IGBC Conference

International
Green Building
Conference 2009

28-30 Oct 2009
SUNTEC Singapore

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Conference Programme Details

Wednesday, 28 October 2009

In 2006, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) formed Sustainable Buildings & Climate Initiative (SBCI), a partnership with the building sector, to provide an international platform for consensus on sustainable buildings. With 30 members from 15 countries, SBCI represents stakeholder groups including business; public authorities; and civil society.

SBCI priorities are to ensure recognition of the significant role of buildings in international policies (e.g. Kyoto Protocol); establish financial mechanisms to encourage a life-cycle approach to building construction and operation; and gain consensus on global benchmarks for sustainable buildings. SBCI delivers results through its specialised Think Tanks, pilot projects, policy consultations, and outreach events. Currently, SBCI is developing a Sustainable Buildings & Climate Index - Energy and CO2 Global Performance guide for Buildings, including a common carbon metric for building types and in different climatic regions.

Dr Arab Hoballah
Chief of Sustainable Consumption & Production Branch, Division of Technology, Industry and Economics
United Nations Environment Programme

This presentation will provide examples of what one global leader in the real estate and construction sector, Lend Lease Pty Ltd, is doing to reduce the environmental impacts of development.

The presentation will detail examples of global initiatives that other companies can replicate.

The presentation will demonstrate however, that industry best practice is not enough to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to a level that will avoid catastrophic climate change.

In responding to this fact, the presentation will include the business case for the green building and retro-greening revolution needed to stimulate economic and social change while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. From this a solution identical to an emissions trading scheme except that it recognises energy efficiency improvements in non-residential buildings, will be provided - this is a solution for industry and governments for all countries.

The ‘Efficient Building Scheme’ can deliver competitive return on investment in emissions reduction initiatives, reduce greenhouse gas emissions in our cities by 50% before 2020 using existing technology and knowledge, as well as stimulate job growth and innovation, and deliver health and productivity benefits. By reducing energy demand, the Efficient Building Scheme would also defer or eliminate the need for investment in energy infrastructure – an additional financial benefit for governments and communities. This presentation will provide you with a way to make the difference we all need.

Maria Atkinson
Global Head of Sustainability
Lend Lease, Australia

What matters are not commitments but achievements. When we talk about really addressing climate change, it is not about agreeing to a general target, but about creating specific concrete mechanisms and large-scale projects that can demonstrate the use of new technologies and directly reduce greenhouse gas emissions or save energy. While these initiatives can demand large up-front capital costs the paybacks can be economically – as well as environmentally–positive.

Ira Magaziner
Chairman, Clinton Climate Initiative
William J. Clinton Foundation, USA

In Singapore’s context, green building can be defined as a comprehensive approach to green design and green construction that addresses the assessment areas outlined by the Singapore Green Mark Rating System, namely Energy Efficiency, Water Efficiency, Environmental Protection, Indoor Environment Quality and Other Green Features.

As Singapore's leading green developer, Mr Eddie Wong will share CDL’s corporate philosophy and strategies in green buildings towards sustaining a corporation in the light of the global challenges against Climate Change.

Mr Eddie Wong
General Manager
City Developments Limited, Singapore

For Singapore, sustainable development is a key national priority. An Inter-Ministerial Committee on Sustainable Development (IMCSD), set up to chart the nation’s future national sustainability strategies, has released its green plan for Singapore for the next 20 years. This plan ultimately aims to make Singapore a lively yet highly liveable global city. To achieve this, the IMCSD set a lofty target for Singapore’s built environment: To have at least 80% of the buildings in Singapore attain the BCA Green Mark Certified rating by 2030.

To realise this vision, BCA recently launched the 2nd Green Building Masterplan, a roadmap that sets out specific initiatives to achieve a truly sustainable built environment in Singapore by 2030. In formulating the 2nd Green Building Masterplan, BCA carried out extensive reviews and discussions with public agencies, the industry and research institutes. An International Panel of Experts on Sustainability of the Built Environment was also formed to review the proposed initiatives under the 2nd Green Building Masterplan, as well as chart new directions to shape a sustainable built environment in Singapore.

Key initiatives under this Masterplan include (1) Public Sector Taking the Lead; (2) Spurring the Private Sector; (3) Furthering the Development of Green Building Technology; (4) Building Industry Capabilities Through Training; (5) Profiling Singapore and Raising Awareness; and (6) Imposing Minimum Standards, if needed.

Lam Siew Wah
Deputy Chief Executive Officer
Singapore’s Building and Construction Authority (BCA), Singapore

This paper reports the research carried out by the Energy Efficiency in Buildings (EEB) project of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development between 2006 and 2009. In particular, it reports the creation of a computer simulation model of adoption rates for energy-efficiency investments and the outputs of the model in two building classes - residential and commercial - in specific geographies.

The EEB research also includes a perception survey among building professionals and opinion formers. It carried out wide-ranging interactions with stakeholders in the six regions covered by the project - Brazil, China, Europe, India, Japan and the USA. The purpose of the project is to identify how to achieve substantial progress towards its vision of a world in which buildings consume zero net energy and produce less CO2. It concentrates on energy used in buildings rather than energy generation for the grid.

Constant Van Aerschot
Director
Lafarge, France

This paper will explore and discuss methods and approaches for applying green building strategies to the existing building stock and assess the merits of high tech versus low tech approaches from buildings in different locations globally.

