Greenery Efforts Reach New Heights
Hear, hear! Greenery no longer belongs on the ground. In Singapore, buildings are becoming greener as more developers are adorning their skyscrapers with Skyrise Greenery, which comprises rooftop and vertical greenery. With their green embellishment, these buildings stand out from their ordinary concrete counterparts.
Notwithstanding, Skyrise Greenery serves more than a decorative function. We all know how humid it gets on this tropical island, so apart from helping to soften the urban landscape and enhancing the buildings’ architectural design, Skyrise Greenery helps to alleviate the Urban Heat Island Effect by shading heat-absorbing surfaces. The plants help to cool the surroundings, improve rainwater retention, air quality and enhance biodiversity in the city by providing additional habitats for butterflies and birds.
Features like rooftop gardens also create beautiful recreation spaces for people to relax and mingle. This helps to promote a sense of ownership and fosters community interaction. As Skyrise Greenery enhances the building’s aesthetic appeal, it also increases its marketability and property value. Another plus point is it reduces energy cooling and maintenance costs for building owners.
Over the years, more developers have been contributing eagerly to our vision to create a City in a Garden by incorporating such innovative greening methods in their buildings’ designs.
The Skyrise Greenery Awards (SGA), which recognises developers’ efforts in greening and ecologically friendly landscapes, was launched in 2008, receiving just nine entries that year. At the sixth edition held in 2015, this number has jumped to 123 entries, indicating a growing public interest in this initiative.
Out of the 12 awardees last year, Westgate clinched the SGA Outstanding Award for its exceptional “mall in a garden” concept. Distinctive green walls and sky gardens are interspersed throughout its levels, providing everyone a pleasant respite from the hustle and rush of shopping.
Eleven developments were also certified under the Landscape Excellence Assessment Framework (LEAF) this year, in recognition of their efforts in greenery provision and management.
Check out 2015’s stellar Skyrise Greenery initiatives in this video!
Text by Jaiya Murathasu
Video by Jaiya Murathasu and Jasper Ku Wei
Notwithstanding, Skyrise Greenery serves more than a decorative function. We all know how humid it gets on this tropical island, so apart from helping to soften the urban landscape and enhancing the buildings’ architectural design, Skyrise Greenery helps to alleviate the Urban Heat Island Effect by shading heat-absorbing surfaces. The plants help to cool the surroundings, improve rainwater retention, air quality and enhance biodiversity in the city by providing additional habitats for butterflies and birds.
Features like rooftop gardens also create beautiful recreation spaces for people to relax and mingle. This helps to promote a sense of ownership and fosters community interaction. As Skyrise Greenery enhances the building’s aesthetic appeal, it also increases its marketability and property value. Another plus point is it reduces energy cooling and maintenance costs for building owners.
Over the years, more developers have been contributing eagerly to our vision to create a City in a Garden by incorporating such innovative greening methods in their buildings’ designs.
The Skyrise Greenery Awards (SGA), which recognises developers’ efforts in greening and ecologically friendly landscapes, was launched in 2008, receiving just nine entries that year. At the sixth edition held in 2015, this number has jumped to 123 entries, indicating a growing public interest in this initiative.
Out of the 12 awardees last year, Westgate clinched the SGA Outstanding Award for its exceptional “mall in a garden” concept. Distinctive green walls and sky gardens are interspersed throughout its levels, providing everyone a pleasant respite from the hustle and rush of shopping.
Eleven developments were also certified under the Landscape Excellence Assessment Framework (LEAF) this year, in recognition of their efforts in greenery provision and management.
Check out 2015’s stellar Skyrise Greenery initiatives in this video!
Skyrise Greenery Awards 2015 recipients
Outstanding AwardExcellence Awards
- Westgate
Special Awards
- Jem (Commercial/Industrial)
- Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (Community/Facility)
- National Gallery Singapore (Community/Facility)
- Nanyang Polytechnic (Educational Institution)
- SkyTerrace @ Dawson (Residential – Multi-units)
- The Interlace (Residential – Multi-units)
- Cornwall Gardens (Residential – Small-scale)
- Spectra Secondary School (community Engagement)
- The Green Line @ NatSteel (DIY Project)
- KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (Retrofit Project)
- Liang Seah Place (Retrofit Project)
LEAF-certified developments in 2015
New developmentsExisting developments
- Kampung Admiralty (HDB estate)*
- Punggol Northshore District Landscape Masterplan (HDB estate)*
- Skyline I &II @ Bukit Batok (HDB estate)
- Lush Acres
- Mapletree Business City II
- Genting Hotel Jurong (Hotel)*
- PARKROYAL on Pickering (Hotel)*
- Sentosa Cove (Condominium)
- The Foresta @ Mount Faber (Condominium)
- SkyTerrace@Dawson (HDB estate)
- Skyville@Dawson (HDB estate)
*Outstanding Projects
Spotted any other developments which have creatively used Skyrise Greenery? Snap some photos, tag #NParksBuzz and post them on Instagram of Facebook.To learn more about Skyrise Greenery, visit skyrisegreenery.com.
For more information on the Landscape Excellence Assessment Framework (LEAF), visit our website.
Glossary:
Urban Heat Island Effect - refers to the temperature difference between rural and urban areas
Text by Jaiya Murathasu
Video by Jaiya Murathasu and Jasper Ku Wei
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