With the Tahir Foundation Connexion, SMU Administration Building, the SMU Prinsep Street Residences, and the SMU City Campus each clinching the 2019 BCA Green Mark Platinum Award, the University has achieved 100% Green Mark Platinum status for its entire campus. SMU President Professor Lily Kong said, “We are delighted to have received the BCA Awards. The four awards are testimony to SMU’s commitment to and efforts in maintaining and operating its buildings on a par with the highest industry standards with regard to environmental sustainability. The awards also serve as a recognition of SMU’s efforts in leading and pushing its sustainability endeavours to a higher level by adopting the latest green solutions for the development of its new buildings and facilities.”

According to Mr Sundar Selvam, Vice-President of the Office of Infrastructure and Services, SMU, the upcoming Tahir Foundation Connexion building is planned to be more energy-efficient than the BCA Green Mark Platinum standard by 45%. When completed by the end of 2019, the building will be a pioneer Green Mark Platinum and on-site Net Zero Energy (NZE) building in the densely built-up city centre. A NZE  building  creates  enough  renewable  energy  to  totally  offset  the amount of energy it uses in a year. SMU is also on track to meet its 2020 sustainability targets, which include a 40% reduction in energy intensity and a 30% reduction in water usage. Despite its student population having almost doubled between 2006 and 2017, and its campus greatly enlarged, electricity consumption is down by 30.6 per cent and water use by 18 per cent. What SMU saved could power 850 units of five-room HDB flats for a decade and fill 57 Olympic-size swimming pools.