Surbana Jurong (SJ) officially opened its new global headquarters on March 13. Set within CleanTech Park in Jurong Innovation District (JID), SJ Campus has a built-up area of 1.2 million sq ft and was designed by Safdie Architects, working with SJ’s architects.
The headquarters can accommodate 4,000 across its 10 towers. Situated on a previously undeveloped greenfield site, the SJ Campus design preserves more than half of the site’s existing green space.
Amenities include a 1,000-seater multipurpose area, a junior ballroom, rooftop terraces, a team lounge, table tennis and soon, a gym.
SJ secured 100% funding for the development of the property and subsequent lease agreement for the entire land lease tenure from M&G Real Estate.
The project was awarded the Building and Construction Authority’s (BCA) Green Mark Platinum Super Low Energy (SLE) and BCA-HPB Green Mark Platinum for Healthier Workplaces certification.
For the first time since SJ’s formation as a collective of built environment consultants in 2015, employees from different entities in Singapore finally congregate under one roof.
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Sean Chiao, group chief executive officer of SJ, says the campus is a “living lab” for “innovating solutions and pushing the boundaries of sustainable development”. “Over the years, SJ has assembled a portfolio to inject new thinking and talent into the group, and fuel our capabilities to transform the built environment.”
Engineering for sustainability
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SJ has constructed precast post-tensioned concrete frames to form self-shading terraces, reducing solar radiation by 36%.
The campus has also adopted one of the largest underfloor air distribution systems in Singapore. According to SJ, this provides efficient cooling from below and improves indoor air quality, while reducing up to 16% of the cooling energy required.
Other smart facilities management solutions include an Integrated Command Centre, where Internet of Things devices monitor energy, water, occupancy patterns and indoor air quality to optimise carbon management and improve productivity, says SJ. Together, these devices offer energy savings of 41%.
SJ Campus is estimated to save 4.4 million kilowatt-hours per year (kWh/year) in operational energy savings, which is equal to avoiding 1,785 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, based on the Energy Market Authority’s grid emission factor.
Meanwhile, the solar rooftops in SJ Campus are located in four towers and have a combined energy yield of 389 megawatt-hours (MWh) per year, equivalent to powering 120 three-room HDB flats.
The campus also serves as an incubator for real-world urban solutions, says SJ. This can help demonstrate the scalability of emerging technologies to the built environment industry. SJ is working with BCA to test low-carbon technologies to save energy and improve occupant health.
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Chaly Mah, chairman, SJ, says: “Today marks a significant milestone in SJ's evolution. We have a strong platform to continue our aspiration of becoming a leading global architecture, engineering, design consultancy.”
Mah adds: “As we open our doors to the wider community, we invite all to join us in shaping a smart, resilient and regenerative future. Working together with our clients, partners, our people and the community, we are committed to creating a future legacy that is greater than our collective past, one that serves generations to come.”
Photos: SJ, Tim Hursley
