Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – As part of a Property developer MRCB (Malaysian Resources Corporation Berhad) was approached to build and develop a new parking facility with flooring that would stand the test of time, meeting the performance criteria that the client’s former car park hadn’t.
Not only would the coating need to withstand the sustained traffic and footfall, providing a safe anti-slip surface underfoot but it would also need to be water tight and protect the concrete structure by resisting extreme weather conditions as well as corrosive oils and acids.
After a careful selection process, Flowcrete Asia was selected to install over 20,000m2 of Deckshield, its colourful car park decking and line-marking system, owing to its expertise in developing and installing superior specialist flooring solutions.
Installation of Deckshield
The internal decks of the seven-storey car park were coated with Deckshield ID, Flowcrete’s Singapore Green Label certified flexible polyurethane decking system.
The low VOC Deckshield ID coating delivers excellent abrasion resistance to withstand heavy vehicular traffic as well as superior anti-slip properties to ensure the safety of visitors.
What’s more, the system helps to maintain the structural integrity and aesthetic appeal of the car park オンライン カジノ by preventing cracks appearing over time, protecting the structure against water ingress as well as petrol, oil, battery acid and other chemicals associated with motor vehicles, and offering bright, light-reflective finish with a vibrant colour palette.
To improve safety, 3,635m of Deckshield UV Linemarker, Flowcrete’s demarcation system, was applied to spaces and directional markings throughout the facility’s seven storeys.
MRCB praised Flowcrete Asia on their ability to deliver a high quality finish ahead of schedule and the project has set a benchmark for car park flooring installations in the surrounding area.
(above) How the building will appear when the LED facade system isn’t activated; then lit with 30% power; on the far right, 100% power.
South Korea- For architecture buffs numbed by the ongoing global battle to crank out record-breaking tall buildings, here’s something innovative to spark the imagination. The South Korean government has granted approval to begin construction on the world’s first “invisible” tower.
Designed by U.S.-based GDS Architects, the glass-encased Tower Infinity will top out at 450 meters (1,476 feet) and have the third highest observation deck in the world. The project is backed by Korea Land & Housing Corporation, a state-owned land and public housing developer.
The invisibility illusion will be achieved with a high-tech LED facade system that uses a series of cameras that will send real-time images onto the building’s reflective surface. It will be built just outside of Seoul near the Incheon International Airport.
The development will reportedly be used primarily for leisure activities. It will include a series of observation decks, a movie theater, roller coaster, water park and numerous food and beverage outlets. Though height isn’t its main selling point, Tower Infinity is no slouch in the vertical department. When completed, it’s expected to come in sixth on the list of the world’s highest towers at 450 metres high, behind Tokyo SkyTree, Guangzhou’s CantonTower, Toronto’s CN Tower, Moscow’s Ostankino Tower and Shanghai’s Oriental Pearl.
Neither the developer nor GDS have released a target completion date.
How it works
Tower Infinity’s invisible face is essentially just state of the art camouflage.
Cameras will be placed at three different heights on six different sides of the building to capture real-time images of the surroundings; three other sections, each filled with 500 rows of LED screens, will project the individual digital images.
Through digital processing, images will be scaled, rotated and merged to create a seamless panoramic image that appears on the LED rows to create the illusion of invisibility.
In essence, whatever is going on behind the building will be projected onto the front of the building.
According to GDS, managers will be able to alter the level of power used to give the building different levels of invisibility.
“Instead of symbolizing prominence as another of the world’s tallest and best towers, our solution aims to provide the world’s first invisible tower, showcasing innovative Korean technology while encouraging a more global narrative in the process,” said Charles Wee, GDS design principal, in a statement.
In 2011 GDS, in collaboration with firms Samoo Architects and A&U, was awarded first prize in a National Design Competition sponsored by the Korea Land & Housing Corporation to provide design and engineering services for the observation tower.
