These 6 projects are among Asia’s greenest in 2026

Asia’s most forward-looking developments are proving that better buildings are defined as much by how they operate as how they look

Keppel Bay Tower is easy to miss. On Singapore’s HarbourFront, the 18-storey office building sits within a commercial skyline of glass, height, and spectacle that has long defined the city-state’s appetite for the new.

Completed in 2002, it does not look especially futuristic from the street. But in 2020, Keppel Bay Tower became Singapore’s first commercial building to receive BCA Green Mark Platinum (Zero Energy) certification, turning an ordinary-looking older office tower into a national retrofit case study.

Behind its inconspicuous façade was a careful overhaul of cooling, lighting, ventilation, sensors, data, and day-to-day operational control, with the retrofit delivering annual energy savings of more than 2.2 million kWh. It is a prime example of how much of Asia’s commercial real estate future will depend on reworking existing building stock. Older assets are being asked to work harder, last longer, and prove their relevance through performance as much as appearance.

Location, design, and amenities now sit alongside a more demanding test of how buildings perform once occupied, measured by how efficiently they use energy and water, how readily they adapt to changing occupier needs, how transparently they report performance, and how well they withstand rising costs, climate risk, and tenant expectations.

“Energy efficiency has financial implications,” says Ada Choi, head of research for Asia Pacific at CBRE. “Occupiers are more focused on buildings with smart HVAC systems, energy optimisation technologies, and better insulation that can help lower utility consumption and reduce long-term operating expenses.”

CBRE research shows green office adoption in Asia Pacific rose from 44% in 2023 to 51% in 2024, with gateway cities such as Singapore, Tokyo, and Sydney already exceeding 80% among Grade A buildings. Sustainability now feeds directly into decisions about rent, employee experience, and whether tenants stay or go.

For landlords, the numbers are starting to bite. JLL’s 2026 Asia Pacific sustainability research finds that 87% of occupiers now put energy savings at the top of the agenda. Among investors, 61% see retrofitting as the main way to avoid being left with obsolete space.

“Asia Pacific’s commercial real estate leaders are at a crossroads, where resilience is no longer optional, and energy efficiency is critical for long-term value,” says Kamya Miglani, head of research for work dynamics in Asia Pacific at JLL. “The urgency to upgrade ageing assets, optimise smart energy solutions, and translate climate adaptation plans into practical outcomes has never been higher.”

Knight Frank’s Asia Pacific Real Estate 2026 outlook notes that top-tier Grade A offices in core regional cities command rental premiums of 15% to 20% over Grade B space, while older, less efficient buildings are becoming obsolete unless owners reposition them.

Those pressures are being reinforced by regulation, corporate net-zero targets, and more demanding disclosure requirements. Energy use remains the most visible metric, but the ESG brief is expanding to include carbon, water, waste, materials, climate resilience, indoor air quality, tenant engagement, and long-term transparency.

“Projects that treat sustainability primarily as a marketing tool often rely on one-off certifications, which are no longer a clear differentiator in Asia Pacific given widespread adoption,” Choi says.

In mature markets such as Singapore, Australia, and Japan, brown-to-green upgrades, amenity improvements, and adaptive reuse are becoming part of the value-add playbook, with smart systems, automation, and cloud-based monitoring helping landlords control energy use, anticipate maintenance needs, analyse occupancy patterns, and provide tenants with clearer evidence of performance.

For owners, that pushes the work beyond plant-room upgrades. Embodied carbon, construction waste, water use, indoor air quality, biodiversity, supply chains, and social value are becoming part of how projects are planned, financed, operated, and judged.

“Genuinely forward-looking developments embed sustainability into the full lifecycle of the asset, from design and construction to operations and tenant engagement,” Choi says.

The most advanced offices, retail spaces, logistics hubs, residential towers, and landed communities now combine measurable performance with lower resource use, healthier environments, and stronger longterm resilience.

Across the region, the strongest projects are no longer treating sustainability as a separate technical layer. They are using it to extend asset life, reduce operating risk, and reshape the experience of homes, workplaces, logistics parks, and retail environments. The following award-winning projects show how that shift is playing out across Asia, from low-carbon renovation and green logistics to biodiversityled masterplanning, passive design, and healthier housing.

Elmina Ridge 1 | City of Elmina, Malaysia

At Elmina Ridge 1, sustainability begins at home and extends throughout the entire township.

This low-density neighbourhood is part of the City of Elmina, offering easy access to a forest reserve, parks, cycling paths, and an urban biodiversity corridor. Inside, the homes reflect this environmental focus with planter spaces, skylights, green-certified materials, EV charger points, and solar panels with battery storage.

A key feature is how household performance connects with neighbourhood planning. Each home is designed to reduce reliance on grid electricity, while natural light, greenery, and indoor-outdoor spaces help lower energy demand without compromising liveability. Across the township, green spaces, paths, and outdoor facilities make wellness a shared benefit. Here, sustainability is embedded into the wider community rather than treated as a feature of individual homes alone.

