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BCA / GM: 2021 Whole Life Carbon

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Document Version: 2021

GM: 2021 Whole Life Carbon

The Whole life Carbon section looks at the projects carbon footprint, with a focus on embodied carbon, the use of sustainable construction or retrofit materials and methods, as well as the role of tenants and their fit outs. The section will also evaluate building owners on their transition towards carbon neutrality at the asset level, translating the corporate objectives into tangible outcomes, as well as their support for tenants to do the same.

The GM 2021 Whole life Carbon section (Cn) has been created leveraging leading international movements such as the World Green Building Council’s Net Zero Carbon Buildings commitment, and professional standards such as the RICS Whole life carbon assessments for the built environment.

The section has been refined through a collaborative approach with the Singapore Green Building Council, the National Environment Agency, the JTC corporation and the Public Utilities Board.

WHOLE LIFE CARBON

CN1 CARBON

Green Mark Points

CN1 CARBON Green Mark Points CN1.1 Whole Life Carbon

New

Existing

CN1.1 Whole Life Carbon (WLC) Assessment

Whole Life carbon assessment consistent with EN 15978 and EN 15804.

Useful references: https://www.rics.org/globalassets/ricswebsite/media/news/whole-life-carbon-assessment-for-the--builtenvironment-november-2017.pdf

https://www.architecture.com/-/media/GatherContent/Whole-life-carbon-assessment-for-architects/Additional-Documents/11241WholeLifeCarbonGuidancev7pdf.pdf

  1. Minimum Scope Requirement of WLC Assessment

    Minimum Scope of WLC assessment

    Building elements to be included

    1. Substructure

    2. Superstructure

    Lifecycle stages to be included

    1. 1.Product stage [A1-A3]

    2. Construction Stage [A4-A5]

    3. Maintenance Stage [B2] Façade

    4. Replacement Stage [B4] ACMV

    5. Operational Energy [B6]

    • New building projects that conduct the full scope of WLC assessment will score up to additional 2 points under the Innovation section.

    • New building projects scoring under CN1.1(i) will be excluded from scoring under CN 1.1(ii)(a)

    • Refer to WLC Technical Guide for list of software tools for computation of WLC assessment

(i)

Non Residential:

3 points

Residential:

3 points

(i)

Non Residential:

N.A

Residential:

N.A

  1. Embodied Carbon Computation

    1. Calculation of embodied carbon of the development

      Using the Building Embodied Carbon Calculator (BECC) or Singapore Building Carbon Calculator (SBCC) hosted at the SGBC website. (Also refer to SGBC Embodied Carbon in Buildings Calculation Guidance)

    2. >10% Reduction from the reference embodied carbon (for Concrete, Glass and Steel)

    3. >30% Reduction from the reference embodied carbon (for Concrete, Glass and Steel)

(ii)

Non Residential:

0.5 point for (a)

1 point for (b) OR

2 points for (c)

Residential:

0.5 point for (a);

1 point for (b) OR

2 points for (c)

(ii)

Non Residential:

1 point for (a)

N.A for (b) OR

N.A for (c)

Residential:

1 point for (a)

N.A for (b) OR

N.A for (c)

WHOLE LIFE CARBON

CN1 CARBON

Green Mark Points

CN1.1 Whole Life Carbon

New

Existing

Reference values

(kgCO2e/m2)

Non-Residential

1000

Residential

1300

Industrial

2500

(Reference values based on A1-5 emissions for superstructure only) A5 Construction Phase embodied carbon emissions has been included in the Reference value for all building typologies

(ii) is applicable only to

Existing Buildings with

Addition and Alteration (A&A)

works involving additional

gross floor area (GFA) with

new construction, addition of floors with independent substructures

CN1.2 2030 Transition Plan

New

Existing

  1. Develop and publish as 2030 Transition Plan that delineates steps to deliver a net zero carbon building from 2030 for the asset under assessment, based on Scope 1 and 2 emissions

    [Note: Timelines and strategies shall be clearly articulated with tracking mechanisms, covers the areas under the building owner’s control. See WGBC Net zero Carbon commitment https://www.worldgbc.org/thecommitment ]

  2. At least 50% offset of Scope 2 emissions offset at verification stage

(i)

Non Residential:

1 point Residential:

1 point

(ii)

N.A

(i)

Non Residential:

3 points

Residential:

1 point

(ii)

Non Residential:

2 points

Residential:

N.A

CN1 Carbon

5 Points total

WHOLE LIFE CARBON

CN2 Construction

Green Mark Points

CN2.1 Sustainable Construction

New

Existing Buildings

Use of sustainable construction materials and methods to reduce

environmental impacts of the construction phase.

