RESEARCH engineers from the Agency for Science and Technology (A*Star) have invented and trialled a toilet-monitoring system that can signal when toilets need to be cleaned.

It tracks how heavily rest-rooms are used and has a sensor to measure the odour levels of substances such as ammonia and hydrogen sulphide, which are present in urine and faeces respectively.

The technology, known as the Restroom Visitilizer System, was on trial in more than 60 public toilets islandwide in the past two years, in places such as Marina Bay Sands (MBS) , the Singapore Zoo and River Safari.

Toilets at nine food centres – such as those in Tiong Bahru, Maxwell and Serangoon Gardens – were included too.

The system, developed in 2013, has now been licensed to Convergent Smart Technologies, a local small and medium-sized enterprise.

Its director, Cedric Hoon, said it has received good reviews from cleaning contractors. It costs about $1,700 to $2,000 to install a set of sensors for two toilets.

Dennis Quek, industry development manager at A*Star’s Institute for Infocomm Research, said public toilets are typically cleaned at regular intervals several times a day, regardless of how frequently used they are.

Some cleaning firms also act on complaints, most of which are about smell, he added.

Mr Hoon noted that cleaners have a roster for them to physically check the toilets up to six times a day, leading to manpower wastage.

Shopping malls’ restrooms can be used by up to 300 people an hour. For those in food centres, the rate hovers at about 100 to 150 an hour.

This new technology offers a “clean on demand” option allowing supervisors to deploy resources more efficiently, said Mr Quek.

Across the toilets that had tested the system, there was a 30 per cent improvement in manpower productivity, he added.

“One cleaner can take care of more toilets – some which aren’t so heavily used – and he or she doesn’t have to walk around to physically check the toilets,” he explained.

Instead, on-demand alerts can be sent by SMS to cleaners if a particular toilet needs immediate attention.

To encourage more building owners to adopt the system, Convergent Smart Technologies signed an agreement this year with the Restroom Association (Singapore), or RAS.

Emerson Hee, RAS’ executive director, said it is urging building owners to adopt the technology to better maintain toilet cleanliness and meet higher standards, as part of its six-star rating it introduced in November 2014.

An MBS spokesman said it is constantly looking at ways to improve productivity through the use of technology. It adopted the sensor system in 10 toilets and plans to install it in another 26 this year.

A spokesman for the National University Hospital Kopitiam foodcourt, which installed the system in December last year, said it is a convenient way of obtaining “relevant real-time information” such as the usage and odour level in toilets.

“This is essential for deployment of toilet cleaners and to monitor the amount of time they need to clean up, especially during periods of heavy usage,” he added.

ateng@sph.com.sg

Get MyPaper for more stories.

THE Hong Kong-listed conglomerate founded by gambling billionaire Stanley Ho has made its first foray into the Singapore property market, and it is certainly an attention-grabber.

Shun Tak Holdings, via its wholly owned subsidiary Shun Tak Real Estate (Singapore), is paying $145 million for 9 Cuscaden Road, a bungalow put up for sale by the descendants of famed philanthropist Tan Tock Seng.

It was the first hotel redevelopment site on sale in Orchard in over 10 years.

The sum, one of the highest paid for a landed house, works out to about $2,145 per sq ft per plot ratio for a hotel redevelopment, including development charges.

The 25,741 sq ft freehold site is zoned for hotel use with allowable gross plot ratio of 4.2, but could alternatively be used for residential development, subject to approval. Shun Tak said it is at a preliminary stage of planning and will announce further details later.

Said Desmond Sim, CBRE research head for Singapore and South-east Asia: “While the hotel zoning might deter potential bidders, it’s a perfect fit for Shun Tak and would be a fresh injection of vibrancy into Orchard Road.”

The site’s zoning also means the purchase does not attract Additional Buyers’ Stamp Duty, unlike a residential site, he noted.

The deal, brokered by JLL, comes nearly a decade after Mr Ho’s aborted attempt to partner Genting International in building the Resorts World Sentosa.

Shun Tak is firmly rooted in Macau’s tourism business, with operations spanning hotels, entertainment attractions, travel consultancies, conventions and transport.

Pansy Ho, managing director of Shun Tak and Mr Ho’s daughter, said the firm would capitalise on its strength in hospitality and real-estate development and “apply our experience in serving the demands arising from the burgeoning China and Asian markets”.

The Cuscaden Road site was put on sale last month with an asking price of $160 million to $170 million. It was the family home of the late businessman Tan Hoon Siang, who headed several rubber companies in Malaysia and great-grandson of Tan Tock Seng.

The land parcel was bought by the family in the 1950s.

Property analysts believe it is too early to say if this deal and the Shunfu Ville en-bloc sale announced last week are hints of a market upturn.

wrennie@sph.com.sg

Get MyPaper for more stories.

SINGAPORE – A 22-year-old man from Bangladesh was killed in another worksite accident on Monday evening at the Mandai Depot construction site.

The Straits Times understands that the man, who a relative would only identify as “Riyad”, had been working when a large metal beam fell off a passing lorry and hit him, killing him.

The accident happened at around 7pm, said workers. The main contractor at the site is Jurong Primewide. The man’s uncle, who declined to be named, was waiting outside the construction site hoping to get a glimpse of his nephew’s body.

He said that Riyad had only been in Singapore for four to five months.

His brother was sobbing outside the site, and declined to speak with the media.

This is believed to be at least the 30th workplace fatality this year.

This article was first published on May 23, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

A 25-YEAR-OLD canteen in Changi Airport Terminal 2, which CNN praised for serving “some of the best and cheapest food” in Singapore, had its last day of business under its current operator on Sunday.

The foodcourt and staff canteen, which was run by Select Group, is now under Kopitiam, Chinese newspaper Shin Min Daily News reported yesterday.

More than 100 customers flocked to the canteen to bid farewell or eat from the stalls that are closing for good.

The canteen sells dishes such as porridge for $2.50, and chicken rice and fried Hokkien mee for $3.

Some stall owners told Chinese daily Lianhe Wanbao that customers gave them farewell gifts including birds’ nest, cake and bonsai when they learnt they were leaving.

Shin Min understands that at least five of the 24 stalls will not resume business under the new operator. Among the reasons are higher rents, a change in operating hours and a request for stall owners to switch from using paper plates to cutlery, which increases costs, Wanbao reported.

Stalls that are leaving include well-liked Western outlet Wild Olives, reviewed favourably by local food critics.

Wild Olives wrote on its Facebook page that it has been “overwhelmed by the outpouring of support and goodwill” in the past few weeks, adding that customers will be informed should it decide to relocate.

When Shin Min visited the canteen on Sunday night, there were at least 30 people queuing at Wild Olives.

Investment director Qiu Dingli, 39, said he was there with his family to eat the Western food, porridge and Hokkien mee after hearing that the canteen was closing.

Meanwhile, Ngee Kee fried Hokkien mee stall will be leaving the premises. Owner Lin Yuxing, 60, who had operated there for 25 years, said he could not agree with Kopitiam on rental and opening hours.

He put up a notice on his Facebook page on Friday saying that he will move to Block 210, Toa Payoh Lorong 8 in July.

myp@sph.com.sg

Get MyPaper for more stories.