Having long been known as the Garden City, Singapore has now set its sights on becoming a City in a Garden.
Used to the abundance of plants and trees well integrated into our parks, roads, waterways and even our buildings, when visiting places overseas, many Singaporeans often find it uncomfortable when they are surrounded by the concrete jungle with little green in sight.
Green roofs are an accepted part of modern building in Europe, where their use has become mandated by some city and national governments. They are commonplace in the Austrian city of Linz, where green roofs ae required on all new residential and commercial buildings with rooftops larger than 100sqm.
A 15% cut in the energy bill with a 40% reduction of the direct solar radiation in dwellings and a lower indoor temperature by up to 3 degrees thanks to plants grown on roofs, balconies and external walls. These are part of the outcomes of the Italian pilot project ENEA is conducting at its research center near Rome.
A FIRST-generation Melbourne farmer wants to share his knowledge on urban farming by building a university-like campus in every major Australian city.
More than a breath of fresh air, green offices can boost workspace productivity and save organisations thousands of dollars by dramatically reducing illness and absenteeism.
Real estate investors know that healthy buildings are a good thing, but an increasing amount of evidence is emerging to show that they are also good business.
While it remains hard for investors to see the benefits of a healthy building in their bottom line, there are more tools than ever before which allow occupiers to quantify the benefits of wellness for productivity. In time, this should translate into higher rents and capital values.
