The National Heart Centre Singapore’s new $165 million building in the grounds of the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) has staked a claim to being forward-looking.
When completed next year, the 12-storey centre will have three charging stations for electric vehicles, with a view to encouraging the use of environmentally friendly transport.
Ms Chia Puay Choo, director of the heart centre’s building project, said providing the charging stations encourages the consumption of less fuel and so reduces the level of harmful emissions.
To be located in the heart centre’s carpark and meant for the use of both the centre’s staff and the public, the charging stations cost $11,000 to set up.
There are 29 charging stations islandwide, said Greenlots, a Singapore-based, electric-vehicle charging systems company.
An ongoing trial is assessing the durability, running cost and performance of 90 electric cars.
The heart centre’s charging stations are just one of its eco-friendly features. The centre will sit opposite SGH’s Block 4 and eventually replace the current 18-year-old centre in Mistri Wing, located on the edge of SGH’s Outram campus.
Other eco-friendly features include energy-efficient air-conditioning and rain harvesting, in which rain and condensation are collected from the air-handling units to water the building’s plants.
For these, the heart centre was handed the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) Green Mark Platinum Award last night at the BCA Awards. The award is the highest accolade for green building certification.
A record 318 awards were given out, including 202 Green Mark Awards, which recognise developers of environmentally friendly buildings.
Mr Lee Yi Shyan, Minister of State for Trade and Industry and National Development, said he was heartened that the construction industry has strongly supported Singapore’s push to ‘green’ 80 per cent of its buildings by 2030.
There are more than 1,180 green buildings in Singapore, with a total gross floor area of about 37 million sq m or 16 per cent of total estimated existing building floor space.
At the event, Mr Lee also announced two initiatives. To encourage the industry to adopt sustainable practices, the BCA is considering requiring all large contractors registered under BCA’s Contractors Registry System to obtain the Green and Gracious Builder certification within the next two years.
The certification was introduced in 2009 to recognise progressive builders who adopt environmentally friendly practices and minimise the effects of construction on people living near worksites. Currently, 37 large contractors out of 131 are certified.
In addition, the BCA is working with the construction industry to develop a new voluntary accreditation scheme for both new and existing developments that have universal design features.
This refers to designs that facilitate day-to-day activities for people of all ages and mobility types, and encourage interaction. It hopes to introduce the new scheme by the end of the year.
The event’s guest of honour was President Tony Tan Keng Yam, who received a cheque for $578,000 for the President’s Challenge 2012, making it the first time a charity drive was held in conjunction with the BCA Awards.
Some notable winners of the BCA Awards 2012:
BCA Green Mark Champion Award
- Ascendas
- CapitaLand Group
- National University of Singapore
BCA Green Mark Award
There were 202 recipients in this category. They include the following winners of the Green Mark Platinum Award, the highest in this category:
- Gardens by the Bay: Bay South
- Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital
- Singapore Prison Service Headquarters
- Tong Eng Building
- Singapore University of Technology and Design: East Coast Campus Phase 1 Hostels and Faculty Apartments
BCA Built Environment Leadership Award
- Housing and Development Board
- Shimizu Corporation
