Green building a smart, socially-responsible way to do business

Singapore

DEVELOPERS and occupiers, who perhaps in the early days of green buildings considered themselves more progressive, may have picked the green path because "it was the right thing to do".

But these days, what's drawing them in are rather hard, tangible benefits such as cost and energy savings, Ross Shuster, president of international operations for United Technologies Corp, Climate, Controls & Security (UTC CCS) told The Business Times in a recent interview.

The unit is a market leader in providing heating, ventilation, air conditioning and fire and security systems for buildings. Its competitors are the likes of Honeywell, Tyco and Johnson Controls.

"A few years ago, it was just about being socially responsible. Now it's about being socially respon…