Mr Quek See Tiat, Chairman BCA

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good Morning.

1 I am happy to be here today to open the BCA Gallery. The Gallery will showcase the development of Singapore’s built environment, and serve to engage and educate members of the public on the distinctive characteristics and quality of our built environment.

A Sustainable Built Environment

2 Singapore today ranks high on international comparisions as a liveable city. Mercer’s 2006 study ranked Singapore as the most live-able city in Asia. Monocle, a London-based news-and-lifestyle magazine, ranked Singapore among the Top 20 liveable cities in 2007.

3 The high quality of our living environment did not come about by chance. We had adopted sustainable development principles in our history of national development over the last 40 years. For instance, by taking a long term and integrated approach to planning, we are able to achieve a sustainable balance between economic growth and a good quality living environment. We have planned for our public housing estates to be self-sufficient such that residents have easy access to facilities and amenities, and the need to travel is reduced. Our HDB blocks are designed to harnass the elements of nature for ventilation and lighting, thus reducing energy consumption.

4 However, there are global and domestic imperatives to do more. Rising fuel price and the challenge of climate change will have major implications for Singapore. Within Singapore, higher economic and population growth will exert greater pressures on our scarce land resources.

Green Buildings Key to Sustainable Development

5 Therefore, a key focus of our sustainable development efforts going forward will be in our Built Environment. We must have green buildings that not only minimise energy and water consumption but are also constructed with less non-replaceable materials.

6 To achieve that, BCA has introduced the Green Building Masterplan, with a slew of initiatives and incentives to encourage the development of green buildings. I am pleased to see these efforts bearing fruit. Since the launch of BCA Green Mark Scheme in 2005, there are now some 100 buildings with a total GFA of 5 million sqm that are Green Mark certified. Another 200 projects are currently awaiting assessment for Green Mark certification.

7 To spur developers to achieve the higher levels of Green Mark award, a $20 million incentive scheme was started in December 2006. 17 projects have since been granted the incentive, with a total committed payout of $3 million.

8 To strengthen our resolve to develop a sustainable built environment, BCA recently introduced regulations to require new buildings and those undergoing major retrofitting to meet minimum green building standards from 15th April this year. This makes Singapore one of the first few cities in the world to mandate green buildings. The Basic Green Mark will now be the minimum standard for all our new buildings.

Strong 3P Partnership and Public Education

9 The government alone cannot ensure a sustainable built environment for Singapore. We need a strong partnership among the people, private and public sectors. The industry needs to continually upgrade its capability in designing, constructing and maintaining green buildings. The occupants need to appreciate the value of green building features by adopting environmentally friendly behaviour.

10 Continual professional development and public education must therefore be a key pillar in the drive towards a sustainable built environment.

11 BCA is working closely with the industry to enhance the competency and capability through training and educational programmes. The BCA Academy has partnered industry practitioners to launch a training course and certification scheme for Green Mark Specialists in November last year. The training courses, taught by experienced industry professionals in the field of Green Building Technology, have been attended by 260 participants so far. The industry is also actively involved in the “Leadership in Green Buildings Lecture Series”, to be launched next month. Prominent industry practitioners and academics will deliver lectures to facilitate exchange of ideas and sharing of best practices.

12 The People sector, too, has an important role to play in promoting sustainable development. By demanding green buildings, developers and designers will deliver higher green building standards to meet expectations. BCA will do more to promote public awareness. In this regard, the BCA Gallery will educate the public on how our built environment can impact our quality of life. The Gallery will showcase green building features and how they contribute to savings in energy and water consumption, and limit the burden on our environment.

13 One specific audience for our educational programme is the younger generation. We hope to highlight the critical contributions of the professionals in the industry towards the development of our built environment. We want to encourage them to consider the many exciting careers in the construction industry for they will, in time to come, shape our living environment.

14 BCA has, therefore, worked with MOE to include the Gallery as one of the learning sites under MOE’s Learning Journey Programme for Schools. The Gallery will allow students to discover their role in the present and future development of Singapore and encourage them to join us in this journey towards shaping a sustainable and quality built environment for the future.

Conclusion

15 We have, since 40 years ago, embarked on this journey towards developing a sustainable built environment. Going forward, the people, private and public sectors need to forge a stronger partnership to continue this drive. BCA, now with the BCA Academy, will connect with industry stakeholders and the public to nurture this partnership.

16 Thank you.

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