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REINFORCE STRATEGIES ON GREEN BUILDINGS

BCA’S EXPERT PANEL- International experts give thumbs up for Singapore’s green building efforts

emphasised the need to reinforce specific strategies through government leadership,

mandatory requirements and

- Singapore, first country outside of America and Europe

US-based energy efficiency coalition

Singapore, 26 June 2013 – The

of the Built Environment review

movement. BCA’s Green Building Masterplan has set the framework for policies and

initiatives such as legislation and incentives to further the adoption of green buildings.

The five-member foreign experts and

buildings met from 24 to 26 June to discuss

advance the effort in green building

2. The expert panel supported BCA’s plan

buildings and to engage building users

Mark schemes. This will complement and intensify the green building effort

3. They also felt that the current incentive approach

building owners to go for higher

money and to build up a critical mass of green buildings in Singapore

4. In a recent study by BCA on 36 commercial buildings

an efficient chiller system can improve energy efficiency by

retrofitting. This contributes to an overall

consumption. The total energy saved was

REINFORCE STRATEGIES ON GREEN BUILDINGS

BCA’S EXPERT PANEL International experts give thumbs up for Singapore’s green building efforts


and incentives

first country outside of America and Europe, to receive the I-Star Award by

y efficiency coalition

The International Panel of Expert (IPE) on Sustainability

of the Built Environment reviewed Singapore’s progress on its green building

BCA’s Green Building Masterplan has set the framework for policies and

ch as legislation and incentives to further the adoption of green buildings.

member foreign experts and eight-member local experts in the field of green

buildings met from 24 to 26 June to discuss what more Singapore can do

green buildings.

supported BCA’s plan to focus on greening existing

e building users and tenants using BCA’s user-centric

complement and intensify the green building effort

he current incentive approach can continue to encourage

building owners to go for higher Green Mark ratings and save both

and to build up a critical mass of green buildings in Singapore.

by BCA on 36 commercial buildings, results have

an efficient chiller system can improve energy efficiency by up to

retrofitting. This contributes to an overall energy savings of 16% of the total building

total energy saved was 85 GWh per annum. This energy saving

REINFORCE STRATEGIES ON GREEN BUILDINGS, SAYS

International experts give thumbs up for Singapore’s green building efforts and


Star Award by

on Sustainability

green building

BCA’s Green Building Masterplan has set the framework for policies and

ch as legislation and incentives to further the adoption of green buildings.

local experts in the field of green

what more Singapore can do to further

focus on greening existing

centric Green

complement and intensify the green building efforts.

to encourage

save both energy and

ve shown that

up to 42% after

of the total building

. This energy saving

can be used to power another 17,860 HDB 5-room flats for a year1 (See Annex A). In

terms of monetary savings, owners of these 36 buildings saved a total of $22.7

million per year.

5. The international experts also shared their perspectives on exploring some

form of building energy performance disclosure and labelling for benchmarking and

improvement purposes to heighten awareness and broaden the reach of green

buildings to building owners and consumers. In addition, it is also important to

educate the younger generation on environmental sustainability and continue to train

a pool of capable green building workforce. They also recommended the need for

continual government and industry support of the research, development and

deployment (RD&D) of innovative and effective green building technologies. All

these efforts will help strengthen Singapore’s position as a global leader in green

buildings in the tropics and sub-tropics.

6. These recommendations will be reviewed by BCA for adaptation and inclusion

in the third Green Building Masterplan which will be unveiled in September, at the

International Green Building Conference to be held during the Singapore Green

Building Week from 9-13 September 2013.

Singapore’s Efforts in Greening the Built Environment

7. The number of green building projects in Singapore has grown from 17 in

2005 to about 1,600 in eight years. This translates to 47 million m2 of Gross Floor

Area (GFA), or 20% of Singapore’s total GFA. Singapore is thus well on track to

meet its goal of greening 80% of Singapore’s building stocks by 2030.

8. The 2nd Green Building Masterplan launched in 2009 has been instrumental in

achieving such stellar results. Recognising BCA’s outstanding achievement in

leading the green building movement and energy efficiency improvement, the US-

based energy efficiency coalition, Alliance to Save Energy, will confer on BCA the

1 Based on national monthly average electricity consumption for HDB 5-room household of 396.55

kWh (SP Services); and residential electricity tariff (EMA and SP Services) of 26.70cents/kWh (Apr-Jun 2013).