The presentation suggests there are methodologies that can be applied to buildings in all locations, however the techniques will be highly localised.

Kevin Hydes
President and CEO
Integral Group, USA

Keppel Land is Asia’s premier developer of distinctive live-work-and-play environment.

As a developer of integrated large scale lifestyle developments, Keppel Land endeavors to create quality living and working spaces that deliver sustainable value to the community.

Keppel Land has been working closely with industry partners to promote wider adoption of sustainable design, construction, operation and maintenance for its development projects.

Designing sustainable projects requires a very careful incorporation of green features and process to ensure that the construction, operation and maintenance of the building are not compromised and that the satisfaction of the building occupiers is maintained at its highest levels. The cost of incorporating the selected green features must also not outweigh the value (intangible & tangible) to be generated.

One of the latest green office buildings to be developed by Keppel Land is Ocean Financial Centre (OFC). OFC will be a one (1) million sf, Class A office building with state-of-the-art facilities and green features catering to international financial institutions and banks. The design will not only be architecturally iconic but will also be the latest eco-icon to represent Keppel Land’s commitment to sustainable developments.

Tan Swee Yiow
CEO Singapore Commercial
Keppel Land International

Today’s global economic scenario makes it imperative for us to re-evaluate the approach to Green Building and the constituents of what may be considered green building design. There is a huge shift in the attitude towards green building; the method to be adopted is based on optimising local resources and devising passive environmental strategies. Environmental Strategies must be conceived more as a means to lower costs and eliminate the need for artificial ways of cooling. Passive climate control methods reduce/eliminate the dependence on expensive mechanical cooling and heating methods. This can help achieve buildings which are environmentally, socially, culturally and financially sustainable.

Morphogenesis aims at achieving sustainable solutions using passive techniques of cooling such as thermal buffers, evaporative cooling, ventilation strategies, water reservoirs, optimising the surface area to volume ratios and exploiting the building orientation to achieve thermal comfort in all kinds of climatic conditions. The environmental aspect may not be a part of the original design brief, but is devised more as a means to achieve an end, in terms of lowering costs and eliminating the need for artificial ways of cooling. For us, these form a basis of premise of the design and not just incorporation at a later stage. Every project is examined from the first principles rather than preconceived typologies and aesthetic behaviour. Various case studies will be used to illustrate innovative, strategic planning and the development of contemporary morphologies emerging from the unique regional constraints. The derived results would make for a departure from the traditional lines of thought.

Manit Rastogi
Managing Director
Morphogenesis, India

To achieve the aggressive sustainability goals for buildings and communities such as defined by important initiatives such as the Living Building Challenge® and the 2030 Challenge®, we will have to move beyond the requirements of today’s LEED and Green Mark green building rating systems. Clients, institutions and communities are embracing bold goals for buildings and campuses such as net-zero energy usage, net-zero water usage and carbon neutral operations. This presentation will address how these goals build on the LEED® and Green Mark rating systems and why attempting them may be not only valuable, but achievable, provided we rethink the design of buildings, campuses and communities.
Case studies will include:

Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE) – A Green Mark Platinum campus in Singapore
Ohlone College – A LEED Platinum in California
Dockside Green - A Mixed Use Community in Canada that Sets New High for LEED Platinum

Russell Drinker
Managing Director
Perkins+Will (San Francisco, California), USA

Currently, China is in the process of construction for a moderately well-off society. China is also facing a corresponding urban construction development with unprecedented speed and scale. There are more than 30 billion existing buildings in urban and rural areas which require retrofitting for energy efficiency and better performance for indoor environmental quality. This paper firstly presents typical problems for existing residential building and public buildings in China, and then introduces the practices and experiences for green retrofit of one residential project in Tianjin and one public building in Shenzhen awarded the 3-star certification by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Construction. Finally, the paper will present a summary of suggestions, standards, incentives and technical solutions.

Dr Lin Borong
Associate Professor and Vice Director of Institute of Building Technology, School of Architecture
Tsinghua University, China

Adobe’s green building journey began at its inception in 1982, accelerated in the 2001 California Energy Crisis, and today, in 2009, is an integral part of who the company is and what it stands for. With more than 70 energy and conservation projects initiated and millions of dollars saved, Adobe is the *only* company in the world to have been granted four Platinum certifications for existing buildings by the US Green Building Council. Join Mr Randy Knox, Senior Director of Global Facilities and Real Estate at Adobe Systems Incorporated as he shares some lessons learned and his hopes and plans for the future in taking Adobe to the next level on its green building journey.

Randy H. Knox III
Senior Director, Global Workplace Solutions
Adobe Systems Incorporated, USA

Thursday, 29 October 2009

As the public housing authority of Singapore, the Housing & Development Board (HDB) plays a key role in meeting the housing needs of Singaporeans. Today, over 80% of Singapore’s population live in HDB flats, out of which more than 90% own their flats. Beyond shelter, HDB seeks to create vibrant and sustainable homes, by providing a built environment of a high standard, enhancing the economic value of HDB flats, and building active and cohesive communities within its towns and estates.

Punggol is a coastal region located at the north-eastern part of Singapore. From its beginning as a fishing village in the 19th century, it developed into an agricultural area, characterised by poultry and pig farms as well as rubber and coconut plantations, in the 20th century. In the 1990s, the area was zoned for housing development to meet the housing needs of Singapore’s population. Since the announcement of the development of Punggol in 1996, some of the initial concepts have been realised, while others have been refined to meet the changing aspirations and lifestyles of Singaporeans. One of the achievements was the launch of HDB’s first demonstration eco-precinct - Treelodge@Punggol - in March 2007.