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki, New Zealand, designed by Francis-Jones Morehen Thorp and Archimedia, has won the ‘World Building of the Year’ award at the prestigious World Architecture Festival (WAF) Awards 2013.
The new Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki is an extensive public project that includes the restoration and adaption of heritage buildings; a new building extension which more than doubles the public exhibition areas; extensive basement storage and support areas; and the redesign of adjacent areas of Albert Park. The design creates an openness and transparency to allow views through, into and out of the gallery circulation and display spaces into the green landscape of Albert Park.
Commending the winning project on behalf of the festival’s super-jury, Paul Finch,WAF Programme Director, said“The winning project transcended category types. You could say it is about new and old, or civic and community, or display. It contrasts the manmade and the natural, and the relationship between art and science. This is a major design achievement in a seismic zone, providing an example of design pragmatism and a carful reworking which does no more than it needs to until it is required. Balancing many different elements, the resulting design is a rich complex of built ideas.”
This project was selectedbythe festival’s super-jury, having first beaten off competition from 12 shortlisted entries in the Culture category, before triumphing over the festival’s other 16 category winners.
The sixth edition of the World Architecture Festival welcomed over 2100 architects and designers from 68 countries attending for three daysof speeches, presentations and exhibitions.
Projects entered in this year’s festival awards, against a challenging economic climate, reflected the festival’s theme of ‘Value and Values’ demonstrating the core factors that inform the relationship between perceptions of financial value and the values that architects typically hold regarding their work.
This year’s super-jury was chaired by Ken Tadashi Oshima of The University of Washington. The highly esteemed international judging panel also includes Ken Yeang – Llewelyn Davies Yeang; Patrick Bellew – Atelier Ten; Jeanne Gang – Studio Gang Architects and Dietmar Eberle – Baumschlager Eberle.
WS Atkins plc (‘Atkins’ or ‘the Group’) has acquired Confluence Project Management Pte. Ltd. (‘Confluence’), a project management business with operations in Asia Pacific, the Middle East and India, for a debt-free cash consideration of £8.4m.
Confluence is an international consultancy offering services in the areas of project and construction management, and specialist programming and planning. In the year to 30 June 2013 the company, which employs casino pa natet around 200 people, reported revenue of around £14.5m.
The business’ teams in Singapore, Hong Kong, Abu Dhabi and India will integrate with Atkins’ existing operations in Asia Pacific and the Middle East. The acquisition complements well the Group’s Faithful Gould project and cost management consultancy business and, in particular, augments its presence in the commercial, retail and hospitality sectors.
Prof Dr Uwe Krueger, chief executive officer, commented: “This acquisition is an important further step in the delivery of our strategy to increase our regional focus and grow our business in Asia Pacific and the Middle East. This business brings highly reputed client and sector knowledge and complementary regional presence and capacity to our existing project management business, as well as the ability to service increasingly complex projects for our global clients.”
Kone’s new UltraRope opens up a world of possibilities in high-rise building design.
Building upwards is seen as the sustainable urban solution, and the number and height of tall buildings built around the globe has increased rapidly in recent years. This trend continues, with nearly 600 buildings of 200 meters or more, currently under construction or planned to be built over the next few years, according to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. While there are currently three buildings in the world that top the 500-meter mark, there are plans for 20 more such buildings to be built in coming years. The buildings can continue to go higher, as a result of a breakthrough in lift technology – the KONE UltraRope.
On 1st October 2013, KONE launched the UltraRope and announced that Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands is the first building in the world that had already installed this new technology. It is set to break industry limits and enable future elevator travel heights of 1 kilometer – twice the distance currently feasible. This is made possible by replacing the steel ropes from which the elevator cars are suspended, with one made of carbon fibre.
A disadvantage of steel ropes is that they are heavy. For a travel distance of 500 metres, for example, longer ropes are required and they weigh as much as 17,000kg just to move the elevator safely. Beyond this distance, more ropes are needed just to carry the weight of the ropes themselves. With all these added mass, it results in higher energy consumption.