International Star (I-Star) Award2 in October 2013. Singapore is the first country

outside of America and Europe to receive this Award.

9. Dr John Keung, CEO of BCA, said, “The award is testament to our progress in

greening Singapore’s built environment through BCA’s Green Building Masterplan.

With a robust plan that looks into all aspects of creating a sustainable built

environment, I am confident that our vision of becoming a global leader in green

buildings, with particular expertise in the tropics and sub-tropics, can be realised in

the next few years.”

10. With a focus on greening our existing buildings, several initiatives, including

the $100 million Green Mark Incentive Scheme for Existing Buildings was introduced

to encourage retrofitting and upgrading works for improving building energy

efficiency. The scheme was fully committed earlier this year, co-funding up to 50% of

the costs of energy efficient equipment and professional services for 81 projects.

11. A pilot Building Retrofit Energy Efficiency Financing (BREEF) scheme was

also introduced in 2011 to provide credit facilities for commercial building owners.

Under the scheme, building owners can carry out energy efficient retrofits under an

Energy Performance Contract (EPC) arrangement. BCA currently co-shares 50% of

the risk of any loan default for 5 projects with the participating financial institution

issuing the loans.

Legislation for Existing Buildings

12. Buildings consume about one-third of Singapore’s total end-use electricity. To

give a greater push for energy efficiency in existing buildings and to improve

Singapore’s energy security, productivity and growth, landmark legislation for energy

efficiency was introduced to mandate minimum environmental sustainability

standards for existing buildings. The Regulations will be implemented from the 3rd

quarter of 2013 and building owners will have to fulfill three requirements under the

Building Control Act:

2 The Star of Energy Efficiency awards are given to individuals, organisations, companies, learning

institutions, and government programs that have demonstrated a significant and tangible commitment to the cause of energy efficiency both in the U.S. and abroad

• Achieve minimum Green Mark standards for existing buildings when a

cooling system is installed or retrofitted (effective from early January 2014)

• Carry out three-yearly energy audit on building cooling systems and

compliance with design system efficiency (effective from early January 2014)

• Submit building information and energy consumption data annually (effective

from 1 July 2013)

___________________________________________________________________ Issued by the Building and Construction Authority on 26 June 2013

About BCA

The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) of Singapore champions the development of

an excellent built environment for Singapore. BCA’s mission is to shape a safe, high quality,

sustainable and friendly built environment, as these are four key elements where BCA has a

significant influence. In doing so, it aims to differentiate Singapore’s built environment from

those of other cities and contribute to a better quality of life for everyone in Singapore.

Hence, its vision is to have "the best built environment for Singapore, our distinctive global

city". Together with its education arm, the BCA Academy of the Built Environment, BCA

works closely with its industry partners to develop skills and expertise that help shape the

best built environment for Singapore. For more information, visit www.bca.gov.sg.

Study on Energy Savings from Retrofitted Existing Buildings

Background The study comprised of 36 commercial buildings (10 existing hotels, 18 office buildings and 8 retail buildings) which had undergone retrofitting to achieve Green Mark Gold, GoldPLUS or Platinum status.

Objective To find out the energy efficiency that can be realised from retrofitting existing buildings.

Key findings

1) Energy Savings for Retrofitted Buildings � By retrofitting an existing building, the annual total building energy

consumption per square metre, expressed by the Energy Usage Index (EUI), improved by 16% annually (58kWh/m2/year).

� The 16% energy savings achieved translates to 85 GWh energy savings per annum, or $22.7 million in cost savings, i.e. lower electricity bills.

* Retrofitting costs for existing buildings vary and depends on the type and size of building, as well as the items that are being retrofitted. * Items included under retrofit include chiller plant replacement, optimisation of air-conditioning system and change of the light fittings.

2) Air-con Plant Efficiency

� The average system efficiency

required to produce a unit of cooling,before retrofitting, to 0.64 kWgreater efficiency in the airpower consumption.

� The saving in consumption is mainly due to replacement or upgrading to a more efficient central air conditioning system.

� The average air-con plant efficiency of a retrofitted building is comparable to a new building that was awarded Goldwhich perform at an average of 0.64kW/RT. This means that the airplant efficiency of a retrofitted building is just as good as a new GoldPlatinum building.

