Mar 1, 2012

Brunei - Roadmap in place for Green Building certification



THE Ministry of Development (MoDev) identified a "Green Roadmap", which will eventually lead to a National Green Building Certification Scheme for green buildings in Brunei.

The ministry launched the Green Building Initiative (GBI) yesterday, featuring exhibitions on the construction and benefits of green buildings. The exhibition is open for all members of the public beginning yesterday until March 6.

In a press release, the Ministry of Development said that GBI seeks to develop a structure that is "environmentally responsible and resource efficient" in all stages of its development: design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation and demolition.

Speaking with The Brunei Times, a committee member of the GBI, Hj Mohd Shukri Hj Othman said the ministry is currently at its research stage and has initiated their data collection to "get a baseline" of the green initiatives. The data collection will take a period of two to five years to be completed.

The National Green Building Certification Scheme will cover aspects such as lighting, windows, and the infrastructure of the building. "(We) need to determine standard for how much natural light should be allowed in...as part of certification's minimum criteria," he said as an example.

It is an inevitable part of the roadmap, Hj Mohd Shukri said, and it will "sooner or later" apply to all sectors. Brunei is currently basing the certification on Singapore's BCA Green Mark scheme, he added.

However, Brunei will have to start from scratch because, Hj Mohd Shukri said, Singapore's baseline or standards for green building were "too high" for Brunei at the moment.

"The standards are just too high for Brunei. We're not there yet," he told The Brunei Times.

However, he was optimistic Brunei will eventually reach Singapore's standards: "Singapore did the same thing as well. They started somewhere, and once they got everything, they began to raise up their standards. So that's the direction we are going."

The baseline will be developed with "our own designs", tailorsuited to Brunei's needs. He also raised the possibility of incorporating new technologies in new building projects to support the GBI. The vertical housing projects are among some of the projects that abide with the green standards, he said.

In support of the GBI, the MoDev and its departments have begun other green initiatives in its workplace by reducing the use of air-conditioners in the ministry and department buildings, increasing the temperature from 22 to 23 degrees to save energy.

The ministry also launched a "No-Lift Sunday" to encourage the staff to take the stairs and save energy every Saturdays, and a Rainwater Harvesting Pilot Project at the Public Works Department headquarters, whereby rainwater will be used for toilet flushing.

Hj Mohd Shukri believed that more awareness still needed to be raised on the green building concept, which was a lot more than landscaping. "We have to do our own projects first (and) make sure it works. If it works, then we will spread out to other ministries. That's where the new regulations come in."

The practice of GBI is aimed to reduce the environmental impacts of physical structures by ensuring minimal use of energy and water, and by recycling reuseable materials; in efforts to tackle worldwide environmental issues such as climate change and conservation of non-renewable resources.

Hj Mohd Shukri further expressed his hope for cooperation from other sectors and members of the public to support the green initiative. "Everyone must be aware of this thing, because mostly energy (consumption) is just too high at the moment."

LOW LENG MAY AND UBAIDILLAH MASLI
The Brunei Times



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