KONE UltraRope
Comprised of a carbon fiber core and a unique high-friction coating, KONE UltraRope is very light and extremely strong. It cuts the weight that needs to be moved by the hoisting system – the moving masses – exponentially as the travel distance grows. This enables much greater future travel heights and significant energy savings in elevator operation.
The unique design of KONE UltraRope makes elevators far less sensitive to building sway than conventional steel rope. Strong winds are a significant concern for buildings over 250 meters in height as they may begin to sway during strong winds or earthquakes. Unlike conventional steel rope, KONE UltraRope resonates at a completely different frequency to other building materials, meaning elevators hoisted with it are better-equipped to operate in extreme weather conditions. This amounts to less elevator downtime and less inconvenience for building users.
KONE UltraRope’s special, high-friction coating is highly resistant to wear and abrasion, making it more durable than other elevator hoisting solutions, and extending the regular lifetime by two times. The rope’s coating also means it does not require lubrication to counteract the abrasion that the wires in steel rope are susceptible to. KONE UltraRope does not corrode or stretch over time like steel rope, which needs to be shortened periodically causing elevator downtime.
The new technology was developed and tested rigorously both in real elevators and simulation laboratories at KONE’s research and development facilities in Finland. Since 2010, it has been tested in operation at the world’s tallest elevator testing laboratory, KONE’s Tytyri facility built over 300 meters underground adjacent to an active limestone mine. Properties like tensile strength, bending lifetime, and material aging are just some of the qualities that have been measured.
All these benefits of UltraRope adds up to unprecedented eco-efficiency, durability and reliability in future high-rise elevator travel. It indeed opens new possibilities in future high-rise building design, and is a solution for existing buildings in terms of energy efficiency.
KONE People Flow Intelligence
During the launch of the revolutionary UltraRope, KONE concurrently announced their launch of a new technology – KONE People Flow Intelligence.
“We know that property owners and developers are under increasing pressure to ensure their tenants can move around buildings as quickly and comfortably as possible, and simultaneously provide improved security and access control. At the same time, building users expect to be able to move through various public spaces smoothly and intuitively. KONE People Flow Intelligence solutions address these demands,” says Ari Virtanen, Senior Vice President for KONE Access Control and Integrated Solutions.
The KONE People Flow Intelligence portfolio includes four product areas: access control, destination guidance, information communication, and equipment monitoring. The solutions are modular, flexible, and third-party compatible, meaning building owners can either take the whole integrated package or pick and choose the solutions they want and need to complement the existing systems in their buildings.
KONE’s new access solutions can connect elevators seamlessly with all entry points in a building, including turnstiles and automatic doors, to provide maximum security while ensuring a smooth journey. Destination solutions take into account the number of people waiting to use the elevators and their destination floors when they assign and guide individual users to their assigned elevators. This improves elevator traffic handling capacity and performance, leading to less crowded elevators, shorter travel times and fewer stops. Traditional elevator call buttons can be replaced by touchscreens in KONE’s new destination solutions. A unique destination feature is the new KONE RemoteCall™ mobile application, which allows users to call an elevator from anywhere in the building using their smartphone.
KONE’s information screens can be placed inside elevator cars or anywhere else in a building, and can be used for example, to guide building users to their destination, provide information about the building, or serve as a platform for media content. KONE’s monitoring solutions enable the surveillance and configuration of elevators and escalators in real time across multiple locations. These new solutions combine industry-leading technology with state-of-the-art design. They are modular and flexible, adapting to clients’ changing needs.
Carrier, the world’s leader in high technology heating, air-conditioning and refrigeration solutions, announced a range of high efficiency commercial chillersolutions to support Singapore’s growing green building market. Carrier is a part of UTC Climate, Controls & Security, a unit of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX).
According to a 62-country study by McGraw-Hill Construction, Singapore is the most heavily involved country in green building. In 2012, 66 percent of the country’s project work was green as compared to the global average of 38 percent.
