Singapore government-backed CapitaLand Investment (CLI) will adopt cooling-as-a-service (CaaS) systems in the real estate developer and manager’s Raffles City Singapore, Plaza Singapura and The Atrium@Orchard properties with the aim of optimizing their energy performance and reducing their carbon footprint.

The cooling systems will cover 4.8 million square feet (sq ft) of gross floor area (GFA) across the three properties, which are owned by CapitaLand Integrated Commercial Trust (CICT) and managed by CLI, and the systems will have a combined installed capacity of approximately 15,000 refrigerant tonnes (RT).

In particular, Raffles City Singapore, which has over 3.45 million sq ft of GFA and an installed capacity of 10,000 RT, will be the largest integrated development by GFA in Singapore and one of the largest in Southeast Asia to adopt the CaaS system to date. 

The CaaS contracts for the three properties were awarded to Keppel DHCS and Engie South East Asia respectively. The two contracts, which will be paid for on a utilization basis, are expected to reduce energy consumption at all three properties by over 30%. They are also expected to save at least 118,680 tonnes of carbon emissions over the 15-year operating period.

With improved energy efficiency, CLI, it says, aims to upgrade the green certification conferred by the Building and Construction Authority on The Atrium@Orchard from Green Mark Gold to Green Mark Platinum (Super Low Energy) when its certification is up for renewal. Similarly, Plaza Singapura and Raffles City Singapore are also expected to upgrade their ratings from Green Mark Gold and Green Mark GoldPLUS, respectively, to Green Mark Platinum.

“The CaaS contracts optimize the energy performance of our properties and reduce our carbon footprint,” adds Chris Chong, the company’s CEO for retail and workspace in Singapore and Malaysia. “The move to a CaaS operating model also demonstrates how we constantly upgrade our infrastructure in a capital- and cost-efficient manner.”