SAFRA Chai Chee Club

 

SAFRA Chai Chee Club is a leisure club in Singapore that offers a range of health and wellness programs for local military personnel and their families. The club has been awarded the Green Mark Platinum certification for ultra‑low energy consumption by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) and has also earned a Sustainability Badge for its outstanding performance in the “Life‑Cycle Carbon Emissions” and “Health and Wellbeing” categories.

 

Project Overview

 

Analysis Diagram

 

Project Appearance

 

The building harmonizes with its surrounding park setting, embracing natural elements and incorporating numerous innovative design features to foster a sustainable environment, while also advancing its core vision of promoting physical fitness and supporting community health.

 

The architecture echoes its surrounding park setting.

 

This is first reflected in the building’s massing, which is organized around a landscaped atrium and aligned along the park’s central axis. The central landscape axis maximizes natural daylight and ventilation while minimizing the need for artificial lighting and mechanical cooling. It also seamlessly integrates the clubhouse with the park.

 

Site Location

 

Architecture and the park are seamlessly integrated.

 

Moreover, vegetation is strategically planted around the building, and a rainwater‑collection system—designed using computational fluid dynamics—both mitigates runoff from open pathways and recycles rainwater for irrigation, thereby minimizing water consumption. The carefully curated plant palette also helps to alleviate the urban heat island effect.

 

The vegetation landscape of the atrium

 

The entire SAFRA Chai Chee is imbued with a rich tropical‑plant ambiance, creating a sense of closeness to nature that is rare in an urban setting. These green spaces are thoughtfully interwoven with the clubhouse’s comprehensive amenities, leisure areas, and communal gardens, generating synergies that bring people together, foster a strong sense of community, and promote both physical and mental well‑being. This seamless integration of nature, community, and lifestyle is further enhanced by the incorporation of biophilic design elements and a pedestrian‑friendly network throughout the development.

 

Pool under the eaves

 

To better address operational carbon emissions, proactive design strategies have been implemented. These include the use of high‑efficiency LED lighting—featuring zone‑based automatic dimming—as well as a heat‑recovery system that repurposes waste hot water from chillers to reduce reliance on electric heating, and the integration of photovoltaic panels. By combining these measures, the SAFRA Chai Chee Club is able to generate renewable energy, maximize energy efficiency, and achieve a 42% reduction in energy consumption.

 

Proactive Design Strategies

 

This was underscored by a full‑scope, full‑life‑cycle carbon‑emissions assessment conducted during the early design phase. Such an assessment is critical for understanding a project’s embodied carbon and for identifying sustainable materials. The construction of the SAFRA Chai Chee Park Club utilized eco‑friendly concrete and recyclable steel, reducing embodied carbon per unit floor area by 23%.

 

Streamlined design