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ARCHITECTURE
Shining with sustainability
System also allows members of staff to monitor energy consumption daily
Web Earth has brought
its ethos of sustainability
closer to home
by installing Solar PV
panels on the rooftop
of the group’s Singapore headquarters.
The move comes as growing numbers
of companies in Singapore are
switching on to the many benefits of
renewable energy.
The system has been designed to
power all the practice’s communal
facilities as well as its lifts, lighting and
water pumps.
The aim is to reduce the building’s
overall energy consumption and the
system also allows members of staff
to monitor energy consumption daily
from laptops and iPhones to ensure it is
working correctly.
Web Structures’ state-of-the-art
headquarters is already one of the most
environmentally friendly in Singapore.
The five-storey building at 40
Carpenter Street – one of the city’s
prime business locations – was
designed with sustainability in
mind.
Minimal use of materials was key in
all areas of its renovation to minimise
the embodied emissions associated
with the office. Recycled cardboard has
been used to create furniture.
And where new equipment was
required existing lighting was replaced
by high efficiency T5 lighting and controlled
by motion and daylight sensors
where applicable.
Richard Outhwaite, director of Web
Earth, oversaw the project to put panels
on its rooftop and says solar power is
proving to be an attractive investment
for companies in Singapore.
A view from the
top floor
He says: “Singapore is a great place
for PV panels because we have yearround,
constant sun exposure.
“All the country’s energy is
imported from neighbouring Indonesia
and Malaysia and energy costs are at an
all-time high in Singapore.
“Current prices mean returns of
between 12-15 per cent on investment
and a seven to eight year payback.
“Leading companies, such as food
distributor and supermarket retailer
Sheng Siong, recently installed large
PV arrays on their warehouse rooftops,
with investment and profitability one of
the main drivers.”
Web Earth has incorporated the use
of solar PV panels in its approach to
eco-friendly design excellence.
They include residential homes in
Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, targetting
zero energy consumption and
the new eng Wah retail development
at Clenmenti, achieving green mark
platinum status recently..
Richard says: “Solar panels are playing
an increasing role in our approach to
incorporate renewable energy into our
design and they really can make a big
difference, both financially and in terms
of sustainability.
“Increasing numbers of our clients
are looking to benefit from cheap, reliable
and environmentally friendly solar
power.”
He adds: “The solar energy market
in Singapore is so competitive right
now and there are start-up businesses
entering the market that will install
solar panels on a roof free of charge!
“The tenant then buys the energy, at
a cheaper price than local utility tariffs,
from the solar leasing company over
20 years.
“The market in Singapore has
developed a sustainable path to open
the city’s extensive building stock to
renewable energy on a large scale.
“Some of Singapore blue chip companies,
such as Woh Hup, the largest
privately owned construction company
in Singapore, have installed large PV
systems under a leasing model to cut
their energy bills and reduce their
operational carbon emissions.”
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november-december, green+.2014