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BCA-IE Singapore-SSTEC joint media release: BCA, IE Singapore and SSTEC jointly develop low carbon living lab in the Tianjin Eco-city

Tianjin, 17 April 2011 - The Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City Investment and Development Co., Ltd. (SSTEC), the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) of Singapore and International Enterprise Singapore (IE Singapore) have unveiled their plans to jointly develop a low carbon emission, green commercial building within the Eco-Business Park in the Tianjin Eco-City. Called the "Low Carbon Living Lab" (LCLL), the building aims to be a low carbon building and to achieve the Tianjin Eco-City Green Building Evaluation Standard (GBES)'s prestigious Platinum standard. This is the highest standard in GBES, a certification system jointly developed by BCA, the Tianjin Construction Administrative Committee and the Centre of Science and Technology of Construction of the PRC's Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development.

At a signing ceremony witnessed by Senior Minister of Singapore, Mr Goh Chok Tong and Deputy Secretary of Communist Party of China Tianjin Municipal Party Committee and Secretary of Binhai New Area Party Committee, Mr He Lifeng today, SSTEC, BCA and IE Singapore signed a 3-party MOU to collaborate to develop the Low Carbon Living Lab. All three parties will have clear roles to play in this project. SSTEC will spearhead the development of the Low Carbon Living Lab, and also take the lead in marketing the building. BCA will render its expertise gained from, inter alia, developing the GBES and the first zero-energy building in Singapore, and its participation in the Tianjin Eco-City's first zero-energy building in the public housing project, and provide technical support to SSTEC in the development of the Low Carbon Living Lab. BCA will advise SSTEC in the fields of sustainability, green building and eco-technologies, planning and design, among other issues, and also assist in identifying and assembling experts and eco-solution providers in the planning and design of the Low Carbon Living Lab. IE Singapore will promote the Low Carbon Living Lab to Singapore-based companies, encourage them to enter the Tianjin Eco-City and promote more participation of Singapore-based eco-solutions providers in exhibiting and showcasing their solutions, expertise and knowledge in the Low Carbon Living Lab.

The Low Carbon Living Lab is positioned as a "Living Lab" to test-bed and demonstrate green building features and building technologies in energy saving, carbon footprint reduction and other areas. When completed in 2013, the LCLL will be a high quality, green office building with low carbon emissions. With the involvement of BCA and IE Singapore, the Low Carbon Living Lab also promises to be a showcase of Singapore's capabilities in green buildings and deploying eco-solutions to achieve high energy efficiency.

Dr John Keung, CEO of BCA, said, "BCA is glad to participate in this project to showcase Singapore best practices in the delivery of high quality and sustainable urban solutions. Over the years, BCA has worked closely with industry partners to build up expertise and R&D in green building technologies and services, as seen by the success of the BCA Green Mark schemes. We even went on to develop our very own Zero Energy Building by retrofitting an existing building, which will serve as an excellent role model for the development of the Low Carbon Living Lab, and further push the boundaries for low carbon emission buildings."

Mr. Ho Tong Yen, CEO of SSTEC, added, "We are very pleased and excited to work with BCA and IE Singapore to jointly develop the Low Carbon Living Lab. There are many green buildings around the world, but many are expensive demonstration projects. The Low Carbon Living Lab is not intended to be a costly demonstration project, but will be a practical, low carbon and green commercial building. The Low Carbon Living Lab will provide an excellent opportunity for companies, especially Singapore companies, which wish to participate in the Eco-City or to take advantage of this Government-to-Government platform to showcase their green products, solutions and technologies to the Chinese market and beyond."

Mr Chua Taik Him, Deputy CEO of IE Singapore, said, "With a global trend of living sustainably, IE Singapore has been helping Singapore companies export their eco-capabilities. China has been urbanizing at a rapid rate; its population is expected to reach 1.4 billion by end of 2015, with as many as 700 million living in urban areas. There is an increasing call in the country to make urban living more resource efficient and environmentally friendly. In this instance, the Low Carbon Living Lab will provide a good platform for Singapore companies to enter China and showcase their eco-solutions. We look forward to working closely with SSTEC and BCA in this project."

Footnote

Portable document format version of the media release is also available (99KB .pdf).