STRATEGIC VERTICAL RECLAMATION OF OFFICE BUILDINGS IN SINGAPORE: A CASE STUDY OF 137 MARKET STREET

Abstract

A large amount of the world’s waste is generated by the building industry. In Singapore, 21.6% of waste is construction debris. Buildings also account for one-third of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, 40% of global energy consumption and resources, and 25% of global water consumption. Hence, to reduce wastage and energy consumption by the building industry, a two-pronged approach must be taken – firstly, to cut down the amount of resources/ embodied energy being expended in the building process, and secondly to integrate green technologies onto buildings to reduce the day-to- day energy consumption of the building. This dissertation seeks to accord a compelling case for the vertical reclamation and retrofit of office buildings in Singapore in order to move towards a more sustainable building culture; to expose the challenges faced and strategies employed in this method of building expansion such that future similar situations can be addressed with such approaches confidently. It also proposes vertical reclamation and building retrofit as one of the solutions to reduce waste and energy consumption of the industry. A case study of 137 Market Street in Singapore was done to reveal the conditions for and strategies of a successful vertical reclamation and building retrofit project as well as its limitations. A brief review of the literature pertaining to vertical reclamation, vertical expansion and existing building retrofit was done, revealing that there are few sources that deal with this method of sustainable building in its entirety, highlighting the possibility of further research in this area. From the case study, environmental and economic costs and benefits of the building were evaluated, and it was revealed that despite the tight parameters surrounding this building, it is still possible to perform a vertical reclamation and building retrofit that is economically and environmentally viable, prompting the proposal of such a sustainable building practice as a feasible approach that can be widely adopted in the wake of increased demand of office space.