PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN THE CONSTRUCTION SECTOR

Abstract

The current key initiatives implemented to promote sustainable development in the construction sector are the Building and Construction Authority’s Green Mark Incentive Schemes and the Building Control (Environmental Sustainability) Regulations 2008. However, the latter has its limitations as attaining higher levels like Green Mark Gold, Gold Plus, and Platinum are purely voluntary. Thus, the problem as it may seem would be how to get the construction industry of contractors and developers to participate and be willing to go beyond the minimum certification level as set out in the regulations.

This dissertation attempts to look into alternative means to promote a sustainable built environment with the aim to minimise the reliance on government incentives to attract private sector participation. The proposed concept would serve as a complement to the existing structure and also designed to cater to the best interests of all parties involved. Hence, to put forward the ideology, the hypothesis of the dissertation is that Public Private Partnership (PPP) mechanism can be used as a tool to facilitate the promotion of sustainable development in the construction sector.

The focus of the dissertation would be on public housing as it constitutes a large proportion of the built environment. As part of the research methodology, interviews were conducted to find out the relevant authorities’ views on this proposed concept. In addition, a case study on a successful PPP green project in Singapore was used to provide insights so as to analyse the feasibility of implementing PPP for public housing. A survey was also conducted to investigate the level of demand of green homes in Singapore and the most influencing factors they would consider when buying one.

The survey results showed that Singaporeans are receptive to living in green homes and their primary concerns are the price and amount of energy-savings that they could generate. From the interviews, it was found that PPP in public housing might not be attractive to private sector due to a conflict of interest. Instead, it was suggested that PPP might be appropriate for the retrofitting of existing buildings with green features. Lack of commitment from the developers to retrofit their buildings with green technologies is one of the current problems that the built environment is facing. A PPP framework was thus created with an attempt to resolve this problem.