ULI Asia Pacific’s Post

Small island nations are threatened by climate change, but they also have a great opportunity to lead the way in sustainability. This commentary examines the opportunities and problems city-states like Singapore confront as they work towards their net-zero goals. It explores technical solutions such as climate-smart agriculture, green buildings, and integration of renewable energy. It highlights the value of strong legislative frameworks, community involvement, and regional cooperation in addition to technology. Small island governments can become pioneers in sustainability and systems integrators by growing successful initiatives like Singapore's green construction programmes and encouraging knowledge sharing among ASEAN members. It will take creative finance solutions, global backing, and a move towards a circular economy to fully embrace this role. Success ultimately depends on cooperation, an openness to new ideas, and a common vision of a time when small island states prosper not in spite of, but precisely because of, their dedication to sustainability. Much appreciate your patience for part II of my commentary. Once again, this would not be possible without the generous support of Andrea Gori, Nicolas Vecchioli, Maria Rugamer and all my fellow thought leaders who empowers and inspires me do more, to start conversation and to seek meaningful collaboration to move our sustainability pivot forwards and onwards. #SIDS #Sustainability #SustainableFinance #PPP #SustainablePolicy #SustainableEnergy #ASEAN #SmallIslandDevelopingStates #CoordinatedCollaboration #Innovation #Ecosystem

The reduction of embodied carbon in building materials is gaining significant traction as government regulations steadily roll out, increasing project owners' awareness of sustainability and driving a surge in projects seeking green certifications. As an example, the Green Building Council of Australia has certified over 1,000 projects this year that achieved at least a 4-star rating (indicating a 10% reduction in embodied carbon), more than tripling the number certified in 2021. However, the industry still faces great challenges in sourcing the right building materials for embodied carbon reduction due to the lack of a unified database of low carbon materials (LCM). Moreover, the fragmentation, incompleteness, and unreliability of the current methods for collecting LCA data have widened the gap of sourcing LCMs and slowed the pace of their adoption. In response, the Low Carbon Materials Hub (LCMH) has launched the first version of its open-access EPD database which includes the available low carbon alternatives for Australia. It's the first interactive data platform in Australia to provide building material EPDs that allows users to search, compare and calculate products' GWP performance for their building projects. We have recently added new features to our project summary page to support data export. We invite you to become our beta user and explore more at www.lcmhub.com! https://lnkd.in/gWmBtJh3

Green Economy and Sustainable Construction A green economy prioritizes sustainable development by reducing carbon emissions, enhancing energy efficiency, and using renewable resources to ensure long-term economic growth and environmental sustainability. Sustainable construction involves designing and building structures in ways that minimize environmental impact, using eco-friendly materials and energy-efficient practices to create healthy, low-carbon buildings. Key Learnings from Teach4SDG Series 3 Class: Minimizing Resource Depletion: Green Economy: Uses renewable energy and efficient resource management. Sustainable Construction: Utilizes recycled materials and energy-efficient designs. Enhancing Energy Efficiency: Green Economy: Invests in energy-efficient technologies to reduce emissions. Sustainable Construction: Incorporates energy-efficient features like proper insulation and solar panels. Promoting Sustainable Practices: Green Economy: Encourages sustainable business and consumer practices. Sustainable Construction: Implements waste reduction, water conservation, and green building certifications. Thanks to Teach4SDGs AIIDEV Africa

In an era where sustainability is crucial for business success, urban planners have to rethink on how to be more sustainable in their urban planning strategies, especially in the manufacturing sector. Here in Singapore, the Ministry of National Development (MND) is leveraging on partnerships to create a sustainable manufacturing sector such as the JTC SolarLand and SolarRoof programmes. Read the full article to find out more: https://lnkd.in/gxTvbbWc #Sustainability #IndustryTrends #MarketInsights #SustainabilityInitiatives

Small island nations are threatened by climate change, but they also have a great opportunity to lead the way in sustainability. This commentary examines the opportunities and problems city-states like Singapore confront as they work towards their net-zero goals. It explores technical solutions such as climate-smart agriculture, green buildings, and integration of renewable energy. It highlights the value of strong legislative frameworks, community involvement, and regional cooperation in addition to technology. Small island governments can become pioneers in sustainability and systems integrators by growing successful initiatives like Singapore's green construction programmes and encouraging knowledge sharing among ASEAN members. It will take creative finance solutions, global backing, and a move towards a circular economy to fully embrace this role. Success ultimately depends on cooperation, an openness to new ideas, and a common vision of a time when small island states prosper not in spite of, but precisely because of, their dedication to sustainability. This is part 1 of a 2 part commentary. Many thanks to illuminem, Andrea Gori, Maria Rugamer and my fellow thought leaders at illuminem for the opportunity and discussions. #SIDS #leadership #sustainability #smallstates #coordinatecollaboration #ASEAN #sustainabilitypivot #cataylst #climateaction #sustainabilefinance #climatechange

