Winners In Sustainable Development At The PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards Singapore 2019

The 9th PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards (Singapore) gala dinner and awards presentation ceremony was held last weekend at the St. Regis Singapore.

"We are privileged to bring together the country’s finest developers for our most successful edition yet of the PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards (Singapore). These established and boutique developers inspire confidence with their commitment to innovation, green building standards, and heritage development."

--- Hari V. Krishnan, Chief Executive Officer, PropertyGuru Group ---

A total of 46 awards were presented, with UOL Group emerging as the biggest winner of the evening, sweeping up 12 trophies, including the coveted Best Developer award, Best Condo Development (Singapore), and the special awards for CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility), Sustainable Development, and Design and Construction.

The prestigious award programme expanded this year to include four new categories – Best Heritage Development (1953 by Oxley Holdings Ltd), Best Mega-Scale Condo Development (Parc Clematis by Sing-Haiyi Gold Pte Ltd), Best Strata Housing Development (Watercove by Bukit Sembawang Estates Limited), and Best Co-Working Space Design – to reflect growing trends in the Singapore real estate sector, as well as to recognise more quality projects in niche segments. The National Gallery was given the Special Recognition for Public Facility.

"Our goal remains the same: to help property seekers in Singapore discover the best projects for them though the injection of transparency and trust in our vision for building a Property Trust Platform, that includes our coveted awards programme, which remains the gold standard in Asian real estate."

--- Hari V. Krishnan, Chief Executive Officer, PropertyGuru Group ---

As a global leader and innovation hub for smart and sustainable building solutions in Asia, Singapore’s top developers contended for the Special Recognition in Sustainable Development award, which was eventually presented to three winners: Frasers Property Singapore, QingJian Realty (South Pacific) Group Pte. Ltd., and UOL Group Limited. Their respective projects demonstrated the smart use of design to reduce energy consumption, using green materials, while maintaining cost-effectiveness.

All the winners in Singapore will compete at the region-wide PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards Grand Final to be held this November in Bangkok, for a chance to be crowned the "Best in Asia".

For more on the Asia Property Awards, visit www.asiapropertyawards.com.

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PSI 401? - Merlion Wayfarer's Guide To Hiding Out

Singapore

21 June 2013

Hazy Hazy Hazy

The PSI is at 401 today! New hazardous high... In one week of hiding in huge airconditioned public spaces (See "Haze Is Here - Hide In Aircon?", an article on reducing one's carbon footprint in this hazy weather), Merlion Wayfarer has bit-by-bit compiled a guide on where to hide this week if your house has neither an aircon nor an air purifier...

Criteria for "Guide To Hiding Out"...

• Lots of aircon, strong strong aircon
• Near an MRT station, as near as possible to have minimal exposure to the elements
• Must be cavernous, so huge until the air inside is relatively fresh enough for you to take big gulps of well-needed fresh air
• Preferably no windows, or the sight of disappearing neighbouring buildings will psychologically affect your perspective of the situation
• Have lots of eateries, especially those where you can stay a looooong time with just a drink
• Have good ventilation, so that you can't smell the smoke inside nor the cooking of food
• Have a variety of food options catering to different tastes, especially affordable options
• Preferably without a centre airwell to minimize airflow from outside

(Source : Amy Kong via Insing.com )

Here are the options...

313@Somerset

• Many, many eateries including quite a few coffee places as long as you keep to those in the basement or on higher floors
• Right next to the MRT
• A good option to shop and drink, drink and shop

(Source : YourSingapore.com)

Changi Airport 

• There are 3 huge terminals here with ample basement retail and dining space.
• Aircon here is strong, so strong that Merlion Wayfarer sometimes brings a jacket along. 
• Next to the MRT and weekday parking is discounted at S$2.50 per 3 hours
• The eateries found in town can also be located here.

