Sustainability

Gardens by the Bay Description Sustainability has been a key design driver for Singapores ambitious Gardens by the Bay project. The garden at Marina South will be home to some of the sites most spectacular structures including two cooled conservatories. With a total covered area of 16,500m2, they will be among the largest climate-controlled glasshouses in the world, employing low-energy and renewable systems. Each has its own distinct character, but both explore the horticulture of those environments most likely to be affected by climate change - the Mediterranean zone and tropical cloud forests. The cool-dry biome will tell the story of plants and people in the Mediterranean zone, and how the plants cultivated in these regions will gradually become endangered as temperatures rise. The adjacent cool-moist biome focuses on plants and the planet, highlighting how the warming of the cool tropical cloud forests will threaten the Earths biodiversity. The envelopes of both biomes are critical to their success. Both are designed to allow as much light as possible to enter so that the plants within can ourish; the hybrid structure of a gridshell supported by giant steel arches was informed by extensive daylight analysis. However, with high levels of sunlight comes heat gain and so to lessen the cooling load a retractable shading system will be deployed between the arches for use on sunny days. Rolled triangular sails of 8m x 10m will be concealed within the main arch sections and these will unfurl as required to provide shade. The choice of glazing is also fundamental to the faade design: the double-glazed units that enclose the biomes will have a low-e coating on the inner face of the outer pane to allow approximately 65% of the incident daylight through to the interior but only 35% of the solar heat. The cooling system for the Conservatory Complex will be carbon neutral over the course of a year. Cooled air will be supplied via displacement systems in the cool-dry biome and a combination of displacement systems and jet diffusers in the cool-moist biome. The cooled air is generally supplied at low level and, as it warms, will rise to the top of the space where it will disperse through open windows or be extracted and recirculated.

Sustainability

Gardens by the Bay Description and Data A central on-site energy centre will provide cooling and power to the biomes and the primary energy source for this will be waste wood. The National Parks Board is responsible for some 3 million trees in Singapore which generate about 5000 tonnes of timber clippings a month. Instead of being dumped this will be be chipped and burnt in a steam biomass boiler and used to drive the CHP system. Ash from the boiler will be re-used in the garden whilst heat from the CHP unit will be used to regenerate a liquid dessicant. This dessicant will be used to remove moisture from the fresh air supply. This helps cut power consumption; dry air requires far less energy to cool it than moist air does. Waste water from the dessicant circuit will be exhausted to the atmosphere through a ue concealed in the trunk of one of the on-site Supertrees. These giant steel and concrete sculptures will have planting around their trunks creating striking vertical gardens whilst their branches will also support solar hot water collectors, PV panels and rainwater harvesters. The tallest trees will contain lifts for access to a high level walkway and a treetop caf.

Details Location: Singapore Client: National Parks Board Singapore Architect: Wilkinson Eyre Architects Landscape Architect: Grant Associates Structural Engineers: Atelier One Environmental Engineers: Atelier Ten Exhibiton Design: Land Design Studio Quantity Surveyors: Davis Langdon Seah Appointment: September 2006 Awards MIPIM/AR Future Project Awards 2009: Commendation