Singapore has been looking for ways to lower the energy consumption of its buildings, a sector responsible for more than one-third of its total electricity consumption. While the island-state is small, it has over 4,500 high-rise buildings. Finding ways to lower the energy consumption of this sector is vital, as Singapore has committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions intensity by 36% by 2030.

With this backdrop, the Building and Construction Authority launched the Super Low Energy Programme in September 2018. This programme aims to improve energy efficiency in non-residential buildings. Buildings which achieve at least 60% energy savings by adopting energy efficient measures and do not exceed consumption levels of more than 100 KWh per square metre a year will earn the status of a Super Low Energy Building (SLEB).

To help BCA achieve its goal, Hitachi has been tasked to develop the SLEB Smart Hub, a smart resource centre hosting a centralised national database of energy-efficiency data and latest green technologies for buildings. By leveraging Big Data and Artificial Intelligence, the SLEB Smart Hub will offer shared experiences, best practices and expert recommendations, which will accelerate the adoption of green technologies in the building sector.

With this innovative platform, it moves Singapore another step closer to achieving the national target of greening 80% of its buildings by 2030.

Singapore is not just focused within urban buildings. It is also renowned for its commitment to safety of its residents in public areas. Singapore has outperformed in this aspect, as 94% of Singaporean adults feel safe walking alone at night, compared to the global average of 68%.

Singapore has also earned the #2 spot in the 2017 Safe Cities Index. In the sub-index of personal security, Singapore is ranked #1 for its AI-enhanced CCTV security infrastructure. The country is anchoring its cutting-edge security system around a commonplace street object: lamp posts.

As the spine of the Smart National Sensor Platform, lamp posts are being used to transmit data gathered from CCTVs and sensors around the country. The data is collated in a central platform, where AI is then used to analyse the information to detect anomalies and threats.

The government has also been working with building owners to update their security measures. Clear guidelines has been given to building owners to safeguard against terrorist threats.

Hitachi is playing a part in reinforcing urban security by supporting Northpoint City with its security system. Security is critical to Northpoint City as it serves around 210,000 people living in the northern part of Singapore.

Hitachi is supporting Northpoint City in a behind-the-scenes role by providing security and building facilities systems. This includes the design, fabrication and delivery of physical security system, such as monitoring camera system and storage system for recorded camera images.

Using state-of-the-art video and data analytics tolls, Hitachi has empowered Northpoint city to leverage on security technology for marketing purposes as well. This allows them to obtain actionable business intelligence for functions such as measures the footfalls into the stores, which will help to assess their marketing activities and improve sales efforts.

Besides safety, Singapore is also concerned about the health of its residents. Cancer is the leading cause of death in Singapore. In 2015, cancer was the cause of close to 30% of deaths in Singapore. Health experts has warned of a cancer tsunami, where 1-in-3 Singaporeans will get cancer in their lifetime.

This has prompted the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS) to procure a proton therapy system from Hitachi, which will be housed in the Goh Cheng Liang Proton Therapy Centre in the new NCCS Building, which is scheduled to be completed in 2022. Currently, NCCS sees close to 65% of the country’s public sector oncology cases.

Proton therapy is a cutting-edge cancer treatment that reduces side effects commonly found in conventional radiotherapy. Proton therapy destroys cancer cells using positively charged subatomic particles. This allows for more precise targeting of a tumour, compared with the X-rays used in standard radiotherapy. The system works by sending protons to the site of the tumour, where they release their energy. The healthy cells in front of the tumour get a low dose of radiation, and the ones behind it are not exposed at all.

This will be the first comprehensive Proton Therapy Centre in Southeast Asia and it is expected to benefit up to 1,000 patients a year. Conditions that can be treated by the Proton Therapy System include specific paediatric tumours, while other clinical applications are being reviewed by a national committee appointed by the Ministry of Health.