(Source : YourSingapore.com)

City Square Mall

• Merlion Wayfarer likes this mall because of its green features.
• Relatively near housing estates and still within 2 MRT stops to town
• Lots of glass to allow natural daylight in yet external airflow is limited to ground level exits
• Family-friendly mall

(Source : YourSingapore.com)

ION Orchard

• Air here actually smells nice because of the fragrance used!
• Huge shopping mall
• Quite a few coffee places for those brand loyal coffee connoisseurs
• Easily accessed from the MRT (right next to the exit) and is even joined to a few other shopping centres via underpasses

(Source : YourSingapore.com)

Plaza Singapura

• Although this mall has a centre airwell, the recently expanded annex does not have similar exposure.
• Next to the MRT with two basement levels filled with affordable eateries

(Source : YourSingapore.com)

Raffles City Shopping Centre

• Recommended for its variety of basement eateries which are well-sheltered from the elements

(Source : YourSingapore.com)

Traditional options like Suntec City mall and Marina Square are a no-no for now as these are undergoing massive renovations with many retail areas closed and some noise from the renovators.

Merlion Wayfarer is also not including the neighbourhood malls here are many of them are relatively smaller in size with an open space in the centre of the mall, thus increasing airflow from the outside. But if you really need to stay in the neighbourhood, do hang out in eateries that are not near exits or roof gardens to breathe in fresher air.

Breathe well!

(Source : SmallPlanetWorkshop.com)

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Gardens By The Bay - Environmental Sustainability

Gardens By The Bay
Marina South, Singapore

June 2013

After spending the day at Gardens By The Bay's "Flight Of Fancy", Merlion Wayfarer was wondering about the environmental impact of artificially cooling two huge conservatories and generating enough power to keep a seven-storey high waterfall running non-stop for 12 hours daily.

Curious, she did some research...

Comprising two glass biomes, the cooled conservatories - Flower Dome and Cloud Forest - replicate the cool-dry climate of the Mediterranean and the semi-arid sub-tropical regions and cool-moist climate of the Tropical Montane region . A diverse collection of plants not commonly seen in equatorial weather are housed here.

A series of cutting-edge technologies for energy-efficient solutions in cooling are built within the conservatories:
 

• Use of biofuel

The energy used for powering the chillers is produced by a biomass furnace that uses horticultural waste produced within Gardens by the Bay and island-wide by National Parks Board.

  

• Minimizing solar heat gain

The two conservatories are fitted with specially selected glass that allows optimal light in for plants, but reduces a substantial amount of heat. The roof is fitted with a sensor-operated retractable sails that opens automatically to provide shade to the plants when it gets too hot.

  

• Cooling only the occupied zones

The Conservatories apply the strategy of cooling only the lower levels, thus reducing the volume of air to be cooled. This is achieved through thermal stratification - ground cooling by chilled water pipes cast within the floor slabs enabling cool air to settle at the lower occupied zone while the warm air rises and is vented out at high levels.

    

• De-humidifying the air before cooling

To reduce the amount of energy required in the cooling process, the air in the conservatories is de-humidified by liquid desiccant (a drying agent) before it is cooled. This desiccant is recycled using the waste heat from the burning of the biomass and accumulated at the higher levels of the cooled conservatories.

   

• Generating energy and harnessing waste heat

Electricity is generated on-site to run the chillers that cool the Conservatories. At the same time, waste heat is captured in the process to regenerate the liquid desiccant. This co-generation of energy is achieved by the use of a Combined Heat Power (CHP) steam turbine that is fed by horticultural waste from the Gardens and other parks around Singapore. This reduces dependency on the electrical grid.

(Source : Gardens By The Bay)

An energy modelling study showed that by applying the technologies, the energy consumption for the conservatories is comparable to that of an average commercial building in Singapore of the same footprint and height, normalized over a 24-hour cooling period.

This helps achieve at least 30% savings in energy consumption, compared to conventional cooling technologies.

(This article is part of Merlion Wayfarer Goes Green's Gardens By The Bay series.)

