Skyrise Greenery

Credit: National Parks

As land is scarce in Singapore, skyrise greenery is an effective way to integrate nature into our urban development. At present, there are two ways of greening a building – rooftop greenery and vertical greenery. Rooftop greenery can be further differentiated into green roofs, like the one at NTU School of Art, Design, and Media, and roof gardens. More recently, roofs have also been used for farming. Vertical greenery is easier to spot as they grow on the vertical surface of a building. Orchard Central is one example that has incorporated both rooftop greenery and vertical greenery.

Credit: Greenroofs.com

Credit: Greenroofs.com

Credit: Nature Landscapes

Credit: Nature Landscapes

Benefits
Besides aesthetic value, skyrise greenery also has environmental, economic, and social benefits. It acts as a form of insulation by shading heat-absorbing concrete from the sun. This helps to cool the building and thereby reducing the need for air-conditioning. Additionally, it acts as a natural air purifier by absorbing airborne particles. Roof gardens can help to promote community interaction among residents by developing a sense of ownership. It is also a good hideout for employees to destress. A more practical reason to encourage skyrise greenery is that green roofs are less costly to maintain and replace than conventional roofs. Ultimately, skyrise greenery is economical and helps us to improve our quality of life. 

Fundings
In order to encourage more installations of skyrise greenery, government has put in place 2 schemes to provide fundings. Under the Skyrise Greenery Incentive Scheme 2.0 by NParks, building owners can obtain up to 50% funding for the installation of both rooftop and vertical greenery. This scheme has helped more than 110 buildings ranging from companies to shopping malls and even museums in their greening efforts.

The ‘LUSH’ (Landscaping for Urban Spaces and High-rises) programme by URA offers Gross Floor Area incentives to encourage private developers to green up both ground and upper levels of buildings such as the development of communal ground gardens and roof gardens.

Recognition

Credit: skyrisegreenery.com

Credit: skyrisegreenery.com

Landscape Excellence Assessment Framework (LEAF) gives recognition to developments with outstanding provision and management of greenery. On the other hand, Skyrise Greenery Awards recognize the key players behind the project. Although they are not exactly the same, they have a common objective. That is to create awareness and encourage more installations of skyrise greenery. Recognition provides extrinsic motivation for existing awardees to maintain their efforts and thus develop a strong sense of ownership. It also serves to inspire more architects and developers to get involve in the greening project.

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