A major milestone in the overall plan to transform the HDB towns and estates was the unveiling of the Remaking Our Heartland (ROH) blueprint by the Prime Minister in his National Day Rally Speech in August 2007. Punggol was selected as one of the pilot ROH towns, with new strategies and plans formulated to reinforce and realise the vision of Punggol as “A Waterfront Town of the 21st Century”, or Punggol 21+. One of the key strategies was the introduction of a new waterway traversing through the town. Two existing rivers at the eastern and western edges of the town, Sungei Serangoon and Sungei Punggol, will be dammed up to form two fresh water reservoirs by end 2009. In place of a functional drain or pipeline to balance the waters at the two new reservoirs, a landscaped waterway was proposed to meander through Punggol to create a delightful waterfront environment where residents can live, play and relax in. With the waterway, opportunities were created for HDB to provide a waterfront residential area along this 4.2 km east-west corridor in Punggol with the theme of “Green Living by the Waters”. New forms of housing, both public and private, with terraced gardens, courtyards, and environment friendly features are envisaged.

The remaking of Punggol is currently in progress. The waterway is scheduled for completion by 2010, while the first waterfront housing precinct will be launched in mid 2010. When the town is substantially completed in the near future, Punggol 21+ will set the new benchmark for quality living and environmental sustainability for HDB towns.

Tay Kim Poh
Chief Executive Officer
Housing & Development Board

Ever since the “Garden City” of Ebenezer Howard in the late 19th Century, urbanists have sought the next model city. For more than a century, these frequently utopian and only sometimes practical urban morphologies have reflected trends in culture as much as the needs of human beings to live harmoniously with each other and their environment; but rarely have these “models” actually led real movements toward a better paradigm of urbanism. Nevertheless, as concepts, their utility is in offering new ideas that must indelibly enmesh with the old realities of the human condition: the need for shelter, socialisation, recreation and work.

Recent model city monikers have included “new” urbanism and “eco-cities,” from which a wide range of results have actually been implemented in western cities. In Asia, the sundry “new” models have not been tested to the same degree, and fewer models have been brought forth that are distinctly Asian. It is not that Asia is “behind” the west and its numerous “models” of development, but rather all cities demand a kind of urbanity that is sensitive to the culturally specific needs of people, and as a continent with such a diverse range of cultures, it is difficult to envision in Asia a “one-size-fits-all” approach that has been espoused (and in some cases institutionalised) in western countries.

This presentation will examine several design projects in a variety of Asian contexts, emphasising that geography and human ecologies matter when it comes to developing what can be described as good urban form that is socially and financially responsible and forward-thinking. Time-tested methods prioritising heritage and culture, minimising impacts, and borrowing from natural processes (e.g., bio-mimicry) will be emphasised. These master plans will highlight the fact that the new models for urban development must always refer to the fundamental and most basic needs of society at minimum, but ultimately to be successful, they must go beyond and exemplify a profound and particular understanding of the unique relationship between culture, the environment, and the people that will bring these master plans to life.

Toby Bath
Managing Director/ Senior Vice President
HOK International (Asia/Pacific) Limited, HKSAR

This presentation discusses the need to retrofit the existing cities and de-carbonise the energy supply, on a district-scale. Low-emission energy generation technologies can turn the city districts themselves into power stations, where energy is generated close to the point of consumption.

Localised energy generation using renewable energy sources (solar, wind, biomass, geothermal), and complemented by distributed heating and cooling systems, has a huge potential to reduce the built environment’s energy demand and emissions. Such decentralised, distributed systems, where every citizen can generate the energy needed, will eliminate transmission losses and transmission costs (which always occur with the large grid and inefficient baseload power stations) for the local consumer. The concept can be considered for both existing and new buildings: Small power generators are positioned within communities to provide electricity for local consumption, and the waste heat they produce is captured for co-generation (for CHP; or for tri-generation, when waste heat also produces chilled water for cooling); used for space conditioning via a local district heating or district cooling system.

New exergy principles look at capturing and harvesting waste heat and waste water streams, and how the strategic arrangement of programme within mixed-use urban blocks can lead to unleashing such unused energy potential.
This presentation will illustrate that a low-emission future is feasible, and how cities will adapt, if countries are to meet international obligations such as those outlined in international emission agreements. However, there is urgency; without incentives, policy directions and updating the building codes, the stationary energy demand across all sectors is projected to increase further.

Prof Steffen Lehmann
UNESCO Chair in Sustainable Urban Development for Asia and the Pacific
Chair in Architecture
The University of Newcastle, Australia

Many eco-environmental problems occur in the process of urbanisation. Ecological civilisation is a new form of civilisation and is an important achievement in the review of traditional civilisation, such as industrial civilisation. Eco-city is a concrete manifestation of ecological civilisation evolution. The eco-city concept is embodied in ecological economy, ecological society, ecological environment and ecological culture. Policy guidance and institutional innovation play important roles in the process of building eco-cities. Eco-cities development includes these six aspects: Circular economy, use of resources, clean energy utilisation, green way of waste management, green transportation, eco-environment restoration.

Dr Qiu Baoxing
Vice Minister
Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, PRC

Li Xun
Secretary-General
Chinese Society for Urban Studies, PRC

The world is facing major economic, climate change, food shortage and resource constraint problems. It is clear that our industrial model of economic development is failing and we quickly need to move to a new model based on efficient use of renewable resources.

