


‘The industry can seek government funding to build capability in areas such as prefabrication, precast technology and other construction technology to meet the new buildability requirements,’ said Grace Fu, Senior Minister of State at the Ministry of National Development. She announced the changes in Parliament yesterday.

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Source: Eco-business, 2010-03-09, Link

Need for re-look at Green Building Rating Systems

Buildings, accounting for 30-40 per cent of global energy use, are known to be energy guzzlers. In India, buildings account for 30% of total energy consumption. With growing concerns about the increasing energy water and material use in the building sector, green building movement started in early 90s in US and Europe. However in India, it gained momentum in India a few years back only.



A green building is an outcome of a design which focuses on increasing the efficiency of resource use – energy, water and materials – while reducing building impacts on human health and the environment through better sitting, design, construction, operation, maintenance and removal. In India, a few rating systems exist currently which assesses the building design and operation on different categories like energy consumption, water consumption, material use, air quality etc. Depending on the measures taken, points are awarded under each category. Points obtained under each category are further added to arrive at the total points, which decide the final green building rating.

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Source: IndiaInfoOnline, 2010-03-04, Link

Australia green building rules revised

The body encouraging development of more environmentally friendly buildings in Australia has revised its previously negative view on PVC materials.


The Sydney-based Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) said its new system for rating the plastic should be in force by April following a review that ended in February. and considered advances made by the PVC sector.


GBCA operates the national, voluntary green star system that provides a sustainability rating of up to six stars for buildings based on credits achieved for meeting specific performance criteria.



Green Star executive director Robin Mellon said the new PVC-rating credit modifies a previous approach that largely discouraged its use.

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Source: PRW.com, 2010-03-04, Link