I'm crafting this guide to illuminate the ins and outs of Singapore's Green Mark green certification process, aiming to help you traverse this eco-friendly rating and certification system with ease. Drawing from a wellspring of knowledge and experience amassed over 12 years as a consultant in the field, I'm excited to share my insights with you.
Embarking on a project under the Green Mark system requires a clear understanding of the process. Achieving a Green Mark Platinum rating, for instance, can take approximately one to two years, or possibly longer depending on the intricacies of the design. On the other hand, a project aiming for a Green Mark Gold rating might span six months to a year, unless the design process requires additional time. It's strongly recommended to involve a consultant at the earliest stages of the project, as this can help to prevent unwarranted modifications to the design later on.
Step 1: Making the decision
The Green Mark system can impact your project in two ways: through Green Mark legislation and the Green Mark voluntary scheme.
Green Mark Legislation applies to all new buildings with >= 2000m2 (GFA) (also applies if the area of addition/extension, or affected major renovation area of the existing project is >=2000m2). Green Mark legislation will be submitted by project QP through the E-filing system.
Green Mark legislation only requires a project to meet the minimum Green Mark score (50 points under Green Mark version 4.1). Currently, it uses the older version because the latest Green Mark version has Gold rating as the minimum score.
Take note that if your project is located in the selected strategic area (Marina Bay, Downtown core, Jurong Lake District, Kallang Riverside, Paya Lebar Central, Woodlands Regional Centre, Punggol Eco-Town), the project must obtain higher ratings. Get the full detail here.
Green Mark voluntary scheme applies to all project unless you are a public sector, fall under the scheme Public Sector Taking the Lead in Environmental Sustainability (PSTLES).
Under this scheme,
New public sector buildings with more than 5,000 m2 air-conditioned floor area, including buildings with the development cost fully or partly funded by the public sector, must attain the Green Mark Platinum rating.
All existing public sector buildings with air-conditioned floor area exceeding 10,000 m2 must attain the Green Mark GoldPlus rating by FY2020.
All existing public sector buildings with air-conditioned floor area below 10,000 m2 and gross floor area exceeding 5,000 m2 must attain the Green Mark Gold rating by FY2020.
Besides all mentioned above, other projects have the freedom to choose any Green Mark rating target from Gold, Goldplus, Platinum, or Super Low Energy Buildings. The key to determining your final decision should be:
Your budget (a general Green Mark Platinum cost around 5% or more over your construction cost)
Your marketing/branding strategy (the rental cost for a green building is higher)
Your company overall sustainability goal
Your project timeline to accommodate Green Mark process (the early you engage the specialist, the minimum additional time you would spend).
You believe that Green Mark will bring a certain value to your project!
Step 2: Green Mark Registration
You submit the Green Mark application here. Before you click, check how much you should be paying for the Green Mark assessment (Green Mark Assessment Fee). Note that some categories are using Sq ft as the guideline, pay attention to the unit!
In the Green Mark application portal, you need to get ready (using New Building an Example):
1. Corp pass (to ask your owner to get their corp pass as well if you are a consultant submitting on their behalf, as they will need to endorse your submission).
For Corp Pass, you need to find the admin of your company's corp pass holder, and ask him/her to add you to the company list. You will be using your own Singpass to log into the webpage.
2. Project Info
3. Developer/Owner Info
4. Project Team Info
5. Key Contact Person
6. Required supporting documents
- Documentary evidence for Gross Floor Area (GFA). You can upload a project site plan showing the GFA count.
- Summary of green features and highlights for the project. This is optional, for early-stage projects, many are skipping this.
- Estimated annual savings. This is optional, as most early-stage projects will not be able to provide this figure.
- Brochure. This is optional, depends on the stage of the project. A project may choose to upload their marketing brochure to help BCA assessor to understand more about your project.
- Sales agreement of Government Land Sale site (if applicable)
- Letter of offer/agreement of incentive scheme (if applicable)
Download the below #template for Green Mark application info collection:
Disclaimer of Non-Affiliation: Please note that we are not affiliated with, sponsored by, or partnered with the Singapore Building Construction Authority (BCA) or any related government agencies responsible for issuing Green Mark criteria.