APPLICATION OF URBAN METABOLISM CONCEPT TO STUDY THE RESOURCE CONSUMPTION AND WASTE GENERATIONS OF SHOPPING MALLS AND OFFICE BUILDINGS IN THE FUTURE JURONG DISTRICT

Abstract

This research makes a major breakthrough in Urban Metabolism studies as it conducts the first ever district scale analysis of material flows in Singapore’s Jurong Lake District (JLD) by focusing on specific important aspects of the material flow, which include electricity and water as inflows and waste as outflows. The study was inspired by the lack of academic research found on the electricity consumption, water consumption and waste generation levels of existing office buildings and shopping malls. Therefore, this research takes on a new direction by examining the three variables in five office buildings and two shopping malls situated in Singapore. The limited number of buildings investigated was due to the low response rates. Subsequently, information availability was an issue as well due to the sensitive nature of the data requested. Subsequently the Spearman Rank Correlation Coefficient was performed to generate the correlations between these variables and the corresponding Gross Floor Area (GFA). Using regression equations, a forecast of the resource consumption and waste generation levels for two developmental plans of the JLD, Plan A and B, was calculated. The predicted values show a relatively smaller Energy Intensity (EI) for offices in JLD as compared to several other countries. Other than these, there was no basis of comparison for the other variables, including water consumption and waste generation in both building types. Nevertheless, they are still invaluable as they contribute to the current literature and can be used by researchers in the future.