The programme was announced by Lawrence Wong, Minister for National Development and Second Minister for Finance, Singapore, who was guest-of-honour at the opening of Singapore Green Building Week (SGBW) 2018.
Singapore’s green building journey began in 2005 with the introduction of the BCA Green Mark and the three Green Building Masterplans. Since then Singapore has ‘greened’ more than 3,400 buildings, covering more than 100 million m2 of gross floor area. The business case for green buildings is demonstrated in BCA’s latest Building Energy Benchmarking Report 2018. Commercial buildings have shown 14% lower energy consumption since 2008. This improvement from over 1,000 commercial buildings translates to about 1,000 GWh in energy savings per annum, which is equivalent to about S$200 million savings in a year.
Hugh Lim, BCA CEO, said: “We have come a long way in our environmental sustainability journey. To kickstart the next wave of our green building movement, BCA is working with the industry professionals to deliver cost-effective super low energy buildings which can achieve a minimum of 60% energy efficiency improvement over the 2005 building codes, when the BCA Green Mark was first introduced. Beyond this, we are embarking on more rigorous research and innovation to further push the frontier for green buildings to achieve up to 80% energy efficiency improvement.
"By setting such new performance benchmarks, Singapore can play an important role in mitigating climate change and doing our part as a responsible global citizen. We hope more building owners and developers will join us as we work towards the common goal to shape a greener built environment that benefits Singaporeans.”
The SLE Programme is aimed at making SLE buildings the next generation of green buildings. It consists of:
The SLE Programme is aimed at making SLE buildings the next generation of green buildings. It consists of:
SLE Challenge
An SLE Challenge inviting developers to take the lead in developing SLE buildings through good designs and cost-effective technologies. So far, more than 10 developers and building owners have voluntarily pledged their commitment to achieve at least one SLE project in the next five years.
For instance, the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) has worked with the Army to achieve a high standard of energy efficiency for building facilities in Kranji Camp and Seletar Camp*, while still meeting operational requirements. For Kranji Camp building, DSTA adopted computational fluid dynamics to simulate wind flow and design the buildings for optimal natural ventilation.
Solar light pipes are used to channel sunlight into the building interior, while sensors are introduced to automatically lower artificial lighting levels when there is sufficient sunlight, thus conserving energy. Solar panels are installed on the roofs of both buildings to convert sunlight to electricity, generating sufficient energy to meet all their requirements.
The two Army buildings will save close to 540 MWh of electricity a year – which is equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of about 116 four-room government-issued (HDB) flats. DSTA also introduced the use of mass engineered timber, a sustainable material which also serves as a carbon sink, for the Kranji building, which is a first for Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) facilities.
Green Mark for SLE
To recognise these SLE projects, BCA has introduced the new Green Mark for SLE. This voluntary certification framework for SLE buildings adds on to the BCA Green Mark scheme, and supports the net zero energy aspiration in tropical and sub-tropical regions. Green Mark for SLE will provide recognition for best-in-class energy efficient buildings in addition to their Green Mark award. For example, a building that achieves both the Green Mark Platinum and Green Mark for SLE would be awarded the Green Mark Platinum (Super Low Energy) accolade. This
encourages building owners to push the boundaries in terms of passive
and active strategies, smart energy management, and use of renewable
energy to achieve best-in-class building energy performance. Public and
private developers have agreed to strive for the Green Mark for SLE in close to 20 projects.
SLE Buildings Technology Roadmap
The SLE Buildings Technology Roadmap to develop cost-effective solutions that push the limits of energy-efficiency ratings. The SLE Buildings Technology Roadmap will also help achieve the target of up to 80% energy efficiency improvement over 2005 levels. Jointly developed in partnership with industry and academia, the roadmap outlines the broad strategies to help the industry design and develop cost-effective SLE buildings.
An SLE building with 60% energy efficiency improvement is technically feasible with best-in-class technologies today, but more research, development and demonstration (RD&D) is needed to push the boundaries to 80% energy efficiency improvement, and to do so in a cost effective way.
Keppel Land is one such developer who has committed to pilot various emerging technologies at its BCA Green Mark Platinum-certified development, Keppel Bay Tower, with a view to replicate the implementation of these technologies to rejuvenate its other commercial buildings. In 2017, BCA and Keppel Land launched a Joint Challenge Call for test-bedding of SLE technologies at Keppel Bay Tower. This project is supported by an innovation fund of S$1.28 million from BCA’s Green Buildings Innovation Cluster (GBIC) programme. Keppel Land will demonstrate five technologies within Keppel Bay Tower, namely:
Smart lighting
Smart lighting
The smart lighting system utilises occupancy sensors which will allow seamless transition in lighting levels according to building occupancy. The fully-autonomous system will be implemented in seven levels of the building.
Climate control based on analytics
Climate control based on analytics
Integrated sensors are used to capture occupants’ activities and comfort levels based on which an analytical model will be derived to predict and optimise air-conditioning operations to improve energy efficiency.
Intelligent building control
Intelligent building control
The smart building management system, which will be implemented throughout the entire building, uses a simulation model together with available building data for energy optimisation, predictive maintenance and fault detection. This technology employs a high-performance physics-based simulation engine that utilises machine learning and artificial intelligence to improve data analytics and control. This will reduce the downtime and resources required for Keppel Land to maintain and operate the development.
High-efficiency air distribution
High-efficiency air distribution
This air handling unit fan, which is about 25% more energy-efficient than best-in-class technology, is expected to run at lower noise levels, resulting in better indoor environment quality for building occupants.
Cooling tower water management
Cooling tower water management
This system, which will be implemented throughout the building, incorporates a patented solution which dissolves existing scale (buildup of solids/sediment) and prevents further scale formation. It also removes dissolved oxygen for better corrosion control. The system will also automatically disinfect water to prevent algae and bacteria, thereby eliminating the need for chemical treatment. The amount of blow-down water (water that is drained to remove mineral buildup) discharged is hence substantially reduced, resulting in significant water savings.
*Both developments are on track to achieve Zero Energy Building status under the new BCA Green Mark for SLE, as the framework provides pathways to meet either Super Low Energy or Zero Energy Building.
