THE ENERGY COMPLEX (EnCo), Ministry of Energy, Thailand, is this year's winner in the New & Existing Building Category in the Asean Energy Awards.
Energy Complex, or EnCo, of Thailand is the winner of this years prestigious Asean Energy Awards in the New & Existing Building Category.
The Asean Energy Awards is a regional competition that provides international recognition to entities that apply the concepts, systems and technology of energy efficiency and conservation.
The second objective is for the winners to become models in the Asean region to replicate and promote energy-efficient management programs.
Energy Complex is the new office of the Ministry of Energy and other government agencies and industries in Thailand.
It consists of two office buildings of 36 and 25 stories, one service building and two parking garages.
The aerodynamic shape of the facade helps reduce temperature and heat on the building surface. It has also been designed to withstand earthquakes measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale.
Being both an intelligent and energy-saving building, Energy Complex is the first building in Southeast Asia to be accredited LEED Platinum by the US Green Building Council.
Green, intelligent features
The energy-saving air-conditioning system features air heat exchangers to cool incoming fresh air through a temperature exchange with cool outgoing exhaust air. It also includes a variable air volume system to ensure that the temperature and condition of the air throughout the building is precisely controlled to minimize waste.
The energy-saving lighting system uses electronic dimming ballasts triggered by sensors to determine how much daylight is available and to dim the fluorescent lamps accordingly. In some areas, occupancy sensors are also installed to automatically dim lights when the area is vacant.
The Building Management System (BMS) integrates all engineering systems to operate the building at highest efficiency.
Retrofitted bldg. category winner
The Galen Building at the Singapore Science Park is the winner in the Retrofitted Building category.
It is an eight-year-old six-story office building that was transformed with passive design features to reduce its energy consumption.
This was done by maximizing natural ventilation and daylight while ensuring thermal comfort for different weather conditions.
The Galen is equipped with an automation system operated by a state-of-the-art energy management system that monitors and controls the operation of the chiller.
The Galen has the most energy-efficient chiller in Singapore with an efficiency of 0.56 kW per refrigeration ton. It enjoys cost savings of more than S$1 million as well as a reduction in carbon emissions by 2,700 metric tons a year.
The Galen achieves energy savings of 5,500 MWh a year, which represents a 67-percent reduction in energy consumption.
There are sensors for collecting real-time data for monitoring purposes to ensure optimal operating efficiency.
Retrofitting involved the innovative use of sustainable construction materials and systems.
It also incorporated interactive spaces together with the effective use of recycled or recyclable materials.
Tropical bldg. category winner
This years winner is the Pesat Training Facility of Indonesia, a 2,600-square-meter cows farm development within a 5-hectare property for the local communities of East Kutai regency.
The project generates energy from biogas. It has a water treatment system using conventional filtration method that treats water through sand, gravel and palm filter.
The one-story structures that serve as training rooms and housing for the trainees are oriented along the East-West axis to minimize solar penetration into the rooms.
Most of the wood materials are locally sourced. Structures are on stilts to minimize site disturbance and to help recharge the aquifers.
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