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  Today Online 1 Apr 06
Lighting's no longer a luxury, it's necessary
Letter from Ler Seng Ann
Director (Conservation & Development Services), Urban Redevelopment Authority

Straits Times Forum Online 31 Mar 06
Watch environmental impact of lighting up

Straits Times Forum Online 31 Mar 06
Tap solar or wind power for light-up

The Straits Times 31 Mar 06
Lights out at 8pm to save environment

Today Online 27 Mar 06
Let bright ideas light up Singapore
Give subsidies for efforts to use reusable sources of energy for city light-up
Letter from Sonny Yuen Chee Choong

Channel NewsAsia 24 Mar 06
Govt offers incentives to encourage building owners, developers to light up properties
By Wong Siew Ying

Today Online 25 Mar 06
Lighting up S'pore's skyline
URA rolls out incentives for buildings to light up
Tor Ching Li chingli@newstoday.com.sg

SINGAPORE'S urban planners have come up with another bright idea to enhance the city skyline — literally. To get more buildings to light up their facades at night — like the Fullerton Hotel, Capital Tower and UOB Plaza — the Government is rolling out incentives to defray the cost of external lighting installations.

Announcing this at the annual Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) corporate plan seminar on Friday, National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan said: "I firmly believe that good lighting enhances a building. It attracts people and life, and gives a building presence at night. It must be seen as part of a well-designed building, not as an afterthought or worse, forgotten or ignored."

Existing building owners turned on by the idea can apply for a cash grant of up to $500,000 to cover half the cost of the lighting installation. The Government has set aside $10 million over five years for this. New developments, as well as major additions and redevelopments, will also be given up to 2 per cent additional gross floor area on top of the maximum area granted to them.

Welcoming the move, a CapitaLand spokesman said: "The changing hues of the lights framing the penthouse of Capital Tower have led many to laud the building as a well-known beacon on Singapore's city skyline in the evening." While it costs $20,000 a month to light up the building from 7pm daily, the attractive appearance has helped to pull in blue chip tenants, she said.

The URA added that it would work with building owners to install lighting that is easy to maintain and energy-efficient. Based on a URA case study, external lighting would comprise less than 1 per cent of energy costs if lights are switched on during the night on special occasions, Fridays and weekends.

Stressing that urban planning was also about retaining unique places, Mr Mah announced that 203 buildings in Syed Alwi Road — adjoining Little India and Jalan Besar — have been gazetted for conservation. Invited panelists' urban planning concerns

"I fear the upgrading of the East Coast Parkway may result in more concrete structures and less greenery!" — Mr Kishore Mahbubani, dean of Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and avid jogger at East Coast Park

"Between the planning authority and the users at large, there should be a balance between regulating and relaxing, order and chaos, planned and spontaneity, and a top-down versus bottom-up approach." — Mr Edmund Cheng, Wing Tai Holdings deputy chairman

"There is merit in saying that some of these ideas cannot and should not be 'planned'. To facilitate this, it may just be good enough for our planners to leave certain areas alone with minimal guidelines and let things develop spontaneously." — Dr Amy Khor, South West district mayor and Government Parliamentary Committee chairman for National Development.

Channel NewsAsia 24 Mar 06
Govt offers incentives to encourage building owners, developers to light up properties
By Wong Siew Ying, Channel NewsAsia Related News

SINGAPORE : The Urban Redevelopment Authority hopes to accelerate the lighting up of buildings within the Central Business District and the Marina area. So it is rolling out incentives to offset some of the cost to building owners and developers.

National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan also announced a new conservation site at URA's Corporate Plan Seminar. Installing exterior lights on a building could cost anything between S$300,000 and S$1.5 million. So to encourage existing building owners to take up the idea, the URA will help pay for it. Some S$10 million has been set aside over five years to fund their lighting proposals.

Mr Mah said, "We will offer to owners, key and selected owners who wish to implement suitable lighting plans for their building facades, a cash grant equivalent to the 2% GFA (Gross Floor Area), not exceeding 500,000 dollars, whichever is lower. "This will not cover the total cost of the lighting plan, but it will go some way to defray lighting and design and installation."

Owners of new buildings in future will be offered up to 2 percent additional Gross Floor Area, equivalent to the value of the lighting installed. Nicholas Mak, Director, Consultancy & Research, Knight Frank, said, "The value of this additional floor area may in some ways outweigh the cost of the lighting installation, so it may be a win-win situation, because the government doesn't need to come up with any grant for these new buildings, and the owners can enjoy more floor area which they can reap economic benefits."

