As cities get more crowded, buildings get taller and spaces get smaller. We build in ever more innovative ways, to accommodate larger numbers, we build to afford personal space that is increasingly more precious, and we build to provide people with a hospitable place to work, live and play.

It is an unenviable task, transforming an inhospitable environment into a hospitable one. It is by the sweat of the brow, physical labour, done in a space others have found wanting for their needs.

And, construction is a resource-intensive activity. Altering an environment to make it more hospitable means making physical changes, changes to improve functionality, comfort, and aesthetics.

Yet, in a world of limited resources, solutions to improve resource utilisation need to be found to meet the demand for new offices, homes and stores, while managing the available resources for future generations.

It falls to us then, as corporate citizens responsible to society, as parents or family of those who shall inherit our legacy, to ensure that we leave our environment in a better state than when we found it. It is our duty, as builders, to provide sustainable options to our clients whenever possible, and to manage our production processes in a transparent and environmentally-accountable manner.

Many of our clients have embraced sustainability for not just altruistic reasons, but also due to the brand or marketing value of operating in sustainable facilities. However, sustainable options usually come with a premium cost. Thankfully, sustainability is not an exception to our market-driven economy, and this cost delta is gradually decreasing. In partnership with our clients, Flex is making the case for affordable sustainability in Singapore.