CleanTech One to be up by end-2011

It will be a 'seed' building to testbed and showcase innovative green solutions

(SINGAPORE) The first building at Singapore's CleanTech Park is expected to be up by end 2011 at a cost of $90 million, JTC Corporation said yesterday.

With a gross floor area of 403,646 square feet, CleanTech One is expected to house about 40 green tenants, such as cleantech companies' headquarters, firms financing cleantech activities, as well as private and public research institutions.

Nanyang Technological University, which is adjacent to the CleanTech Park, will be its first tenant.

Surbana International Consultants beat 30 other entries to win the design tender JTC launched last December, with its ecological and commercially sustainable design.

As the first development on the eco-business park launched last month, CleanTech One will act as a 'seed' building to testbed and showcase innovative green solutions for tropical, urban settings.

These include solar panels, sky gardens, rainwater harvesting and sky trellises. If successful, these can then be rolled out to the rest of the CleanTech Park, Singapore and even the region, said JTC director for the aerospace, marine and cleantech cluster, Tang Wai Yee.

Surbana said that green features aside, the building itself was designed to minimise 'cut and fill' of the sloping terrain on which it is located, and takes into account the direction of wind and sun so as to reduce energy consumption.

Piling works will start around June while actual construction of CleanTech One should begin by August - an 'aggressive and accelerated timeline', Surbana said.

The 50 hectare CleanTech Park, which will house cleantech research, innovation and commercialisation activities, is expected to draw $2.5 billion worth of investments in buildings by its 2030 completion.

Source: Business Times, 30 Mar 2010