Takeda breaks ground on its first Zero Energy building in Singapore

Takeda have announced the official ground-breaking of its first building to follow the Singapore Green Mark Zero Energy certification scheme within the company’s global manufacturing and supply network in Woodlands, Singapore. The building is a $14 million expansion of Takeda’s manufacturing operations in Singapore, and the first ‘net zero carbon emissions’ building in its global network, as wall as a first-of-its-kind investment within the biotechnology industry in Singapore.

Located next to Takeda’s biologics manufacturing plant in JTC’s Woodlands Wafer Fab Park, Takeda’s new zero energy building is planned for occupancy by 2022. According to Takeda, the building follows standards from the Singapore Building Construction Authority’s (BCA) Green Mark (GM) certification scheme and sets the bar for green energy design.

The GM scheme is an internationally recognised green building rating tool tailored for the tropical climate to evaluate a building’s environmental impact and performance throughout its lifecycle, and is aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. The approval processes includes the design, piling, construction, occupation and completion phases. The 60-hectare Woodlands Wafer Fab Park caters to the stringent operating requirements of global semiconductor and biomedical firms.

To achieve the zero-energy building status, comprehensive energy studies were conducted to consider Singapore’s tropical, very hot and humid equatorial climate. The project includes over 660 solar photo voltaic (PV) panels to fully offset the building’s energy consumption, CO2 sensors to regulate fresh air demand, a hybrid AC system with assistance of ceiling fans and thermal diffusers to optimise energy usage and improve air circulation and air flow to ensure user well-being. Additionally, the building also utilises rainwater harvesting and the use of green concrete.

“The ground-breaking of our first zero energy building demonstrates Takeda’s commitment to deliver on our environmental goals,” stated Thomas Wozniewski, global manufacturing and supply officer of Takeda. “Takeda achieved carbon neutrality in 2020, now we are focused on our next step to become net zero by 2040. We are honoured to have the opportunity to work with our partners in the region and to support the Singapore government’s efforts in tackling climate change.”