Exchange Tower, the Grade A office and retail development at the Sukhumvit-Asoke-Ratchadapisek intersection, was recently awarded the Building Construction Authority of Singapore’s Green Mark Gold Certificate. Exchange Tower, which is managed by CBRE, is the first building in Thailand to receive a BCA Green Mark Gold Certification.

The BCA Green Mark Scheme was launched in January 2005 as an initiative to drive Singapore’s construction industry towards more environment-friendly buildings. It is a benchmarking scheme which incorporates internationally recognized best practices in environmental design and performance.

The benefits of the BCA Green Mark include reductions in water and energy consumption, a reduced environmental impact and an improved indoor environmental quality for a more healthy and productive workplace, while also providing a clear direction for continual improvements to be made.

“It is a significant achievement to be Thailand’s first office building to win Green Mark Gold Certification. Exchange Tower is now 97% leased,” said Mr. Nithipat Tongpun, Executive Director and head of Office Services at CBRE Thailand, the sole leasing agent for the building.

“Tenants are now attaching a greater importance to the environmental performance of office buildings; it is becoming an ever more significant factor in determining their choice of building,“ added Nithipat.

CBRE Research has shown that buildings with environmental certification are performing better than non-certified buildings and that a rental differential is starting to appear. This trend started in the USA, Europe and Australia, but is now spreading rapidly to Asia.