The Singapore Sustainability Academy (right) and the new annex (left) on the roof terrace of City Square Mall (Photo: CDL)
On July 25, Singapore-listed property developer City Developments Ltd (CDL) officially opened a new 2,690 sq ft annex to the Singapore Sustainability Academy (SSA). Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat was the guest of honour at the event.
DPM Heng (fourth from left) at the opening of the SSA Annex, together with CDL’s Group CFO Yiong Yim Ming, CDL’s Board of Director Chong Yoon Chou, CDL’s Group General Manager Mr Chia Ngiang Hong, CDL’s Group CEO Sherman Kwek, CDL’s Group COO Kwek Eik Sheng, CDL's Chief Sustainability Officer Esther An and GCNS Honorary Treasurer Michael Tang (Photo: CDL)
Located on the roof terrace of City Square Mall, the new annex comprises a collaboration space, a conference room, and office spaces for its anchor tenant, the Singapore chapter of the United Nations (UN) Global Compact Network (CGNS).
It is intended to help foster collaboration between industry and NGO partners, spread industry best practices and promote a low-carbon economy to businesses. "The SSA Annex not only provides GCNS with a new home but also strengthens our collective efforts towards achieving our national and global sustainable agenda," said CGNS President Dr Bicky Bhangu.
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The Singapore Sustainability Academy opened seven years ago on the roof terrace of City Square Mall as a first-of-its-kind hub for sustainability education and action (Photo: CDL)
The SSA opened seven years ago on the roof terrace of City Square Mall as a first-of-its-kind hub for sustainability education and action. "Through our extensive collaboration with six government agencies and 15 like-minded industry and NGO [non-governmental organisation] partners, we created Singapore's first ground-up initiative and zero-energy facility dedicated to capacity building and thought leadership for climate action," said Sherman Kwek, group CEO of CDL. "Since then, the facility has hosted over 1,000 events and training sessions, welcomed over 35,000 visitors and engaged more than 100 partners."
Similar to the main SSA building, the annex incorporates green technology to achieve the Green Mark Platinum award. It was built with eco-friendly materials such as mass-engineered timber panels and laminated veneer lumber (LVL) sourced from sustainably managed forests. The lightweight, thermally insulated properties of the materials also help reduce cooling costs.
The SSA annex is also equipped with a 31.6-kilowatt peak (kWp) rooftop Solar Photovoltaic (PV) System to achieve net-zero operational energy consumption.
The SSA annex is also equipped with a 31.6-kilowatt peak rooftop Solar Photovoltaic System to achieve net-zero operational energy consumption (Photo: CDL)