ACHIEVEMENT OF GREEN MARK USING PLANTS

Abstract

The construction industry has always been one of the biggest contributors to environmental degradation. The materials and methods used are constantly harming the environment. In light of this, Building and Construction Authority of Singapore has launched the Green Mark scheme to promote environmental sustainability. The scheme encourages the industry to construct more environmentally-friendly buildings in terms of design, construction, maintenance and operation. With more receptivity and adoption of Green Mark, the built environment is gearing towards a greener concept. In accordance with this, seminars and exhibitions are conducted to enhance the awareness of developers, designers and builders. The Green Mark scheme is frequently revised to alleviate the standards of the industry.

The criteria of the Green Mark scheme studied mainly employed mechanical means. However, designing and creating such mechanical equipments requires intensive time which would impede the rate of green ideology. As a result, natural means such as the utilizing of plants could be considered. Plants are discovered to be capable of improving the indoor air quality. Adopting plants to improve the indoor air quality and achieve the Green Mark scheme would close up the research gap.

Survey and experiments were conducted for this dissertation. The survey showed that 31% of the occupants are not satisfied with the indoor air quality of Zero Energy Building (ZEB) and symptoms such as irritation were experienced. Controlled experiments conducted revealed that big-leaf plants are more capable of reducing carbon dioxide and formaldehyde than small-leaf plants due to its larger surface area and greater stomatal openings for more gaseous exchange. More quantity of plants creates an exponential effect and formulas were discovered for future calculations of reduction with more quantities. Actual implementation at ZEB further proves the effectiveness of plants in improving the indoor air quality in real-life situation though it is limited by cost, time and space constraints. Hence, plants are recommended to be implemented in the achievement of Green Mark to improve the indoor air quality.