The Brunel lecture looks in detail into whether such a model would enable 9 billion people to live sustainably in 2050 and what policies and investments are needed and whether this can be done without damaging the economy.

The presentation will illustrate the ecological age transition with videos of new development models and retrofit scenarios for existing cities. The accompanied written paper has evidence which has been peer reviewed.

The presentation will cover buildings and infrastructure of all kinds.

Peter Head
Director
ARUP

The Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city Project is a Government to Government collaboration between the Singapore and Chinese Government to develop a new township in Tianjin Municipality, China about 45 km from the Tianjin City centre and 150 km from the Beijing City. The aim of this collaborative project is to develop a thriving city which is socially harmonious, environmental friendly and resource-efficient as a model for sustainable development.

The two pre-conditions set for the site selection are that there is no loss of arable land and the site should be in a place that is short of water. Hence, the site selected is a 30 sqkm site within the Tianjin Binhai New Area near the Bohai Bay. It comprises mainly of salt farms, aquaculture ponds and waste land and is also situated in an area in Northern China with a low precipitation and high evaporation rate. As the site is in an area that was reclaimed from tidal flat and used for salt farming for centuries, the soil is highly saline and alkaline making it unconducive for plant growth. Due to the poor soil conditions, lack of water and poor water quality, the challenge is to turn this place into a vibrant and environmental friendly Eco-city with attractive water bodies, wetland, greenery etc while ensuring the economic viability for the project.

The paper will describe the background of the project, outline the vision and objectives as well as provide an overview of the Key Performance Indices set for Eco-city. It will also present the key strategies adopted for formulating the master plan, explain the spatial structure and key highlights of the Eco-city as well as touching on key requirements on green transportation, water recycling, green building technology etc. The paper will conclude with a discussion on the detailed urban design proposed for the Start-up Area.

Tan Siong Leng
Deputy Chief Executive Officer
(URA Consulting & Corporate Development)
Urban Redevelopment Authority

In today's modern urban commercial or residential precincts, it is often a preferred choice to provide heating and cooling through centralised district systems with energy from renewable energy sources. Cogeneration units save at least 20-30% of greenhouse gas compared to the separate production of the same amount of electricity and heating or cooling energy in large scale power plants and domestic boilers, and in district scale are easily cost efficient.

Technologies for centralised district heating/ cooling and cogeneration systems range from biomass combustion (horticultural debris, wood chips or pellets), biogas, locally available process heat or even solar thermal assets with seasonal storage systems and can be completed by decentralised climate-friendly equipments such as solarthermal or photovoltaic collectors.

Waste or process heat can also be used to produce large amounts thermal energy for cooling – the so called tri-generation is a highly efficient way of energy generation.

One example is the City of Chemnitz in Germany where a district cooling system operates with waste heat of the city's power plant. It features a storage tower and provides the energy for cooling for the majority of the downtown users. Hence, every new building in the district can be required to connect to this net, thereby fulfilling superior energy standards.

Prof Rolf C. Buschmann
Prof. Aux., UCLV
Managing Director
Solar Info Center, Germany

Wolfgang Kessling¹, Kenneth Er² and Nirmal Kishnani³

¹ TRANSSOLAR Energietechnik GmbH
² Gardens by the Bay, National Parks Board
³ National University of Singapore, School of Design and Environment, Department of Architecture

The Conservatories in the Gardens by the Bay, Singapore, are 2 ha-glasshouses that replicate cool conditions for the display of plants from the Mediterranean (cool dry) and Tropical Montane (cool moist) regions of the world. They are temperature and humidity-controlled environments that cater to both human occupancy comfort and optimal growing conditions for plants. The temperatures range from 20°C to 25°C in the day and 17°C to 20°C in the night, with relative humidity at about 75% in the cool dry and 90% in the cool moist. This presents the challenges of balancing between optimal natural light transmissivity and minimal solar heat gains, and efficient cooling of the conditioned spaces against the Singapore’s humid tropical climate.

A feasibility study was undertaken early in the project to identify cooling strategies that could be applied to the Conservatories. The architectural strategies focused on allowing as much natural light into the Conservatories as possible, while at the same time reducing the solar heat gain. Highly selective glazing, coupled with the use of automated internal shading, was explored. Climatic engineering strategies were then applied to cool the conditioned spaces in an energy-efficient and sustainable manner. This encompassed first the restriction of conditioning only the occupied space through the application of thermal stratification, which is facilitated by an active ground cooling and allows for cross venting of hot air at height. The use of fog and desiccant cooling systems are then investigated as a means of reducing the energy consumed, especially in dehumidifying / humidifying the air as part of the cooling process. Such systems have the potential of being further coupled with a co-generation system that can produce electricity to run the chillers and waste heat to recycle the desiccant. These strategies have been tested in prototype glasshouses, and formed the basis of the eventual design of the Conservatories.

This paper presents these architectural and climatic engineering strategies, with illustrations from their application in the prototype glasshouses. The implications for the design of glazed buildings in the Tropics are discussed.

