Smarter homes, greener living
When we talk about homes of the future, what comes to mind? Some of you might think about cartoons like the Jetsons, or movies like Back to the Future. While popular culture might not agree on what a future home might look like, we do have a glimpse of the future of HDB living at Punggol Northshore, which is Singapore’s first public housing estate to holistically incorporate smart living features.
Under the Singapore Green Plan, some of the targets we’re aiming for by 2030 include:
● The reduction of energy consumption in existing HDB towns by 15%
● Greening 80% of Singapore’s buildings (by Gross Floor Area)
● Have 80% of new buildings (by Gross Floor Area) to be Super Low Energy buildings
What might these targets look like in action? Read on to see what a HDB home of the future might look like.
Punggol Northshore: Cooler climes from Good Design
In sunny (and sometimes sweltering) Singapore, a common daydream is encasing the country in an air-conditioned dome. (No wonder they call us an air-con nation). But while that may seem great, air-conditioning does have a significant environmental impact. But what if you could keep cool without relying solely on the air-con?
Look no further than Punggol Northshore, HDB’s first public housing district to holistically incorporate smart and sustainable features. This is one example of how we’re tapping on technology and design to keep environments cooler.
The first thing that might strike you about Northshore Residences — one of the smart-enabled BTO projects in Punggol Northshore — is its layout. The way its long walkways, central amenities and foliage are laid out already clue visitors in that this is not your typical HDB estate. As Singapore’s first seafront HDB precinct, the designers of Northshore Residences have taken advantage of the natural airflow that the coastal environment provides. Computer simulations conducted during the planning stage identified well-shaded locations for playgrounds and outdoor amenities, and also highlighted potential hotspots that could be mitigated with greenery.
Speaking of greenery: Foliage can be found all around Northshore Residences, including sky gardens at the midway points of HDB blocks. These sky gardens serve not only as oases of calm for residents to relax, it also helps to mitigate the urban heat island effect, providing a cooler and more comfortable environment, so you don’t need to keep running the air-con to keep cool.
More than meets the eye
There are also design features to manage waste in the estate and encourage residents to recycle more. One of the unusual sights you might encounter is there are two chutes on every floor of the HDB block for waste, instead of the usual one. One of the chutes is for disposing regular waste, and the other is for recyclables, making recycling even more convenient for residents. (You don’t have to bring your recyclables to the blue bin downstairs!)
And what happens when residents throw away their rubbish in the chute on the left? The waste goes down a vacuum-type pneumatic tube that transports trash to a central bin centre underground, using air currents at speeds of up to 60–70km/h. This is called the Pneumatic Waste Conveyance System (PWCS) which is a closed-off, automatic waste management system which keeps things more hygienic (no more smelly bin centres and refuse chutes!). This smart system also uses sensors to detect the amount of waste collected in real-time, and will activate public waste collectors to come collect the refuse once the amount of waste reaches a certain level.
Greenery with a purpose
Think back to the regular underground carparks you’ve seen. Dim, stuffy and warm, they’re not somewhere you want to linger for long. But visit in Northshore Residences, carparks are pleasantly open, bright — and green. Beyond its design, architects have also taken steps to reduce the urban heat island effect here too, with smart sensors monitoring the air to prevent a build-up of carbon monoxide levels, and overhead jet fans to help with the ventilation.
Another eco-feature is the GeoBarrier System in the form of a landscaped retaining wall, which helps to reduce slope failure (think landslides) during intense rainfall. Unlike traditional earth retaining walls, this system uses recycled aggregates instead of reinforced concrete. Beneath the lush slope of greenery are 3 layers of materials — planting soil, recycled aggregates, and coarser recycled aggregates — making it more sustainable in terms of the materials used.
Smart Homes, Smarter energy usage
While there’s an abundance of smart features in the neighbourhood, individual homes are not forgotten, with smart technology extending to the 1,400 homes at Northshore Residences too. These homes support easy installation of commercial smart technology, such as lighting and climate control. Smart distribution boards and sockets are also provided within the flat, allowing residents to both reduce and monitor their energy usage.
Sixth sense? No, smart sensors
Another eco-feature at Northshore Residences is smart lighting. This is not unique to the precinct; in fact, existing HDB blocks around Singapore are also reducing their energy consumption by deploying smart lighting in common areas like corridors and walkways. Using smart sensing control, the lights brighten when human traffic is detected and dim automatically when there’s no one there. (Like a pet who’s just happy to see you after you’ve been out the whole day).
The sun is setting, and it’s time to grab some dinner. You stroll down the sheltered walkways of Northshore Residences and will find yourself at Northshore Plaza, HDB’s first seafront neighbourhood centre, for a bite to eat. It’s a pleasantly breezy, open space that stays cool — without an air-conditioning unit anywhere in sight.
Northshore Plaza stays cool using a system of smart fans — 6 in all — throughout the mall that speed up or slow down in response to the ambient temperature and humidity detected. Adding on to that, the louvres are designed to maximise air flow in the mall. Soon enough, you’ll forget you ever needed air-conditioned malls.
Greener homes, better living
The innovations at Punggol Northshore are currently in the pilot stage, but they provide a sneak peek into what the future of HDB living might be like. Technology still plays a big part in how Singapore is designing and building sustainable homes and community spaces for the future.
Photos credit: Housing & Development Board