The average system efficiency, which indicates the amount of power required to produce a unit of cooling, improved by 42% from 1.11 kW/RT

to 0.64 kW/RT after retrofitting. (A lower value denotes greater efficiency in the air-conditioning system and hence more savings in power consumption.)

in consumption is mainly due to replacement or upgrading to a more efficient central air conditioning system.

con plant efficiency of a retrofitted building is comparable to a new building that was awarded GoldPLUS/Platinum ratings, both which perform at an average of 0.64kW/RT. This means that the airplant efficiency of a retrofitted building is just as good as a new Gold

, which indicates the amount of power from 1.11 kW/RT

value denotes conditioning system and hence more savings in

in consumption is mainly due to replacement or upgrading to a

con plant efficiency of a retrofitted building is comparable /Platinum ratings, both of

which perform at an average of 0.64kW/RT. This means that the air-con plant efficiency of a retrofitted building is just as good as a new GoldPLUS/

3) Payback Period for Retrofitting of Existing Buildings

Type of development

Payback Range (years)

Average Payback (years)

Hotel 3 to 6 4.1

Retail 4 to 7 4.6

Office 4 to 8 6.3

� For retrofitting of existing buildings, hotel buildings are the quickest to

recoup their investment among the three types of developments shown above.

� In a joint research with National University of Singapore, Department of Real Estate and the top 6 valuation firms, it was found that retrofitting existing buildings reduces, on average, 10% of the operating expense and this translates into a 2% increase in the valuation of the building.

Co-Chairman Annexe B: CVs of IPE members

Dr. John Keung Kam Yin

Chief Executive Officer

Building and Construction Authority

Dr John Keung Kam Yin is the Chief Executive Officer of Singapore’s Building and Construction Authority (BCA) since June 2006. The Authority’s mission is to shape a safe, high quality, sustainable and friendly built environment. He is also Chairman, BCA International Pte Ltd; Chairman, BCA Centre for Sustainable Buildings Ltd, a collaboration centre with the United Nations Environment Programme; a Board Member of BCA and a member of the Supervisory Board, Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore (SERIS). Prior to his current appointment at BCA, Dr Keung has served as Deputy Chief Executive Officer (Building) of the Housing & Development Board (HDB) overseeing the planning and development of new towns and public housing estates, as Director of Strategic Planning in the Ministry of National Development, as Deputy Chief Planner (Planning Policies) in the Urban Redevelopment Authority and later, as its Deputy Chief Executive Officer (Development Control and Corporate Development). Dr Keung is an Adjunct Professor in Planning, Department of Architecture, National University of Singapore (NUS) and a member of the School Advisory Committee, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University (NTU). He graduated from the York University, Canada, in 1978 and subsequently obtained a Master of Science (Town Planning) in 1980 and a Doctorate of Philosophy (Town Planning) from the University of Wales, UK, in 1991. He also completed the Advanced Management Programme (AMP) at INSEAD, France, in 1997. Dr Keung is a Chartered Town Planner and a Corporate Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute (MRTPI). He is also a Fellow of the Singapore Institute of Planners (FSIP). He was awarded the Public Administration Medal (Gold) by the Singapore Government for his contributions to public administration.

Co-Chairman

Er. Lee Chuan Seng

Emeritus Chairman

Beca Asia

Mr Lee Chuan Seng is the Emeritus Chairman of Beca Asia, a leading engineering consultancy based in Singapore, and was an Executive Director of the Beca Group, New Zealand. After leading the expansion of the Beca Asia business over more than 2 decades into Indonesia, Myanmar, Malaysia and China he has retired in 2013. He has lived and worked in New Zealand, the Philippines, Indonesia and Singapore and his international work experience also includes projects in Vietnam, Australia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan and Korea. He is an Honorary Advisor of the Singapore Green Building Council and was its founding President (2009-2011) as well as a Board Member of the World Green Building Council from 2010 to 2013. He is a Board Member of the Singapore National Environment Agency which regulates environmental matters. He was the Deputy Chairman of the Singapore Building and Construction Authority as well as a Board Member of the Singapore Professional Engineers Board having served several terms on these statutory bodies which regulate the construction industry and the engineering profession in Singapore. In addition, he chairs a number of industry committees, including the BCA Green Mark Advisory Committee which oversees the benchmarks for green building awards in Singapore, and BCA Industry Steering Committee for Building Information Modelling (BIM) which seeks to improve the productivity of the construction industry. He is also Co-Chair of the Singapore BCA International Panel of Experts for Sustainability in the Built Environment (2008, 2009 and 2013) and the International Panel of Experts for BIM Technology (2010 and 2013). He is Chair of the Advisory Board for the BCA Centre for Sustainable Buildings which is the result of collaboration between BCA and the United Nations Environment Programme. He is a member of the Singapore Ministry of National Development R&D Steering Committee for applied research into environmentally sustainable technologies in construction and had previously chaired its Technical Evaluation Panel.