One Central Macau Revamp | Macau

One Central Macau proves that sometimes the most sustainable choice in retail is to keep an existing building in use and improve how it works.

The revamp reworks a mature mall through lowercarbon materials, healthier interiors, and tighter construction management. It is targeting BEAM Plus Platinum and has secured WELL Platinum, bringing human health into the same frame as energy and materials. Façade openings, improved circulation, smart lighting controls, low-VOC materials, recycledcontent gypsum boards, FSC timber, and lower embodied-carbon finishes all help move the mall beyond a cosmetic refresh.

Much of the project’s ESG value comes from how it was built. Modular construction, BIM, and a shared data system made the process more efficient. Reusing materials and managing waste led to a diversion rate of more than 89%, while embodied carbon was reduced by over 22%. For retail assets looking to remain competitive, the project demonstrates that refurbishment can be as meaningful as new construction.

River Green | Singapore

River Green pairs luxury high-rise living with unusually detailed sustainability credentials.

Located near Kim Seng Linear Park and the Singapore River, the tower features a central water spine, a 100-metre pool, pocket decks, pavilions, pet facilities, fitness areas, and native planting. Its strongest ESG credentials, however, come from its construction methods and long-term operational performance.

The development has achieved Green Mark Platinum Super Low Energy status with five sustainability badges. More than 80% of relevant architectural and landscape areas use sustainable materials, while embodied carbon has been reduced by over 30% relative to reference values. Nearly two-thirds of construction uses PPVC, reducing waste and improving build efficiency. Low heat gain, CFDguided natural ventilation, efficient air-conditioning, LED lighting, occupancy sensors, VVVF lift drives, and ceiling fans all help reduce energy demand. The result is a high-density residential development where environmental performance is engineered into the building rather than added as an afterthought.

SLP Park Bac Ninh | Bac Ninh, Vietnam

SLP Park Bac Ninh stands out through the details that matter to industrial users, from clear heights, wide grids, and truck courts to daylight, efficient cooling, and lower resource demand.

This LEED Silver-certified development sits in Thuan Thanh II Industrial Park, about 32 kilometres from Hanoi. It is close to key transport routes and the electronics supply chain in northern Vietnam. The project’s ESG strengths are built into its operations. Features such as high ceilings, wide column spacing, truck courts, and generous parking areas support manufacturers and logistics companies, while insulated roofs, solar-control glass, and skylights improve comfort and reduce energy demand.

The building systems are practical rather than decorative. LED lighting with motion sensors, solar-ready roofs, partial solar PV, EV charging stations, efficient cooling, water-saving fixtures, and smart irrigation all support day-to-day performance. The project brings natural daylight into around 95% of regularly occupied areas, reduces indoor tap water use by up to 45%, and cuts landscape water demand by about 70%. In a fastgrowing industrial corridor, sustainability has to deliver operational value as well as environmental gains.

Teras Lakon | Tangerang, Indonesia

Teras Lakon makes passive design part of the theatre of fashion, craft, and public life.

LAKON Indonesia and Summarecon Serpong designed the building to combine an office, retail, gallery, café, and production spaces in one creative hub celebrating Indonesian fashion and heritage. Its lower-impact philosophy is reflected in the way the building functions. Open spaces, cross-ventilation, and skylights reduce reliance on air-conditioning and artificial lighting, while ramps connect different levels, improving accessibility and doubling as catwalks for fashion shows and events.

There is a useful restraint to the architecture. Exposed structures, minimal finishes, visible services, paving, and glass railings give the interiors the feel of a workshop as much as a showroom. Outside, a planted roof, nearby lake, and indigenous trees and shrubs help cool the site and reinforce its cultural identity. Natural-dye planting, including tamarind, suji, galangal, lemongrass, and pandan, connects the landscape directly to traditional craft and production.

The Grand Riverfront Ratchapruek – Rama 5 | Nonthaburi, Thailand

The Grand Riverfront Ratchapruek – Rama 5 treats clean air, lower energy use, and water savings as part of what luxury housing should now deliver.

Frasers Property Thailand says this riverside project is one of the first single-detached housing developments in Thailand and Southeast Asia to earn LEED Gold certification for homes. The houses combine passive and active systems, including natural light and ventilation, low-carbon and low-VOC materials, AAC blocks, reflective exterior coatings, 22.5-centimetre roof insulation, LED lighting, EV chargers, and 4.6 kW solar panels.

The numbers reinforce those ambitions. Each home can reduce energy use by up to 75% and carbon emissions by around 5,700 kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent per year. Water-saving fixtures lower water consumption by up to 22%, while the Energy Recovery Ventilation system filters more than 99.7% of PM2.5 and continuously monitors CO₂, particulate matter, and humidity. Here, luxury is defined less by finishes than by cleaner air, lower operating costs, and long-term resilience.

This article was originally published on asiarealestatesummit.com. Write to our editors at [email protected].