Integrated resorts set up green initiatives

Wong Siew Ying, Channel NewsAsia 11 Dec 09;

SINGAPORE : The two upcoming integrated resorts in Singapore, which open in the first quarter of next year, are not planning to gamble with the environment.

In fact, they have spent millions of dollars on green technologies and sustainable building concepts to conserve resources.

It has been a roller coaster ride for the environment, and climate change is a real threat. So companies, like Singapore's two integrated resorts, are striving for greener practices.

Resorts World Sentosa, for instance, transplanted 900 trees affected by construction work. It is now replanting them - along the streets of Hollywood and New York - within its Universal Studios theme park.

The resort also has Singapore's largest solar installation, that can generate over 500,000 kilowatts per hour of energy a year.

Noel Hawkes, vice president, Resort Operations, Resorts World Sentosa, said: "(With regards to) the solar power, we reckon we can save half a million Singapore dollars easily on electricity bills.

"We also have a very interesting ETFE roofing system over many of the al fresco dining areas of the resort, as well as in the Universal Studios where people are queuing, and this reduces the amount of sunlight by almost half.

"And we couple that with an eco-cooling system, which we have developed; it is not air conditioning, but it is cooling and it costs one-third of the cost of air conditioning."

The ETFE plastic roofing will shelter about 70 per cent of the pedestrian walkways at the resort.

Another cost saving of over S$160,000 a year will come from a lagoon, which will harvest rainwater to be used for irrigation.

Meanwhile, Marina Bay Sands resort is also doing its part - by recycling paint from previous projects, as well as recycling construction waste. When completed, guests staying in the 2,500 luxury rooms at the three hotel towers can also play a role.

Thomas Arasi, CEO, Marina Bay Sands, said: "We have spent S$25 million on an intelligent building management system, and what that would do is that it would automatically record the customer's needs and energy saving patterns.

"On the remote control in our guest room, there will be an eco button that you can hit and it will just take things up a notch and hopefully you will not feel it."

Marina Bay Sands said it has also invested a substantial amount of money on the construction and operation of a massive chilled water plant to be located just off its third hotel tower. This will be done on a cost sharing basis between the resort and public entities.

The plant is expected to be ready in late 2010. Marina Bay Sands said it will provide chilled water to cool the resort as well as new buildings in the surrounding districts.

Observers said the use of chilled water could help lower air conditioning costs by up to 20 per cent. - CNA/ms