SINGAPORE'S first building that can produce as much power as it uses - zero energy, in industry jargon - opened with much fanfare on Monday.

The landmark building in Braddell Road employs ground-breaking design features while also harnessing the sun's energy to replenish the energy it uses for air-conditioning and other uses.

Its opening is a huge step forward for the local building industry. It will serve as a test-bed for green technology that can later be incorporated in standard construction projects, while students and designers can study first-hand the nuts and bolts of energy efficiency and 'green' building.

National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan said the opening of the building 'marks a key milestone in Singapore's building and construction history'.

The building was an existing structure that was retrofitted in an $11 million project in the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) Academy grounds opposite ComfortDelGro. The BCA joined forces with the National University of Singapore, the Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore and private sector partners to convert the old three-storey workshop.

A massive array of solar panels covering 1,540sqm - bigger than an Olympic-sized swimming pool and the biggest such installation here - was placed on the roof to generate energy to run the lights, office equipment and air-conditioning.

gabrielc@sph.com.sg

Read the full story in Tuesday's edition of The Straits Times.