GREEN is our colour!
 

  Mention the 4Rs of resource management - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle & Recover – and they seem remote to a place like Memories at Old Ford Factory (Memories), a national monument, heritage gallery and an archives repository. Unknown to many, however, sustainability and efficient resource management are two major considerations of the National Archives of Singapore (NAS) when it developed Memories in 2005. In fact, the 4Rs were deeply entrenched in its development from the start and even today, in its daily operations. A host of Green innovations that were implemented and integrated within the gallery and compound of Memories allows NAS to manage the centre’s energy and resource consumption efficiently to achieve sustainable long-term operations, at the lowest possible cost. NAS’ environment-friendly efforts was recently recognised by the Building and Construction Authority of Singapore as Memories was awarded Green Mark Certification in October 2007.


The implementation of these Green features at Memories does not merely bring tangible benefits to the operation and maintenance of its facilities and compound. Indeed, these features also create a unique niche for the heritage gallery, which tells the story of life during the Japanese Occupation, and relates lessons learnt during that tumultuous time. The features serve as concrete examples that connect and show the relevance of these lessons from the past to the present.

For example, part of the exhibition at Memories relates to visitors about the critical role of water in the Malayan Campaign. When key reservoirs in Singapore fell into Japanese hands during the invasion, the loss of water supply became one of the key considerations of the British in making the decision to surrender. Likewise today, water continues to be a vital resource of Singapore. With limited natural source of fresh water in Singapore, conservation of water and sustainable management of the use of drinkable water is more important than ever to us. Flowing from this, the implementation of the rainwater harvesting system at Memories thus has greater meaning and usage. In addition to the cost cutting function of recovering rainwater to water the food crops in the Syonan Garden, the system also serves as an unlikely exhibit that highlights the significance of water, historically and currently, to our survival.

More ‘Green’ innovations await you when you visit and explore the gallery and garden compound of Memories. Bring along this summary of ‘Green’ features and try to spot as many as you can. Or book a guided tour* and let our in-house guides bring you on a historical journey with a tinge of ‘eco-friendly’ trivia.

*Advanced booking for guided tour is required. Please complete this booking form. For booking enquiries, please email to eileen_ng@nhb.gov.sg or call 6332 7973.
Summary of Green Features

Lighting exhibition displays with “cool” lights instead of conventional halogen lights traditionally used in museums.

Within the exhibition gallery at Memories, Light Emitting Diodes (LED) and Fibre Optic Lighting (FOL) systems are the main sources of display lighting. The objective of doing so is to steer the gallery away from the use of conventional halogen systems that are traditionally used in museums.

Such a move presented a set of initial set up costs that is higher than that of the traditional halogen systems, however we were motivated by the long-term benefits that we could expect from the use of LEDs and FOL.

Two key features shared by the LED and FOL systems convinced us of their comparative advantage over the halogen system.



(1) The combination of LED and FOL in the gallery at Memories, presents an advantage over the halogen system in terms of their lower energy consumption. Based on the required usage of the gallery, adopting the halogen system would result in the consumption of 7883w more power, translating to 78% more than 2192w consumed by 145 sets of LED and 18 sets of FOL systems.


(2) With the aim of protecting the exhibits displayed in the gallery, the use of LED and FOL poses a tremendous advantage over the halogen system. Widely acknowledged as lights with no/low Ultra-Violet (UV) and Infra-Red (IR) radiation, the use of LEDs and FOLs over halogen lights as exhibition display lighting is ideal as the exhibits will be less susceptible to fading and damages arising from heat and high levels of humidity. While most of our displays are duplicate prints, cutting down damage to the prints would nevertheless cut down the frequency and costs of replacement. In addition, with significantly lower heat emission from LED and FOL, the amount of stress exerted on the gallery air-conditioning is also reduced.


Harnessing of solar energy to supplement exhibition display lighting.



Taking energy conservation efforts in the gallery a step further, we have been harnessing solar energy at Memories since September 2006 to supplement the powering of exhibition display lights. Currently, 86.4 kWh of power consumed by LED light fixtures within the gallery monthly is totally drawn from solar energy. Correspondingly, 1036.8 kWh of “clean” solar energy is used yearly, in place of pollution-generating sources of energy.



Recycling building materials for exhibition display and landscaping


In line with the principles of waste management, various materials from the original Ford Motor Factory building as well as other building projects in Singapore were recycled and integrated into the exhibition gallery as displays. The mosaic floor tiles and green tinted glass that were from the original Ford Motor Factory were re-used in a mosaic map display, which is the centerpiece of the gallery.



Fences that once surrounded the Old Parliament House are now used in the gallery as an installation art, lending a symbolic meaning from their distinctly colonial design to exhibits at the “Internment of POWs” section. The fences were also used in the external landscape of Memories as safety barriers to prevent visitors from wandering unknowingly to the steep slopes at the corners of our compound. If you are on a guided tour conducted by our in-house guides, find out the originally intended use for these fences, the challenges faced in integrating them into the exhibition and compound of Memories and how we eventually overcame these challenges.


Recycling of rainwater to irrigate plants and food crops in the garden and natural landscapes of Memories.

Beyond the gallery premises, the exhibition continues in the “ Syonan Garden” which cultivates food crops such as rice and tapioca. With rainwater harvesting technology, rainwater is collected, recycled and used to water the garden. Memories is able to collect up to 9,000 litres (9 cu M) of rainwater weekly, with a day of continuous rainfall or equivalent in a week.


With sufficient rainfall, the system is able to provide recycled rainwater to irrigate the garden and surrounding landscapes of Memories for two hours each day. This saves approximately 432, 000 litres (432 cu M) of potable water used yearly. Come November 2007, the capacity of the system will be expanded to a capacity of about 30,000 litres, generating further savings.



Roof garden at the repository block (only available for viewing during tours)


The installation of a high density, low maintenance garden on the roof of the repository building is an innovative means of insulating our repositories below from direct sun rays. Planted with hardy plants that require little care, the roof garden is easily maintained. More importantly, the garden also reduces the temperature and area of the heat source that accumulates on the concrete roof. This brings down the amount of external heat that penetrates into the repository area which increases air-conditioning cost.

With the roof garden and layers of insulation applied to the roof, a consistent 1-2 degrees drop in temperature in the repository immediately below the roof was achieved.



Eco-friendly functions and sustainable practices



In order to achieve sustainable resource management in the long term, eco-friendly functions and practices are observed in our daily operations. For example, the use of natural lighting is integrated as a display and presentation technique in parts of the gallery.

Other eco-friendly practices that have been integrated into the operations also include fertilizing and maintaining plants and landscapes with organic fertilizers rather than chemical fertilizers as well as the use of motion-sensor taps rather than push taps that can generate significant wastage of water. Dried leaves and weeds that are removed from the garden and landscapes are also recycled and made into organic fertilizers with a compose-maker.

Plants and landscapes are also cleverly used in various parts of the centre for functional purposes. Bamboos, for example, are used in place of conventional steel screens to form a natural and aesthetically pleasing screen to shield the AHU from sight and dampen noise from the units. Similarly, plants are also planted along the slopes and driveway to act as natural safety barriers, in place of steel fences.