Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Singapore's lighting masterplan draws interest from CityDev
SINGAPORE : Singapore's new lighting masterplan and incentives to cast the city skyline in new light have kindled some interest among stakeholders.
For one, international property and hotel conglomerate City Developments is exploring ideas to light up its Republic Plaza and Fuji Xerox buildings.
These days, urban lighting serves more than functional needs.
Cities around the world use light to enhance their identity, link up different parts of the city, or create an "urban living room" where people can gather after dark.
Singapore, too, hopes to put its skyline in the limelight, allocating S$10 million to fund lighting proposals in the business district and Marina area over five years.
This will benefit the likes of City Developments, which is in talks with Philips on lighting design for its flagship Republic Plaza and Fuji Xerox buildings.
Both projects could cost some S$2 million to S$4 million.
Said Anthony Goh, assistant general manager, City Developments, "The incentives from URA are actually a great opportunity for us to explore introducing lighting to make our skyline more interesting at night; especially because now LED technology is quite an energy-saving device which enables us to light up the buildings every night, compared to now when we turn on the lights only during festivals."
The Monetary Authority of Singapore, which recently underwent a renovation, could possibly have a lighting plan of its own, but not within the next two years.
Said Yap Soon Guan, director, property and building services, corporate services department, MAS, "Obviously, cost and design are both important factors. Design definitely would be a big issue; we have to have an appropriate lighting scheme to reflect our organisation's function."
However, brighter may not be better.
And lighting consultants warn of pitfalls like using too many colours and ignoring the city's history and surrounding areas during lighting design.
New technologies have also made lighting up more energy-efficient.
Said Dorien van der Weele, manager, International Lighting Design and Application Centre, Philips Lighting, "Lighting makes up about 2 percent of the building sum for new building, so it's only a small percentage, but can have very big effect. Light is a very cost-effective way of enhancing architectures and interiors.
"If you invest a small amount in lighting, it can enormously bring out the investment in other types in the buildings, like facade, carpets, interiors and furniture."
Besides making the buildings more attractive, consultants say the right lighting can also respond to one's emotional needs, evoke feelings and actively invite people to be part of an experience. - CNA /ct
For one, international property and hotel conglomerate City Developments is exploring ideas to light up its Republic Plaza and Fuji Xerox buildings.
These days, urban lighting serves more than functional needs.
Cities around the world use light to enhance their identity, link up different parts of the city, or create an "urban living room" where people can gather after dark.
Singapore, too, hopes to put its skyline in the limelight, allocating S$10 million to fund lighting proposals in the business district and Marina area over five years.
This will benefit the likes of City Developments, which is in talks with Philips on lighting design for its flagship Republic Plaza and Fuji Xerox buildings.
Both projects could cost some S$2 million to S$4 million.
Said Anthony Goh, assistant general manager, City Developments, "The incentives from URA are actually a great opportunity for us to explore introducing lighting to make our skyline more interesting at night; especially because now LED technology is quite an energy-saving device which enables us to light up the buildings every night, compared to now when we turn on the lights only during festivals."
The Monetary Authority of Singapore, which recently underwent a renovation, could possibly have a lighting plan of its own, but not within the next two years.
Said Yap Soon Guan, director, property and building services, corporate services department, MAS, "Obviously, cost and design are both important factors. Design definitely would be a big issue; we have to have an appropriate lighting scheme to reflect our organisation's function."
However, brighter may not be better.
And lighting consultants warn of pitfalls like using too many colours and ignoring the city's history and surrounding areas during lighting design.
New technologies have also made lighting up more energy-efficient.
Said Dorien van der Weele, manager, International Lighting Design and Application Centre, Philips Lighting, "Lighting makes up about 2 percent of the building sum for new building, so it's only a small percentage, but can have very big effect. Light is a very cost-effective way of enhancing architectures and interiors.
"If you invest a small amount in lighting, it can enormously bring out the investment in other types in the buildings, like facade, carpets, interiors and furniture."
Besides making the buildings more attractive, consultants say the right lighting can also respond to one's emotional needs, evoke feelings and actively invite people to be part of an experience. - CNA /ct
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// posted by Shajahan @ 10:58 AM 