News

EGS-plan’s managing director Dr. Himmler presented at the Vietnam Green Building Week 2023 about “Sustainable Industrial Buildings – Best Practice Examples from Southeast Asia”. The presentation included many of our industrial references such as the LEED Gold certified Pandora Factory in Lamphun, Thailand or the new Bosch PgP5 factory in Malaysia which is the first DGNB Platinum certified factory in Southeast Asia. Thanks to GIZ.

#DGNB #LEED #VGBC #greenbuildings #sustainablebuildings #pandora #bosch

Congratulations to Bosch for the first DGNB Platinum certified factory in Southeast Asia! The DGNB certification system is provided by the German Sustainable Building Council and is one of the most comprehensive and developed green building certification systems worldwide.

The building is located in Penang, Malaysia and has a floor area of 13,500 m². The building consists of a testing facility for electronic components, offices and a big welcoming canopy with various dining and communication areas.

Bosch is dedicated to improving the sustainability of the company not only through their products but also through environmentally friendly production facilities. Therefore, Bosch has contracted EGS-plan to design a sustainability concept for the building and supervise the implementation from concept to commissioning. The concept considers environmental, economic, and human qualities of the building and tries to balance them.

This was achieved by implementing passive design features such as increased thermal insulation, external shading, double glazing, and natural ventilation (canopy area). The technical services such as air-handling units, fans and pumps are of the highest energy efficiency standard IE4. Also, the chiller plant fulfils highest energy efficiency requirements and uses a refrigerant with ultra-low GWP (Global Warming Potential). Furthermore, a significant part of the energy demand is covered by a 2.1 MW_p photovoltaic system on the roof and partly at the façade of the building.

The offices are air conditioned by the most energy efficient and comfortable system currently available: a combination of radiant panels and displacement ventilation. The system is providing cooling energy primarily by long wave radiation and not moving air and hence doesn’t cause any problems with draft. Furthermore, the temperature and humidity in the offices can be controlled independently. There are not only no noise emissions from the system, but it even improves the acoustic comfort due to the acoustic perforation of the radiant panels.

To protect the local environment, the construction works and the employees, only non-toxic and environmentally friendly construction products were used. EGS-plan checked a total of 375 products and materials prior to being installed at the construction site regarding VOCs (volatile organic compounds), heavy metals and asbestos. For this a quality management system was established which included the design, construction, and commissioning phase of the building. Eventually air quality tests were conducted to prove that the air quality in the building is fulfilling the highest quality requirements of DGNB. Furthermore, the fresh air ventilation system of the building is designed to provide around 30 % more fresh air than required by international standards.

EGS-plan conducts a full Life-Cycle-Assessment (LCA) of the environmental impact of the construction materials to support design decisions. A Life-Cycle Calculation (LCC) including initial construction and future operation costs (energy, water, cleaning) was done to also include the economic component into design decisions.

The interior design of the office part of the building considers biophilic design elements and encourages communication and creativity in the workspaces. A biotope at the northern border of the land plot increases biodiversity at the location and re-introduces native species to the site.

Congratulations to Bosch Global Real Estate, M.E.I. Architects & Engineers and IAQ Solutions Sdn Bhd for this great achievement and thank you for the fruitful cooperation.

The extension of Building B have received the LEED Gold certification because of Samitivej Chonburi Hospital’s commitment to sustainability. This outstanding achievement shows the hospital’s dedication to providing healthcare facilities that are ecologically friendly. Also, congratulation to our partner company Africvs Co., Ltd. who was the LEED consultant in the project. As LEED commissioning authority EGS-plan (Bangkok) Co., Ltd. made an important contribution to the success of the project though our Fundamental (FCx) and Enhanced Commissioning (ECx) services.

EGS-plan played an essential role by monitoring and verifying the implementation of sustainable systems and energy-efficient technologies. As the commissioning authority, EGS-plan ensured that the building’s design and construction align to LEED standards and that all its green elements are working as they should. Our involvement included inspections, testing, and continuing performance monitoring from the beginning of the design process until the commissioning of the building.

EGS-plan’s 2023 company trip to Rayong was designed to provide a blend of educational, environmental, and cultural experiences.

