The Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City Investment and Development Co., Ltd. (SSTEC) held its groundbreaking ceremony today to mark the start of main construction of the Low Carbon Living Lab (LCLL). The ceremony was witnessed by Singapore’s Minister of State for Trade and Industry and National Development, Mr. Lee Yi Shyan, and Deputy Secretary of CPC Tianjin Municipal Party Committee and Party Secretary of the Tianjin Binhai New Area, Mr. He Lifeng.
Located within the Eco-Business Park in the Tianjin Eco-City, the LCLL is jointly developed by SSTEC, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) of Singapore and International Enterprise (IE) Singapore. When completed in 2013, the LCLL will be a high quality, green office building with low carbon emissions. The LCLL aims to be a “Living Lab” to test-bed and demonstrate green building features, energy saving building technologies and renewable energy adoption, and targets to achieve the double platinum awards in Tianjin Eco-City Green Building Evaluation Standard (GBES ) and Singapore BCA Green Mark Scheme.
BCA, the technical adviser for the project, introduced several Singapore’s best practices in building and construction. These include the latest green building technologies and advanced implementation strategies such as building energy simulation and Building Information Modelling (BIM).
By adopting passive and active green building design features, the LCLL aims to reduce energy consumption by more than 30%, compared to other conventional office buildings. Passive design features to reduce energy consumption include the promotion of natural ventilation into the building; use of façade shading devices and light shelves to reflect light into the office space to encourage natural lighting; and a green roof and vertical greens to prevent building heat loss. The LCLL’s design also factored in building orientation; for instance, by placing vertical greens and minimizing the opening on the North facing wall to reduce heat loss and exposure to the cold northern wind during winter, while maximizing the use of glass and windows on the South facing façade to ensure maximum natural lighting and exposure to the southern breeze during summer.
In line with the Eco-City’s KPI to achieve 20% renewable energy usage, the LCLL will actively tap on eco-technologies such as solar thermal heaters, solar photovoltaics, ground source heat pumps, and wind turbines. The LCLL will also incorporate water saving fittings and fixtures, water consumption monitoring systems and a rooftop rain water harvesting setup for water conservation and reuse.
When completed, the LCLL will be a green experiential, interactive and educational showcase for its users and visitors to encourage low carbon living. Built-in learning journeys are incorporated into the building design to encourage interaction between people and the built environment. Educational panels and an Energy Management Information Wall will also share with visitors on how they can embrace harmony with the environment.
Singapore-based companies to showcase eco-solutions at the LCLL
The LCLL will also provide a platform for Singapore-based companies to participate in the Tianjin Eco-City project and showcase their capabilities in eco-solutions. The LCLL was designed by JURONG Consultants, while several other Singapore companies have expressed strong interest to participate in the LCLL in a wide spectrum of areas, including building electrical systems, recycled wooden interior decoration, sanitary fittings and landscaping.
At the groundbreaking ceremony, Mr Ho Tong Yen, CEO SSTEC, said, “SSTEC is delighted to work with BCA and IE Singapore to jointly develop the LCLL. The LCLL will be a high quality green office building, which provides a platform for Singapore companies to showcase their capabilities in eco-products and solutions. The LCLL will combine many key eco-features and present them in a way which can be easily appreciated by visitors, thus contributing to the Eco-City’s goals of promoting sustainable, low-carbon lifestyles.”
About Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City (SSTEC)
SSTEC is the master developer for the Tianjin Eco-City. It is a 50/50 joint venture between the Chinese Consortium led by Tianjin TEDA Investment Holding Co., Ltd (Tianjin TEDA) and the Singapore Consortium led by the Keppel Group.
The Tianjin Eco-City is a landmark bilateral project between China and Singapore with private-sector investment and development. Located in the Tianjin Binhai New Area (45 km away from Tianjin city centre), the 30-sq km Tianjin Eco-City is envisioned to create a harmonious and sustainable community that meets the needs of an urbanising China and will be a modern township where 350,000 residents can live, work and play.
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