NUS, CDL to develop green building technologies

Singapore

The National University of Singapore (NUS) School of Design and Environment and City Developments Limited (CDL) will partner to promote innovations in smart, green building technologies in an initiative supported by the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), they said in a joint press release on Tuesday.

Two new research laboratories, funded by a S$2.25 million gift from CDL, will be built to study smart building technologies for indoor and outdoor environments and to provide funding for research projects.

The laboratories - the first-of-their-kind to be tailored to a tropical climate - are the NUS-CDL Tropical Technologies Laboratory (T² Lab) Programme and the NUS-CDL Smart Green Home, and are expected to be completed by December 2016 and December 2017 respectively.

"We look forward to working closely with CDL and EDB to promote and deepen our efforts in developing sustainable solutions and technologies for smart, urban living that are suited for the tropical climate, hence benefitting Singaporeans as well as the local and regional building sectors," said NUS School of Design and Environment dean Heng Chye Kiang.

Some studies to be carried out at the new facilities include a project by the Smart Green Home, where researchers will develop a system capable of improving indoor aural comfort by picking ideal sound profiles that would be able to mask undesirable ambient noises.

Real-world applications include the ability to mask undesirable sounds such as traffic noises by blending other, more desirable noises such as those of insects and breezes, for example.

Another project in the pipeline is one by the T² Lab, where NUS researchers will evaluate the feasibility of incorporating sun-shading shutters with solar membranes and panels, which would be able to both block out sunlight and generate carbon emission-free electricity, while taking up minimal space.

As the projects move from research and development to testing, they will be piloted at CDL's future developments, according to CDL chief executive Grant Kelley.

"The capabilities developed by the two NUS-CDL platforms will set new benchmarks for our building industry, as Singapore gears up to become a smart and sustainable nation," Mr Kelley added.

The projects will have real-world applications for homeowners and commercial value, noted Goh Chee Kiong, executive director of cities, infrastructure & industrial solutions at the EDB.

Mr Goh said: "We look forward to CDL and NUS co-developing, testing and exporting innovative sustainable urban solutions that are tailored for a rapidly urbanising tropical region."