International Expert

Mr. Brian Castelli

Executive Vice President, Programs and Development

Alliance to Save Energy

As the Executive Vice President for Programs and Development at the Alliance to Save Energy, Brian T. Castelli brings 30 years of national and international experience in the energy field, including expertise in energy efficiency, renewables, emission reductions and electricity demand reduction; and leads programs in the buildings, industrial, energy education, and international arenas. Brian has worked in 30 countries on clean energy and climate change programs and is currently engaged in work throughout management team in July 2005, Brian ran his own energy consulting firm. He served as the Washington Liaison for the California Energy Commission, as a Principal with the Global Environment and Technology Foundaalso consulted with the National Association of State Energy Officials. As a presidential appointee, Brian served as chief of staff to the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) assistant secretary for energy efficiency and renewable energy f1994 to 2001. He managed 550 staff members and more than $1 billion in programs and research, development and deployment initiatives and directed the development and implementation of energy policies and programs.Brian also led and participated in misformer Soviet Union countries and was deeply involved in developing energyefficiency measures for the eventual closure of the nuclear reactors in Chornobyl, Ukraine. Prior to DOE, Brian was appointed in 1988 by GoEnergy Office (PEO), where he served as deputy director for administration and public affairs and then as executive director through 1994. As executive director, he ran the state’s energy policies and programs, managed the the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority and took the lead on responding to energy emergencies. Notably, he developed a revolving loan fund for energy“Green Buildings” program for cutting energy use aowned or operated buildings and drafted legislation for and implemented an alternative fuel program. Brian currently serves on the Boards of a number of energy related companies and advisory councils. He holds two degrees from bachelor of science in chemical engineering and an MBA in industrial/environmental management from the university’s Wharton School.


Executive Vice President, Programs and Development

As the Executive Vice President for Programs and Development at the Alliance to Save Energy, Brian T. Castelli brings 30 years of national and international experience in the energy field, including expertise in energy efficiency, renewables,

ctions and electricity demand reduction; and leads programs in the buildings, industrial, energy education, and international arenas. Brian has worked in 30 countries on clean energy and climate change programs and is currently engaged in work throughout Asia. Prior to joining the Alliance’s senior management team in July 2005, Brian ran his own energy consulting firm. He served as the Washington Liaison for the California Energy Commission, as a Principal with the Global Environment and Technology Foundation (GETF), and also consulted with the National Association of State Energy Officials. As a presidential appointee, Brian served as chief of staff to the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) assistant secretary for energy efficiency and renewable energy f1994 to 2001. He managed 550 staff members and more than $1 billion in programs and research, development and deployment initiatives and directed the development and implementation of energy policies and programs. Brian also led and participated in missions to Western Hemisphere, European and former Soviet Union countries and was deeply involved in developing energyefficiency measures for the eventual closure of the nuclear reactors in Chornobyl,

Prior to DOE, Brian was appointed in 1988 by Gov. Bob Casey to the Pennsylvania Energy Office (PEO), where he served as deputy director for administration and public affairs and then as executive director through 1994. As executive director, he ran the state’s energy policies and programs, managed the state energy office and the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority and took the lead on responding to

Notably, he developed a revolving loan fund for energy-efficiency measures and a “Green Buildings” program for cutting energy use and costs in all commonwealthowned or operated buildings and drafted legislation for and implemented an

Brian currently serves on the Boards of a number of energy related companies and advisory councils. He holds two degrees from the University of Pennsylvania bachelor of science in chemical engineering and an MBA in industrial/environmental management from the university’s Wharton School.