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The full albums are available at:

Merlion Wayfarer Goes Green's Picasa Web Albums (Gardens By The Bay)

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Sources

• "Environmental Sustainability".  Media Factsheet  (20 June 2013), Gardens By The Bay.
• "Sustainability Efforts", About The Gardens. Gardens By The Bay. Retrieved from https://www.gardensbythebay.com.sg/en/the-gardens/about-the-gardens.html#!/sustainability-efforts (20 June 2013). 

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City Square Mall - Singapore's First Eco-Mall

City Square Mall

Kitchener Road, Singapore

June 2013

Last weekend, Merlion Wayfarer participated in the "Go Eco, Get Crafty" eco-crafts workshop organized by Panasonic and OMY.sg. It was held at Singapore's First Eco-Mall, City Square. Merlion Wayfarer hadn't been to that many "eco-malls", so she was curious to explore the features of this very special mall that makes it eco-friendly.
   

City Green
  

City Square was the first mall in Singapore to be integrated with an urban park. Named City Green, the 49,000 square feet park is a green carpet laid out in front of the mall to welcome visitors. It provides children with a learning experience about ecology and the natural environment.

Contained within City Green, the Living Maze is a maze formed by a series of hedges - for running, hiding and exploring. Sensors help to ensure that the landscaped greenery will not be watered on rainy days, to eliminate water wastage.

Eco-Playground
   

On the grounds of City Square is an environmentally-friendly playground made of wood sourced from forest product producers certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), a certification system that promotes responsible forest management worldwide. 

  

Facade & Structure
   

Shaped like a leaf to harmonize with the environment and its green theme, the Green Roof is designed with environmentally-friendly features such as solar panels and a rain water harvesting system.

The low-E double-glazed facade glass optimizes day lighting. 

LED lighting for the facade reduce energy savings of up to 50% compared to conventional lighting.

An energy-efficient fan measuring 7.32m in diameter provides a naturally-cooled environment for activities held in the Fountain Square.

(One reason why Merlion Wayfarer wasn't perspiring much during the Workshop!)

The roof with its natural skylight allows natural lighting to pass through. There are also sensors at the roof to regulate electrical lighting and motorized sunshades to control light coming through from the glass panels.

The mall’s air conditioners use Variable Air Volume technology to moderate the mall’s temperature while saving energy. Together with other energy efficient features around the mall, an estimate of more than 12 million kWh of electricity is saved and 6,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emission is reduced annually. Condensate water from the air-conditioning system is also recycled, saving enough water to fill 2 Olympic-sized pools yearly.

Recycling bins are provided at convenient locations on every floor for shoppers. Tenants too, have their own set of recycling bins at Recycling Points.

Wet and dry refuse are separated at the mall for recycling through a twin chute pneumatic waste disposal system.

Facilities

 
Installed in the eco-restrooms are waterless urinals and water sub meters to detect water leaks and monitor water consumption. Together with other water efficient featrues, it is estimated that 10 Olympic-sized pools of water annually are saved.

City Square has an electric-car ready carpark with charging stations and dedicated carpark lots for hybrid cars. There are driveway sensors to adjust the lighting of the car park at B4, saving about 50,000 kWh of electricity a year.

Awards & Accolades
   

Some of the awards this unique eco-mall had garnered include:

• 3R Packaging Awards 2011: Distinction Award
• 2011 ASEAN Energy Awards: First Runner-up for the Energy Efficiency Competition (New and Existing Category)
• BCA Awards 2007: BCA Green Mark Platinum Award
• BCI Asia Awards 2011: FuturArc Green Leadership Award 2011 for Commercial Architecture

Good job, City Square Mall!

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The full album is available at:

Merlion Wayfarer Goes Green's Picasa Web Albums (Places - Green Buildings) 

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Sources

• "About Us". City Square Mall. Retrieved from http://www.citysquaremall.com.sg/greenbuildingfeatures.php (18 June 2013).

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