Singapore's first "Zero Energy Building" launched

Wang Eng Eng, Channel NewsAsia 26 Oct 09;

SINGAPORE: The inaugural Singapore Green Building week started on Monday with the launch of Singapore's first "Zero Energy Building".

National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan said the three-storey office building showcases how it can be up to 50 per cent more energy efficient.

It cost some S$11 million to retrofit, but the building is expected to generate as much electricity as it consumes in a year.

The government aims to get 80 per cent of all buildings on Green Mark certification by 2030.

Known as the zero energy building, the structure along Braddell Road has been retrofitted to ensure it is self-sufficient in meeting its electricity needs.

It has various green features which act as a test bed for clean energy technologies before they are introduced into the industry.

To help beat the heat, the visitor's centre has plants on its walls which help reduce external wall temperatures by up to 12 degrees Celsius while a solar chimney sucks out the warm air from the room.

Contraptions help shade the building from the sun and bounce natural light into the interiors.

The solar panels help generate enough electricity to supply power to 45 four- room HDB flats for a year.

While it might cost five per cent more to retrofit existing buildings with green design and technologies, experts said the pay back is not as long as some might expect.

John Keung, CEO, Building and Construction Authority, said: "For a typical existing building if you go for a green mark certification, the expected pay back period is two to six years, depending on your design and what you want to put in there. So it's still quite cost effective."

Mr Mah said: "The government will have to educate, put in incentives and we may also eventually have to make it mandatory to have some legislation in place. But through a combination of these factors, hopefully through education and incentives, we will be able to move people along."

Cash incentives are already in place under the Green Mark certification scheme to encourage buildings to go green. - CNA/vm

'Zero energy' building launched
Producing as much energy as it uses, it will be a test-bed for 'green' technologies here
Gabriel Chen, Straits Times 27 Oct 09;

SINGAPORE'S first building that can produce as much power as it uses - zero energy, in industry jargon - opened with much fanfare yesterday.

The landmark building in Braddell Road employs ground-breaking design features while also harnessing the sun's energy to replenish the energy it uses for air-conditioning and other uses.

Its opening is a huge step forward for the local building industry. It will serve as a test-bed for green technology that can later be incorporated in standard construction projects, while students and designers can study first-hand the nuts and bolts of energy efficiency and 'green' building.

National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan said the opening of the building 'marks a key milestone in Singapore's building and construction history'.

The building was an existing structure that was retrofitted in an $11 million project in the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) Academy grounds opposite ComfortDelGro. The BCA joined forces with the National University of Singapore, the Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore and private sector partners to convert the old three-storey workshop.

A massive array of solar panels covering 1,540sqm - bigger than an Olympic-sized swimming pool and the biggest such installation here - was placed on the roof to generate energy to run the lights, office equipment and air-conditioning.

The building, which houses offices, classrooms and a resource centre, has been designed to tap on natural ventilation, to reduce the amount of heat transmitted, and to cut down on the amount of power spent on artificial lighting.

It marks a brave new world for the construction industry, which will see many of the techniques used as having potential applications for many existing buildings that will be striving to achieve Green Mark certification. This is a benchmarking scheme incorporating global standards in environmental design and performance.

The Government hopes to put the Green Mark stamp on at least 80per cent of buildings here by 2030, and has devised a slew of measures, including cash incentives, for building owners to help meet this goal.

'Everybody knows that green technology is the next wave ahead,' said Mr Steven Choo, chief executive of the Real Estate Developers' Association of Singapore. 'We have people and companies working on this green movement, but we should consolidate our position further and evolve relevant green standards for the tropical climate.'

Mr Mah told the opening ceremony that at least eight out of every 10 buildings in Singapore will be energy efficient and environmentally friendly within 20 years.

Property developers gave the thumbs-up to the building, calling it extremely relevant and valuable for the building sector. City Developments spokesman Gerry De Silva said the building's development serves as 'a befitting green building model from which the industry can learn and draw inspiration'.

This week is also the inaugural Singapore Green Building Week organised by the BCA. It is staging activities to highlight the importance of green buildings.

The public can visit the new zero energy building after making an appointment with the BCA.

A testbed to try green solutions
If successful, technology can be applied to other buildings
Today Online 27 Oct 09;

SINGAPORE - This is officially Singapore's greenest building - and it is now open to visitors who want to experience the island's green future up close.

At first glance, the three-storey building along Braddell Road might not catch attention. But the building, retrofitted at a cost of $11 million by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA), is the first in Singapore and South-east Asia to be classified as a "zero-energy" building. This means it is completely self-sufficient in meeting its electricity needs.