As the Executive Vice President for Programs and Development at the Alliance to Save Energy, Brian T. Castelli brings 30 years of national and international experience in the energy field, including expertise in energy efficiency, renewables,

ctions and electricity demand reduction; and leads programs in the

Brian has worked in 30 countries on clean energy and climate change programs and Asia. Prior to joining the Alliance’s senior

management team in July 2005, Brian ran his own energy consulting firm. He served as the Washington Liaison for the California Energy Commission, as a

tion (GETF), and also consulted with the National Association of State Energy Officials. As a presidential appointee, Brian served as chief of staff to the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) assistant secretary for energy efficiency and renewable energy from 1994 to 2001. He managed 550 staff members and more than $1 billion in programs and research, development and deployment initiatives and directed the development

sions to Western Hemisphere, European and former Soviet Union countries and was deeply involved in developing energy-efficiency measures for the eventual closure of the nuclear reactors in Chornobyl,

v. Bob Casey to the Pennsylvania Energy Office (PEO), where he served as deputy director for administration and public affairs and then as executive director through 1994. As executive director, he

state energy office and the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority and took the lead on responding to

efficiency measures and a nd costs in all commonwealth-

owned or operated buildings and drafted legislation for and implemented an

Brian currently serves on the Boards of a number of energy related companies and the University of Pennsylvania — a

bachelor of science in chemical engineering and an MBA in industrial/environmental


Mr. Jens Laustsen

Technical Director, Global Research

Global Buildings Performance Network

Mr. Jens Laustsen is Technical Director for Global Research in the Global Buildings Performance Network. He oversees and leads the global technical work, including development of a web based knowledge platform, development of databases, reporting material and technical content of the whole website and all GBPN global communication. He is responsible for and leading the development of the overall GBPN program of work including regional activities. He also oversees and monitors the implementation of global research program and the regional coordination. Prior joining GBPN, Jens worked as an independent international consultant in policies and initiatives for deep energy retrofit, low energy construction and green global growth. His work concerns improvement of existing buildings (Renovate Europe), passive design of new buildings, climate mitigation policies and preparation of conferences, supporting policy development, analytic research, energy modelling for building efficiency, preparation and start of different new initiatives. Since 2006, Jens has been leading policy work for buildings at the IEA developing recommendations for IEA countries, G8 and large emerging economies. Before joining IEA he developed building policies for the Danish Government for more than a decade and has worked with various aspects of energy efficient buildings as well as architect for governments, international organizations and for private companies.


Ms. Maria Atkinson

Director

XO Pty Ltd

Maria is a Director of XO. She established XO Pty Limited jointly with Ché Wall in October 2012, with the aim to create solutions that catalyse large-scale change and this collaboration inspires and enables sustainability. Prior to XO, Maria was the Global Head of Sustainability at Lend Lease from 2006 - 2012. In 2010, she was appointed to the role of Managing Director for Lend Lease's consulting business Sustainability Solutions and was a member of the Executive Management Team from 2006 - 2011. During her stint with Lend Lease, she worked closely with the Lend Lease Board, the Executive Management Team and their global businesses to develop sustainability policy and standards, measure and report the organisation’s sustainability practice and performance, working across the organisation to respond to risks and strategic opportunities and to advocate for industry standards across the property sector more broadly. Maria was the founding CEO and co-founder of the Green Building Council of Australia. In January 2012, Maria was awarded a Member of the General Division of the Order of Australia (AM) for "service to the construction and real estate sector, particularly as a leader and contributor to environmentally sustainable building development in Australia". Maria is also a member of various advisory groups including: the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative Property Advisory Group; Singapore's Building & Construction Authority's International Panel of Experts; the City of Sydney Design Advisory Panel; the University of Technology Sydney Business School; the US Studies Centre Advisory Council; the NSW State Government Climate Change Council; and the Australian Department of Climate Change and Climate Adaptation Flagship Stakeholder Advisory Group.


