MAX Atria @ Singapore EXPO Wins BCA Green Mark Platinum Award

Online, June 16, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Singapore EXPO's new convention wing, MAX Atria, has become the first Meetings, Incentives, Convention, Exhibition (MICE) venue in Singapore to receive the prestigious Building and Construction Authority Green Mark Platinum Award. This reaffirms Singex's commitment and continuous drive towards operational and service excellence for organisers and visitors.

Endorsed by the World Green Building Council, the Platinum standard is the highest rating awarded under the Green Mark scheme to recognise outstanding achievements in environmentally sustainable building practices and innovative green features.

MAX Atria is designed to provide organisers and delegates with a new experience in convention venues, where discussions and negotiations can be held in a refreshing space. These elements are brought out through the introduction of lush green belts and natural light, addressing both sustainability and comfort of visitors to the convention centre.

A key design element in the concept of bringing "nature inside" and "meetings outside" is the central air well in MAX Atria. Both a functional and attractive architectural element, it allows natural light and greenery to be integrated into the meeting rooms adjacent to the air well. Pre-function foyers in MAX Atria also rely on natural light, where sensors are installed to turn lights off when the light level is sufficient in the building. Energy-saving LED light fixtures are utilised in all meeting rooms, pre-function foyers, and external landscape areas for general illumination, while light switches in restroom facilities and staircases are triggered by motion sensors for increased energy efficiency. Energy efficient lifts, escalators, and air conditioning systems will also be installed in the convention centre. As a result, MAX Atria will achieve 30 per cent more energy savings than a traditional building of a similar size. This roughly translates into enough electricity to power 2,400 four-room HDB1 apartments in Singapore annually.

In addition to energy-saving measures, MAX Atria has extensively used recycled material in its construction, such as Green Label certified products and products with at least 30% recycled material. This includes carpets for all meeting rooms and pre-function areas, toilet partitions, acoustic doors, dry wall partitions, water proofing materials as well as the use of eco-concrete for all non-structural elements, to make MAX Atria a truly green building. 1 HDB apartments refer to public housing developed by Singapore's Housing Development Board and the average size for a four-room apartment is 1,000sqm.

"MAX Atria is designed with environmental best practices incorporated from concept to construction. At Singex, it is our mission to shape business events for the global marketplace through innovative development and sustainable management of our venues", said Mr Aloysius Arlando, Chief Executive Officer of Singex Group, the venue manager of both MAX Atria and Singapore EXPO, "Eco-sustainability has become a key factor in today's business world, and we recognize the importance of the global effort to address environmental issues such as climate change. As a responsible corporate citizen and leader in the MICE industry, Singex strives to deliver quality solutions for our stakeholders and work closely with our vendors and business partners in a sustainable approach."

Commissioned by the Singapore Tourism Board, MAX Atria offers a refreshing concept in conventions. It adds 8,000 square metres of conference space and a total of 32 meeting rooms to Singapore EXPO. The building is expected to be fully operational by the first quarter of 2012.

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Notes to Editor Please use "Singex" and "EXPO" if an acronym for Singex Group/Singex Venues Pte Ltd and Singapore EXPO Convention and Exhibition Centre respectively is required.

For media enquiries, please contact: Ms Natalie LEUNG Manager (Marketing Communications) DID: (65) 6403 2125 Mobile: (65) 9001 3427 Email: natalie.leung ( @ ) singex dot com dot sg