CPG Corp has been a champion of green and sustainable designs for decades. A leading building and infrastructure consultant, CPG has been involved in a broad spectrum of projects, such as Changi Airport Terminals 1, 2 and 3; Gardens by the Bay; the National Gallery of Singapore; and all the general hospitals in Singapore,including the Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, which won the prestigious Stephen R Kellert Biophilic Design Award.

Khew Sin Khoon, president and group CEO of CPG Corp, was a judge in the EdgeProp Singapore Excellence Awards for four consecutive years, from 2018 to 2021. “At CPG, we are constantly pushing the boundaries to create a sustainable built environment,” he says. “Besides ensuring green buildings are climatically responsive and resource-efficient, we also design projects that enhance our environment and ecology.”

This year, CPG was engaged as the knowledge partner for the Sustainability Excellence Award category. CPG lent its expertise to the judging criteria, methodology and scoring matrix for the qualitative and quantitative components.

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CPG also weighed in on scoring the quantitative aspects of sustainability based on the Building & Construction Authority (BCA) Green Mark 2021 criteria, which are more stringent than the Green Mark 2015 criteria.

One key factor is the environmental impact assessment — a project’s design and whether measures were taken to mitigate any negative environmental impact. It also examined how a project co-existed with its surroundings and enhanced its natural environment.

Another factor was active mobility, health and well-being. It looked at how the developers and architects used design and innovation to control air quality and heat management. Another element was whether a development provided safe access for pedestrians and cyclists.

Whole-life carbon assessment, which looked at the choice of materials, construction methods and availability of green transport options, was another component.

Other criteria included energy management systems and the use of renewable energy within the development, water and waste management systems, and recycling efforts.

The qualitative aspects of sustainability are equally significant, and this year’s panel of judges provided their insights into these aspects. One of the factors was whether a project’s design was holistic and cohesive in terms of its thoughtfulness and the impact of the sustainability features on the community.

Read also: Embracing biodiversity the next step in furthering Singapore’s biophilic design: Khew Sin Khoon

Another factor was a project’s co-existence with nature: how the features enhance and co-exist with the natural environment.

“From environment modelling to mitigate Urban Heat Island effects to the provision of native plant species and the implementation of an ecology restoration programme — these are the key areas that the winners of the Sustainability Excellence Award took cognisance of, and went the extra mile in their designs,” says Khew.

The project that received the highest score in sustainability this year not only earned the Sustainability Excellence Award but also won its developer special recognition by CPG as the Top Sustainable Developer.

Joint-venture partners Hoi Hup Realty and Sunway Developments won the inaugural Top Sustainable Developer Award by CPG, as their joint projects — the 270-unit Terra Hill and the 816-unit The Continuum — achieved the highest overall scores in sustainability in this year’s awards.