CDL and Keppel receive green building awards at WorldGBC meeting

City Developments Limited (CDL) and Keppel Land have been recognised with the ‘Business Leadership in Sustainability’ award at the inaugural World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) Asia Pacific Regional Network Leadership Awards in Green Building.

The two Singapore-based companies and ITC Limited from India were presented with their awards from Singapore’s Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan.

The ceremony took place during the Singapore Green Building Council’s (SGBC) fifth anniversary dinner on Wednesday at the Raffles City Convention Centre alongside the International Green Building Conference 2014.

The awards were developed by the WorldGBC to honour building companies who prioritised sustainability principles throughout their operations.

Jane Henley, chief executive officer of the WorldGBC, said: “The Leadership Awards in Green Building honour companies that are truly walking the talk when it comes to sustainability, but also underscore that designing and delivering a green building is just the first step on the road to sustainability.”

The awards received 112 nominations from 15 countries for two award categories - ‘Business Leadership in Sustainability’ and ‘Leadership in Sustainable Design and Performance’.

In addition to CDL and Keppel, who are both SGBC members, Lend Lease Asia was also a finalist in the Business Leadership in Sustainability category.

Two other buildings in Singapore – Khoo Teck Puat Hospital and the Ocean Financial Centre – also qualified for the Leadership in Sustainable Design and Performance category.

The SGBC also marked the occasion by signing a series of agreements with international green building councils and research organisations that will develop regional and international collaborations for the council.

The series of agreements includes a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Tanzanian Green Building Council (TZGBC) that will see SGBC play a mentoring role in guiding the development of TZGBC.

An MOU was also agreed with the Taiwan Intelligent Building Association (TiBA) to share green building knowledge and technology.

SGBC will also collaborate with the Berkeley Education Alliance for Research in Singapore (BEARS) to conduct research on tropical building sustainability.

Ng Eng Kiong, president of SGBC said: “Partnerships are instrumental to advance the green building cause. In the coming months, WGBC will also be exploring how greater regional collaboration can optimise our individual limited resources. It is imperative that we continue to forge powerful global relationships to advance green building agendas, formulate relevant initiatives to help companies make full use of the various green building resources as well as continue to bring awareness of green building to Singapore’s building community and beyond”.