SINGAPORE - Singapore Management University (SMU) on Friday launched a seven-storey super low energy building, which will house its School of Social Sciences and College of Integrative Studies. 

The building has green features such as rooftop solar panels and an efficient cooling system.

It is designed to reduce heat gain, with features such as shading fins on the facade, while at the same time letting in ample daylight. Hence, less energy is required for lighting and cooling.

The project won the Building and Construction Authority’s Green Mark Platinum Super Low Energy Building award in 2020. This means it achieves energy savings of at least 60 per cent compared with the levels stated in 2005 building codes.

SMU’s sprawling campus in Bras Basah and Bugis has the largest solar power plant in Singapore’s city centre.

The plant covers about 1½ football fields and produces nearly 2 megawatts-peak of electricity, which meets about 12 per cent of the campus’ overall energy consumption.

Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat said at the building’s launch that key challenges such as climate change are complex and require innovative solutions by people from different disciplines and backgrounds.

He added that the new College of Integrative Studies takes interdisciplinary education to the next level.