Mr. Stephen E. Selkowitz

Department Head, Building Technologies, Environment Energy

Technologies Division

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Stephen Selkowitz is Group Leader, Windows and Building Envelope Materials, and a Senior Advisor for Building Science at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. He has over 36 years of experience in building energy performance and sustainable design, with an emphasis on RD&D of energy efficient technologies, systems and design practices. As an internationally recognized expert on window technologies, façade systems, and daylighting, and he collaborates with R&D teams worldwide in this field. At LBNL he leads a multidisciplinary team of 40 material scientists, physicists, engineers and architects in the development and demonstration of energy efficient technologies, systems, processes and tools. Projects range from basic materials research for glazing and daylighting to development of energy simulation tools for integrated building design and operations, and from near term field demonstrations of emerging technologies to research supporting “net zero energy” buildings. He is the Principal Investigator for the new LBNL program to design and build FLEXLAB, the Facility for Low Energy Experiments in Buildings. His programs balance R&D with an aggressive technology transfer effort so that research results are effectively adopted by the building industry. Stephen participates in a wide range of building industry, government, and professional activities in the U.S. and internationally, is a frequent invited speaker on building energy efficiency, and author of over 170 publications, 3 books and holds 2 patents. He is a past member of the Board of Directors of the National Fenestration Rating Council and is currently on the advisory board of a number of efficiency initiatives such as the Green Lights Daylighting Program in New York City, and the Zero Emissions Building program in Norway and a member of the Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) of the Smart Lighting Center which consists of distinguished and accomplished group of researchers providing input and guidance on the scientific merit of research projects and direction of the center. Before joining LBNL he was a principal in a consulting engineering firm and taught courses in Environmental Controls and Alternative Energy Systems. Stephen holds a BA in Physics from Harvard College and an MFA in Environmental Design from California Institute of the Arts.


Dr. Yamina Saheb

Senior Buildings Expert, Energy Efficiency and Environment Division

International Energy Agency

Dr. Yamina Saheb has 13 years of experience in buildings and appliances energy efficiency. She joined the International Energy Agency as the Senior Building Expert in the Energy Efficiency and Environment Division in February 2011, where she heads the Sustainable Buildings Centre. This role includes conducting research and analysis on the use of policy instruments to reduce energy consumption in the building sector. She regularly presents papers and analyzed results at international conferences and has contributed to a book published on sustainable cities. Prior to joining the IEA, she worked as an energy efficiency analyst for IFRI (Institut Francais des Relations Internationales). Previously, she worked as the Technical Director for CLASP (Collaborative Appliances Standard and Labeling program) and as the head of the Technical Department for Eurovent (HVAC manufacturers’ organisation in the EU). Saheb holds a Ph.D in Energy Engineering and an Engineering degree in Buildings.

Mr. Constant Van Aerschot

Executive Director

Business Council for Sustainable Development Singapore

Constant VAN AERSCHOT is independently leading the establishment of the Business Council for Sustainable Development Singapore (BCSD Singapore), which is the Regional Partner to the WBCSD and representing the private sector in Sustainable Development issues. Constant is ex Vice-President at Lafarge’s Sustainable Development & Public Affairs department where he specifically looked after Construction Standards & Regulations Initiatives. His job is to better understand the drivers of change in the construction sector and how they create opportunities for the company. He graduated as a civil engineer from the ETH in Zürich (Switzerland), and gained extensive building design experience while working for the global design firm ARUP in the UK, Germany and Australia. Constant also holds an MBA from the Cranfield School of Management (UK) and has had corporate strategy responsibilities at Alcatel-Lucent. Constant is currently an advisor to the Global Buildings Performance Network and Building Performance Institute.

Prominent Local Member

Mr. David Tan

Assistant Chief Executive Officer

JTC Corporation

David is the Assistant Chief Executive Officer (Technical & Professional Services Group) of JTC Corporation, spearheading JTC's efforts to plan, promote and develop a dynamic industrial landscape, in support of Singapore's economic advancement. Prior to his appointment, he spent 3 years with the Energy Market Authority as the Deputy Chief Executive (Energy Planning and Development) to plan, promote and develop a dynamic energy sector in Singapore; and held a concurrent appointment as the Deputy Executive Director of the Energy Studies Institute, to carry out energy policy oriented research. David began his career as a Civil and Structural Engineer in the JTC Corporation, designing and project managing reclamation, marine, infrastructure and building projects. During his career, he was appointed the Deputy Director of the Jurong Island Development Department and the Director of Specialised Parks Development Group. David graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering (Civil) – 1st Class Honours from the University of Adelaide, Australia and a Master of Science (Civil Engineering) from the National University of Singapore.


Mr. Kenneth Foo

Director, Facilities M anagement

Raffles Quay Asset Management Pte Ltd

Kenneth Foo is the current President for the International Facilities Management Association (IFMA), Singapore Chapter. He is also the Director of Facilities Management for Raffles Quay Asset Management, the asset manager of One Raffles Quay (ORQ) and Marina Bay Financial Centre (MBFC), the single largest integrated development in Singapore. In his current role, he is responsible for the operations and management of about 5 million square feet of combined prime Grade A commercial space, residential and retail space in both ORQ, MBFC and Marina Bay Link Mall, a shopping mall located at MBFC. Kenneth is a veteran professional engineer with more than 20 years of related property industry experience. Throughout his career, he has taken on key roles of a consultant and project manager for both contractor and developer in countries such as New Zealand, Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore.


