DIGITALISATION AND INNOVATION

Innovation has been a key driver in our decarbonisation journey and one of CDL’s top-voted material ESG issues since 2017. In 2022, it emerged as CDL’s top material issue. As we move into a low-carbon world, we will accelerate our focus on innovation and digitalisation to support CDL’s business growth and transformation.

Enterprise Innovation Committee

At the corporate level, CDL has a dedicated cross-functional committee, established by our Group CEO in 2018. Chaired by our Group Chief Operating Officer, the Enterprise Innovation Committee (EIC) curates and implements customer and digital-centric solutions that create near and long-term business value for CDL. In 2020, a dedicated Green Building and Technology Application team was introduced under CDL’s Sustainability portfolio. This team complements the EIC by identifying scalable technology to reduce CDL’s carbon footprint in the way we design, build, and manage our assets. CDL recognises that a circular economy goes hand-in-hand with clean energy solutions to realise a net zero future. These activities are powered by three mutually-reinforcing innovation engines: (1) Innovation Pipeline; (2) People and Culture; (3) PropTech Investment.

Innovation Highlights for Safe, Healthy and Smart Buildings

The following pilots reflect CDL’s commitment in digitalising and decarbonising to strengthen our business operations. These highlights are non-exhaustive.

INVESTING IN R&D THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS

Greening the built environment continues to require multistakeholder collaboration, time and resource investment. CDL’s extensive network of longstanding partnerships with key research and development (R&D) players creates business value and allows us to navigate towards our net zero goals. Connecting a building’s sustainability performance to its design and incorporation of smart technology not only propels energy efficiency but enhances its resilience to climate change. Strong R&D focus with robust technology application is key in realising a net zero future.

NUS-CDL Tropical Technologies Laboratory and NUS-CDL Smart Green Home

Since 2017, CDL has had a strong R&D partnership with the NUS College of Design and Engineering, and set up the NUS-CDL Tropical Technologies Laboratory (T2 Lab), which has been operational since late 2018 as well as the NUS-CDL Smart Green Home which opened in 2019. Refer to ISR 2022, page 47 for more details.

Porsche Asia Pacific and SP Group Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

Since 2010, CDL has supported the transformation of the local urban mobility scene by providing car park lots with EV chargers. Our efforts support the Singapore Green Plan 2030, where 60,000 EV charging points will be deployed at public car parks and private premises by 2030.

In 2022, new lots were installed across the island – four in City Square Mall, four in King’s Centre, four in Quayside Isle, three in Palais Renaissance and four in Grand Copthorne Waterfront.


EV charging carpark lots at Republic Plaza

Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD)

In 2022, CDL partnered with SUTD to pilot a novel distributed carbon capture (DCC) solution developed for the urban built environment. Leveraging direct air capture technology, the proprietary solution, Smart Decarboniser System (SDS), is able to directly remove carbon dioxide in any urban living space, reducing GHG emissions of buildings. Piloted at Republic Plaza since Q2 2022, the SDS can be readily integrated into an existing building infrastructure such as air handling units (AHU).

Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore (SERIS)

Since 2017, CDL has partnered with SERIS to pilot two projects – Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) modules and bifacial BIPV art wall. In 2021 and 2022, these projects were installed at City Square Mall and Central Mall, with data progressively collected to evaluate the scaling-up potential at existing CDL assets and new developments.

Supporting Local Innovators at the World Cities Summit 2022

Left: Panelists from “Future-Proofing the Built Environment Through Innovation”
Middle and Right: Panelists from “Young Startups Contributing to a Sustainable Future”.

  • Since 2019, CDL has partnered with Singapore’s Centre for Liveable Cities and Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) to promote innovation best practices in PropTech and green buildings.
  • The summit is a global platform for government and city leaders, academics and industry experts to convene to share how our cities can be more liveable, sustainable and resilient.
  • In 2022, we showcased our PropTech partners (AMPD, H3 Zoom.ai, GET Control, digiHUB, SUTD Robotics) and emerging startups in sustainability (GUSH, SUTD’s Smart Decarboniser System, The Igloo, Rehyphen®, SimplyGood) via our City Innovators Stage.