The threat of climate change has had a transformative effect on the way countries and societies organise their resources. A barometer of that growing eco-conscience is the expanding role of Green Building Councils all over the world, moving from a peripheral support capacity to taking on weightier responsibilities in advancing their cities’ sustainable goals.

With the building and construction industry accounting for over a third of global carbon emissions, sustainable green buildings have become a crucial thrust in many governments’ climate strategies. Ten years after its founding, the Singapore Green Building Council (SGBC) is taking on a more active role in promoting green buildings at home.

Taking on the greening mantle

Reflecting its broadened role, the SGBC took over the professional certification for building and construction professionals from BCA in April 2019. Under the Green Mark Professional Qualification Scheme, industry professionals will need to constantly refresh their industry knowledge and keep pace with regulatory developments by renewing their certification. This is part of SGBC’s mandate to develop the expertise of the people behind Singapore’s green building industry.

As Dr Ho Nyok Yong, President of Singapore Green Building Council points out: “The sustainability of the built environment is built on the efforts of our green building professionals. With (this) new programme… our green building professionals will be well prepared and ready for the future of buildings.”

Green Mark accredited professionals on a Continuing Professional Development learning journey.

A new home, an expanded focus

In another step towards an expanded role, SGBC will also join BCA in the assessment of Green Mark projects. This will help build expertise and develop the competencies of the SGBC team, widening the pool of officers needed to support the demands of a burgeoning green industry. 

As a fully-fledged entity tasked to take the lead in the transformation of the Singapore green building and construction industry, the SGBC moved into its own office premises at the BCA Braddell Campus (formerly known as the BCA Academy) in February this year. This was a far cry from the early days when the Council began life in 2009 with only a handful of full-time Secretariat staff seconded from the Building and Construction Authority (BCA).

For Dr Ho, this affirms the coming of age of SGBC, bringing the Council on par with other green building councils in the region. He reflected: “SGBC has come full circle from our humble beginnings a decade ago. With this new collaboration (with BCA), we can now address the entirety of the green building value chain… allow(ing) us to develop and implement more impactful programmes towards a greener, sustainable and healthier built environment.”

Inking of the Collaboration Agreement for the co-assessment of Green Mark projects

Collaborating to build a sustainable environment

SGBC’s taking on the mantle of industry leader a decade after its formation also signify the maturing of Singapore’s green building industry. However, it is a state of affairs that did not happen by chance but through purposeful effort. This is evidenced by the Council’s close collaborative relationship with BCA, strong support from local industry partners and robust ties to the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) and regional counterparts.

This was acknowledged by Dr Ho who said: “The new SGBC Office is a testament to SGBC’s collaborative nature, working with like-minded organisations to create a healthy and sustainable space that showcases exemplary green building design.”