Thursday, October 29, 2009

JTC going green with plants on roof trellises

(SINGAPORE) JTC Corp is pushing the idea of sky-rise greenery even further. The industrial landlord is looking at constructing roof trellises between adjacent buildings and covering them with plants.

Among other things, the project, which is set to be tested next year, could cut energy consumption in buildings by reducing heat radiation.

'Singapore is trying to do more sustainable developments and JTC is trying to play its part,' said the director of JTC's engineering planning division Koh Chwee.

There will be benefits all round, he said. The shaded ground will make it cooler to walk in the area and the plants will help improve air quality and be aesthetically pleasing.

Selected buildings will have their columns extended one storey higher.

Steel cables will then be tied to the columns and steel wire mesh will be suspended from the cables, forming an overhead canopy.

After this, climbing plants will be grown from planter boxes along a building's roof edges to the mesh structure. Over time, the plants will cover the mesh and provide shade.

JTC aims to test the idea in the second half of next year between two buildings at its upcoming Clean Tech Park in Jurong. It hopes to be ready to roll out the idea on a larger scale in 2011.

If all goes well, other kinds of developments, such as residential and commercial buildings, could also adopt green roof trellises, Mr Koh said.

Source: Business Times, 29 Oct 2009

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