Dr. Stephen Tay
Associate Professor
National University of Singapore (NUS)
ABOUT
Associate Professor Tay En Rong Stephen completed his PhD in 2015 from Imperial College London under the National Research Foundation (Clean Energy) Overseas Scholarship. He then worked closely with the Economic Development Board and Housing & Development Board through the SolarNova initiative, where he led a team to conduct solar feasibility studies on government buildings. Assoc. Prof. Tay was also active with industry engagements through the 4th International Panel of Experts for Sustainability in the Built Environment in 2017, and development of the Super Low Energy Building Technology Roadmap by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) in 2018.
In recognition of Assoc. Prof. Tay’s contributions to the built environment, he was awarded the SGBC-BCA Young Green Building Advocate Award in 2019. He continued to serve as a Taskforce Member in the Green Built-Environment Advisory Committee (GBAC) for the Singapore Green Building Masterplan in 2020, where he worked with public and private sector stakeholders to explore the topic of pushing boundaries towards net-zero energy. He was also invited by Enterprise Singapore and the Singapore Standards Council to be a Working Group Member for Renewable Energy Certificates, which led to the publication of the SS 673:2021 Code of practice for renewable energy certificates in 2021. The SS 673:2021 has been referenced by industries and incorporated into the BCA Green Mark 2021 scheme.
In 2023, Assoc. Prof. Tay was invited by BCA to be a Taskforce Member of GBAC for Workstream 2: Renewable Energy to explore innovative ways of renewable energy incorporation for the built environment. In 2024, he represented SGBC on the evaluation panel for The Earthshot Prize.
As a faculty member in the Department of the Built Environment in the National University of Singapore, Assoc. Prof. Tay’s teaching efforts were recognised when he was awarded the Annual Teaching Excellence Award for three consecutive years from 2021 to 2023. For sustained excellence in teaching, he was subsequently awarded the University Teaching Awards Honour Roll (2024-2028) in 2024.
Panel Moderator – Retrofitting the Future: Transforming Urban High-Rise Buildings for Sustainability
Track 1B: Reimagine, Retrofit, Renew | Thursday, 10 July 2025, 3:00 PM
As urbanisation accelerates, cities face an urgent imperative: how can we decarbonise the towering skylines we’ve already built? Buildings account for nearly 40% of global carbon emissions, with aging high-rise buildings representing a critical—and often overlooked—piece of the sustainability puzzle.
Unlike new constructions designed with green principles from the ground up, retrofitting existing urban towers presents a complex web of technical, financial, and logistical challenges. Yet the potential impact is staggering: strategic retrofits can dramatically slash energy use, extend building lifespans by decades, and futureproof assets against tightening climate regulations—all while enhancing occupant health and productivity.