Dr Wolfgang Kessling
TRANSSOLAR Energietechnik GmbH
Germany

This paper gives the energy data comparison between China and western countries. Some examples are showed to analyse the reasons of differences. Some trends of simply duplicating building energy strategies and technologies from developed countries to China and making green building an assembling of expensive high-tech are criticised. Every energy efficient technology or product has its own suitability for specific conditions. Compared with the western countries, most Asian countries have much higher population density, more limited resources and less favorable climate. Therefore, Asian countries should not simply duplicate policy or technologies from western countries, and should utilise their limited research budget, resource and capital in the most effective and suitable way to achieve construction sustainability.

Prof Zhu Yingxin
Professor of Dept. of Building Science, School of Architecture
Tsinghua University, China

In an effort to distribute government functions away from Seoul, a new administrative city has been proposed in the central region of Korea. A Multi-functional Administrative City (MAC), later renamed Sejong, is a ring city, at the heart of which lies the Public Administration Town (PAT) intended as a mixed-use city centre and government district.

The future PAT is conceived as a city of optimism where equality and harmony resides. The masterplan provided a rare opportunity to bring ideas, beliefs and environment together to celebrate the new spirit of Korea in the 21st century. To achieve this end, three interconnected urban strategies formed the basis of the PAT. Two layers symbolise unity and equality of the people and their government and easy communications between the two. The third refers to nature, where all waste is recycled.

Sangmok Kim
Associate Architect and Digital Director
Balmori Associates Inc, USA

Joachim LUTHER and Stephen K. WITTKOPF
Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore (SERIS)

More than one third of the global final energy is consumed in buildings. The concept of “solar and energy efficient buildings” constitutes a measure for huge energy savings through the efficient use of energy and harvesting of solar energy from the buildings envelope. If properly done energy saving can be combined with an increase in comfort.

The paper will focus on (i) the potential of energy savings in particular in tropical climates, (ii) optimised and novel façade concepts, (iii) technologies like energy efficient air-conditioning (in general: HVCA technologies), building integrated photovoltaics and solar thermal collectors , and (iv) the integration of the energy systems of future buildings into superordinate energy systems.

The talk will be given by J. Luther

Prof Joachim Luther
Chief Executive Officer
Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore

It is well-known that there are large differences between individual humans, in terms of their physical capacities. Even when two persons of the same weight, height, age, build, and race are compared on strength, speed, reaction times, endurance, lung capacities and other measures, we will find substantial differences. We might attribute these to genetic factors, to training in particular areas, e.g. upper body strength, to diet and lifestyle, to mental resolve, to motivating factors and so on.

Similarly in building energy efficiency, we find that there are large differences in otherwise similar buildings. There is a tendency to look towards new technology as the silver bullet to increase energy efficiency to reduce operating costs, to reduce resource depletion, and carbon footprint.

Yet it is fairly obvious to practitioners in the field that simple measures done well and rigorously yield large savings, are robust in terms of longevity, require little intervention subsequently, and should be done anyway as they are of low cost.

Some examples from local and overseas installations are discussed, and hopefully greater awareness is created of the need to do the basics well before attempting the moon shots.

Lee Eng Lock
General Manager, Energy Division
Trane, Singapore

Energy Label or Energy Star programmes have been adopted by many countries for promoting energy-efficient products. For the lighting sector, the Green Lighting concept has become the norm in most developed and some developing countries. However, these traditional programmes and concepts essentially consider energy saving only and have largely ignored the electronic and toxic waste arising from such energy-saving products. To be environmentally friendly, it is necessary to protect (i) the atmosphere and (ii) soil and water. These two factors must go hand in hand. Energy saving is only a means to reduce power consumption and therefore greenhouse gas emission (to protect the atmosphere). If the technology has short lifetime and will create lots of toxic and non-biodegradable waste within a short time frame, then it is not environmentally-friendly even though it is energy saving.

This paper will first address the misconception of energy saving and environmental friendliness. It will highlight several common mistakes and incorrect perception about Green Lighting. Then it will introduce a new Sustainable Lighting Technology concept that incorporates one principle and three factors. The sustainable lighting principle involves using lighting energy when and where it is necessary and to the appropriate level. The three factors are (i) energy saving, (ii) long product lifetime (>10 years) and (iii) recyclability of products. This new sustainable concept goes far beyond the existing energy-saving considerations and can be adopted into new Green Mark Scheme for sustainable development.

The author will cite some common energy-saving products as examples of being energy-saving but not environmentally friendly. He will introduce practical solutions and products that can meet the sustainable lighting technology principle. These new products (to be introduced into the lighting markets in late 2009 and early 2010) are (i) more energy-efficient than electronic ballasts, (ii) have a lifetime over 12 years and (iii) have over 95% of the product materials fully recyclable. Finally, he will give an overall view and status of various new light sources including light-emitting diodes (LEDs).

Prof Ron Hui
Professor
City University of Hong Kong, PRC

Friday, 30 October 2009

Buildings are a leading contributor to green house gas emissions. Hence, buildings need to be more environment-friendly to reduce their negative impact to the environment. The use of technology as a tool will enable architects, engineers and designers to understand the impact of their design decisions on building performance earlier in the design process.

This workshop aims to show how the Building Information Modelling (BIM) concept and other available tools can help designers achieve their sustainable design goals.

Ho Chow Jin
Principal Consultant
Autodesk Asia Pte Ltd

Ray Purvis
CAD Manager
Atkins Global, UK

The Building Information Model or BIM is the future of the construction industry. The potential of BIM is enormous as it can contain information to reflect and quantify anything from physical attributes and environmental impact to cost, time, and fabrication specifications, as well as assist in checking designs for physical conflicts to prevent costly construction changes on-site.

