Historical townhouse set to be S’pore’s first energy self-sufficient heritage building

SINGAPORE – A historical townhouse in Neil Road is set to become the first conserved building in Singapore to be energy self-sufficient in end-2027, after repair and upgrading works on it are completed.

Its occupant, the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) Architectural Conservation Laboratory (ArClab), aims for it to be the first historical building to be retrofitted to achieve net-zero operational energy.

This would show the way for other buildings of a similar vintage to achieve similar energy efficiencies, said Dr Nikhil Joshi, principal investigator at the research and training centre within the university’s architecture department.

The 140-year-old townhouse at 141 Neil Road is among more than 7,200 buildings in Singapore that have been conserved thus far.

Of these, about 6,500 are shophouses, which have similar characteristics to the townhouse in Neil Road, which was built in the 1880s.

As at February, the Building and Construction Authority has certified 13 buildings in Singapore as “net zero” under its Green Mark scheme, which means the buildings consume as much electricity as they produce. The scheme assesses buildings’ performance, including their energy efficiency, among other factors.

None of the 13 buildings is preserved.

ArClab was officially opened in November 2022. Since then, researchers have learnt about the building’s conditions, such as airflow, temperature, humidity and solar radiation, and studied how to repair the building in a manner that retains as much of its original character as possible.

Outcomes from research will guide the repair and upgrading project when it begins in May, said NUS in a statement. One example of research applications will be the building’s new roof tiles.

Dr Joshi previously told The Straits Times that sensors placed on the building’s existing V-shaped roof tiles had recorded temperatures of up to 58 deg C, which, he said, suggests that the tiles are absorbing sunlight and not reflecting enough heat.

In collaboration with partners in Japan, ArClab will be developing new roof tiles for the property inspired by handmade V-shaped tiles that were likely used on the building originally.

The new tiles will have a degree of porosity, allowing some rainwater to be trapped in them.

Mr Gabriel Choon, a conservation specialist at construction firm Bautec Pacific, one of ArClab’s collaborators, said the idea is for heat to be released over time as the tiles dry, thus helping to cool the building...

Read more at The Straits Times.