In Chinese belief, red symbolises good fortune and joy. However, did you know that 2015 is the year of the green goat? By being green and adopting sustainable practices, we believe it will bring in green prosperity too!

Here are our 5 simple tips to green your 2015 starting this Lunar New Year.

Recycle & Reuse while spring cleaning

While spring cleaning, sort items for recycling (Eg. paper, plastic, cans..) Repurpose items like old clothes as rags, and bigger ticket items like home appliances and furniture that are still in good condition can be donated to charities such as Salvation Army.

Have fun while re-purposing

We give out red packets and gifts throughout the year on CNY, birthdays, or Christmas. Recycle paper by creating your own red packet envelopes, fortune cookies or gift packaging using old magazines or used ang pows. Used ang pows also make great CNY decorations when re-purposed!

 
Green your celebrations by minimising waste

When celebrating CNY (Or the many other festivities throughout the rest of the year), minimise the use of disposables, especially non biodegradable plastic cutleries. Reuse old plastic bags as trash bags rather than brand new ones. Also, in an attempt to throw the best parties and our love for food, we typically over buy food during celebrations. Avoid buying too much food at the parties to avoid food wastage, which is a growing concern in Singapore.

Use long-lasting items when renovating

If you’re thinking about renovating your home this year, think about investing in long-lasting, eco-friendly materials in your home. For example, most kitchen and bathroom cabinets are built of non-waterproof materials such as plywood – but because they are frequently exposed to moisture and water, some tend to mould and rot quickly, which leads to more material and renovation work needed. MultiPanel, which is 100% waterproof, eco-friendly and long lasting, can be used to prevent this.

Support energy efficient products
With our homes furnished with the latest appliances and products such as the air-conditioner, washing machine, dryer, water heater, we are utilising more energy each year. Without cutting away this level of comfort we are used to, look into reducing energy use by getting energy efficient products like LED lights, solar air-conditioners and more. Switch on appliances only when in use and we believe this would contribute in cutting down energy use and your electricity bill!

Hope you enjoyed these tips and have a happy 2015!

Innoverde introduces 100% waterproof & lightweight building panel to Singapore, increasing productivity, manpower savings and environmental benefits.

The Singapore Construction Productivity Week (SCPW), since it’s launch in 2011, has made significant progress in promoting the adoption of more productive construction methods. With the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) introducing a S$250-million Construction Productivity and Capability Fund (CPCF) as part of the Governments efforts to help the construction industry improve productivity and strengthen its capability, there’s no reason why construction companies shouldn’t adopt these new methods.

With a greater focus on environmental sustainability and the pressure to build responsibly, how do we combine the two to push for green productivity?

How can we champion clean, sustainable construction methods and transform a work space from this (left) to this (right)..

…reduce manpower, get the job done faster while promoting sustainable and environmentally friendly building practices at the same time? 

This goal mirrors Minister for National Development Khaw Boon Wan’s and the government’s aim to strive for the ““construction industry to be cleaner, quieter and faster..” by adopting game-changing technologies in construction.

Sounds like an impossible challenge? Not quite, and it’s in motion.

Achieving green productivity in construction

We gained some valuable tips from our Australian principal company, MultiPanel, who has introduced these green productivity solutions since it’s incorporation in 2000. With the high and increasing manpower costs in Australia, especially for skilled workers, it left builders in Australia no choice but to implement these manpower saving solutions to help reduce their costs. Facing a similar trend in Singapore, it now has become the right time for us to look at these solutions to overcome our own rising manpower costs. 

To illustrate – When building a balcony, traditional methods of construction would be to use concrete, which is extremely heavy. Not only does concrete take a long time to cure, require water ponding, and waterproofing, there is also a high risk of error if the concrete isn’t set properly, which leads to the possibility of re-work. Working with cement is also very messy. Using a slightly lighter fibre cement board as a substrate, several waterproofing precautions still need to be taken as well, especially on the joints.

With MultiPanel, a 100% waterproof, strong and lightweight material with eco-friendly properties, this panel can be used as a substrate together with a frame made of steel, aluminium or Cross Laminated Timbre (CLT). CLT, which has just been approved to use in Singapore for structural components in buildings, enables manpower and time savings of up to 35 per cent compared to conventional construction methods. When used with MultiPanel, becomes 100% waterproof. 

MultiPanel on it’s own also has it’s own strengths. Being lightweight, not only are transportation costs and emissions reduced as less fuel is needed for transportation, but less manpower is needed to carry and install the panels on site. There is less installation time as there is no need for water ponding, waterproofing, and the panel can be easily installed using traditional wood working tools. Without deteriorating and rotting due to water damage, It is long lasting and there is no need to change the panels over many years. Also having insulation properties, it acts as a natural coolant and lowers the temperature of the building. 

In terms of scale, not only does this affect new buildings, but also a large number of existing buildings which require A&A works or conservation. It is a quick and clean method of building & waterproofing with little downtime. 

Visit our Gallery to view Traditional Construction Vs MultiPanel Applications.

Download Press Release here.

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Eco-friendly, 100% Waterproof & lightweight panels

MultiPanel is a lightweight and 100% waterproof building panel that will not absorb any moisture and can be used without a membrane coating. MultiPanel is used in many building applications including facades, bulkheads, eaves, external cladding, waterproof flooring substrate, waterproof wall lining for wet areas and more. Thinner panels are flexible allowing for creativity in designing curved elements within the building. The ease in which this can be achieved makes on-site installation extremely efficient.

MultiPanel has been used as substrates in many showers and balconies and has proven to save labour for onsite installation but more importantly is a solution to moisture related problems in wet areas.