However, in the construction industry today, whether in Singapore, Asia or elsewhere in the world, the questions are: Are we ready for BIM? Does BIM work with our current design and construction management process? If not, how is IPD (Integrated Project Delivery) more than just a contractual means to manage BIM? Are BIM and IPD too risky and complicated to be practical? What are the hurdles we must overcome?

These questions will be discussed via a case study by HOK Singapore and Davis Langdon & Seah Singapore (DLS) that emulates implementing BIM and IPD into today’s current working environment. We will also explore the benefits and possibilities of adding the 5th Dimension: Cost and Quantities to the project design and documentation process. Limitation of existing tools in the market will also be discussed.

This workshop will provide an overall picture of the benefits of BIM, best practices, success stories, and existing industry protocols that require re-examination in order to move forward into the BIM era of the AEC industry.

Dickson Mak
Associate
HOK Singapore

Eugene Seah
Executive Director
Davis Langdon & Seah Singapore

This paper describes the vertical greening technologies in Japan. The paper will provide the details and effects of the vertical greening system “Parabienta” that is installed in Zero Energy Building. It is the unit greening system which utilised the soil hardened by Heat Fusion Polyester Fiber. The specialties of this system are improving the wall design, lasting greenery and easy maintenance. In addition, the paper will introduce the findings of a study on designs of vertical greening. Vertical greening directly affects the appearance of a building. Therefore, it is necessary to confirm the best design for vertical greening in order to improve the urban landscape. The evaluation was conducted on 14 buildings using the semantic differential (SD) method to confirm the best design.

Kenji Nakamura
Senior Research Engineer, Institute of Technology
Shimizu Corporation, Japan

In a unique environment such as the Fusionopolis, a high-rise, high-security, dedicated, commercial complex that houses local and overseas occupants who craft the latest technology and highly confidential research, sky gardens or green roofs played a very special role in striking a balance between its landscape design intent and practicality in serving the occupants. With such a backdrop, and from a green roofer’s perspective, this paper begins with the modern day expectations of skyrise greenery. It then provides a brief background of the Fusionopolis project before proceeding on to re-visit its implementation, and focuses on some of the significant factors contributed by the unique green roof systems toward the “green-ness” of Fusionopolis. The paper then concludes with the challenges faced and the important lessons learnt.

Ho Wan Weng
Managing Director
Zinco Singapore Pte Ltd

The vision of Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew more than twenty years ago, the Marina Barrage spans the mouth of the Marina Channel, creating Singapore’s 15th reservoir, and its first in the city.

The barrage serves three benefits: it creates a freshwater lake to boost Singapore’s water supply, acts as a tidal barrier to prevent flooding in low-lying city areas, and keeps the water level consistent, offering a venue for water-based recreation in the heart of the city. The barrage itself is also fast becoming a lifestyle attraction in its own right. Since its opening, Marina Barrage has been a hive of activities, with more than 400,000 visitors and host to more than 40 local and international events.

Besides being an engineering showpiece, the Marina Barrage is also designed, constructed and operated on green principles. The presentation will cover some of these green features. The Marina Barrage also aims to educate the community on important environmental and water issues. Highlighting Singapore’s efforts and achievements in maintaining a sustainable environment, the Sustainable Singapore Gallery educates the public on important environment and water issues through interactive multi-media displays, exhibits and games.

Yap Kheng Guan
Director
3P Network Department
PUB

The National Library Building is the first building in Singapore to obtain the BCA Green Mark Platinum award in 2005. The building incorporates many passive and active designs which help the building use energy efficiently. The overall internal layout and the use of the various spaces in the building were also given careful consideration.

Besides being designed "green", the National Library Building is also maintained “green". Constant monitoring of the performance of the various features had enabled the building to not only meet the design Energy Efficiency target but also to improve on it. Hence, the National Library Building puts out a message that being "green" works.

Sandamurthi Rethinam
Deputy Director, Properties and Facilities Management
National Library Board

There are in place various schemes e.g. BCA Green Mark scheme, that encourage key players in the construction value chain like developers, architects and engineers to play a critical role in sustainable development. However, the contributions of builders are seldom recognised. It is imperative to recognise the equally important role that builders play in contributing to environmental sustainability, environmental protection and considerate practices during the construction stage of development.

Hence, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) launched the Green and Gracious Builder Award in early 2009 to raise environmental consciousness and professionalism of builders. The Award recognises the efforts of progressive builders in addressing environmental and public concerns arising from construction works and hence enhances the image of the industry. It is also a benchmark of a builder’s corporate social responsibility to the environment and the general public. The initial response to the scheme has been very encouraging.

The paper will outline the objective, key features and assessment criteria of the scheme. It will highlight several examples of best green and gracious practices that were actually implemented by builders who successfully participated in and were given the awards under the scheme.

Ding Hock Hui
Deputy Director, Quality and Certification Department
Building and Construction Authority

The building sector contributes about a third of all energy-related emissions worldwide (Price et al. 2006). If we add the emissions caused by land-use change impacts from urbanisation trends, the manufacturing of building elements and the production of building material (cement, steel etc) used in building sector, the proportion would be even larger. In addition, the building sector also generates a large amount of waste through its demolition and construction phases.