On the first day, we visited PTT LNG – Nong Fab LNG Terminal in Rayong. The building was certified TREES Platinum and EGS-plan contributed with our commissioning services to the success of the project. In the building we visited the Flora Exhibition Hall which showcases a wide variety of plants and flowers which are grown for commercial use.

On the second day, we visited the Rayong Provincial East Plant center in the morning. This center focuses on biodiversity and sustainable agriculture. In the afternoon, we headed with a boat to Koh Taru, a nearby islands known for its pristine beaches and coral reefs. We enjoyed snorkeling, kayaking, and relaxing at the beach.

On last day, we visited the Ban Phae souvenir market, which offers a wide range of locally made crafts, traditional products, and souvenirs. Following the market visit, we explored Rayong Old town, specifically Yomjinda Road. This historic street showcases the town’s cultural heritage through its traditional architecture, quaint shops, and charming atmosphere.

We had a great time in Rayong and enjoyed ourselves and are ready for new challenges!

The PARQ achieves WELL Core Gold certification!

The PARQ is a mixed-use office building located in the center of Bangkok and has a total gross floor area of approximately 134,000 m2 on 16 floors. The project strives for the highest sustainability goals and achieved a WELL certification. Green building consultant was our partner company Africvs Co., Ltd.

EGS-plan has contributed to the project with our commissioning services including fundamental and monitoring based commissioning. While fundamental commissioning covers a basic quality control during design and construction of a building, monitoring based commissioning is a rather new methodology to use the building management system or any other data logging technology to supervise the startup of a new construction project. This is giving the opportunity to not only do the usual spot measurement during fundamental commissioning, but to conduct a continues supervision of the energy performance of a building over a longer period of time.

The result is a building which provides an outstanding environmental performance and a healthy and productive work environment for the building occupants.

Energy Audit to Support Net Zero Roadmap

During a workshop on 27th of June EGS-plan presented the results of an extensive energy audit of the SCB Headquarters in Bangkok. The project was implemented in close cooperation with The Creagy, a Bangkok based consulting company which develops the Net Zero Roadmap of SCB. The workshop was attended by the management and the operation and maintenance team of SCB.

The energy audit comprised of three buildings of SCB Plaza with a total air-conditioned floor area of 225,000 m2GFA. The audit was conducted according to ASHRAE Standard Procedures (Level 1& 2) and started with a walk-through site visit to assess the condition of the façade, the typical use areas (e.g., office), AHU rooms, electrical rooms, chiller systems and BMS. In the following months extensive measurements – both long and short-term – were conducted to assess thermal comfort, air quality, lighting quality and energy efficiency in the building. GFA

In the second step solutions were developed to increase energy efficiency and reduce energy costs as well as improve thermal comfort. According to EGS-plan’s holistic approach on buildings we included the façade, the MEP systems and finally renewables into our assessment. Together with the facade installer MBM and the façade supplier Schueco various concepts were developed with the goal to enhance or replace the existing façade. In the next step improvement potential was identified including the replacement of AHUs, the installation of PICV valves and a recommissioning of the BMS. Finally, the potential for the installation of a building integrated photovoltaic system was assessed on the roofs and in the facades of the buildings.

With a cost-optimized combination of all energy efficiency measures including the previously replaced chiller plant, energy savings of up to 50 % are possible. The implementation of the recommended energy saving measures will bring SCB significantly closer to their Net Zero goal.

Thailand’s Building Energy Code (BEC) was introduced in March 2021 and only applied for new buildings with a gross floor area greater than 10,000 sqm. This threshold was now lowered to 5,000 sqm. to include more buildings and will be even more tightened in March 2023 (2,000 sqm.).

The BEC must be applied on the following building types:

Group 1:       Office, Education
Group 2:       Theatre, Convention Hall, Entertainment, Department Store
Group 3:       Hotel, Hospital, Condominium

The BEC sets minimum requirements regarding the thermal performance of the building façade (OTTV), roof (RTTV), lighting (LPD), air conditioning (AC) and renewable energies (RE). To allow more flexibility regarding the building design it is also possible to follow a whole building approach where the weakness of one system can be compensated by the strength of another system.

