More measures will be taken to encourage builders to adopt gracious construction practices, which help to address environmental concerns and mitigate inconveniences to the public caused by construction works.
Speaking at an industry event, Senior Minister of State for National Development and Trade and Industry Lee Yi Shyan said the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) will be enhancing its Green and Gracious Builder Scheme to place more emphasis on practices such as noise management and good human resource practices.
In addition, construction firms that are registered or intending to register with BCA’s Contractors Registry for general or civil engineering works must first be certified under the Green and Gracious Builder Scheme.
BCA said 304 companies will have to be certified under the GGBS.
Mr Lee said this will be phased in from January 2015.
Since its launch in 2009, 70 builders have been certified under the scheme.
Mr Lee said: “Kajima Overseas Asia Pte Ltd used remote control wall saws and mini crushers during demolition works which reduce the impact of noise, dust and vibrations generated. China State Construction Engineering went beyond its call of duty and constructed a barrier-free access ramp for elderly citizens visiting a restaurant adjacent to its construction site. I urge all of you (builders) to adopt such socially-gracious efforts as part of your sustainable construction initiative.”
Meanwhile, the BCA will also expand the scope of its Sustainable Construction Capability Development Fund (SC Fund) to support the development of Building Information Modelling (BIM) add-on tools.
The BIM add-on tools will aid in the computation of Concrete Usage Index, which forms part of the Sustainable Construction Score under BCA’s Green Mark Scheme for buildings.
Mr Lee said this will help designers optimise designs to meet sustainable construction requirements.
Since 2010, BCA’s S$15-million SC Fund has co-sponsored over 60 projects with a total committed amount of S$5.3 million.
Mr Lee added that BCA is developing the 3rd Green Building Masterplan to guide Singapore’s green building journey over the next five to 10 years.
The Masterplan will outline a new vision for Singapore — to be a global leader in green buildings with special expertise in the tropics and sub-tropics.