Though there are existing Government policies aimed at a Sustainable Built Environment, there are also fundamental barriers for Builders, such as upfront cost and hidden benefits, organisation constraints and lack of knowledge etc, which inhibit the drive towards Sustainability. The challenge is how to integrate the collaborative efforts of different stakeholders in the Industry in order to achieve a quantum leap in Sustainable Construction. It is therefore important for Builders to act early to find an effective construction strategy to transform the way we plan, design, build and demolish buildings which will contribute to the sustainability of our environment. This presentation will showcase Tiong Seng Contractors Pte Ltd’s best practices framework to achieve high standards of sustainable building construction with guiding principles that include Conservation, Passive Systems, Active Systems, Renewables and Closing the Cycles.

Colin Tan
Senior Project Manager
Tiong Seng Contractors Pte Ltd

Building Information Modelling is acclaimed to be the integrated process of generating and managing building related data/information aimed at optimising the overall performance of the building in a holistic manner. With the advent and rapid growth of green building rating systems, the industry is now demanding simplistic solution-providing tools for the various sustainability indices involved in the process of obtaining the actual green certification. Energy Modelling, day lighting simulation, ETTV computations, Computational Fluid Dynamics simulation, performance benchmarking standards for individual building components, life cycle costing elements and associated indices and others are the more commonly sought after solutions in today’s green building industry.

This workshop aims to introduce the key developments in the field of Building Information Modelling (BIM). It will also discuss the key advantages and issues related to BIM tools in terms of being able to predict the various sustainable indices necessary to establish the green definition of a building. The workshop also aspires to deliberate on the various tools and add-ons both currently available and under development to study the potential deployment of these tools in the field of green building design in the near future.

Dr Uma Maheswaran
Executive Director
ZEB-Technology Pte Ltd, Singapore

Sustainability must be looked from the perspective of a building’s life cycle. BIM tools help to optimise the material selection, make the construction process resource effective and improve the maintenance of the buildings.

So far BIM has been very much architects’ tool thus emphasising only the early part of the building’s life cycle. But in the current changing scenario, BIM can be used to maximise energy efficiency, optimise material selection and of course get most out of the area and space available.

Actual construction process has been using numerous 3D tools for a long time but in isolation. The real BIM and integrated project delivery is still in its infancy. However the obstacle here is not the availability of the technology, but it is rather the industry’s resistance to change. Properly implemented, BIM can help to optimise the resources usage and prevent costly and environment loading mistakes in numerous critical spots in the process. “Mistake-free” process is achieved by using automatic data transfers, instead of manual printout and key- in actions. Another area where BIM brings in huge potential benefits is the interoperability between disciplines, identifying possible problems early in the design and help prevent cross discipline mistakes.

Sustainable building maintenance may be the most neglected area when it comes to utilising IT Solutions and BIM. However, we do not have to invent anything new but can learn from established practices used e.g. within electricity distribution or maintenance processes of off-shore structures.

Ari Nassi
Managing Director
Tekla (M) Sdn Bhd, Malaysia

Green design has been a trendy topic internationally. But the way to gauge whether a building is “green” is controversial.

Most of the existing software is designed for the engineers and not for architects, mainly due to the lack of sophisticated BIM model required by the mechanical calculation or the lack of seamless integration to ensure the integrity of data sharing between the design and the software. In the case, it normally gives costly or even “destructive” postmortem suggestions. Architects may be reluctant to adopt such green suggestions from engineers when all the designing works have been completed. The property owners may not like them as well since out-of-plan’s extra investment is required in order to conform to the green regulations.

This presentation is intended to share the latest development in the industry, providing architects with a unique easy-to-use tool in their native design environment to make energy-conscious decisions even during the early phase of the design. ”Green” has become an organic part of the architectural design workflow.

Dr Zhong Qi
Managing Director of ASEAN, Korea and Greater China
GRAPHISOFT

This paper discusses the integration of greenery with buildings and highlights specifically the thermal benefits of such integration both at the micro and macro level. This paper will also discuss the challenges encountered in the implementation and the measures that can be taken to counter the challenges.

Dr Wong Nyuk Hien
Associate Professor, Department of Building
National University of Singapore

For small countries, housing is a daunting challenge given the need to balance between providing shelter and preserving the environment. Singapore, a small island with a land area of 704 km2, has managed to house more than 80% of its citizens in public housing towns that are comprehensively planned as a total living environment. By taking a long-term planning approach that places major emphasis on environmental concerns, the Housing & Development Board (HDB) has been able to achieve sustainability in housing while meeting social and individual needs.

With Singapore’s rapid economic progress and population growth, environmental sustainability has become a key concern. Through the years, Singapore has lost considerable green spaces to the construction of residential, commercial and industrial buildings. Being the largest developer in Singapore, HDB recognizes its role and responsibility in contributing to Singapore’s vision of achieving a lively and liveable global city. HDB has over the years, proactively introduced more green spaces through the enhancement of landscaping and introduction of skyrise greenery to soften the urban environment in its estates.

Dr Johnny Wong
Ag Director (Sustainability & Building Research)
Building Quality Department
Housing Development Board

We are now so good at building, that we have covered large parts of the world in concrete, asphalt and steel. There is now such a proliferation of vertical “caves” and the smooth surfaces we need for our fire-wheel machines to connect them, we are fearful we may have destroyed the very earth that gave us birth, and has nurtured us for millennia. At last, however, after two hundred years of non stop change and industrial evolution, we are becoming aware of the need to slow things down, to consider the implications of what we are doing, and to learn how to reprocess that gigantic consumption of resources we took for granted so thoughtlessly.

