Singapore’s first Green Mark Platinum commercial building: Keppel Bay Tower

Singapore, 14 December 2020 – The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) has certified Keppel Bay Tower, owned and operated by Keppel Land Limited (Keppel Land), as a Green Mark Platinum (Zero Energy) building. It is the first commercial building in Singapore to achieve this accolade. A Green Mark Platinum (Zero Energy) building must, in addition to achieving a low energy use index (EUI) of less than 115 kWh per square metre per year, also have all of its energy consumption (including plug load) supplied from renewable sources, both on-site and off-site.

Commenting on the achievement, Kelvin Wong, CEO of BCA, said, “This is a significant milestone in our Green building journey and I applaud Keppel Land’s commitment and efforts in this outstanding accomplishment. It also demonstrates how research and innovation can make zero energy, high-rise commercial buildings a reality. I believe this is just the first of many more to come and I look forward to upcoming contributions from across the built environment value chain to realise our collective goal of a Greener and more sustainable Singapore.”

Read:  Green Design Certifications in Malaysia and Singapore

In 2018, BCA awarded Keppel Land with a grant of up to S$1.28 million under the Green Buildings Innovation Cluster (GBIC) programme to implement new and emerging energy-efficient technologies at Keppel Bay Tower. The aim of this programme is to experiment with, exhibit and exchange knowledge of energy-efficient solutions with stakeholders.

The energy-efficient technologies that were piloted at Keppel Bay Tower include a high-efficiency air distribution system, an innovative cooling tower water management system, integrated sensor technology to optimise fresh air intake, smart LED lighting solutions, and an intelligent building control system.

Read: How Green Accreditation Can Benefit the Construction Business

By February 2020, Keppel Land had achieved a reduction of 22.3 per cent in annualised energy consumption of the building, exceeding its initial target of 20 per cent. Following the successful pilot, some of these technologies, such as the high-efficiency air distribution system, are currently being replicated to the rest of the building. In addition, an assembly of photovoltaic (PV) panels spanning over 400 square metres will be installed on the roof of the 18-storey Keppel Bay Tower, as well as its six-storey podium block. The installation of the PV panel system will generate an energy yield of about 100,000 kWh per annum.

Read: Homebuyers’ willingness-to-pay for Green attributes: Evidence from Asian cities

Upon completion of these initiatives, Keppel Bay Tower’s annualised energy consumption will be less than 115 kWh per square metre per year, a reduction of over 30 per cent from its 2017 Green Mark Platinum level and almost 50 per cent less compared to typical office buildings in Singapore. This translates to energy savings of over 2.2 million kWh a year from its 2017 baseline, which is equivalent to the amount of energy required to power more than 400 homes in Singapore for one year. This also translates to cost savings of approximately S$400,000 annually. The remaining energy use will be offset through the purchase of Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) through Keppel Land’s electricity retailer, Keppel Electric, which are generated from PV panels installed at Keppel Offshore & Marine’s yards in Singapore.

Source: BCA