VERTICAL GREENERY RETROFITS IN SINGAPORE

Abstract

There is a growing trend of using greenery as a main design element in buildings in Singapore. In parallel, due to land constraints and a rapidly growing population, there are on-going government sustainability initiatives such as Green Plan 2012 and Sustainable Development Blueprint. This dissertation investigates the greenery retrofit done for ‘158 Cecil Street’ that was completed in February 2011, which won the first prize at the SIA-NParks Skyrise Greenery Award 2011. The studies done aim to provide findings for vertical greenery retrofits in Singapore, based on the associated costs and benefits, design motivations and challenges, human perceptions, and possible directions forward. In ‘158 Cecil Street’, being an existing building, additional lights, irrigation system and routine plant maintenance were necessary for upkeep of the retrofitted internal greenery. This involves additional costs and energy usage in addition to the ambient heat that the light sources generate. This raises the question of whether such greenery retrofits of buildings in Singapore are actually ‘green’. Surveys done with the architect, building owner, building manager and tenants showed that while there were several identified challenges, there is general satisfaction and positive opinion towards the end result. However, there are significant costs and impacts of such retrofit works, which need to be considered early on. Energy simulations done show that while there can be significant reductions in cooling loads associated with greenery retrofits, there are relatively insignificant reductions associated with such retrofits for a naturally ventilated atrium space. In conclusion, the studies done showed that with proper planning and resources, similar types of greenery retrofits can be implemented in other existing buildings, to achieve targets such as increasing building occupancy, improving rental values, providing pleasant spaces for users, bringing about reductions in energy usage, and ultimately that of having a “City in a Garden” environment for Singapore.