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200 Braddell Road #03-00 BCA Academy of the Built Environment Singapore 579700 ISBN 9789810915667 Telephone: 6248 9999 Facsimile: 6258 0558 Website: http://www.csb.sg/ 9 789810 915667 Leading the Way to Net Zero, 2009 - 2014: Inside SE Asia’s First Retrofitted Zero Energy Building Energy Zero Retrofitted First 2009 - 2014: Inside SE Asia’s Zero, Net to the Way Leading Leading the Way to Net Zero, 2009 - 2014: INSIDE SE ASIA’S FIRST RETROfiTTED ZERO ENERGY BUILDING BCA Centre for Sustainable Buildings Ltd for BCA Centre Disclaimer This document is published by the BCA Centre for Sustainable Buildings Ltd. Copyright @ 2014 BCA Centre for Sustainable Buildings Ltd, Singapore. All rights reserved. This document or any part thereof may not be reproduced for any reason whatsoever in any form or means whatsoever and howsoever without the prior written consent and approval of the BCA Centre for Sustainable Buildings Ltd. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this publication, the BCA Centre for Sustainable Buildings Ltd, its employees or agents shall not be responsible for any mistake or inaccuracy that may be contained herein and all such liability and responsibility are expressly disclaimed by these said parties. ISBN: 978-981-09-1566-7 Printed on environmentally friendly paper. The BCA Centre for Sustainable Buildings (BCA CSB) was established and designated as a Centre collaborating with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), under a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) of Singapore and the UNEP on 14 September 2011. Being the first in Asia and one of the few collaborating centres with UNEP, the Centre is well equipped to develop and deliver policy advice and outreach assistance to countries for sustainable development in the building sector. This assistance would be provided in close consultation with UNEP through the identification of successful policies, strategies and technologies at the regional and national level as we strive to grow the Centre into a hub for green buildings in the region, and contribute to global climate mitigation efforts. Acknowledgements BCA Centre for Sustainable Buildings would like to thank our collaborating partner the Building and Construction Authority for their invaluable support in this endeavour. In addition, the Centre would like to express our gratitude to the following for their contributions to this publication, and also their consent to use their materials and photographs. Beca Carter Hollings & Ferner (S.E Asia) Pte Ltd Ms Irene Yong DP Architects Pte Ltd Mr Arthur Loh Green Building Initiative Mr Jerry Yudelson Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts Professor Stephen Wittkopf National University of Singapore Professor Wong Nyuk Hien Ms Erna Tan Phoenix Solar Pte Ltd Mr Christophe Inglin Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore Mr Valliappan Selvam We would also like to thank all the different individuals who have contributed in one way or another to the successful completion of this publication. Foreword Five years ago, the launch of the Zero Energy Building (ZEB) placed the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) on the research and development (R&D) map for pioneering this initiative at the Singapore Green Building Week in 2009. Since then, ZEB has been continuing to operate at net zero. As of 15 July 2014, ZEB accumulated a net surplus of 55 MWh of electricity, enough to power 144 flats of about 100 square metres for a month. This is quite a feat, since we had to cope with a substantial increase in the number of occupants and the hours of operation from 2012 to 2013. R&D is a key component of BCA’s Green Building Masterplans, both in capability development and in carrying out innovations. When we undertook this project jointly with the National University of Singapore (NUS), the vision was to create a living demonstration platform for the study of energy-efficient buildings and technologies, as well as an educational hub for students and practitioners in this field. Since its opening, some 23,000 visitors including building professionals, policy makers, academia, industry, researchers and students have visited ZEB. I am happy to note that the interest to visit and learn from ZEB remains strong, with many travelling all the way from Europe, the Far East and the Americas. We are also maintaining the ZEB up-to-date with a sustained flow of new test-beds of different green building technologies. This project would not have been possible without the valuable contributions from the funding agencies Ministry of National Development and Economic Development Board; the researchers from NUS; consultants from DP Architects, Beca Carter, and Langdon & Seah; the main contractor ACP Construction; the solar integrator Grenzone; and the operation team. The experience in developing and operating ZEB have been documented by the BCA Centre for Sustainable Buildings (BCA CSB) in this second publication Leading the Way to Net Zero, 2009-2014: Inside SE Asia’s First Retrofitted Zero Energy Building, following from its first publication released in 2013, Using Less, Getting More: An Overview of Building Energy Efficiency Initiatives in SE Asia Region. BCA CSB’s key goal is to help raise awareness and to facilitate knowledge transfer. We hope that this publication will be a useful and valuable reference for all stakeholders in Singapore as well as in the region. Let us all do our utmost to push the boundaries of building performance to create a better and greener built environment for all. Dr John Keung Chairman BCA Centre for Sustainable Buildings Chief Executive Officer Building and Construction Authority Foreword Back in 2007, the National University of Singapore (NUS) joined forces with the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) to develop Singapore’s first ever net- zero energy building, the Zero Energy Building (ZEB) at the BCA Academy. Intertwining sustainability and education, the building offers an opportunity for researchers and students alike to experience the sustainable solutions used within. Opened for new test-beds, the building also provides a platform for those who wish to further their understanding in the area of sustainable buildings, and gain valuable hands-on experience with new building technologies to enhance their academic interests. A sustainable building is not realised by simply bringing together all state-of-the- art technologies under one roof. Neither should one be led to believe that, upon its completion, the building can then run of its own accord and remain permanently “sustainable”. It is a complex process that involves the commitment of many stakeholders, encompassing all stages of a building’s lifecycle. As such, I am pleased that the BCA Centre for Sustainable Buildings (BCA CSB) initiated to document the story of ZEB, to demonstrate what it takes to develop a net-zero energy building in the tropics, and to share with everyone the ups and downs inherent in ambitious sustainable building projects. I am happy to see the Centre’s commitment to raising visibility to and sharing knowledge of sustainable buildings to partners in the region and beyond, and I look forward to more of such publications from the Centre. I also look forward to greater collaborations with BCA CSB to address pressing issues of the industry in order to make ours a quality urban environment. Professor Heng Chye Kiang Dean School of Design and Environment National University of Singapore Director BCA Centre for Sustainable Buildings List of abbreviations and acronyms ACMV – Air-conditioning and mechanical ventilation ASEAN – Association of Southeast Asian Nations BCA – Building and Construction Authority BCI – Building Construction Information BMS – Building Management System C&S – Civil and structural EEI – Energy Efficiency Index EUI – Energy Use Intensity FLEXLAB – Facility for Low Energy eXperiments in Buildings GFA – Gross floor area HVAC - Heating, ventilation and air-conditioning IES – Institution of Engineers Singapore LED – Light-emitting diode MND – Ministry of National Development M&E – Mechanical and electrical NUS – National University of Singapore PDV – Passive displacement ventilation PI – Principal Investigator PV – Photovoltaic R&D – Research and development SCTF – Single Coil Twin Fan UV – Ultraviolet ZEB – Zero Energy Building Contents Introduction 08 Zer0 is the goal 12 Many technologies, one goal 20 ZEB the living lab 44 Challenges overcame, lessons learned 50 Taking the next step 62 References 68 Introduction A living laboratory for green building technologies Project name: Zero Energy Building @ BCA Academy Location: 200 Braddell Road, Singapore Completion date: October 2009 Gross floor area: 4,500 square metres Owner: Building and Construction Authority of Singapore Principal Investigator for green building technologies: National University of Singapore Architect: DP Architects Pte Ltd Project manager: Beca Carter Hollings & Ferner (S.E. Asia) Pte Ltd Mechanical & electrical engineer: Beca Carter Hollings & Ferner (S.E. Asia) Pte Ltd Civil & structural engineer: Beca Carter Hollings & Ferner (S.E. Asia) Pte Ltd Quantity surveyor: Davis Langdon & Seah Singapore Pte Ltd Main contractor: ACP Construction Pte Ltd Photovoltaic contractor: Grenzone Pte Ltd It is believed that the first form of shelter was built The project was funded by BCA, the Ministry of more than 500,000 years ago. Since then, buildings National Development (MND) Research Fund, and