CapitaLand Limited and its properties were accorded a total of 32 awards at the annual Building and Construction Authority (BCA) Awards today – the most since its participation in BCA Awards Night. The apex of these was the prestigious BCA Quality Excellence Award – Quality Champion (Platinum), the pinnacle tier of the award and an upgrade from the GoldPLUS award that CapitaLand received in 2015. CapitaLand has been named a Quality Champion every year since the award was introduced in 2013.
Among the awards this year, CapitaLand was accorded four Universal Design (UD) Mark Awards, including the pinnacle Platinum award for its premium office development CapitaGreen – the first for a stand-alone office development. With four of the 10 Platinum awards accorded – the most among real estate developers in Singapore – since the UD Mark certification scheme was introduced in 2012, CapitaLand has cemented its position as the industry leader in building inclusive and user-centric developments for all people.
Mr Lim Ming Yan, President & Group CEO of CapitaLand Limited, said: “CapitaLand is honoured to be recognised by BCA with 32 awards for our projects. This is more than double the number of awards we received last year, and is a strong affirmation of our ongoing commitment to deliver high quality green and accessible developments. We are especially pleased to receive the pinnacle BCA Quality Excellence Award – Quality Champion (Platinum) this year. We have continued our record of being the real estate developer with the most UD Mark Platinum awards, and broken new ground by receiving the first ever UD Mark Platinum and Construction Productivity Award – Platinum awards for a stand-alone office building with CapitaGreen.”
CapitaLand was also accorded 21 Green Mark Awards (including nine provisional awards) this year, in a testament to the Group’s commitment to continue the greening of its properties. Seven awards went to CapitaLand properties in Singapore including the prestigious Green Mark Platinum for JCube, a leisure, fun and edutainment mall in western Singapore which houses the country’s only Olympic-size ice rink.
Aside from the UD Mark and Green Mark awards, CapitaLand properties also received accolades for other aspects of building excellence. CapitaGreen received the Construction Productivity Award – Platinum, the first ever Platinum award given out to a commercial development, and the Construction Excellence Award; while Sky Habitat received the Design and Engineering Safety Excellence Award. CapitaGreen received the accolades in recognition of the use of innovative methods and materials in its construction – resulting in it being completed in 36 months instead of the average 40 months it would have taken to complete a building of this scale.
By ensuring that its developments meet or exceed BCA’s benchmarks for environmental sustainability, CapitaLand has laid the foundation for its tenants to incorporate similar practices in their own offices in its buildings. As a result, six office premises in CapitaLand properties were awarded the Green Mark Office Interior Award in recognition of their efforts to incorporate environmentally friendly features while still ensuring the comfort and well-being of office occupants. Three – CapitaHub in Capital Tower, CapitaGreen Tenant Service Centre and Six Battery Road Tenant Service Centre – received the pinnacle Platinum award. South32 at CapitaGreen and CBRE at Six Battery Road received the next highest GoldPLUS award, while Lloyds Bank at CapitaGreen received the Gold award.
Mr Lim Ming Yan added: “Sustainability is ingrained in the way we do business. CapitaLand was a pioneer adopter of BCA’s Green Mark framework, with Capital Tower and One George Street among the first office buildings in Singapore to be certified Green Mark Gold when the framework was introduced in 2005. Over 80% of our properties in Singapore have already been certified with at least a Green Mark Gold rating. We have also extended this green rating certification overseas with our projects in China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and Australia achieving Green Mark. We have since gone beyond greening our own buildings to engage our office and mall tenants on incorporating sustainable practices in their own premises. We are delighted that these efforts are starting to pay off as six premises, including CapitaLand’s own corporate headquarters CapitaHub, have received Green Mark Office Interior Awards this year.”
Leading by example – greening CapitaLand’s HQ
CapitaLand set a positive example by completing a green office fit-out of its own corporate headquarters, CapitaHub in Capital Tower, which is itself a Green Mark Platinum property managed by CapitaLand.
CapitaHub houses the corporate offices of CapitaLand and its business units in Singapore. It incorporates biophilic design – the integration of nature with architecture – to create a healthier, more conducive office environment by adopting an open office concept with minimal personal offices at the building core. Extensive lush indoor greenery, including two green walls and planters, are placed strategically throughout CapitaHub to further improve indoor air quality and provide a more conducive work environment. Training rooms have been creatively designed for easy conversion to exercise rooms after office hours or for townhall meetings and festive celebrations.
