Revisiting a favourite theme, albeit one I haven’t written about in a while, the Guardian tells us that the US construction industry is investing heavily in green construction techniques. Good news for sure – but the most critical issue from where I’m sitting is to get these techniques and materials out into the developing world, and especially Asia, where construction of brand-new buildings and even cities is going on at a frantic pace.
It still bemuses me that this isn’t a huge industry in Singapore, where there’s a large construction sector, and a government that appears to have money to burn when it comes to investing in R&D that may bring economic benefit to the country in the future. Although they’ve taken some small steps in terms of the way they build public housing, and some regulatory requirements for private developers, I’m not hearing much about R&D into new techniques and materials. Perhaps it’s not sexy enough – or perhaps the local construction lobby is too powerful. After all, the Straits Times published a leader opposing seatbelts for the foreign workers who travel in the back of trucks – because it would impose excessive costs on the construction companies….* Of course, I would be delighted if someone better informed than me can point me towards a source of information about R&D into green building in Singapore!
* I can’t find an online source for this, but it made a big impression when I read it…
Definitely a growing trend in the US VC circles – lucrative niche for even micro-companies with commitment and laser-focus in service offerings.