A record 151 awards were handed out by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) on Wednesday evening at its annual awards.

This is a 'reflection of the industry's commitment to improving capabilities and productivity,' said Senior Minister of State for National Development Grace Fu, who was the guest-of-honour.

Amidst the backdrop of weak external demand and negative growth for Singapore, the construction sector grew 24.4 per cent in the first quarter, compared to a year ago, noted Ms Fu. This growth should be a 'sustainable one' and the industry needs to continue to invest in manpower development, and build capabilities in new growth areas.

'Our construction firms should be forward-looking, willing to invest in people and in technology, and willing to adopt good practices,' said Ms Fu.

To this end, the BCA launched a new Built Environment Leadership Award to recognise outstanding firms that have showed excellence and leadership in shaping Singapore's built environment, she added.

Property giant City Developments received the inaugural platinum award - the highest accolade - while seven other firms including CapitaLand, RSP Architects, Meinhardt Singapore and Woh Hup were given gold class awards.

This award requires firms to embrace world-class management systems and practices in business excellence and continual improvement. They are also assessed based on their contributions to the built environment through the type and number of BCA awards, and other local and international awards won by the firm.

At the event, Ms Fu separately launched three new schemes under BCA's Green Mark initiative. They are: Green Mark for infrastructure, landed houses and office interiors.

The Green Mark scheme for green buildings has gained momentum, with 103 green building awards recorded this year, up from 69 last year - a stark improvement from the paltry 17 when it was first launched in 2005.

Read the full report in Thursday's edition of The Straits Times.