All lights installed in CapitaHub are energy efficient LED fittings, with light and motion sensors strategically placed to turn them off when there is sufficient natural lighting or when no one is in the area. The most water-efficient fittings under the Public Utilities Board (PUB) Water Efficient Labelling Scheme (WELS) are installed in CapitaHub social pantries. Teleconferencing facilities are available in all meeting rooms and 15 meeting rooms have videoconferencing facilities. This cuts down on the need for business travel, further minimising the carbon footprint of staff. Recycling bins for plastic, metal and paper are also placed in all social pantries to encourage conservation of the environment.
Staff can use the stairways to move from one floor to another, instead of taking the elevators. One first aid room and four nursing rooms have also been provided, and a mini nursing fridge is available in all social pantries to cater to nursing mothers.
CapitaHub was recognised with a Green Mark Office Interior Award (Platinum), the highest tier in the category.
Supporting tenants in their sustainability journeys
CapitaLand went a step further by partnering its tenants in embarking on their own sustainability journeys. CapitaLand is currently on board the BCA Green Partnership Initiative, which is a multi-prong approach to reach out to the building owners and tenants through collaborative partnerships and engagement to improve sustainability outcomes in tenants’ fit-out and daily operations. CapitaLand also participates in the BCA Green Mark Portfolio Programme which helps to simplify the process and reduce the cost for its office tenants to attain Green Mark certification, and regularly engages them on ways to incorporate sustainable features and processes in their office environments. As a result, three of CapitaLand’s office tenants – South32, CBRE and Lloyds Bank – were also awarded the Green Mark Office Interior Award in 2015.
Mr Ang Kian Seng, Group Director for Environmental Sustainability of BCA, said: “It is very encouraging to see developers like CapitaLand taking the lead by greening its properties as well as its own corporate headquarters. In doing so, CapitaLand has set a positive example for its tenants and other developers to follow. CapitaLand has also been working closely with tenants on their sustainability journeys, through the BCA Green Partnership Initiative, the BCA Green Mark Portfolio Programme as well as its own green lease model for its mall tenants, and I’m glad to hear that more tenants are expressing interest in adopting eco-friendly practices. These highlight the critical role developers can play in making Singapore’s building landscape a greener and more sustainable one.”
Mr Garth Chapman, Senior Director, Project Management, South East Asia, CBRE who oversaw the certification process for its Singapore office, said: “CapitaLand has been extremely supportive of CBRE’s green journey. It upgraded Six Battery Road three years ago and refurbished common areas including the toilets. This included installing energy efficient equipment such as hand dryers and motion detectors in taps, and upgrading the ceiling to allow for more energy efficient lighting. These initiatives paved the way for CBRE to secure the award, a crucial step in us taking the lead to reduce the impact of building operations on the environment and create a positive effect on the communities in which we live and work.”
CapitaLand malls in Singapore furnish all tenants with a green fit-out guide to help them select environmentally sustainable fittings, implement good design in their shops and learn from best practices. CapitaLand malls also have a Green Lease model, which requires mall tenants to meet targets for their lighting budgets.
A continual journey of building and sustainability excellence
As part of its continuing commitment to sustainable development and operations, CapitaLand is guided by its in-house Sustainable Building Guidelines (SBG). These outline environmental, health and safety, as well as universal design considerations to be factored in at all stages of a project, from feasibility studies, design, procurement, construction and operations to redevelopment. SBG is incorporated into the Group’s Environmental, Health and Safety Management System, which is externally audited to the ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 standards, and sustainability targets linked to key performance indicators.
About CapitaLand Limited (www.capitaland.com)
CapitaLand is one of Asia’s largest real estate companies headquartered and listed in Singapore. The company leverages its significant asset base, design and development capabilities, active capital management strategies, extensive market network and operational capabilities to develop high-quality real estate products and services. Its diversified global real estate portfolio includes integrated developments, shopping malls, serviced residences, offices and homes. Its two core markets are Singapore and China, while Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam have been identified as new growth markets. The company also has one of the largest real estate fund management businesses with assets located in Asia.
CapitaLand’s listed real estate investment trusts are CapitaLand Mall Trust, CapitaLand Commercial Trust, Ascott Residence Trust, CapitaLand Retail China Trust and CapitaLand Malaysia Mall Trust.
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