Smart And Sustainable Buildings 2025 Key Drivers Greener Future
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The growth of Tengah is not solely concentrated on housing and leisure, but also on generating economic possibilities. Situated near the Jurong Innovation District (JID), a state-of-the-art manufacturing center, and the Jurong Lake District, which is set to become the second Central Business District of Singapore, Novo Place EC is strategically positioned for potential property appreciation and access to an extensive range of employment opportunities. This makes Novo Place EC a desirable choice for both working professionals and investors. Book your visit to the Novo Place Showflat to explore this exciting development.
With 2025 on the horizon, the built environment in Singapore is on the cusp of a significant transformation. This means that the facilities management (FM) sector must be ready to adapt to changing regulatory requirements, cost pressures, and technological advances. To ensure its sustainability, the future of FM will be shaped by three key drivers: the mandatory energy improvement regime, the impact of rising temperatures on energy costs, and the growing trend towards adaptive reuse in construction.
The Mandatory Energy Improvement regime, set to begin in the third quarter of 2025, will require energy-intensive buildings to undergo energy audits and implement energy-efficient improvements. This mandate applies to commercial, healthcare, institutional, civic, community, and educational buildings with a gross floor area exceeding 5,000 sq m. These buildings will need to reduce their energy usage by 10% from pre-energy audit levels, a realistic goal that can be achieved by implementing the right strategies. Asset owners should take a long-term view on capital expenditures for energy-efficient systems as they can provide cost savings in the long run and contribute to a more sustainable built environment. Additionally, building owners can take advantage of grants to help cover the costs of energy efficiency upgrades.
Singapore’s first smart campus, Temasek Polytechnic, offers valuable insights into the future of smart and sustainable FM. With a focus on digitalization and data analytics, the campus has seen significant improvements in its operations. By using a common data environment, the campus can generate data that is tracked and monitored at a control center, allowing the campus operations team to make informed decisions to maximize the return on investment and reduce operational carbon levels.
Another driver for the future of FM is the climate disclosure obligations for all listed and large non-listed companies. By 2027, these companies with revenues of at least $1 billion and total assets of at least $500 million will be required to disclose their climate risks. This will push companies to invest in proptech, especially predictive technology, to mitigate the effects of rising temperatures on energy costs. The optimization of energy systems is crucial in mitigating these costs, and building owners can achieve this by implementing energy-efficient solutions such as thermal energy storage and energy recovery systems.
The increasing cost of construction is also driving the trend towards adaptive reuse. Surbana Jurong estimates that mechanical and electrical costs have increased by 30% compared to pre-Covid levels. With construction materials becoming more expensive and labor costs rising, there is a need for smart design and engineering practices. This includes utilizing collaborative common data environments to benchmark construction and operational costs. By consolidating data from various sources, stakeholders can gain real-time insights into key performance indicators such as time, cost, quality, and safety. This promotes sustainable building practices and enables building owners to make informed decisions about whether to redevelop or reuse existing structures.
Smart buildings also play a crucial role in mitigating further cost pressures by maximizing the lifecycle of capital expenditure-heavy equipment, including air conditioning and mechanical ventilation (ACMV) systems, lifts, and air handling units. This is accomplished through a data-driven approach that prioritizes energy savings to offset energy tariffs from investing in equipment. With access to detailed data, building owners can identify options such as retrofitting or replacing entire systems, which can be costly. Sensors and AI-powered monitoring systems can also be deployed to track the performance of equipment components, helping asset owners make informed decisions about when to replace parts and identify potential failures.
In conclusion, with the future of the FM sector being driven by the mandatory energy improvement regime, rising temperatures and energy costs, and the trend towards adaptive reuse, it is crucial for FM companies to embrace digitalization, data analytics, and sustainable practices. By doing so, they can drive sustainability, reduce costs, and ensure long-term operational success.