Driving Sustainability in Green Technology - Sustainability Leadership in Real Estate Sector

Course Provider

Centre for Professional and Continuing Education (PaCE@NTU)

Certification

Continuing Education and Training Certificate

Introduction

Singapore has an ambitious plan to green 80% of buildings by the year 2030. The building sector has a major role in mitigating climate change as a study of 60 commercial real estate leaders in Singapore found that 8 in 10 occupiers view real estate as a game changer in achieving net zero carbon emissions.

With real estate being a huge contributor to the carbon footprint of a business, more real estate organisations are demonstrating a heightened responsibility towards evaluating and implementing change within their real estate portfolio as part of their sustainability agenda. Rising global demand for Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) investment, combined with an increasing pool of green buildings and a growing green financing market, will accelerate green property investments/acquisitions in Singapore.

This course is suitable for any real estate players, corporates, and professionals who are embarking on the global trend on decarbonisation towards a Net Zero target. The 8-day programme will focus on sustainability in green technology to equip professionals with the right skills to take advantage of career opportunities in the green sector, particularly in real estate sector. It will allow learners to acquire knowledge, techniques, and skills to Green their organisation’s business model and incorporate sustainable real estate principals in their business growth strategy, present ways to integrate national and global goals and best practices within the organisation, explore innovation to green the built environment and how to invest in sustainable design, building materials and stakeholder management.

Learners will be able to plot and implement multiple initiatives to integrate sustainability in business practices and ESG disclosure, which will create a meaningful and wholesome impact to the business. They will acquire skills to write their sustainability reports and calculate their company’s carbon footprint. 

This programme by the Sustainability Connect (SC), a joint initiative by the Singapore Sustainability Academy (SSA) and the Global Green Connect Academy (GGCA), will focus on sustainable best practices and skillsets development in the real estate industry. The curriculum is curated in consultation with our sustainability and real estate expert panel under the Sustainability Connect. Jointly conducted by NTU faculty members, professional trainers and industry experts, the course aims to provide practical sustainability training and development for professionals to future-proof businesses in the real estate and related industry for long-term success. Learners will attend the programme at the Singapore Sustainability Academy, an extensive public-private partnership set up for capacity building by CDL and partners in 2017.

Upon successful completion of the course, learners will receive an "NTU Certificate of Completion".


Global Green Connect is an integrated sustainability network that helps to shift the economic paradigm from profit maximization to mutual value creation. We provide sustainability consulting, training and market entry advisory. We partner with companies and SMEs to embark on their sustainability journey. 

Global Green Connect Academy is a sustainability learning platform built by practitioners for practitioners. We empower leaders with pragmatic sustainability knowledge and skillset to help economic paradigm shift from profit maximization to mutual value creation. Whether we start from ESG reporting to impact investing, or sustainability practice to measurement, companies and executives often struggle to explain the real purpose and values of sustainability to stakeholders. The academy brings together an international panel of experts offering practical skillset to transform and future proof business for long term success. 

Our subsidiary GGEF (Global Green Economic Foundation) is a purpose driven social enterprise headquartered in Singapore since 2013, it empowers future leaders with innovation, sustainability and leadership through its events, awards, SDG Open Hack and training programmes.

For more information, visit https://www.globalgreenconnect.com/


  1. Gain an appreciation of the critical issues in corporate sustainability and deepen the understanding of a circular economy, key corporate sustainability concepts, standards, guidelines and frameworks that can assist you in driving and implementing profitable sustainability strategies in the Real Estate sector.
  2. Integrate sustainability into the company’s corporate strategy and incorporate learning experiences in-class activities and discussions using a wide range of case studies to learn key drivers of real estate returns.
  3. Indicate how sustainability issues are impacting the immediate social, economic, and political environment of the Real Estate Sector.
  4. Learn ethical principles of sustainability that influence the Built Environment and Real Estate Sectors and how they are connected to practical issues of social justice, and environmental-economic equity.
  5. Develop proficiency in finding and using reliable data and documentation for support of your sustainability projects.
  6. Understand climate change, climate-related issues, and the impact it has in the Real Estate Sector. Acquire in-demand sustainability skills and strategies for managing climate risk, facilitating Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) integration, and creating long-term value for shareholders and society.
  7. Gain an overview of key reporting requirements, learn how to interpret and analyse the content of sustainability reports and acquire skills to write your sustainability reports and calculate your organisation’s carbon footprint.
  8. Deep dive into data collection and derive impact analysis that will align target setting global and national standards such as SG Green Plan, Energy Reset, Sustainable Living, Procurement and Disposal, Tracking performance vs targets and Reporting and disclosure of ESG performance.

Module 1: Integrating Global/National/Industry Goals and Best Practices
1. Integrating sustainability and decarbonization
2. Energy efficiency, Clean & Renewable Energy
3. Aligning with global goals and local commitment (SG Green Plan 2030) towards net zero
4. Carbon management off-setting and REC

Module 2: Innovating the Way Buildings are Designed, Built, and Managed
1. Innovation to Green the Built Environment
2. Decarbonizing New Buildings; Innovation - Materials & Fittings
3. Innovation & Technology Application
4. Decarbonizing building operations & Facilities Management

Module 3: Investing in Sustainable Design, Building Materials and Stakeholder Engagements Towards a Sustainable Low Carbon Future
1. Investments
2. Channel funds to enable green building via cost savings, capital value gain, green finance and ESG investment

Module 4: Impact Analysis – Target Setting to Align with Global, National Goals
1. SG Green Plan – Energy Reset, Sustainable Living, Procurement and Disposal; Tracking performance vs Targets; Reporting and disclosure of ESG performance
2. Tracking vs Targets, Reporting and Disclosure
3. Score well in ESG to attract funds for green building action