“For Carrier Singapore, preservation of the environment and protecting our finite natural resources remains a central tenet of our business. We are proud to continue to support Singapore’s ambitious green building goals by providing the industry with innovative and efficient solutions that maximize energy efficiency,” said Oon Wee Chin, vice president, Singapore and Southeast Asia, UTC Climate, Controls & Security.
With heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) accounting for 50 percent of a building’s energy consumption, Carrier’s innovative new products provide Singapore’s building and construction industry with a range of solutions designed to reduce energy consumption while creating comfortable indoor environments. Incorporating industry-leading technologies,the Carrier 23XRV, AquaForce® 30XW-V variable frequency drive (VFD)screw chiller and heat pump, and the beste online casino Carrier 19XR-E two-stage centrifugal chiller and heat pumpfor commercial and light commercial buildings, epitomize Carrier’s long-held commitment to the environment and dedication to innovation.
Carrier developed three high efficiency air conditioning solutions to help buildings maximise their energy efficiency while at the same time reducing their environmental footprint.
1) The Carrier 23XRV VFD tri-rotor screw chiller is the world’s leading efficiency screw chiller with a 600 ton capacity and uses the ozone-friendly HFC-134a refrigerant. The 23XRV is capable of achieving low operational costs and is 20 to 40 percent more energy efficient than other water-cooled screw products in the market today. A similar Carrier chiller has enabled the Tokio Marine building in Singapore’s Central Business District to achieve the highest system efficiency in Singapore for a central commercial air conditioning system
2)The new 19XR-E centrifugal chiller and heat pump has a capacity of 800-1500 tons and incorporates a leading-edge two-stage gear drive compressor pioneered by Carrier to integrate air conditioning, heat pump, energy recovery andice thermal storage delivering temperatures as high as 65 degrees Celsius and as low as -6 degrees Celsius
3)The AquaForce™ 30XW-V VFD screw chiller and heat pump with a capacity of 170-460 tons,uses the innovative Greenspeed™ VFD technology to deliver high performance and optimal energy consumption. AquaForce allows the precise matching of capacity with building load changes, making it ideal for green hotels, subway transport and office buildings. The compact design makes it suitable for retrofit projects as well
Carrier’s new range of light commercial products includes the high efficiency 30WQ/61WQ water heat pump; full inverter Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) System with high heating capabilities; new hydronic system and AquaFlow™ Variable Water Volume (VWV) System that offer one-stop intelligent HVAC management functions.
For more information, visit Carrier at www.carrier.com. Follow Carrier on Twitter @CarrierGreen.
PSFK report reveals 12 key trends driving the ‘Future of Light’ and showcases Philips’ role at the forefront of the lighting revolution
Amsterdam, The Netherlands – Light is at the heart of our communities, our technological advances and our sustainable world. Speeding up this new age of digital light will unlock even greater health, well being, sustainability and economic benefits for society as a whole. This is the conclusion of an independent report – ‘The Future of Light’ – published today by think tank PSFK Labs and supported by Philips. The report is available on www.psfk.com , and accessible as a SlideShare slide show and as an iOS or Android app.
Based upon expert interviews and more than 50 case studies, the report summarizes 12 trends which have been grouped into four themes showing the way lighting can be used to create experiences, tell stories, convey information and promote wellness.
“We are at the forefront of a digital revolution in lighting. As part of our commitment to creating a healthier and more sustainable world, Philips will continue to shape the future in lighting. Our insights, expertise and ground-breaking innovations create a positive impact on people’s lives and help our partners realize their vision,” comments Rogier van der Heide, Vice President and Chief Design Officer, Philips Lighting. “The ‘Future of Light’ is a fascinating opening salvo – and will bear fruit over the coming years as people take inspiration from the report.”
