Singapore’s most energy efficient office by 2018

The recent completion of construction, and first month of successful operation of the 3for2@UWCSEA demonstration project by ETH Zurich turns the page in developing what could be Singapore's most energy-efficient office by 2018. Would a suite of energy-efficient heating technology that works well in continental Europe translate well in cooling buildings in the hot and humid climate? The 3for2 project, which focuses largely on air-conditioning technologies, eventually found its place in Singapore, where air-conditioning accounts for approximately 60% of energy consumption across buildings. "We came equipped with our 'European' concepts of heating and cooling for moderate climates, well aware that the climatic context in Singapore is much more demanding and extreme. While in our climate we are used to the oscillation of hot and cold, of dry and humid periods, the tropical climate in Singapore is constantly hot and humid, making this the 'worst-case scenario' for creating comfortable interior spaces," says Professor Arno Schlueter, Leader of the 3for2 Project and Professor of Architecture and Building Systems at ETH Zurich. After four years of applied research, today, the 550 m² "3for2@UWCSEA" head office of the United World College South East Asia (UWCSEA) stands as a living laboratory of the "3for2" applied research project led by ETH Zurich in partnership with Siemens Building Technologies and UWCSEA. The project is the pilot implementation of the "3for2" building design concept developed by architectural and engineering researchers at the Singapore-ETH Centre, a joint research centre established by ETH Zurich and Singapore's National Research Foundation (NRF).