BCA Green Mark Certification Explained: Ratings and Process

BCA Green Mark is Singapore’s green building rating system, and for most significant new developments it is no longer optional. Launched by the Building and Construction Authority in 2005, it assesses how a building performs on energy and wider sustainability measures, and it has become the main tool through which Singapore pursues its targets for greener buildings.

This guide explains the current Green Mark 2021 framework, the ratings and badges it awards, the respective roles of BCA and the Singapore Green Building Council, when certification is required, and what the scheme means in practice for architects and structural engineers. Where details vary by building type or have changed recently, we point to the framework rather than quoting figures that may date quickly.

What BCA Green Mark is

Green Mark is a certification scheme that rates buildings against defined criteria for environmental performance. It covers new buildings and existing buildings across residential, commercial, institutional and industrial uses, with criteria adapted to each. A certified building receives a rating that reflects its overall performance, and the certification has a defined validity, after which an existing building must be recertified to keep its rating.

The scheme sits within a broader national plan. The Singapore Green Building Masterplan sets targets commonly summarised as “80-80-80 in 2030”: greening 80 percent of Singapore’s buildings by gross floor area by 2030, having 80 percent of new developments by gross floor area be Super Low Energy buildings from 2030, and achieving an 80 percent improvement in energy efficiency for best-in-class green buildings by 2030, compared with 2005 levels. Green Mark is the measuring stick for these goals.

The Green Mark 2021 framework

The current scheme is Green Mark 2021, often written GM:2021. It was piloted in 2021 and took effect on 1 November 2021. A second edition took effect from 1 January 2024, and from 1 June 2024 all projects are assessed using the second edition documents. The framework restructured the earlier versions around two parts.

Energy Efficiency

Energy Efficiency is the prerequisite section. A building must meet the energy performance requirements for the rating it seeks before anything else counts. This reflects the reality that in Singapore’s climate, cooling and ventilation dominate building energy use, and that operational energy is where the largest gains remain.

Sustainability sections

Beyond energy, GM:2021 assesses buildings across five sustainability sections:

Intelligence, covering smart building systems and data-driven operation.
Health and Well-being, covering how the building supports the physical, mental and social well-being of occupants.
Whole Life Carbon, covering carbon across the building’s life, with strong emphasis on embodied carbon in materials and construction.
Maintainability, covering design for maintainability and facilities management technologies.
Resilience, covering adaptability to climate change and the use of nature-based solutions.

Projects that score well in a particular section can earn a badge for that section, such as a Maintainability Badge or a Whole Life Carbon Badge, which signals particular strength in that area alongside the overall rating.

BCA Green Mark ratings

Under GM:2021, the headline ratings for new projects are GoldPLUS and Platinum, which require both the energy prerequisite and a minimum score across the sustainability sections. Alongside these sits an energy-focused pathway, Super Low Energy (SLE), for buildings that achieve a substantially higher level of energy performance. Above SLE, Zero Energy and Positive Energy ratings recognise buildings whose on-site or near-site renewable generation matches or exceeds their consumption. Projects can pursue the comprehensive rating, the energy pathway or both, which is why ratings such as Platinum SLE are common in recent announcements.

Existing buildings have their own route. BCA operates an in-operation assessment for previously certified buildings, which allows owners to maintain or improve their rating based on verified energy performance. The precise point thresholds, energy targets and eligibility rules for each rating are set out in BCA’s certification standard and technical documents, which should be consulted for any specific project because they are revised periodically.

Certification is time-limited. Under BCA’s current arrangements, provisional, full and recertification awards are generally valid for three years, with the start date depending on the stage of assessment.

BCA and the Singapore Green Building Council

Green Mark is owned and administered by BCA, which sets the criteria, runs the scheme and issues the certification. The Singapore Green Building Council (SGBC) is the industry body that works alongside it. SGBC certifies green building products and services, so that specified materials and systems can be credited within Green Mark assessments, and it administers professional qualifications for practitioners working on Green Mark projects. SGBC also runs training and industry programmes that support the scheme.

In practice, a project team works with BCA’s documents and assessment process for the building’s rating, and draws on SGBC-certified products and accredited professionals as part of meeting the criteria. The division of roles has evolved over the years, so for a specific project it is worth confirming the current application route on BCA’s and SGBC’s websites.

When Green Mark certification is required

For many buildings, a minimum level of environmental sustainability is a legal requirement. Under the Building Control Act and its Environmental Sustainability regulations, new buildings and existing buildings undergoing major addition and alteration works above a gross floor area threshold must meet a minimum Green Mark standard. BCA has progressively raised this mandatory standard over time.

Certain sites carry higher requirements. Government Land Sales sites, for example, have been subject to elevated Green Mark conditions, with BCA moving recent requirements towards Platinum SLE with a Maintainability Badge. Some existing buildings also face requirements tied to cooling system efficiency and energy reporting. Smaller private developments and landed homes are generally not required to obtain Green Mark, though owners may still pursue it voluntarily.

What Green Mark means for design and structure

Green Mark is often thought of as a mechanical and electrical exercise, and energy performance does depend heavily on air-conditioning, lighting and controls. But many of the most effective measures are architectural and structural. Orientation, shading, facade performance and natural ventilation reduce cooling loads before any equipment is selected. Our articles on passive cooling and facade engineering discuss these levers.

The Whole Life Carbon section brings the structural engineer firmly into the conversation. Concrete and steel typically account for a large share of a building’s embodied carbon. Efficient structural schemes that avoid unnecessary material, appropriate spans and grid choices, the use of lower-carbon concrete mixes and recycled content, and the retention of existing structures in retrofit projects all reduce embodied carbon. Our explainer on reinforced concrete covers why material efficiency in concrete frames matters, and our structural engineering consultancy advises on low-carbon structural schemes.

Maintainability and Resilience also have structural dimensions: durable detailing that limits corrosion and water ingress, access for inspection and maintenance, and structures that can adapt to future uses. For a wider view of how these strands connect, see our piece on sustainable architecture.

Frequently asked questions

What is BCA Green Mark?

BCA Green Mark is Singapore’s green building rating system, launched by the Building and Construction Authority in 2005, which assesses buildings on energy efficiency and wider sustainability criteria and awards ratings that reflect overall environmental performance.

What are the Green Mark 2021 ratings?

Under Green Mark 2021, the main ratings for new projects are GoldPLUS and Platinum, alongside an energy-focused Super Low Energy pathway and Zero Energy and Positive Energy ratings for buildings whose renewable generation matches or exceeds consumption, with the exact thresholds set out in BCA’s certification standard.

Is BCA Green Mark mandatory?

It is mandatory for new buildings and existing buildings undergoing major addition and alteration works above a gross floor area threshold, which must meet a minimum Green Mark standard under the Building Control Act, while smaller developments and landed homes are generally not required to certify.

How long is Green Mark certification valid?

Green Mark certification is generally valid for three years, after which existing buildings need recertification to maintain their rating, with the start date of the validity period depending on the stage of assessment.

What is the role of SGBC in Green Mark?

The Singapore Green Building Council works alongside BCA by certifying green building products and services, administering professional qualifications for practitioners, and running industry programmes that support the Green Mark scheme.

Looking for structural input on embodied carbon or a Green Mark project? Talk to our consultancy or get in touch.