Green Infrastructure in Singapore – Notes for the Construction Industry
With Singapore’s extreme dependence on imported resources, sustainable development has long been seen as a matter of survival. Over the decades, the ideas surrounding sustainability have evolved, encompassing not just matters of domestic manufacturing capacity but also energy security and larger-scale environmental challenges. In recent decades, we’ve seen government initiatives such as the Singapore Green Plan 2030 set ambitious targets that may seem unfeasible in most of the world, but are uniquely doable for the highly advanced city-state.
Singapore is already on track to completing such goals such as “greening” 80 percent of buildings and reducing emissions to zero by 2050, thanks to a uniquely close relationship between regulators in the public and private spheres. Most critically, unique financing mechanisms have accelerated the country’s green transitions. Singapore has become a leading hub for green finance in Asia, with a growing ecosystem of banks and financial institutions supporting green development goals. You’ll even find financing programmes that support the use of sustainable building materials, offering construction businesses a clear path to future net-zero compliance.
With Singapore set to maintain its status as one of the world’s most attractive investment hubs, developers and construction professionals who’ve set up shop in the city-state must start rethinking their businesses to meet and benefit from SG’s shifting priorities.
Here’s what builders must do to hop on to SG’s green infrastructure future:
1) Tap into Green Financing for Sustainable Building Materials
Environmentally sound construction encompasses a wide variety of areas, but it starts at the materials level. From recycled steel to low-carbon concrete, sustainable building material usage is increasingly being rewarded by financial institutions offering green, project-specific funding. Some programmes even help construction firms source verified eco-friendly materials at competitive costs.
2) Factor in the Environmental Impacts of Supply Chains
It’s not just your building materials that need to be green. Your supply chain also makes a huge impact, not just at the point of manufacture but also in how resources are delivered to your sites. Investors, banks, and regulators are increasingly scrutinising supplier practices, transport emissions, and sourcing transparency, possibly impacting the availability of your funding. Localising supply chains and sticking with certified material suppliers can strengthen your financing pitch and keep your business ready for environmental audits.
3) Consider “Whole-Life” Carbon Accounting
Though we’ve only touched on the construction phase, so far, truly green buildings consider the entire life cycle, not just initial development. More durable materials and methods should be considered even if there is an initial bump in carbon emissions if there is a reasonable expectation that doing so will help the building’s long-term impacts.
Indeed, financial institutions that provide green funding are turning away from more simplistic input-based assessments towards ones that account for operational carbon from building use. These whole-life carbon assessments are becoming a key component of green loan applications in Singapore, influencing everything from approvals to project insurance costs.
4) Look into Adaptive Reuse and Urban Regeneration
Speaking of whole-life carbon accounting, the adaptive reuse of existing structures is gaining traction, not just for cost and cultural preservation reasons but also thanks to often-reduced emissions. Off the bat, refurbishing rather than building from scratch also significantly lowers the embodied carbon footprint of your project. Retrofit projects should, ideally, aim to improve energy performance or extend building lifespans to further reduce carbon emissions.
5) Build Partnerships with Credible Sustainability Experts
Whether you’re refurbishing an existing building or constructing one from scratch, collaborating with environmental engineers and other trusted experts early in your project cycle can increase your eligibility for green financing. It also avoids performative “greenwashing” and reduces the challenges in making your project “future-ready,” bringing us to the next point.
6) Integrate Emerging Digital Technologies
The importance of sustainable materials, efficient supply chains, and clever readaptation cannot be overstated. However, to create even more carbon and energy savings out of infrastructure, planners must consider the integration of smart features.
Smart sensors and Internet of Things (IoT) solutions are already helping building administrators actively reduce energy waste and carbon emissions. Making provisions for these as future add-ons or integral components will be key to further reducing the long-term environmental impacts of any project, beyond what passive building features can provide. Indeed, digitalisation is quickly becoming a non-negotiable component of green projects, particularly those applying for sustainability-linked loans or performance-based funding.
7) Keep Pace with Singapore’s Regulatory Frameworks and Certifications
Singapore’s Building and Construction Authority (BCA) has rolled out a suite of mandatory and incentive-driven policies to promote green buildings, including but certainly not limited to the BCA Green Mark Scheme and the Super Low Energy (SLE) Programme. Accounting for these regulatory requirements from the outset of your project puts you in a better position to receive both public support and favourable loan terms.
What’s Next for SG’s Green Infrastructure?
Green infrastructure development is a surprisingly dynamic area. What was considered “green” a few decades ago can be unworkable today due to market shifts and new understandings of environmental impacts. Even when following these guidelines, developers must still keep an eye out for the future. This may even mean getting on board with emerging green trends and policies that are not yet specifically mandated by government agencies or green fund providers.
In any case, Singapore has proven itself a hospitable environment for those willing to take the initiative. Exploring leading-edge developments in sustainable infrastructure today may very well open the door to preferential financing as well as a greener tomorrow.