The PSFK report highlights projects which collectively demonstrate the numerous benefits of light, ranging from healthy sleep patterns and feelings of safety, through to macro issues, including the readdress of resource scarcity and climate change. The projects profiled span from a derelict gas station transformed into an art installation to high-profile design work like the 75th anniversary lighting of the San Francisco Bay Bridge.
A number of Philips innovations are profiled in the report including Philips CityTouch which helps cities deliver intelligent public lighting, Philips’ SchoolVision and Healwell solutions, both proven to have a positive impact on people’s physical and emotional states, and Philips Hue, the smart connected LED bulb which in a paradigm shift in experiencing light at home.
“Light’s importance in daily life cannot be overstated. It has the ability to enhance feelings of well-being, build vibrant communities or set the stage for a grand reveal, yet it is often only noticed in its absence. With this report, PSFK showcases the vast potential that light has to positively impact people’s lives across the globe,” said Piers Fawkes, President & Founder, PSFK.
SHANGHAI –September 17, 2013 –Johnson Controls, a diversified global industrial company in the building and automotive industries, today held a signing ceremony with Shanghai Hongqiao Linkong Economic Zone for its new China corporate headquarters. Featuring sustainable construction and state-of-the-art building technologies, the Johnson Controls corporate campus will be a symbol of the company’s commitment to a strong industry leadership presence in China.
“As China continues to be one of the major growth markets for Johnson Controls, the new corporate headquarters in Shanghai will create a centralized and sustainable workplace to continue our business growth in China and the Asia Pacific region<span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: オンライン カジノ small;”>”, said Alex Molinaroli, vice chairman of Johnson Controls. “This innovative, green campus reflects our commitment to China and will also demonstrate our capabilities to exceed customers’increasing expectations with our world class smart building technologies and energy efficiency solutions.”
The design and construction of the new campus will achieve China’s Three Star Green and LEED Platinum building certifications to become a landmark for China and the Asia region. To make this possible, Johnson Controls will employ multiple integrated building technology solutions that will reduce the building’s water and energy use. Regionally manufactured materials will be used for this project and special attention will be paid to indoor and outdoor environments. All together, this will result in a 48 percent reduction in the building’s energy consumption over traditional building designs per year.
The International Tropical Architecture Design Competition is in its third year running. It was initiated by BCA, the Singapore Institute of Architects (SIA) and the Singapore Green Building Council (SGBC) in 2011. This year’s competition, with the theme “Live, Study, Play – Our Green Campus”, contestants had to demonstrate the essentials and key constituents of a green campus and submit a design for one component or building of a campus. Entries had to be applicable for the tropical climate and showcase innovative and sustainable designs. Entries also had to show how the proposed building would integrate with the other functional spaces and buildings in a campus. The entries also had to focus on incorporating both active and passive design strategies, renewable energy (if applicable) and other ecological features; ensure that the design concept allows end-users; cultivate behaviours or actions that would keep the campus community sustainable in the tropical climate; highlight how to reduce carbon footprint; be based on a green assessment tool of choice to validate the sustainable design concepts; and include a degree of feasibility based on resources available in the present day.
A three-member team from the National University of Singapore and University of Melbourne has won the International Tropical Architecture Design Competition 2013 for Institutes of Higher Learning for its entry on “Mushroom Community Campus”, the Building and Construction Authority of Singapore (BCA) announced on 12 September 2013. The competition, a co-located event of International Green Building Conference (IGBC) 2013, was opened to architecture students from institutes of higher learning around the world and focused on tropical green architecture and sustainable building design solutions.
The competition aims to nurture future architects and leaders in tropical green building designs and to promote awareness of the need for sustainable living in the region. A total of 19 teams from five countries including China, India, Indonesia, and Vietnam submitted entries for this year’s competition, themed “Live, Study, Play – Our Green Campus”. Five teams from Singapore and Australia (joint submission), India, Indonesia and Vietnam were shortlisted for the final judging, which was held on Tuesday, 10 September 2013 during the 2013 Singapore Green Building Week.