URA says lighting up on weekends and festive occasions will account for about 1 percent of the energy bill. It will work with property owners to install energy efficient lighting. Interested building owners can visit URA's website at www.ura.gov.sg for application details. All lighting proposals are subject to evaluation and approval by URA.

URA's Lighting Masterplan seeks to enhance and emphasise Singapore's unique features as a tropical metropolis and garden city. Street lighting will also be replaced with white light for the main arterial roads to give the business district a more corporate feel.

Besides polishing the city skyline, the URA is also sprucing up Syed Alwi Road. Some 203 buildings in the area have been selected for conservation - mostly shophouses over 40 years old. 61-year-old J P Rai is pleased that the charm of the street can be retained. The few owners who were against the idea cited reasons like loss of development potential and restriction in the redevelopment options.

J P Rai, Administrator, DAV Hindi School, said, "Now we can submit our plan to build a four story building...It will be used for expanding our hall, function halls, and also we can use it to expand our classrooms."

The move to conserve the area has given building owners greater certainty over the future of their property. Initial plans to widen Syed Alwi Road have now been cancelled and it is hoped the owners will now start thinking about sprucing up their property. This will complete the conservation of the area, including Little India and Jalan Besar. - CNA/ms

Today Online 27 Mar 06
Let bright ideas light up Singapore
Give subsidies for efforts to use reusable sources of energy for city light-up
Letter from Sonny Yuen Chee Choong

I refer to the article, "Lighting up S'pore's skyline" (March 25/26).

The various incentives to encourage building owners to light up Singapore, especially in the central business district and Marina Bay, must be applauded. Gone are the days when buildings were grey and lifeless, especially after sunset. For Singapore to have a vibrant image and create life after dusk, this must surely be a move in the right direction.

But wait a minute. Are we not forgetting something? The Government will allow owners to claim up to half-a-million dollars to cover half of the costs. While the Urban Redevelopment Authority claims that such a light up should not cost more than 1 per cent of total energy bills, I think that 1 per cent is still too wasteful.

We must bear in mind that energy bills for a large building can run into millions each month. This is blatant disregard of the energy crisis currently gripping the world. Let no one forget that we have not yet found a suitable renewable energy source that is sustainable and economical.

Perhaps a wiser course of action for the Government would be to encourage building owners to invest in renewable sources of energy such as solar or wind to power such a light up.

Any funds, subsidies or tax allowances should be directed at such efforts that will reduce Singapore's reliance on oil and gas, a depleting and increasingly-expensive fuel option.

If we do so, we will be paying homage to Mother Nature while not sidelining our objective of lighting up Singapore and showcasing a dazzling city life.

Who says we cannot have our cake and eat it as well? All it takes is some bright ideas and illumination in the right departments and we can be both environmentally responsible and rake in tourist dollars at the same time.

The Straits Times 31 Mar 06
Lights out at 8pm to save environment

TOKYO - JAPAN'S Environment Ministry has a new rule to reduce greenhouse gases: Lights out at 8pm. The new policy will kick in at the ministry headquarters from Monday, said official Masanori Shishido. Those staying late must work together in a single conference room.

To meet obligations under the Kyoto Protocol on global warming, Japanese ministries are trying to cut carbon dioxide emissions from their offices by 7 per cent from the 2001 level by next March.

But in the fiscal year ending March last year, the overall emissions from government offices increased 4.6 per cent from 2001. The Environment Ministry's emissions rose 10.4 per cent.

Mr Shishido said the latest measure was also intended to encourage the ministry's 700 workers to leave the office as soon as they finish work. In Kasumigaseki, Japan's government centre, lights are often on until very late at night.

Mr Shishido said there will be exceptions. For instance, ministry officials will have more work to do when parliament is in session.

Straits Times Forum Online 31 Mar 06
Tap solar or wind power for light-up

THE various incentives to encourage building owners to light up Singapore, especially in the Central Business District and Marina Bay, are to be applauded ('Push for dazzling night skyline with $10m fund'; ST, March 25). Gone are the days when buildings are grey and lifeless, especially after sunset. The latest more will help Singapore to have a vibrant image.

