Singapore has surged ahead of other Asian countries in adopting sustainable and energy-saving building standards. These programs, spurred on by new incentive programs and a rating system similar to LEED, are helping to reduce pollution while saving resources.

Singapore takes the lead on green building in Asia

At street level, 313@somerset looks like any other glittering mall in downtown Singapore. But on closer inspection the eight-story building has skylights, solar panels, energy-saving elevators and escalators, highly efficient air-conditioning units and software that monitors the building’s carbon dioxide emissions.

Across town, a new hotel, Parkroyal on Pickering (pictured left and below), displays its green credentials in the form of an artfully tiered façade dotted with tropical ferns and creeping vines. Along with an efficient cooling system, its green perks include rainwater harvesting, lighting sensors and high-performance window glass and hot water pumps. Entering the wood-paneled lobby, which has a wall of tropical mosses, a visitor is reminded of a rainforest — no matter that the building lies in the heart of the banking capital of Southeast Asia.

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