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Asst Prof Asanga
Gunawansa
Ongoing Research Projects
1. Legislative and Policy Initiatives for Greenhouse Gas (GHG)
Reductions and their Effects on the Construction Industry
Researchers: Dr. Asanga Gunawansa (in collaboration with Dr. Kua Harn
Wei, Department of Building, NUS)
[Considering that the construction industry is one of the most
energy-intensive industries in any economy, in this research project we
examine how legislations and policies in various countries aimed at
mitigating climate change and adapting to climate change would impact
the construction industry. It is our view that the legislations and
policies referred to above could modify the ways in which built
structures should be procured and erected, used and operated, maintained
and repaired, modernized and rehabilitated, and finally dismantled (and
if possible be reused) or demolished (and then recycled). In other
words, the entire lifecycle of buildings could be changed in order to
establish a coherent succession of sustainable construction activities
that would be in harmony with national policies aimed at reducing GHGs
and contributing to the mitigation of climate change.]
2. The Relevant Legal and Policy Considerations for Effective Use of
Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Models for Developing Eco-cities
Researcher: Dr. Asanga Gunawansa
[One of the recent initiatives towards responding to the problem of
climate change in particular and environmental degradation in general
has been the development of eco-cities. The PPP models such as
Design-Build-Finance-Operate and Build-Operate-Transfer, which are
widely used today for development of physical infrastructure facilities
are being considered as possible mechanisms for developing eco-cities
with efficient risk allocation and guaranteed flow of finances. However,
such models may not be ideal for the development of eco-cities. This is
because the development of eco-cities does not merely concern the
construction or completion of the development of a modern
environmentally friendly city. The concept requires the sustainability
of the developed city and public acceptance, after all a city requires
people to live and work in it. Thus, when developing eco-cities,
cultural considerations, community needs, capacity for future
maintenance of the city, regulation of community behaviour to ensure the
sustainability of the city, and environmental sustainability are
important considerations in addition to the usual financial viability of
the project and political and other risk factors which are taken into
consideration. This research would consider the existing policy and
legislative frameworks in three selected countries, namely China,
Singapore, and India for the development of infrastructure projects with
the use of PPP models and their suitability for developing eco-cities.
In addition, the effects of the relevant multilateral agreements such as
the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (including the
Kyoto Protocol) and various regional environmental initiatives such as
the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate Change on
the national policy of the selected countries and the effects of
resulting local legislative and policy initiatives on the use of
traditional PPP models for development of eco-cities will also be
considered.]
Conference Papers/Talks
- Will be delivering a paper "Recent
Initiatives for GHG Reductions in Singapore and their Likely
Impact on the Construction Industry" at the First International
Conference on Building Energy and Environment (COBEE) in Dalian,
China, July 13-16, 2008.
- Have been invited to Co-chair the Track,
“Climate Change Policies and their Role
in Sustainable Development” at the 14th Annual
International Sustainable Development Research Conference (AISDRC)
to be held in New Delhi India, from 21-23 September 2008.
- Delivered a talk on “Making of
Environmental Policies and their Implementation” at National
Youth Environment Forum (NYEF) 2008 on 10 May 2008.
- Delivered a talk on “Legal and Policy
Issues Pertaining to Environmentally Sustainable Buildings” at
the annual seminar of the Singapore Institute of Surveyors and
Valuers (SISV) on 9 May 2008.
- Delivered a talk on “Regional &
International Perspectives relating to the Kyoto Protocol and
the Climate Change Issues” at the Commonwealth Asia Region:
Youth and Climate Change Workshop organized by the Singapore
Environmental Institute during 25-27 Mar 2008
- Presented a paper
titled “Transnational Infrastructure Development Projects in
Asia and the Relevant Environmental and
Contractual Considerations” at the International Construction
Conference 2008, organized by the Chartered Institute of
Building, Singapore on 20 February 2008.
- Delivered a public
lecture titled “Compensation for Environmental Damage under
International Law: The UNCC Experience” at the School of Design
and Environment in October 2007.
Appointments
-
Appointed a Member of the
Editorial Board of the International Journal of Law in the Built
Environment.
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