BCA unveils world’s maiden high-rise rotatable tropics lab

It will explore green building research in the tropics.

Singapore is now home to the world’s first high-rise rotatable laboratory for the tropics, as Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong today opened BCA SkyLab.

According to Building and Construction Authority's (BCA) media release, BCA SkyLab was developed in collaboration with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California. It is envisioned to improve energy efficiency and explore green building research in the tropics.

The 132 sqm facility houses a 360-degree rotatable capability, full plug-and-play configurability and is fitted with extensive instrumentation and sensor networks scalable in future.

Further, it is equipped with a network of over 200 sensors with high accuracy and granularity, across two identical cells for comparison testing. The sensors measure performance metrics like energy performance, indoor environmental quality, outdoor environmental parameters and building automation system indicators.

A series of potential experiments involving over 20 organisations have been lined up until end-2018. Researchers from local universities such as Nanyang Technological University, National University of Singapore and Singapore University of Technology and Design will be among the first principal investigators for these projects, together with the industry.

The laboratory sits atop the newly built Academic Tower at BCA Academy.