As enacted

Commentary · As enacted

BCA Launches Green Mark Version 7

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BCA Launches Green Mark Version 7

On 2 September 2026, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) issued a circular and media release announcing the revision of the BCA Green Mark standard and inviting applications under the refreshed

Green Mark Version 7 (GM v7), with effect from 2 September 2026.

GM v7 seeks to take sustainability standards to the next level, building on Green Mark 2021 (GM: 2021)

and introducing key enhancements to accelerate decarbonisation of the built environment in support of

Singapore’s broader climate commitments under the Singapore Green Plan 2030. It also adopts a pro-business approach in alignment with evolving global sustainability trends.

The GM v7 refresh is anchored on three key objectives:

(a)

Advance the greening of Singapore’s building stock;

(b)

Mainstream Super Low Energy buildings; and

(c)

Respond to industry feedback to make sustainability more practical and achievable.

GM v7 will introduce the following enhancements to meet those objectives.

A New Energy Rating to Advance the Greening of Singapore’s Building Stock

GM v7 introduces a new standalone BCA Energy Rating, a certification focused purely on energy performance.

The Energy Rating offers an alternative entry point into the green building ecosystem, particularly for building owners not yet on the green journey. It encourages owners to invest in energy improvement retrofits, which have proven to offer clear return on investment in terms of cost savings on energy consumption. The approach is similar to rating formats successfully adopted in international green building frameworks. This will support more buildings in entering the green ecosystem and contribute directly to

Singapore’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) commitments.

GM v7 also introduces a new Super Low Energy tier, SLE70, which incentivises progressive developers to raise energy efficiency further. Attainable by today’s best performing buildings, SLE70 is achieved by delivering over 70% energy savings against a building’s 2005 baseline. It serves as a stepping stone towards the national target of 80% energy efficiency improvement compared to 2005 levels.

Alternative cooling technologies (ACTs) will also be recognised as a means to offset energy performance shortfalls. ACTs such as hybrid cooling, active chilled beams, and passive displacement cooling can achieve up to 50% energy savings compared to conventional air-conditioning systems.

Construction | Green Buildings

WongPartnership LLP (UEN: T08LL0003B) is a limited liability law partnership registered in Singapore under the Limited Liability

Partnerships Act 2005.

Holistic BCA Green Mark Certification

Industry frontrunners seeking to demonstrate more comprehensive sustainability performance may, after achieving an Energy Rating, pursue the holistic BCA Green Mark certification. This combines the Energy

Rating with points scored across five additional sustainability sections: Intelligence, Health & Wellbeing,

Whole Life Carbon, Resilience, and Maintainability. It enables a fuller assessment of a building’s sustainability performance across all green building aspects.

Such buildings will receive two separate certificates: one reflecting their BCA Energy Rating performance tier, and another reflecting their holistic rating. Owners therefore have flexibility to display either certificate, or both, depending on their objectives and target audience.

Projects may also be recognised for exemplary performance in individual sustainability sections. Each section carries 15 points, and a project scoring 10 points and above in a section qualifies for a badge representing exceptional performance in that area.

Collaborative Development with Industry Consultation

GM v7 was developed in close collaboration with industry stakeholders across the built environment value chain, financial institutions, trade associations and chambers, and other Government entities. It incorporates feedback from consultation sessions with over 150 organisations and 280 professionals, and balances sustainability ambition with practical, cost-effective implementation.

GM v7 introduces the following enhancements for building owners:

(a)

More efficient recertification processes: Under select certification pathways, owners with large portfolios of similar properties can recertify multiple buildings concurrently, reducing time and administrative effort. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the International Built Environment

Week 2026, the Minister for National Development, Mr Chee Hong Tat, noted that owners of buildings of similar typology can now bundle multiple buildings under a single application.

Buildings which can demonstrate sustained energy performance will also benefit from an extended certification validity of up to five years, up from the current three, reducing their recertification frequency cycle.

(b)

Alignment with ESG reporting requirements: GM v7 is aligned with Environmental, Social, and

Governance (ESG) reporting requirements, enabling building owners to unlock green financing opportunities and stay competitive in an increasingly sustainability-conscious global market.

The GM v7 pilot phase was completed by 26 projects across all building typologies, with participation from key developers and environmental sustainability consultant firms.

Transition Timeline

The transition to GM v7 will proceed as follows:



Projects can apply for GM v7 as from 2 September 2026, including applications for the new BCA

Energy Rating certification.

WongPartnership LLP (UEN: T08LL0003B) is a limited liability law partnership registered in Singapore under the Limited Liability

Partnerships Act 2005.



GM: 2021 will continue to run in parallel to provide the industry time to transition, with applications closing from 1 April 2027.



From 1 April 2027, all new Green Mark applications, including those for building developments on land sold under the Government Land Sales Programme on or after 30 June 2022, will be assessed under GM v7 only.



Projects under GM: 2021 submitted before 1 April 2027 must complete their assessment and receive their Green Mark Letter of Award by end 2027.

Criteria, Technical Guides and Training

More details on GM v7 scoring and certifications, and technical guides and requirements, can be found here. Building owners and project teams should refer to the relevant technical guide for the detailed criteria applicable to their projects.

BCA has also published a set of Frequently Asked Questions on GM v7 dated 31 August 2026, which address, among other things:



The difference between the BCA Energy Rating and holistic BCA Green Mark certification;



The transition arrangements for GM: 2021 applications;



The Energy Rating ladder of EE45, EE50, EE55, SLE60, SLE70, Zero Energy and Positive Energy;



The three Energy Efficiency pathways of Pathway 1 (Energy Use Intensity), Pathway 2 (Fixed

Metrics) and Pathway 3 (Energy Savings), applicability of which depends on building typology; and



The factors considered under the five sustainability sections of Whole Life Carbon, Resilience,

Intelligence, Maintainability and Health & Wellbeing.

The Certification Course for Green Mark Accredited Professional (GMAP) will also be refreshed in alignment with the new GM v7 criteria.

If you would like information and/or assistance on the above or any other area of law, you may wish to contact the Partner at WongPartnership whom you normally work with or any of the following Partners:

TAY Peng Cheng

Head – Energy, Projects & Construction

Lesley TAN

Partner – Energy, Projects & Construction

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