The winning entry, the “Mushroom Community Campus”, is a joint submission by Pham Huu Loc (Team Leader) and Ng Pui Shan from the National University of Singapore and Hoang Van Anh from the University of Melbourne. The “Mushroom Community Campus” envisions a vocational education, training and research centre, specialising in environment, agriculture, forestry, education and sustainability management, in Sapa, Vietnam.
Based on a biophilic design concept of using fresh air, daylight and water features, the campus design utilises natural resources such as an innovative earth-air tunnel that helps to reduce the energy required for conditioning the air by using the thermal properties of the earth as heat exchanger. Other features such as photovoltaic panels, solar water heating and rainwater harvesting further enable the campus to be almost completely self-sustainable and reduce energy consumption net carbon dioxide emission by more than 70 percent. The resultant design was an integrated one which included inputs from more than one discipline, and showed a good match between design and site context, resulting in a unique form which interested the judges.
Picture featured (From left): Mr Quek See Tiat, Chairman of the Building and Construction Authority with Ng Pui Shan and Pham Huu Loc both from the National University of Singapore.
SINGAPORE – The fifth Singapore Green Building Week (SGBW) 2013 once again brings together two world-class green building events, the International Green Building Conference (IGBC) 2013 and Build Eco Xpo (BEX) Asia 2013 in a single location. Organised by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) of Singapore in partnership with Reed Exhibitions and the Singapore Green Building Council (SGBC), these anchor events have attracted more than 10,000 participants from over 35 countries. Held at the Marina Bay Sands Expo & Convention Centre from 11 to 13 September 2013, IGBC 2013 and BEX Asia 2013 have come together to provide a one-stop, international platform for global green building experts and industry players to meet and collaborate on future green building solutions.
“Climate change is a global threat that affects every one of us regardless of where we reside, and requires a collective, collaborative effort for it to be effectively countered,” said Dr. John Keung, CEO, BCA. “With IGBC 2013, BCA is pleased to once again bring together global green building experts, built environment industry leaders, policy-makers and academics to exchange knowledge, share ideas, and explore opportunities on how we can all work as one to create a greener, more sustainable built environment for all.”
“The green movement in the region is quickly gaining traction; the rise of green awareness and consciousness, and the proliferation of accessible green technologies for the building and construction sector has given rise to a high demand for green solutions,” said Mr Paul Beh, President – Asia-Pacific, Reed Exhibitions. “Understanding the evolving landscape, BEX Asia has worked to ensure that we stay at the forefront of these changing times. This is an exciting year for BEX Asia. The strong support and complementary nature of the partner events has allowed BEX to offer not only greater breadth, but also greater depth in content,” he added.
BEX Asia 2013 Event Highlights
This year’s BEX Asia is held just as there is a growing level of both awareness and interest in sustainability. Visitors and participants at BEX Asia 2013 can expect to see a myriad of green solutions and also a more vigorous exchange of green ideas. Alongside the rising demand for green technologies, BEX Asia has yet again established itself as the region’s choice business event with more than 300 exhibiting companies showcasing the largest range of products and services in the industry this year.
Joining the comprehensive list of returning exhibitors, some of the new firms this year include Camfil (Singapore), Daisen (Italy), Hoffsetter (Switzerland), Pinnacle LGS (UK), PT. Duta Sarana Perkasa (Indonesia) and Stonrich (Singapore). BEX Asia 2013 also welcomes a new participating country in JETRO Japan.
A key highlight of BEX Asia 2013 is its feature area, the Green View. A new platform for industry leaders to share trailblazing green ideas, solutions and trends, it will put the spotlight on several professionals and experienced practitioners. The Green View also offers visitors the opportunity to try out back-to-basics traditional weaving techniques and structure building. These workshops, organised by Arkitrek, emphasise the values of sustainability, community engagement and resource conservation.
More information at www.sgbw.com.sg and www.bex-asia.com.