InterContinental Singapore Awarded BCA Green Mark GoldPLUS Certification

InterContinental Singapore has been awarded the Green Mark GoldPLUS Certification for environmental practices by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) of Singapore.

Launched in January 2005 by the BCA to promote environmental awareness in the construction and real estate sectors, the BCA Green Mark Scheme aims to achieve a more sustainable environment through incorporating best practices in design and construction as well as the adoption of green technologies. It looks at various criteria which include energy efficiency, water efficiency, environmental protection, indoor environmental quality as well as other innovative features that contribute to better building performance.

“We are honoured to be the only hotel out of the forty-two recipients to receive the Green Mark GoldPLUS award by BCA. This is a fantastic achievement and a true testament to the hard work, dedication and commitment to environmental sustainability by our team,” said General Manager of InterContinental Singapore, Ms. Tash Tobias.

One of the challenges for InterContinental Singapore was to achieve the Green Mark GoldPLUS status given that the building is in its seventeenth year and the team had to be mindful that new building practices will not pose additional stress on the current infrastructure and the environment.

The recent investment in highly efficient chillers and upgrading of the chiller plant have positively reduced operational costs, whilst generating energy saving of 2,115,000 kWh per year, or a 14.8% improvement from the current Energy Efficient Index. Additionally, with the planned installation of the new heat pumps, increase efficiency levels in both energy input and consumption when producing hot water will be achieved.

In order to achieve better efficiency in energy consumption for lighting, fittings throughout the hotel will be changed to T5 and LED lamps in phases. Also, motion sensors will be installed at a later stage in back of house areas to further ensure minimal energy consumption, which will result in a 36% improvement from SS530, a code for Environmental Sustainability of Buildings. Success achieved to date is the energy saving of 80% following the installation of full LED lighting in the Chinese restaurant, Man Fu Yuan, during its refurbishment last year.

Apart from demonstrating energy efficiency, the hotel is certified by the Public Utilities Board (PUB) as “Very Good” under the Water Efficiency Labelling Scheme (WELS). InterContinental Singapore also actively promotes recycling that includes glass, paper, plastic, oil and cartons. The hotel was one of the first in Singapore to adopt the wet system food waste decomposer (a system converting solid food waste into a nutrient rich liquid through accelerated natural decomposition and used for landscaping purposes within the hotel), and this decreases possible carbon emission of greenhouse gases and reduces fuel usage as it eliminates the need for food waste to be transported for incineration.

Furthermore, with greenery space available on level 2 and 3 of the building, the hotel also employs an eco-friendly method by using recycled horticulture waste for landscaping needs.

“This Green Mark GoldPLUS award as well as the recent achievement of 2012 EarthCheck Silver recognition will continue to motivate the team and play a key role in helping our hotel deliver exceptional service to all our guests, while staying committed to being corporate responsible to our stakeholders and achieving our core purpose of creating Great Hotels Guests Love,” added Ms. Tobias.

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