🏢 Southeast Asia's rapid #urbanization is set to bring over 100M people to cities by 2030, pushing #energy demand up by 42% in the next decade. With the #BuiltEnvironment contributing 39% of global CO2 emissions, we need new innovations to support the climate transition. Hear insights from Zachary Lee (李惠翔) on the built environment sector in Southeast Asia here on e27 (Optimatic): 🗞️ https://lnkd.in/g6hrxM-A Challenges and Opportunities: 🌍 SEA's Vulnerability to Climate Change: rising sea levels, extreme weather—necessitates resilient building designs and proactive climate #adaptation measures. The built environment sector faces challenges with rising energy costs and volatile interest rates, hindering decarbonization efforts. 🏢 Green Building Certifications: LEED, BREEAM, and others are gaining traction, driven by tenant demand, green loans, and lower operating costs. 💸 Market Potential: $20-30Bn market for decarbonizing embodied carbon emissions from building materials, and a $10-20Bn market for reducing operating emissions through energy-efficient systems and renewable energy. Investment Outlook: 💡 Innovations in green building materials and software technologies offer opportunities for startups and investors; for example, startups like Neocrete and CarbonCure Technologies are leading the way with low-carbon concrete solutions, while AI-driven energy management systems enhance operational efficiency. 💡 Green Loans & Incentives: Governments, like Malaysia, are promoting green building investments through policies and schemes, making it financially viable for developers. 💡 Venture Capital Interest: Funds like Fifth Wall and Taronga Ventures are investing heavily in proptech and sustainable real estate, indicating strong market confidence. 💡 Higher Returns: Green buildings not only reduce environmental impact but also offer lower operating costs and attract premium tenants, translating to higher revenue and investment returns. 🚀 Calling all #Climate #Founders decarbonizing the #BuiltEnvironment! The Radical Fund have recently entered a strategic partnership with Keppel (Real Estate Division) (read more: https://lnkd.in/gQNpNquK) and now actively looking for founders driving innovation in sectors such as the #BuiltEnvironment, #RenewableEnergy, #Decarbonization, and #InfrastructureTechnology in Southeast Asia. ► Does this sound like you? Apply here: https://lnkd.in/gDFdA8bi

Now, let's explore how we can green our work in the construction game after land reclaimation. I believe most of us heard about the Green Building Index (GBI), which is all about creating energy-efficient, eco-friendly buildings that leave a smaller footprint on the planet 🌏. Well, GBI can guide us toward sustainability, it can start off with straightforward choices, like using locally sourced materials to cut transportation emissions and support local businesses. In Malaysia, we may choose a recognized local manufacturer from the SEDA list. This approach can help reduce Scope 3 emissions, which usually make up about 90% of total emissions for a company. Well, the MRV system for Scope 3 is still being greatly worked on, which can be a bit tricky. But there is already ongoing discussion about avoided emissions, known as Scope 4 emissions. 😲 To learn more, check out the paper "Making things (that don't exist) count: a study on Scope 4 emissions accounting claims", by Anna Young-Ferris. It's definitely worth a read 🤓📖 Going green is not as easy as it seems. There is alot to consider, and every little efforts count. Plus, a few innovative tweaks can make a difference too. ☘️🌱🌿

𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀: 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲! 🌍🤝 Exciting progress towards a circular economy! Our partners, KORE Retrofit and Building Balance, are teaming up to establish regional value chains for biobased building materials in Ireland. Through a series of online seminars, we’re drawing from the Dutch experience and exploring how agri-crop construction solutions can help decarbonize social housing. Together, we’re empowering Ireland’s social housing sector to lead the way in sustainable retrofits and new builds. Let’s drive innovation with low-carbon, biobased materials! 💡🏡 Discover how these efforts align with Circular Reno’s mission to advance sustainable, circular building practices across Europe. 📖 Read the full article and research papers here: https://lnkd.in/erzK_MSr #CircularReno #BiobasedBuilding #BiobasedRetrofit #BioBasedMaterials #LocalValueChains #CircularEconomy #SustainableMaterials #LocalSustainability Interreg North-West Europe (NWE) Building Balance KORE Retrofit

For anyone working in Hong Kong who has been subjected to Arctic-like air-conditioning, it will come as no surprise that buildings in the city account for 90% of all electricity used. What may be surprising is that electricity accounts for 60% of all our carbon emissions. If we’re going to reach net zero by 2050, we need a fundamental mind shift from designers, developers, tenants and the government. We need to move away from the idea of only mitigating our use of electricity through technology, and actually reduce our baseline consumption. I think we need to tread more lightly as an industry and we can do that collectively with some relatively easy-to-achieve steps. We need to examine building regulations and build in mechanisms that encourage greater creativity when it comes to sustainability. We also need to wean ourselves off our GFA fixation to allow more flexibility of design. And we also need to have a much more considered relationship with the climate in Hong Kong. You can read more about what I think needs to be done in this piece in the South China Morning Post SCMP. Tell me what you think. #architecture #netzero #hongkong

Did you know the global building stock is projected to double by 2060?   This staggering growth, driven by increasing populations and urbanization, particularly in Asia, poses significant challenges and opportunities for the construction industry. As we witness an unprecedented expansion, the need for a sustainable built environment has never been more critical. Companies worldwide are stepping up, committing to net-zero carbon goals, and aligning with global sustainability mandates.    Achieving these ambitious goals necessitates a holistic approach, addressing both embodied and operational carbon. It's a call to action for every player in the construction industry to innovate, collaborate, and lead the charge towards a more sustainable future ♻️.   Join our upcoming live Carbon Experts Live episode featuring Martin Desbrieres from TERAO Asia and gain insights about energy efficiency, net-zero carbon, and energy readiness in Asia. Don't miss this chance to ask your questions directly from the carbon expert.   📅 Thursday, April 05, 2024 🕒 3:00 pm SGT | 8:00 am CET 🔗 Register here: https://lnkd.in/dgFXjf_E   #Sustainability #Construction #NetZeroCarbon #CarbonFootprint #OCLCA