  1. Design with Low CUI

Building Type

CUI

Non Residential

≤ 0.35

Residential

≤ 0.45

Industrial

≤ 0.45

(Applicable only to Existing Buildings

with Addition and Alteration (A&A)

works involving additional gross

floor area (GFA) with new construction,

addition of floors with independent

substructures)

  1. Adoption of sustainable building systems and Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DfMA) that minimise resource use and waste, with a view to a greater integration of components and systems. The following can be considered jointly and severally based on % coverage over constructed floor area (CFA).

    1. Advanced precast concrete system (APCS)

    2. Structural Steel

    3. Mass Engineered Timber (MET)

    4. Prefabricated Prefinished Volumetric Construction (PPVC)

    5. Hybrid structural system of:

      1. Structural Steel and Precast Concrete; or

      2. MET and Structural Steel/ Precast Concrete

    Building Type

    Adoption of Sustainable

    Building System

    Non-Residential

    ≥ 50% of CFA

    Residential

    ≥ 55% of CFA

  2. Use of Low Carbon Concrete certified by SGBC or equivalent local certification bodies (using CEM II – V cements under SS EN 197-1) for ≥ 80% of applicable superstructure works by volume

Non Residential:

1 point for (i)

1 point for (ii)

0.5/0.75/1 point for (iii)

0.5point for fine/coarse agg. replacement;

1point for both coarse and fine agg. replacement for (iv)

Residential:

2 points for (i)

1 point for (ii),

1.0/1.5/2.0 point for (iii)

0.5point for fine/coarse agg. replacement;

1point for both coarse and fine agg. replacement for (iv)

Non Residential:

1 point for (i)

1 point for (ii)

0.5/0.75/1 point for (iii)

0.5point for fine/coarse agg. replacement;

1point for both coarse and fine agg. replacement for (iv)

Residential:

2 points for (i)

1 point for (ii),

1.0/1.5/2.0 point for (iii)

0.5point for fine/coarse agg. replacement;

1point for both coarse and fine agg. replacement for (iv)

WHOLE LIFE CARBON

CN2 Construction

Green Mark Points

Concrete categories

Points

Concrete products that achieve at least SGBP 2 ticks

or equivalent administered by local certification bodies

Concrete products that achieve at least SGBP 3 ticks

or equivalent administered by local certification bodies

Concrete products that achieve at least SGBP 4 ticks

or equivalent administered by local certification bodies

  1. Replacement of coarse and fine aggregates for structural concrete applications

    [by mass of Crushed Concrete Aggregate (CCA), Wash Copper Slag (WCS), granite fines (GF)]

    must meet both minimum requirements in terms of extent of usage and replacement levels

    as shown in the table below:

    Minimum Requirement

    CCA*

    WCS

    GF

    Extent of usage

    ≥ 1.5% x GFA

    ≥ 0.75% x GFA

    ≥ 1.5% x GFA

    Replacement amount (%)

    ≥ 20%

    ≤ 10%

    ≥ 50%

    *Crushed concrete aggregate (CCA), referred to in current standards, was previously

    called recycled concrete aggregate (RCA)

CN2.2 Sustainable Products & Finishes

  1. ≥ 60%* (by cost) or ≥ 80%* (by areas) of the Architectural and applicable

    landscaping works are at least SGBP 2 ticks or equivalent administered by local certification bodies

(Applicable to

existing buildings

with retrofitting works or

change of MEP systems)

  1. ≥ 60%* (by cost) of Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing (MEP) systems are SGBP certified or equivalent administered by local certification bodies

Non Residential:

1 point for (i)

1 point for (ii)

Non

Residential:

2 points for (i)

3 points for (ii)

WHOLE LIFE CARBON

CN2 Construction

Green Mark Points

* The coverage of ≥ 60% (by cost) or 80% (by areas) should include minimally at least 3 building Products/Finishes.

Residential:

2 point for (i)

1 point for (ii)

Residential:

2 points for (i)

3 points for (ii)

CN2.3 Conservation, Resource Recovery and Waste Management

New

Existing

  1. To encourage conservation of existing building structure, recovery of demolished building materials for reuse and/or recycling and waste management. Existing structures are conserved and not demolished.

(Applicable to existing

buildings undergoing

major retrofitting work and

> 30 years old)

  1. Existing structures are demolished with an enhanced demolition protocol, where a recovery rate of ≥ 40% crushed concrete waste from the demolished building is sent to approved recyclers with proper facilities.