Mr. Lim Tow Fok

General Manager, Property Management and Knowledge Management

Keppel Land International Limited

Tow Fok is the General Manager of Property Management and Knowledge Management in Keppel Land. With more than 30 years experience in the property industry, his current scope of duty covers mainly Property and Facilities Management of commercial, retail, industrial and residential properties developed and managed by the company. He is actively involved in the implementation of the company’s carbon management plan including setting environmental operation targets for all completed properties. He is also involved in the development of new projects, working in concert with Projects, Marketing and other departments, with the ultimate aim of achieving a product that meets end user requirements in terms of product quality, design and also environmental sustainability. While the company has put in eco-friendly features (i.e. the hardware) in the projects developed, Tow Fok is keen to pursue the “software” side of the equation, which is to influence stakeholders such as office tenants and residential occupiers to be environmentally friendly. A regular participant in property and facilities management industry related activities, he contributed as a member of the BCA’s Focus Group Panel on the review of the Building Maintenance and Strata Management Act (BMSMA)(2012). He is currently a member on the Estate Committee of the Singapore Chinese Orchestra Company Ltd. Until recently, he was also Keppel Land’s representative as alternate member of the World Green Building Council’s Corporate Advisory Board. Tow Fok holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration from the University of Adelaide.


Mr. Raymond Wong

Senior Research Fellow, School of Mechanical and Aerospace

Engineering, Energy Research Institute

Nanyang Technological University

Raymond Wong Yew Wah is Senior Research Fellow with the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and the Energy Research Institute, Nanyang Technological University (NTU). He obtained his BEng (Hons) from the then University of Singapore in 1976 and MSc in Mechanical Engineering from the National University of Singapore in 1985. Prior to joining NTU in 1986, Raymond worked in the building industry designing mechanical and electrical services for buildings. He is a registered Professional Engineer in Singapore, Senior Member in Institution of Engineers, Singapore and Fellow of American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). He was a Board member of ASHRAE from 2001 – 2004 and also Chair of ASHRAE Region 13 covering the Asia Pacific region during the same period. He has served as International Member on ASHRAE TC9.6 and later TC7.6 Systems energy utilization. Raymond is active in the development of energy standards and codes in Singapore, and is currently on the advisory panel to Building and Construction Authority’s Green Mark program. He conducted surveys on building energy consumption to develop an index for offices under the ASEAN-US Energy Co-operation program in the late 1980s and also in a later project under the BCA’s sponsorship. He was the resource person serving ASEAN countries for the DOE-2 energy simulation software. His current research is in the application of desiccant cooling for the Singapore climate and in district cooling systems. His current research interest is in energy efficiency in data centre cooling systems and participated in the IDA Green Challenge on outdoor air cooling in data centre. He also worked on the BCA-IDA Green Mark rating for new and existing data centre criteria. In 2009 he served on the ASHRAE Building Energy Label implementation ad-hoc committee as well as participating as the expert person for building energy efficiency on the APEC Peer Review for Energy Efficiency in the member economies of Chile and Vietnam. He has contributed over 40 articles in refereed journals and over 50 conference papers and technical reports.


Dr. Uma Maheswaran

Vice President, Sustainable Development Unit

Jurong Consultants


Dr. Uma Maheswaran is both a LEED AP and a Green Mark Professional of Singapore. His passion for sustainability and the green building industry, along with his architecture background, qualifies him as one of the most versatile Green Building Consultant across Singapore and regions around. Uma specialises in the development and applications of latest technologies for the design and development of green and sustainable projects. He has undertaken many major projects including Khoo Teck Puat Hospital and Zero Energy Building; and his areas of specialization include indoor air quality (IAQ) and performance technologies of building. His research focus areas include tropical facades and green and high performance building design. He is instrumental in undertaking applied research projects with the Ministry of Education (MOE), in the development of a new generation Green Schools. He is also a research collaborator with BCA for the Zero Energy Building design. Uma is Autodesk appointed trainer in Singapore and has worked jointly with private sector firms in the development of application software for the green building design and appraisal, which include the exploration and test-bedding of phase change materials, simulation tools for the appraisal of design, calculations and strategic application of EETV and RETV for optimised building performance.

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