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THE government is looking into further incentives and legislation to 'green' more of Singapore's buildings.
This is integral to Singapore's sustainable development strategy, which remains 'a key priority', Minister for National Development Mah Bow Tan said on Saturday.
Meanwhile, spiralling construction costs present both 'a challenge as well as an opportunity' for the building sector to go greener, with alternative methods of construction which are energy and resource-efficient, said Mr Mah.
He was speaking at an inaugural talk, attended by building sector bigwigs, on green building and corporate social responsibility, organised by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA).
BCA's preliminary estimates show that a basic Green Mark building costs about 0.3 to 1 per cent more, with a payback of two to five years.
But its benefits go beyond the savings, over the whole life-span of the building, Mr Mah said.
Green buildings are generally designed, built and maintained for energy efficiency and are better for human health and the environment.
The BCA Green Mark rates buildings for their environmental performance.
Addressing a 150-strong audience, Mr Mah called on the 'private, people and public sectors' to work together.
Several incentives are already in place, added Mr Mah, and a new inter-ministerial committee - co-chaired by himself and Environment and Water Resources Minister Yaacob Ibrahim - is looking into further measures.
Mr Mah added that incentives alone will not solve the problem.
'There is a need for us to take stock and spend some time on this. By the next Budget, I hope to have in place a whole roadmap,' he said.
Read the full report in The Sunday Times.
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