Non Residential:

1 point for (i)

1 point for (ii)

1 point for (iii)

Non

Residential:

1 point for (i)

1 point for (ii)

1 point for (iii)

  1. Appointment of environmental specialists during construction stage – The main builder is a BCA Green and Gracious Builder with Merit or above rating and has ISO14001 certification.

CN2 Construction

5 Points total

WHOLE LIFE CARBON

CN3 Fit Out

Green Mark Points

CN3.1 Green Lease

New

Existing

A comprehensive Green Lease* (or equivalent) to be incorporated into the tenancy agreement, that establishes agreed levels of environmental performance between the landlord and the tenant for

  1. ≥ 50% of the net lettable area

  2. ≥ 70% of the net lettable area

  3. Every tenant

*The Green Lease should include at a minimum: principles relating to energy, water, waste, environmental management and procurement including materials, fit-out as well as facility management practices.

Example template is available:

BCA Green Lease Toolkit: Office/Retail/Industrial Green Schedule: https://www1.bca.gov.sg/docs/default-source/docs-corp-buildsg/sustainability/green-lease-toolkit.docx?sfvrsn=3c597a124

Non Residential:

1 point for (i)

2 points for (ii)

3 points for (iii)

Residential:

N.A

Non Residential:

1 point for (i)

2 points for (ii)

3 points for (iii)

Residential:

N.A

CN3.2 Fit Out Products

  1. ≥ 80% (by cost or area) of the fit-out materials used (construction and finishes) for common areas (i.e. non-tenanted spaces) shall be conserved or at least SGBP 2 ticks or equivalent administered by local certification bodies

  2. ≥ 80% (by cost or area) of the fit-out materials used (construction and finishes) for tenanted spaces/ dwelling units shall be conserved or at least SGBP 2 ticks or equivalent administered by local certification bodies

Fit out products with EPD certification can score additional points at Innovation section

Non Residential:

1 point for (i)

1 point for (ii)

Residential:

1 point for (i)

2 points for (ii)

Non Residential:

1 point for (i)

1 point for (ii)

Residential:

2 points for (i)

N.A for (ii)

CN3 Fit Out

Green Mark Points

CN3.3 Tenancy Offsets

New

Existing

Non Residential:

The building owner requires and actively assists the tenants to offset their operational energy through the procurement of renewables, or through the ongoing purchase of certified carbon offsets.

  1. ≥ 30% of tenants (by NLA)

  2. ≥ 60% of tenants (by NLA)

  3. ≥ 90% of tenants (by NLA)

Non Residential:

N.A

Non Residential:

1 point for (i)

2 points for (ii)

3 points for (iii)

Residential:

The building owner (e.g. MCST) offset their common areas operational energy through the procurement of renewables, or through the ongoing purchase of certified carbon offsets.

  1. ≥ 30% of common areas consumption

  2. ≥ 60% of common areas consumption

  3. ≥ 90% of common areas consumption

Residential:

1 point for (i)

Residential:

1 point for (i)

2 points for (ii)

3 points for (iii)

CN3 Fit Out

5 Points total

CN - INNOVATION

Green Mark Points

New

Existing

Where projects can demonstrate substantial performance to a specific Carbon indicator or outcome innovation points can be awarded on a case by case basis. Points shall be awarded based on the strength of evidence of benefits and potential impact.

Process:

At Design / Pre-retrofit stage

The project team is to submit a concise summary that articulates:

  • The nature of the environmental benefit of their intervention

  • Justify the impact of the intervention through detailed calculations and comparisons with industry norms

  • Substantiate the calculations and comparisons with evidence and data.

At Verification (As Built/ In Operation):

Details of the implemented intervention including measurements and monitoring of the environmental performance including lessons learnt if the intervention does not perform as expected.

Examples:

  • Full scope of Whole Life Carbon (WLC) Assessment

  • Use of NEWSand in non-structural applications

  • Use of carbon mineralisation technologies

  • Use of 100% granite fines as aggregate replacement

  • Recognising products with EPDs

  • Recognising the use of low carbon technologies and solutions as part of sustainable construction practices (e.g. use of low carbon construction site generators, energy storage solutions, electric construction equipment, etc.)

  • Recognising design for Disassembly/Future adaptability - to facilitate future changes and dismantlement (in part or whole) for recovery of systems, components and materials.

Up to 2 points

Up to 2 points

CN INNOVATION

2 Points total

Developed by:

In collaboration with: