When Singapore's Building and Construction Authority issued its Green Mark guidelines in 2006, the South Asian island city-state moved to the forefront of sustainable design and construction for the 21st century.
The program, a tropical-climate version of the U.S. LEED rating system, immediately gained acceptance in the one-party state, where public policy is put into practice quickly. By 2013, 15 countries had submitted more than 200 projects for certification, according to John Keung, BCA chief executive, who led the rollout of Green Mark's third iteration in 2013.