Singapore's first retrofitted Zero Energy Building (ZEB) located at the BCA (Building and Construction Authority) Academy was officially opened today by Mr Mah Bow Tan, Minister for National Development.

The ZEB, a flagship R&D project by the BCA, is also the first existing building in Southeast Asia to be fully retrofitted with green building design features and technologies.

It houses fully functioning classrooms, a library, multipurpose hall and offices, and is used as a test-bed for innovative building designs and energy efficient building solutions, especially for existing buildings.

The building underwent a very energy efficient re-design of the facade, the roof, the M&E system and other building components to reduce its energy needs, and was retrofitted at a cost of $11 million.

The Zero Energy Building is expected to be about 40-50% more efficient than an office building of similar layout. Although the building is connected to the grid, it is expected to generate as much electricity as it consumes over a typical year.

Solar panels installed on the roof and other prominent areas will tap the sun's energy to generate about 207,000 kWh of electricity a year - enough to supply power to 45 four-room HDB flats.

The building is also fitted with a a single coil twin fan ventilation system - an NUS invention - to reduce utility bills that often go into air-conditioning. This controls the flow of fresh and recycled air separately - according to demand - in the building. Fresh air is only channeled to rooms that are occupied as it consumes more energy to chill compared to recycled air.

The launch kickstarted the inaugural Singapore Green Building Week (SGBW) which celebrates the achievements of Singapore's efforts towards sustainable development through a series of local and international activities.

Dr. John Keung, BCA's CEO, said: 'The Singapore Green Building Week is not just about showing the fruits of our efforts but is also an opportunity for us to learn and share our experiences and knowledge in sustainable development.

We hope that the success of the Zero Energy Building will spur the industry on towards incorporating green building design and technologies into their developments. All of us have a part to play in protecting the environment for future generations.'