Almost 50 per cent of Singapore is covered by greenery and the republic – named Asia’s greenest metropolis in the Asian Green City Index in February 2011 – is set to up the ante by encouraging the development of more green skyscrapers.

Cash incentives of up to 35 per cent have been awarded by the Building & Construction Authority (BCA) since 2009, to offset the cost of installing eco-friendly improvements in existing buildings. And the National Parks Board (NParks) is now subsidising up to half the cost of dressing up buildings with plants, be they on rooftops or walls.

According to Mr Ng Cheow Kheng, Deputy Director of Horticulture and Community Gardening at NParks, skyrise greenery is increasingly being recognised as a valuable tool for sustainable development in cities.

“Besides enhancing the aesthetics of buildings, the green spaces lower surface and ambient temperatures and enhance biodiversity in urban areas,” he says.

The indoor roof garden at Six Battery Road features a 184-sqm vertical gardens

Another incentive to go green is the BCA Green Mark scheme. Launched in 2005, it rates buildings for their environmental impact and performance. Buildings are rated, in descending levels of merit, Platinum, GoldPlus, Gold and Certified.

A prime example of the green movement in Singapore’s Central Business District (CBD) is Six Battery Road, owned by CapitaCommercial Trust Management Limited. The building won the Green Mark Platinum Award in 2010, the first pre-existing office building in the district to do so. Visitors can admire its 184-square-metre indoor garden – the first of its kind in the CBD. Designed by award-winning French botanist Patrick Blanc, it is home to 120 plant species.

But Singapore’s green buildings are not restricted to the business district; more ambitious projects can be found elsewhere in the country.

For instance, Fusionopolis in the western part of the island is said to be home to the world’s longest vertical stretch of vegetation. Launched in 2008, the 15-storey building features landscaped garden terraces that can be found on each floor.

Resorts World Sentosa, the country’s first integrated resort, also has a combined green roof area of 29,000 square metres. The green roof, which is covered with foliage, features up to 23 plant species.

Developers of residential buildings aren’t lagging behind in their green efforts either. The facade of the 36-storey Newton Suites is covered with creeper trellises and rooftop plants.

Green returns

Mr Tan Tian Chong, Director for Technology Development at the BCA says, “Developers and building owners are recognising the benefits of environmentally-friendly buildings. Besides seeing significant reductions in energy and water consumption, occupants in the buildings can also enjoy better indoor air quality.”

Investing in green buildings has paid off well in other ways for City Developments Limited (CDL).

Ms Esther An, its head of corporate social responsibility (CSR) says, “The returns of investment in green buildings are reflected in the reduced use of natural resources [during the construction process and the life cycle of the building], financial savings [from reduced water and energy usage] and even the possible increased capital value of the developments.”

CDL sets aside two to five per cent of a project’s construction cost for green features and technologies. These include architectural designs that maximise day lighting, energy and water-efficient fittings such as motion detector lighting in toilets and stairwells, and facade and roof greenery to reduce solar heat gain.

In 2011, CDL became the first recipient of the BCA Green Mark Platinum Champion Award, which recognises organisations for their commitment to green inititaives and achievements in environmental sustainability.

From garden city to green city

With more developers and building owners jumping on the green wagon, efforts to make the city greener seem to be well on track. The number of Green Mark Building projects has increased year-on-year; the cumulative number of Green Mark Building projects in Singapore has leapt from 17 in 2005 to 755 in 2010.

Mr Tan adds, “Green buildings are said to be well-received by tenants, especially multinational corporations, who are keen to demonstrate their CSR towards the environment.”

More and more existing buildings are undergoing green retrofitting. Other Green Mark Platinum Award winners in 2011 include One Raffles Place Tower 2, the Environment Building, Fuji Xerox Towers and The Heeren.

According to the BCA, 11 per cent of the total gross floor area in Singapore buildings has been ‘green-ed’ so far. The aim is to have at least 80 per cent of all buildings in Singapore Green Mark certified by 2030.

Ms An says, “The local building sector is the third largest contributor of CO2 emissions. Beyond energy savings, making buildings greener will have a positive environmental impact and help reinforce Singapore’s continued efforts to position itself as an eco-hub in the region.”

Let’s go green

Learn more about Singapore’s efforts for the environment

• BCA Green Mark Scheme www.greenmark.sg
• Skyrise Greenery Incentive Scheme www.skyrisegreenery.com
• Singapore Green Building Council www.sgbc.sg