However, are we not forgetting something? The Government will allow building owners to claim up to half of the cost of lighting up, up to $500,000. While the Urban Redevelopment Authority claims that such a light-up should not cost more than 1 per cent of total energy bills, I think that 1 per cent is still too wasteful. This is because the energy bill for a large building can run into millions of dollars, not to mention the looming energy crisis and the fact that a suitable renewable energy source that is sustainable and economical has yet to be found.

A wiser course of action for the Government would be to encourage the building owners to invest in a renewable source of energy, such as solar or wind power, to power the light-up. Any subsidies or tax allowances should be directed to efforts that will reduce Singapore's reliance on oil and gas, both fast depleting and increasingly expensive.

We can be environmentally responsible and still bring in the tourist dollar.

Sonny Yuen Chee Choong

Straits Times Forum Online 31 Mar 06
Watch environmental impact of lighting up

I READ with interest the article, 'Push for dazzling night skyline with $10m fund' (ST, March 25). It is wonderful that the Government wishes to enhance the skyline of Singapore Downtown. I have always enjoyed looking at the skyline, especially when travelling across the Benjamin Sheares Bridge.

While encouraging developers to light up their property, I hope the Government has guidelines in place to regulate the lighting installations. It is imperative to ensure that the exterior lighting does not have adverse environmental and ecological effects.

It is known that bright lights can disorientate migratory birds. During the migratory season, birds are attracted to lights and some have died after crashing into illuminated towers or from exhaustion after circling the lights for long periods. Lights are also known to attract bugs. And where bugs appear, insect-eaters like bats and birds also appear.

At the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas, bugs, bats and birds, including hawks, have been seen flying around the Sky Beam. The Sky Beam is sufficiently bright to be noticed from a cruising airliner 400km away on a clear night. It is even visible from space.

When changing the street lighting, the Urban Redevelopment Authority could consider redesigning the lamps with reflectors to focus the light downwards. This will save energy and the lights would do the job they are meant to do. Likewise, low-intensity energy-saving lamps should be used to illuminate building facades and walkways. The brightness of the installations should be kept to a reasonable level to enhance the skyline, not cast a perpetual glow over the city at night. Nor should bright lights be cast skywards for long periods of time. As it is, we can hardly see the stars due to ambient light.

That said, I will be looking forward to the improvement in the skyline.

Zhang Yan Ling (Miss)

Today Online 1 Apr 06
Lighting's no longer a luxury, it's necessary
Letter from Ler Seng Ann
Director (Conservation & Development Services), Urban Redevelopment Authority

I refer to the letters "Let bright ideas light up Singapore" by Mr Sonny Yuen Chee Choong (March 27) and "Light-up plans = more CO2" by Mr Bin Hee Heng (March 28). Mr Yuen and Mr Bin expressed concern that the Government's plan to light up Singapore's skyline would lead to a quantitative increase in energy consumption and carbon dioxide emission from the burning of fossil fuels to generate electricity, which will worsen the global warming situation.

We would like to assure them that the Government is mindful of the need to strike a balance between making our city more attractive through lighting and keeping energy consumption low.

Good night lighting can be a city's competitive advantage amid keen competition among the cities of the world today to attract investors, tourists and talent. World cities such as Paris, New York and London understand this and have already set themselves apart through establishing distinct and recognisable night identities through lighting.

To remain competitive in the world arena, Singapore has put in place a lighting plan to encourage building owners in the Central Business District (CBD) and Marina Bay areas to incorporate external building lighting as part of the overall architectural design of their buildings.

Night lighting will help to strengthen the identities of the buildings and the city centre and develop a memorable image for Singapore at night. It will also enliven the city and make it more appealing for activities after dark.

While good city lighting has become more of a necessity than a luxury for Singapore, the Government is also mindful of the need to optimise energy use and that night lighting is not overdone. To keep energy costs manageable and focus lighting efforts at specific times, URA encourages buildings to be lit up only on weekends, during festive occasions and national celebrations from 7pm to 11pm.

Based on these lighting times, exterior building lighting makes up less than 1 per cent of the total energy bill of a building. The biggest proportion of energy usage for a building comes from air-conditioning, which can go up to 50 per cent of the total energy bill.

With good lighting design, building owners can save on energy costs by cutting down on over lighting, while improving the lighting effect on their buildings. New lighting technologies like energy-saving bulbs and reflectors have also drastically reduced electricity consumption.

The Government will guide building owners to design lighting that is economical, durable and energy-efficient. We thank the writers for their feedback and concern.
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