JTC’s Punggol Digital District (PDD) has received the Building and Construction Authority’s Platinum Award for Green Mark Districts, which recognises the highest level of environmentally-friendly and sustainable practices in the master-planning, design and implementation of district developments.
Comprising JTC business park and the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) Punggol Campus, the 50-hectare (ha) PDD is the largest mixed-use Green Mark Platinum District in Singapore, says JTC in a May 16 announcement.
According to JTC, the district will achieve 35% reduction in operational carbon emissions annually, equivalent to taking 4,000 cars off the road.
Master-planned and developed by JTC, the district is designed by WOHA Architects. The SIT Punggol Campus, developed by SIT and designed together with WOHA Architects and RSP Architects Planners & Engineers, will be able to accommodate 12,000 students.
The first phase of the PDD, which covers 21 ha, will open progressively from 3Q2024.
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Green buildings
17 of the district’s buildings have achieved Green Mark Platinum certification. Developed by JTC and SIT, some features include north-south orientation to boost natural ventilation, heat-reducing building facades that cut heat gain by 30% and lighting controls that allow for natural daylight.
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In addition, three buildings are Platinum Super-low Energy-certified: JTC’s Mass Engineered Timber (MET) building, SIT’s MET Food Court and the Multi-Purpose Hall.
These best-in-class energy-efficient buildings will achieve at least 40% energy savings, says JTC.
The eight-storey MET building is the tallest timber industrial building in Singapore. Its embodied carbon measures 15 kgCO2e/sq m, which is 98% lower than BCA's benchmark for non-residential buildings.
JTC says timber used for the building construction was sourced from “sustainably managed forests”, where new trees would be continuously planted to replace those that are harvested.
The MET was fabricated off-site, which JTC says made for better quality control and higher productivity, with a 60% reduction in on-site manpower.
Smart grid
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Solar photovoltaic (PV) panels are installed across multiple rooftops, producing over 3,000 megawatt-hours (mWh) of clean energy annually, equivalent to the annual energy consumption of 11,000 three-room HDB flats.
Integrating solar energy with the smart grid enables “peak shaving”, says JTC, a strategy to reduce the energy consumed during peak demand on the electrical grid, and ensures reliable and continuous energy supply to the district.
According to JTC, the district will house Singapore’s first urban district-level smart grid, a “living lab” where companies can come and test their systems in an operational business park setting.
SIT has also partnered with SP Group to build the first Multi-Energy Microgrid (MEMG) to be constructed on a university campus in Southeast Asia. It can integrate electricity from the national grid, renewable sources and energy storage in a unified smart energy network, to support applied learning and applied research.
District cooling
PDD has interconnected district cooling plants with a combined cooling capacity of over 30,000 refrigeration tonnes. According to JTC, this improves energy efficiency through economies of scale.
Built and operated by Engie, the district cooling system provides chilled water centrally to multiple users across all buildings in the district, including business park, office, retail, hotel/serviced residence, SIT Punggol Campus, transport facilities and community amenities.
The underground plant serving JTC business park has a 4km underground pipe network, and is expected to reduce 3,700 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year at full development and cut energy use by up to 30% compared to standard commercial buildings.
Other features
To better manage waste, recycling chutes have been implemented in the buildings, and all food and horticulture waste will be recycled into fertiliser using biodigestors, reducing over 3 tonnes of organic waste per day.
JTC has layered digital technologies and smart sensors onto integrated utilities for real-time data monitoring and additional efficiencies. Using artificial intelligence and machine learning, JTC hopes to cut energy savings by a further 20% through the Open Digital Platform.
PDD will be accessible from the upcoming Punggol Coast MRT station and via bus. The district will also boast 1,500 bicycle parking lots and end-of-trip facilities like lockers and showers.
Shared car park hubs enable the reduction of parking lots by 50% in this car-lite district. To support the transition to more sustainable vehicles, 96 electric vehicle charging lots will be available in the first phase, with electrical provisions built to ramp up to 151 lots in tandem with market demand.
Liveability
Works are ongoing to convert the existing old Punggol Road into a 1.3km Heritage Trail, and 4 ha of the site’s vegetation has been retained and will be transformed into an accessible community park.
Bioswales, rain gardens and rainwater harvesting will help capture rainwater for reuse as non-potable water for landscape irrigation. Across the district, this would save 208,000 cubic metres of water annually, enough to fill 83 Olympic-size swimming pools.
Nelson Liew, group director, new estates, JTC, says PDD exemplifies JTC's commitment to smart and sustainable industrial development. “Seamlessly integrating built structures, energy efficiency, water conservation, waste management, mobility solutions, and green spaces, these sustainable features are intertwined on a district-wide scale through meticulous upfront planning, cultivating an estate that is not only highly liveable and environmentally sustainable, but also catering to the needs of those who work, live, play, and learn within and around the district.”
Liew adds: “This integrated approach will set the stage for a truly vibrant and interconnected community, where innovation and sustainability thrive hand in hand, helping Singapore reach its net-zero goals and progress towards being a Smart Nation."
Gerry Wee, associate vice president, estates, SIT, says: “Sustainability lies at the core of our vision for the SIT Punggol Campus. Our commitment to environmental stewardship is evident in every aspect of our design, which is a testament to our dedication to a greener, more sustainable future.”
Wee adds: “The SIT Punggol Campus has already achieved several accolades such as Green Mark Platinum with two Super Low Energy buildings and ABC Waters Certification (Gold) for its sustainable design features. With the campus designed as a living lab, SIT intends to further its sustainability efforts through education and research.”
Photos: JTC
