Singapore-listed developer City Development (CDL) and the Sustainable Energy Association of Singapore (SEAS) officially opened the Singapore Sustainability Academy on June 5, the UN World Environment Day. Located at the previously underutilised roof terrace of City Square Mall, the 4,300 sq ft SSA houses classrooms, a veranda, an office and an exhibition gallery.
The zero-energy building is a networking and training facility that aims to promote low-carbon economy, resource efficiency and sustainable practices not just in the private sector but also the community, especially among youths. SSA’s activities will include education and training, advocacy as well as information and resource sharing.
Conceptualised in mid-2015 by CDL and SEAS under the leadership of the late deputy chairman of CDL, Kwek Leng Joo — an advocate of green buildings — SSA was announced last August, shortly after the launch of Singapore’s first Climate Action Plan by the government.
“The facility is Singapore’s first large-scale People, Public and Private, or 3P, ground-up initiative to support national goals to tackle climate change,” says CDL deputy CEO Sherman Kwek.
Singapore committed to decreasing carbon emissions intensity by 36% from 2005 to 2030 under the Paris Agreement. The government has spurred initiatives to reach this target, among them the SolarNova programme, which will see the installation of solar panels in 5,500 HDB blocks by 2020.
At SSA’s official opening, Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean also launched the Public Sector Sustainability Plan 2017-2020. The initiative, which involves 16 ministries and 64 statutory boards, aims to reduce electricity consumption in the Public Sector by more than 15% by 2020.
The 15 founding industry partners of SSA include Renewable Energy Corp, construction company Woh Hup, and Interface, the largest manufacturer of modular carpets for commercial and residential projects. These partners helped ease the financial costs of constructing the facility, says Kwek.
CDL and SEAS’s partnership also has the support of six government agencies, among them the Building and Construction Authority (BCA), the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, and the National Environmental Agency.
Professor Tommy Koh leads the SSA advisory board, which comprises members from organisations such as HDB, BCA and the World Green Building Council.
This article appeared in The Edge Property Pullout, Issue 783 (June 12, 2017) of The Edge Singapore.