The Rise of Sustainable Construction: 9 Eco-friendly Buildings in Singapore

Sustainable buildings are designed primarily with environmental concerns in mind. However, some were constructed with economic benefits as they are more cost-effective in the long run and require less energy for heating and cooling.

What’s more, eco-friendly structures also have health benefits since they provide the highest air quality indoors, ventilation, and natural lighting. As a result, these buildings reduce the potential risk of respiratory illnesses. 

In February 2021, Singapore launched its Green Plan 2030, which seeks to foster sustainability on a national scale. The plan calls for annual tree planting, as well as building more nature parks and green spaces. The construction industry in Singapore demonstrated its support by making sustainable buildings in the city-state. 

Listed below are some of the best eco-friendly buildings you can check out in Singapore.

Khoo Teck Puat Hospital

Opened in June 2010, this general and acute care hospital is jointly owned by the Ministry of Health and Alexandra Health Pte. Ltd. 

The hospital's reputation for environmental responsibility is matched by its location in a verdant setting that serves as a healing balm for both patients and the environment. As part of its sustainable goals, the medical facility installed energy-efficient lights and used environmentally friendly materials in its landscaping.

Location: Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, 90 Yishun Central

The Pinnacle@Duxton

This sustainable skyscraper in Singapore is a 26-storey structure dedicated to residential use. It is fully equipped with a variety of facilities, such as the Residents’ Committee centre, a jogging track, a senior citizen fitness area, a kids’ playground, and an outdoor space, among others. 

Located in the heart of Chinatown, The Pinnacle@Duxton’s green spaces exist on its open surface car parks, accessible ramps with gentle green slopes, elevated environmental deck, and foliage atop the buildings.

Location: The Pinnacle@Duxton, Cantonment Road, #1G

Marina Bay Sands

The Marina Bay Sands is a hotel and casino that has proven itself to be an iconic establishment due to its extensive range of environmentally friendly features. It is considered the largest Green Mark Building in Singapore to be accredited. Its building employs automated control over lighting, heating, and water supplies, which helps conserve these resources.

Its elevators use regenerative drives that consume about 40% less energy compared to those using conventional drives. The integrated resort equipped its hotel rooms with an advanced eco-mode system that gives guests the option to lower the room temperature by a few degrees when the room is unoccupied to save electricity. For more information about Marina Bay Sands’ green initiatives, go here.

Location: Marina Bay Sands, 10 Bayfront Avenue

Parkroyal on Pickering

Popular for its “hotel in a garden” concept, Parkroyal on Pickering is also one of the most notable sustainable buildings in Singapore. It is a tropical urban high-rise garden covering 15,000 square metres, surrounded by ferns and palm species.

Parkroyal incorporates energy-saving practices and cutting-edge environmentally friendly technologies by installing 262 solar panels for clean renewable energy generation and charging stations for electric vehicles. To learn more about its green features and innovations, click here.

Location: Parkroyal on Pickering, 3 Upper Pickering Street

School of the Arts Singapore (SOTA)

As a performing arts centre and an arts school for youngsters, SOTA strives to provide a stimulating environment conducive to learning. Its walkway and civic amphitheatre are situated underneath the canopy of large, conserved trees, and its common areas and academic blocks allow proper natural ventilation with breezeways. 

The gardens are located on the roof to reduce heat and carbon emissions while also providing shady outdoor spaces and play areas without leaving the school premises.

Location: School of the Arts Singapore (SOTA), 1 Zubir Said Drive

CapitaGreen

Consultancy firm CapitaGreen is also one of the greenest office structures in the city-state. It is designed with a "cool void" at its core, which draws in clean air from the rooftop and distributes it across the office floors.

The building is also surrounded by lush greenery, particularly on levels 14 and 26 with sky terraces and level 40, which boasts of its own sky forest. The building also incorporated floor cooling curtain glass walls with a double skin façade, which is designed to reduce heat gain by 26% and absorb more natural light without exposing occupants to harmful levels of heat throughout the day. For other key features of CapitaGreen, read here.

Location: CapitaGreen, 138 Market Street

Singapore Management University School of Law

The renovated building of the SMU School of Law is designed to meet the standards of BCA’s Green Mark Platinum, featuring innovative green technologies without compromising optimal comfort. 

One of its green features includes the central atrium, which offers natural ventilation through the stack or chimney effect. There is also a vertical green wall designed to lessen the urban heat and low-speed fans that offer thermal comfort without using air conditioners.

Location: Singapore Management University School of Law, 55 Armenian Street

National University of Singapore School of Design and Engineering

Featuring cutting-edge architecture and a massive overhanging roof, this Singaporean building is also known as the "net-zero energy building” for its dedication to sustainability. 

These features provide shade for everyone from the sun’s heat, while keeping its interior cooler and at a more comfortable temperature. The building also boasts its “floating boxes” concept, which was created to maximise its exposure to cross-breezes, natural lighting, and vistas of the surrounding landscape. 

It also utilises solar energy by installing more than 1,200 solar photovoltaic panels on the roof to achieve net-zero energy consumption throughout the year.

Location: Department of Architecture College of Design and Engineering, National University of Singapore, 4 Architecture Drive

National Library Board (NLB) Headquarters

The NLB is one of the founding members of the Singapore Green Building Council. Hence, it’s no surprise that this building was constructed with green features.

Its exterior was built with sun-shading elements made from low-emissive double-glazing glass panels. The daylight sensors that are utilised for automated blinds are used to cut electricity costs, and the library installed light shelves throughout the area to optimise sunshine and limit the need for artificial lighting.

Location: National Library Board (NLB) Headquarters, 100 Victoria Street, #14-01, National Library Building