EGS-plan (Bangkok) Co., Ltd. has many years of experience with BEC calculations since staff members have been involved in the update of the BEC and already conducted BEC calculations for several projects.

The new administrative building of Nong Fab LNG receiving terminal was awarded TREES NC V1.1 Platinum! The office building is located in Rayong and has a gross floor area of approximately 8,647 m² on 3 stories and a basement.

EGS-plan supported the green building certification according to TREES with our engineering services for fundamental commissioning. The certification consultant of the project was our partner company Africvs Co., Ltd.

Building commissioning is a quality management process, which verifies, that the technical systems and the building envelope of a new building are meeting the owner’s project requirements. Commissioning procedures were managed and overlooked by EGS-plan and began during the pre-design or planning phase of the project, continued through the design and construction phases, initial occupancy phase, training of operations and maintenance (O&M) staff, and into occupancy (for warranty and future re-commissioning).

The result is a building which works as intended with a low energy consumption, great thermal comfort, and low maintenance costs.

We have officially launched the EGS-plan company sport group with an after-work run on the evening of 30th of November 2022. According to the company goals the motto of the group is “run for sustainable buildings”. The run took place in the small but beautiful “CU Centenary Park” which itself has many sustainability features and is an important stormwater retention facility to reduce flooding during heavy rain. See you at the next Marathon!

GET IN DEPTH-KNOWLEDGE ABOUT GREEN AND SUSTAINABLE BUILDINGS!

EGS-plan is proudly supporting the third International DGNB Consultant Training in Thailand together with the Faculty of Architecture of Chulalongkorn University!

We are delighted to invite you and your friends to

“International DGNB Consultant Training”

Date: 30 November – 2 December 2022 (3 days)

Time: 9.00 – 18.00 hrs

Venue: Room 211, Faculty of Architecture of Chulalongkorn University

Register fee: 28,000 Baht/ participant

For reservation: Khun Sawaros 02-218-4478 / sawarond.s@chula.ac.th

Congratulations to Harn Engineering Solutions PCL for the DGNB Gold certification of their new office building!

The certificate was handed over by Managing Director of EGS-plan Dr. Robert Himmler to Khun Thammanoon Tripetchr, CEO of Harn Engineering Solutions PCL.

GTCC Executive Director Dr. Roland Wein delivered congratulatory remarks prior to a speech by Khun Thammanoon Tripetchr about the motivation of the building owner to design and certify the building according to DGNB requirements. Dr. Acharawan Chutarat, Architect and Lighting Designer of Bioarchitek Co., Ltd. gave a talk on the building’s architectural and sustainable design concept. Other participants in the event were Khun Jirachai Thongthipaya Managing Director of Bioarchitek and Khun Paveen Rojchanavisart Deputy Managing Director of EGS-plan and sustainability consultant of the project.

Thank you to Dr. Jain Charnnarong, Executive Director of Harn Engineering Solutions PCL for hosting the event and the invitation.

Following the ceremony, the group took a tour through the building to enjoy the sustainability features such as great thermal comfort, the daylight atrium, the communication spaces, and the biophilic design.

This year’s 3 day company trip was themed “edutainment”, because we travelled to Chiang Mai to visit every day an interesting, sustainable building project in the morning and had fun activities in the afternoon. It was very exciting to see and compare the different approaches on sustainability ranging from low-tech bamboo architecture to energy self-sufficient hydrogen solutions!

The first project was the Panyaden International School which follows a low-tech approach on sustainability because it is mainly built of rammed earth / lime bricks and bamboo. The architect and general contractor Markus Roselieb of Chiangmai Life Architects was so kind to explain us the details of bamboo construction and limestone production.

The second project was the Phi Suea house which is an energy self-sufficient building based on green hydrogen. Sebastian-Justus Schmidt and his team explained the history of the development and the technical details. He is the owner of the house and director of Enapter which produces the hydrogen electrolyzers used in the building.

The final project was the new headquarter of Choice Property Co., Ltd. The project was supported by EGS-plan regarding TREES certification and Commissioning Services. Khun Worawat Tantranon who is the director of Choice Property Co., Ltd. and his son showed us the building which combines modern architecture and traditional Thai design elements.

We would like to thank again the building owners who took their time and explained their respective approaches on sustainability to us.