Singapore to host Asia’s premier green building event

The Singapore Green Building Week (SGBW) 2015 returns this year to bring together more industry experts, businesses and government bodies to network and share ideas for a greener living environment. Guest-of-Honour, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources and Minister-in-charge of the Smart Nation Initiative (Singapore) will officiate SGBW and deliver the opening address.

Over 30,000 participants from over 55 countries are expected at the seventh edition of the green building Week which will run from 31 August to 6 September 2015in Singapore. This was announced at a press conference organized in the capital today addressed by Dr. Prem Jain, Chairman,  Indian Green Building Council; Mr. Koh Lin Ji, Group Director, International Development Group, Building and Construction Authority of Singapore; and Miss Michelle Goh, Assistant Project Manager, BEX Asia and MCE Asia 2015.

International green building experts, policy-makers, academics, built environment practitioners, tenants and end-users, including members of the public and tertiary students are just some of the expected participants looking for collaborative initiatives and the exchange of ideas and learnings all to achieve the shared vision of a greener planet. SGBW 2015 will also offer valuable lessons in green building technology to the Indian real estate and construction industry. This year’s SGBW will present a total of 24 co-located events. For example, thePre-IGBC Technical Workshops and BCA Green Mark Office Pop-Up Store have been specially conceptualized to better engage stakeholders from the entire value chain including building users and students.

The Building and Construction Authority of Singapore (BCA) together with Reed Exhibitions will host SGBW 2015’s anchor event, the International Green Building Conference (IGBC). Alongside IGBC is Build Eco Xpo (BEX) Asia 2015, a networking and knowledge-sharing platform for the sustainable built environment in Asia and MostraConvegnoExpocomfort (MCE) Asia2015,the first dedicated trade exhibition for the heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC), Water, Renewable Energy and Heating Sectors of the green building community in Asia.

“Today, about 27% of Singapore’s built area has met the BCA Green Mark standards, a leading green building rating tool for the tropics and sub-tropics, and this places Singapore as one of the foremost cities globally with a high percentage of green building stock. The seventh edition of the Singapore Green Building Week holds a special significance for the built environment sector as we celebrate the 10^th anniversary of the BCA Green Mark scheme. SGBW 2015 will not only highlight Singapore’s position as a leader in green building and sustainability but also provide the catalyst for countries in the region to improve and further develop their green ideas and initiatives,” said Dr John Keung, CEO of BCA.

Greening India

“As governments and businesses globally look towards building a greener and more sustainable environment, industry experts feel the rest of Asia can look to India as a good case study. Making up 2.4 percent of the world’s land, while supporting 16 percent of the world’s population, businesses in India will have to integrate environmental concerns in their growth plans,” said Miss Michelle Goh, Assistant Project Manager of BEX Asia and MCE Asia 2015. “With increased urbanization, there is a growing need to build the greener way and building green from the start could enable the country to make rapid progress towards sustainability goals.  To date, India has over 3,100green buildings including hospitals, hotels and schools, crossing over 2.75 billion square feet mark of registered green building footprint By 2022, the Indian Green Building Council expects this number to reach10 billion square feet.[1][2]”

“Looking back on 2014, we experienced the warmest year on record for the past 135 years globally,” said Miss Goh, “By bridging the BEX Asia and MCE Asia exhibitions, we are bringing together different ideas and offering the latest solutions in Green and Renewable energy technologies that we hope will be beneficial to our Indian visitors and exhibitors. We hope that through this year’s enhanced exhibition offerings, we will be able to provide new and advanced green answers to the climate challenges that India is facing.”

BEX Asia 2015 – Asia’s premier business platform for green building technology

With a strategic focus on energy efficiency, BEX Asia will return for its eighth edition and stands as the anchor trade platform for SGBW 2015. Asia’s premier business platform for the green building and construction industry presents industry experts with a one-stop sourcing destination for cutting-edge products, innovative technologies and sustainable designs in building materials, energy efficiency systems, lighting, fittings and fixtures, and much more.

“We are excited to be showcasing our solutions at BEX Asia for the first time this year. Our focus at Schneider Electric is in line with what Singapore Green Building Council is advocating for the green industry,” said SauloSpaolanse, Country President, Schneider Electric Singapore Pte Ltd, one of the key exhibitors for BEX Asia this year.  “Through our systems, we provide solutions to the rapidly urbanizing global economy, and our integrated approach to building management that can reduce energy use by 30% as well as reduce capital and operating expenditures.”

MCE Asia 2015 – Making a debut in Asia

For the first time ever, MCE Asia will be held outside of Italy, Milan. The Singapore edition of the exhibition will be centred on four main themes – Cooling, Water, Renewable Energy and the Heating Sector. With a growing demand for heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment in Asia, the focus of MCE Asia will complement BEX Asia’s strategic focus on energy efficiency.A Bloomberg New Energy Finance report predicts that by 2030, the APAC region will spend upwards of US$2.5 trillion on renewable technologies.

Exhibiting for the first time at MCE Asia is Panasonic Appliances Air-conditioning Systems. Said Mamoru Yoshida, President of Panasonic Air-Conditioner Company, “Businesses today demand complete energy-efficient, large scale air conditioning solutions. More so given the soaring temperatures that we’re seeing these days. With building owners, developers and corporations gathered under one roof, MCE Asia will be a crucial platform to allow a comprehensive exchange of research and development insights for companies based in Asia.”

Enhanced Line-Up of Exhibitors

In line with Singapore’s vision to be a Smart Nation, BEX Asia 2015 will heavily feature exhibitors utilizing smart building technology. In an IDC study, smart building technology spending is forecasted to grow by a compound annual growth rate of 22.6% over the next 5 years. The APAC region is expected to lead this charge, followed by North America and Western Europe.

Visitors to this year’s BEX Asia and MCE Asia exhibitions can expect to be exposed to innovative companies like Belimo and RubinetterieBresciane.

“This is the first time since our inception in 1960 that the MCE exhibition will be showcased outside of Italy. We are very excited and honouredto be partnering with BEX Asia for this,” said Mr.Pierini Massimiliano, Business Unit Director, MCE Italy. “This co-venture provides us with a platform to offer our unique solutions to climate change. Together with BEX Asia, we are transforming the exhibition into the quintessential networking and knowledge-sharing platform of Southeast Asia.”

With global demand for energy sustainability set to rise by up to 37% by 2035, Singapore’s access to skilled international talent and expertise in electronics, precision engineering and chemicals, connectivity with the regional markets, and an extensive supplier base places it in an ideal situation to add value to regional and international clean energy companies.