EDGEPROP (SINGAPORE) - Keppel Infrastructure @ Changi building was officially opened on Oct 13 by Desmond Lee, Minister for National Development. The building by Keppel Corp’s wholly-owned subsidiary Keppel Infrastructure (KI) Holdings is Singapore’s first Green Mark Platinum Positive Energy building under the new and more stringent Green Mark scheme.

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It houses KI’s operations nerve centre, utilising advanced digital and machine learning technology to provide round-the-clock real-time surveillance of KI’s operations across Singapore.

The building was built in 2013 on a 1.06-ha site and annexed to Keppel DHCS’ Changi District Cooling Systems Plant. Incidentally, Keppel DHCS is Singapore’s largest district cooling systems provider. Fast-tracked retrofitting works commenced at the end of 2021 and were completed in May. They included the upgrading of the high-efficiency air conditioning and mechanical ventilation system, the installation of smart sensors, LED lights, electric vehicle charging infrastructure and vertical greenery.

Over 4,000 sqm of photovoltaics (PV) were also installed on the rooftop and building façade, which is expected to yield about 600,000 kWh/year of renewable energy, more than double the building’s consumption. The reduction in carbon emissions is equivalent to the planting of 7,000 trees.

The building is fitted with water-efficient fittings to reduce water usage and harvest rainwater for irrigation. Internal fit-outs, road kerbs, wheel stoppers and waterproofing systems were constructed using sustainable materials and products.

Vertical greening and biophilic landscaping were co-funded by the National Parks Board under the Skyrise Greenery Incentive Scheme. This adds over 910 sqm of greenery to the building and reduced the urban heat island effect, improving the performance of the indoor environment while enhancing the health and well-being of the building’s occupants.

The building will harness advanced digital and machine learning technologies to provide real-time surveillance of the infrastructure company’s operations across Singapore, starting with its district cooling plants.

KI also signed two memorandums of understanding (MOU) worth $100 million. One was with Medtronic Singapore to provide energy-as-a-service, including district cooling and installation of solar panels and electric vehicle chargers. The other was with SATS (Singapore Airport Terminal Services) to provide district cooling solutions at its inflight catering and maintenance facilities in Changi North.

“More than just a green building, Keppel Infrastructure @ Changi serves as a mission-critical operation nerve centre for four district cooling plants operated by Keppel DHCS across Singapore,” says Cindy Lim, CEO of Keppel Infrastructure.

“Over time, we plan to extend the nerve centre’s coverage to our other water, waste treatment and energy plants in Singapore, and then to our operations overseas.”