This course is suitable for:

  • Business professionals from the Real Estate and Built Environment sectors tasked to drive sustainability initiatives in their organisation.
  • Mid-career individuals looking to develop emerging and industry-relevant skills to increase employability and pivot to job roles in the green sector

Learners should be Diploma holders in:

  1. Real Estate
  2. Built Environment studies

 

This course is mapped to following skills:

Skill Title: Sustainable Engineering-5
Skill Code: EGS-EPM-5065-1.1

Skill Title: Sustainability Management-5
Skill Code: ICT-SNA-5022-1.1

Standard Course Fee: S$8,720.00

SSG Funding Support

 Course fee

Course fee payable after SSG funding, if eligible under various schemes

 

BEFORE funding & GST

AFTER funding & 9% GST

Singapore Citizens (SCs) and Permanent Residents (PRs) (Up to 70% funding)

S$8,000.00

S$2,616.00

Enhanced Training Support for SMEs (ETSS)

S$1,016.00

SCs aged ≥ 40 years old
SkillsFuture Mid-career Enhanced Subsidy (MCES)
(Up to 90% funding)

  • Standard course fee is inclusive of GST.
  • NTU/NIE alumni may utilise their $1,600 Alumni Course Credits. Click here for more information.

 

Read more about funding
Ms Joy Esther Gai Jiazi

Ms Joy Esther Gai Jiazi

Joy is the Programmes Head (Net Zero) at World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) Asia Pacific Region, focusing on delivering programmes that help the network drive the uptake Net Zero Carbon Buildings. She works as part of the WorldGBC Engagement & Networks department, closely with the Advancing Net Zero team, Green Building Councils (GBCs) and partners across Asia Pacific.

She is a ICF certified MCC (Master certified coach) life coach, Marshall Goldsmith executive coach and team coach, MAP practitioner. As a Sustainability Consultant, Joy is a LEED AP, Singapore Green Mark AAP, a Singapore Certified Energy Manager, Malaysia Green Building Index Facilitator and an EDGE expert. She has over 12 years of experience in sustainability design. She is a pioneer in the sustainable building industry and a design “optimizer”.

Joy and her team successfully delivered many “firsts”: the first Green Mark Platinum building in Singapore CleanTech Park; the first Green Mark Platinum M.I.C.E. building in Singapore; the first LEED Gold new building in Singapore; the first LEED Silver restaurant in Asia; the first LEED Silver residential building in Malaysia; the first Green Mark Platinum hostel in Singapore (v4.1); the first Green Mark Platinum hawker centre in Singapore; world’s first Green Mark awarded Port; first Green Mark Platinum fire station, first Green Mark Platinum clubhouse and the tallest net zero energy in South East Asia.

Joy was part of the Sino Singapore Tianjin Eco-city development. From the master plan to the development of the China Star Green rating system for the Tianjin Eco-city start-up phase, Joy made her contribution by bringing Singapore experience to China.

She is also the Founder of Joy of Sustainability - a platform advocating sustainability, offering coaching services to close the gap between sustainability design, delivery and user engagement, helping clients to gain clarity and identify their true sustainability goals.

Joy holds a Master in Building Science Degree from the National University of Singapore and bachelor degree from Tsinghua University, China.

 

Ms Esther An

Chief Sustainability Officer, City Development Limited

An active advocate for sustainability for over two decades, Esther has been instrumental in establishing CDL’s leadership in integrating ESG best practices into its business.

CDL is ranked as a top real estate company on the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World 2020 and is also the only CDP A-List company for climate strategy and water security in South East Asia. Key ESG initiatives she has spearheaded include publishing the first sustainability report using GRI standards in Singapore in 2008; issuing the first green bond by a Singaporean company in 2017 and pioneering an SDG Innovation Loan in Singapore in 2019.

As a forerunner in embracing the UN SDGs, Esther was conferred 2018 SDG Pioneer for Green Infrastructure and A Low Carbon Economy by the UN Global Compact. She sits on the boards or advisory platforms of several organisations including the World Green Building Council, Singapore Green Building Council, UNEP Finance Initiative Property Work Group, GRI Corporate Leadership Group, Asia Pacific Real Estate Association Singapore Chapter Board, Global Compact Network Singapore and Urban Land Institute Singapore Chapter.

An advocate for women empowerment, Esther founded the Women4Green Network to engage women to drive sustainable practices at home, at work and at play.


Dr Robert Tiong

Dr Robert Tiong

Dr Tiong is an Associate Professor in School of Civil & Environmental Engineering, as well as Deputy Director of Centre for Infrastructure Systems at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He is the Program Director of the MSc Programme in International Construction Management since its inception in 1991.

Dr Tiong graduated in 1981 from University of Glasgow with First Class Honours in Civil Engineering, with specialisation in management. He obtained his M.Eng on Construction Engineering & Management, from University of California, Berkeley in 1987 and his PhD in 1994 from NTU. His research and consulting interests focus on integrated risk analysis and economics, financing, management, and project procurement for infrastructure projects. More recently, he has focussed on catastrophe risk management, alternative risk transfer and financing for natural hazards and catastrophes such as floods and earthquakes.

He has published extensively including a monograph on “The Structuring of Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) Projects”, a research report on “Evaluation of risks in BOT projects”, and a book chapter on “Public-Private Partnership for Infrastructure Projects: An Asian Dimension”. He was also a reviewer for the UNIDO Guidelines for the Development, Negotiation, and Contracting of BOT Projects.

He has worked with the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank on risk analysis and management of infrastructure projects. Recently, he has been involved in the study of Clean Energy Development and Carbon Credit Finance for hydro-power projects in developing countries such as Vietnam.