Launched by Minister for National Development Mah Bow Tan yesterday, it will house classrooms, a library and multipurpose hall and offices.

BCA's chief executive, Dr John Keung, said the purpose of the building is essentially to act as a testbed, "to try out all these different green building technologies so that, if successful, they can be applied to all our other buildings".

Solar panels on the roof top and windows - with a combined area bigger than an Olympic-sized swimming pool - generate enough electricity in a year to power 45 four-room housing board flats for a year.

Light pipes help to reflect sunlight into the building from the rooftop, so that less artificial light is needed on the top floor. Vertical greenery on the external walls help lower temperatures by as much as 12°C.

And natural ventilation is used to help cut the amount of energy used for air-conditioning by some 40 per cent.

Some of the cost of retrofitting the building will be offset by the $84,000 a year in savings on utility bills that is expected.

Dr Keung said the cost of fitting out an existing building with green features, is 5 per cent more than the cost of just basic retrofitting to an existing building.

"For a typical existing building, if you go for Green Mark Certification, the expected pay back period is two to six years, depending on your design and what you want to put in."

Cash incentives are in place under the Green Mark certification scheme, to encourage buildings to go green. 938LIVE

QUICK FACTS

- Its solar photovoltaic panels generate enough energy to power 45 four-room HDB flats for a year.

- It is up to 50-per-cent more energy efficient than a building (without lifts) of similar layout.

- The estimated electricity savings are $84,000 a year.

Singapore's first zero energy building launched
It costs $11m to retrofit and is the first building of its kind in SE Asia
Joyce Hooi and Uma Shankari, Business Times 27 Oct 09;

(SINGAPORE) The republic's first zero energy building (ZEB) was launched by National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan yesterday at the start of Singapore Green Building Week.

The ZEB, within the Building and Construction Authority's BCA Academy, costs $11 million to retrofit and is the first building of its kind in South-east Asia.

It does not need any external energy supply. The roof is fitted with about 1,540 square metres of solar panels that generate about 207,000 kilowatt hours of electricity a year - enough to power 45 four-room HDB apartments.

The ZEB is estimated to be about 40-50 per cent more efficient than a normal office building of a similar layout, and all things being equal, is expected to save $84,000 in electricity costs.

BCA chief executive John Keung estimates that retrofitting a building to qualify for the Platinum Green Mark award would cost a 5 per cent premium on average.

BCA is using the ZEB as a testing ground for various kinds of efficient devices such as single coil twin-fan ventilation systems and mirror ducts.

The refinement of these technologies is geared towards meeting the target set out in the Singapore Sustainable Blueprint, which aims to have 80 per cent of all buildings in Singapore achieve at least the basic Green Mark Certification by 2030.

'The greening of buildings provides a new growth opportunity for our construction industry,' Mr Mah said.

'We have an existing stock of over 210 million sq m of building floor area. The retrofitting of existing buildings for greater energy efficiency will involve several steps: First, auditing the buildings to identify the key inefficient areas; second, upgrading to newer and more energy-efficient equipment; and third, ensuring that building operations are run in an energy-efficient manner.'

Besides investment in new technologies, the move to green buildings also presents an opportunity to invest in new manpower capabilities, Mr Mah said. Singapore needs to build up a 'green collar' work force of 18,000-20,000 specialists within the next decade to develop, design, construct, operate and maintain the green buildings, he said.

The inaugural Singapore Green Building Week is part of BCA's roadmap to expand and share Singapore's green building initiatives with overseas specialists and industry leaders.

The event will be anchored by the three-day International Green Building Conference, which kicks off tomorrow. The conference is expected to draw around 1,000 delegates from more than 20 countries.

Experts meet to share sustainable building ideas
Today Online 27 Oct 09;

The first Singapore Green Building Week, which kicked off with the launch of the zero-energy building, will be anchored by a three-day international conference.

At the meet, leading local professionals and world experts will share their experience in greening the built-up environment.

The purpose of the week is to highlight the Republic's achievements in developing a sustainable city in the tropics.

The Singapore Sustainable Blueprint, launched in April, is targetting to have 80 per cent of all buildings here with at least the basic Green Mark Certification by 2030 - meaning that eight in 10 buildings would be energy efficient and environmentally-friendly.

"The Government will have to educate, put in incentives, and we may also eventually have to make it mandatory to have some legislation in place. Through a combination of these factors ... we will be able to move people along," said National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan to reporters. 938LIVE