LEED, Green Star, AQUA, Green Globes, PromisE, HQE, DGNB, CASBEE, Green Mark, BERDE, and Minergie. These are unfamiliar to most Thais, but one day they will be, when all property owners in Thailand have the desire to obtain green building status, to leave a neutral footprint on our severely battered planet.
The names refer to building environmental assessment systems currently in use in the United States, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, Singapore, the Philippines and Switzerland, respectively. Soon, Thailand’s TREES will join the ranks after its launch in March by Thai Green Building Institute (TGBI), the newly established organisation that is committed to improving the Kingdom’s environment through local engineering and architectural prowess.
While multinational companies like HSBC, Bank of America and Jones Lang Lasalle are boasting of their environmental concerns through the LEED Gold certification, six Thai companies - Univenture, Toyota Motor Thailand, Toyota Nakornratchasima (Tai-Yen), Kasikornbank, Siam Cement Group’s Siam Fibre Cement, and Ananda Development - are seeking the Thai version of certification.
“Going green will benefit Thai and global society and this CSR [corporate social responsibility] like commitment will boost their corporate image and influence consumers’ decisions,” said Ninnart Chaithirapinyo, chairman of the newly established institute, speaking as vice chairman of Toyota Motor Thailand.
Experience tells him that certified green buildings around the world always welcome students. Soon, these students could be valuable customers of the companies, aside from the ones to spread the virtues of being green to their community.
It is not easy to obtain a green building certificate: the certification of owners’ care in terms of efficiency in energy, water and other resources; protecting occupants’ health and improving employee productivity; and reducing waste, pollution and environmental degradation.
TREES covers eight areas - energy conservation, indoor environmental quality, location and landscape, materials and resources, building management, water conservation, innovation and environmental protection. Weightage, more than 50 per cent, is on the first three areas. About 30 per cent of TREES criteria come from LEED, with the remainder modified to fit Thailand’s environment.
“There are areas clearly different from LEED,” said Jatuwat Warodomphan, a member of the TGBI working committee, at a conference to launch TREES. “Regarding water consumption, we count the number of faucets against the number of occupants. For environmental protection, there is a requirement for overflow rainwater management.”
While energy-saving light bulbs are a must in the materials category, bicycle lanes and parking space would help win scores in the location and landscape category. It is a plus if the buildings are located in the areas where coming to work by public transport is convenient. For high scores in the indoor atmosphere area, split-type air-conditioners alone will not help as this concerns the entire air-ventilation system.
The location of the waste segregation room is one priority in the environmental protection area. Each building is subjected to a fee of Bt30,000-Bt300,000, depending on usable space. They must first secure approval from a working committee, and then the approval from the main board of TGBI. Onsite inspection is possible.
“Actually, we’re pushing all to meet the requirements and be certified. And we’re doing everything to be certain that they are really green buildings,” said Kecha Thirakomen, another member of TGBI.
Jatuwat said that it is a prerequisite that the buildings have clear territory. Given the strict requirements, he admitted that it is wiser to follow the requirements from the start. The right timing is to apply for the certificate when in the designing stage.
That is exactly what Toyota Nakornratchasima (Tai-Yen) is doing. It sees possible improvements in 16 areas. About 60 per cent of the new showroom and service centre is allocated to green space. Bicycle lanes and parking areas are provided. The showroom will rely on marbles sourced from nearby areas. To lower energy consumption, parts of the centre would be outdoors. In the air-conditioned area, double-layered glass walls will be used while a new air-ventilation system is installed. The parking area would be paved with “breathable” cement - a new innovative product from Siam Cement Group. This allows water to seep underground without a need for a sewage system, while evaporation of water underground during the day would keep the area cool.
With six pioneering companies, TGBI expects to attract 100 applications this year for the “TREES” certificate.
“Only having plants cannot increase the green space. The area would be defined as green space only when it improves the overall ecological system. Certainly, green buildings will attract public scrutiny, like when dust flies from the buildings when it’s not supposed to. The green building status is a certificate of the building owners’ commitment to society,” Jatuwat concluded.