Greening of Buildings is ultimately about the way we live our lives in the City, and as always, in buildings. Green Buildings will only happen when it becomes a norm of social responsibility and a pleasure to be part of a natural system that combines the marvelous technology of man with the bountiful abundance of Nature. Then there will be no waste, we will grow our own food, sleep in fresh air and bathe in recycled effluent. Today’s City dweller may think this awful, but for sure their great grandchildren will be doing it.

Henry Steed
President
Singapore Institute of Landscape Architects

Bearing in mind GREEN concepts, Mr. Lee Boon Siong vowed to upgrade the temple into an environmental friendly place of worship since 2000. After upgrading, the green temple has intensive application of renewable energy, such as solar energy for hot water, electricity and day lighting, hydro energy and even wind energy. Rainwater collection, bamboo furniture, topsoil composting and other green features are also well integrated with the temple’s built environment. This paper will also share on the cost and benefit of building green from a layman’s green perspective.

Lee Boon Siong
Honorary President
Poh Ern Shih

Khoo Teck Puat hospital @ Yishun (KTPH) is the first Green Mark Platinum hospital under new construction category in Singapore. It sets new benchmarks for hospital performance as a green and energy efficient hospital.

The Client has conceived the hospital as a Green Mark Platinum building from its inception. This incorporates energy and green building targets as part of the hospital’s strategic design objectives within the framework of the design brief. As a hospital procured through international design competition, this ensures seamless integration of green building targets from master-planning through to detailed design and the various functional elements. Through the adoption of total building performance (TBP) approach, the hospital was able to ensure that performance mandates with respect to patients and staff needs are suitably achieved; green building performance are suitably prioritised with respect to hospital’s mission; and that the prioritised Green Mark criteria are suitably integrated and optimised within the overall design of the hospital.

Passive and active measures were integrated to give comfortable and performing spaces which are energy efficient. Good natural ventilation and excellent daylighting were achieved for the subsidised wards. For the private and air-conditioned wards, fans were installed to provide a choice for natural ventilation where comfort can also be achieved without the use of air-conditioning. Greenery was designed to not only provide cool shading but also healing environment and views.

All designed green features and passive architectural elements have been verified through simulations using boundary conditions derived from laboratory measurements. Wind tunnel tests were also conducted. The result is not just a Green Mark Platinum building, but a green building that adds value to patients and staff performance within the Missions of the hospital.

Prof Lee Siew Eang
Associate Professor
Department of Building, School of Design and Environment
National University of Singapore

313@Somerset is a good example of Lend Lease’s integrated property approach that allows the teams from different business units to apply creativity and innovation to complex designs and sustainable solutions. Our future lies in building relationships with all stakeholders to deliver the best outcomes imaginable. The presentation will focus on the sustainable design of 313@Somerset, a flagship retail mall developed by Lend Lease which was awarded the BCA Green Mark Platinum Award in March 2008.

With direct frontage to Orchard and Somerset Roads, the project will accommodate 8 levels of retail, 5 above and 3 levels below ground. The site is an irregular shape with long frontages to Orchard and Somerset Roads and straddling Stamford Canal. The centre has a direct link to the Somerset MRT with customer traffic of over 40,000 per day. With a tight schedule, the construction commenced in June 2007 and is to be completed in late 2009.

The 313@Somerset project has introduced many new technologies in its design and will be a show-case for innovation and has now set the benchmark for Lend Lease properties globally.

Joseph Goh
Project Manager
Bovis Lend Lease Pte Ltd

This presentation, utilising the seven principles of sustainable construction as prescribed by the Council International du Batiment in 1994, will look at how these principles have been applied in a current pharmaceutical construction project in Tuas. It will elaborate on the measures taken to make project construction more sustainable, such as reducing resource consumption, using recycled materials, protecting nature, eliminating toxics, performing life cycle costing, and focusing on quality.

William McNamara
Project Manager
Bovis Lend Lease Pharmaceutical

In this paper, the background of green construction in China is analysed in detail. In the development of building and construction on a massive scale, with high output value in astonishing speed, there are no specifications in policy and basic data related to the management of resources consumed in the process of construction. This goes against the requirements for sustainable development and building a resources-saving and environment-friendly society.

In the paper, the meaning of green construction has been introduced and analysed in reference to the Guide for Green Construction just promulgated by Ministry of Construction and from the aspects of environment protection, material saving, water saving and energy efficiency. In particular, the emphasis has been put on material saving. From the viewpoints of construction wastes, formwork engineering, ready mixed concrete, ready-to-use mortar, bulk cement, and the second renovation, the defects in engineering are discovered, the new requirements set out and the solutions to the problems worked out.

Wang Youwei
Chairman
China Green Building Council, China

Sustainability, social and environmental issues are increasingly shaping the context of construction. Availability of materials, impact from noise, energy use and waste, as well as rising concerns about climate change all have implications for the construction value chain. Gammon, a leading building and civil engineering construction company based in Hong Kong with activities in Singapore and China, will present its understanding and commitment towards sustainability from a builder’s perspective.

Through examples, Gammon will share its experience and learning in the journey of pursuing sustainability. The presentation will conclude by outlining some future construction industry thinking that takes sustainability considerations into the carbon critical design and climate change debates.

Tse Chi Hin, Eddie
Assistant Project Manager, Environment & Sustainability
Gammon Construction Limited

K B Patali
Project Manager
Gammon Construction Limited