BUILDING

VISION:

As a small city with limited resources and growing needs, we need to use our land, water, and
energy and other resources prudently, pragmatically and with an eye on the future. This way we ensure
that people in the city can enjoy both economic growth and a good living environment for ourselves and
for the future generation.

Sustainable development has always been a key consideration for the development of the city.
Growing and developing our city in an efficient, clean, and green way by utilizing less resources; and
preserving greenery, waterways and our natural heritage, are the goals of the sustainable development
of our city.
1. Alternative energy use
Solar Energy is common alternative energy that widely use all over the world.
Benefits of solar energy are:
― it is renewable and this means that we will never run out of it. It is about as
natural a source of power as it is possible to generate electricity.
― The creation of solar energy requires little maintenance. Once the solar panels
have been installed and are working at maximum efficiency there is only a small
amount of maintenance required each year to ensure they are in working order.
― They are a silent producer of energy. There is absolutely no noise made from
photovoltaic panels as they convert sunlight into usable electricity.
― There are continual advancements in solar panel technology which are
increasing the efficiency and lowering the cost of production, thus making it
even more cost effective.
― During operation solar electricity power plants produce zero emissions.

2. Green roofs and walls

― One of the attractions not only the city but the building itself is its green roofs and walls.
Green roofs can help regulate a building’s internal temperature, reduce stormwater
runoff, and mitigate the urban heat island effect. Green roofs offer significant economic
benefits, including a longer roof life and heating and cooling energy savings. Green roofs
also provide an opportunity for urban food production, and increasing urban
biodiversity. If well-designed and cared for, green roofs can offer people the
psychological benefits of nature.
― Green roofs benefits include:
o Economic
Green roofs can extend a roof’s lifespan by two or three times. According to Sustainable
South Bronx, on a 90 degree day a green roof is about 80°F, while a black roof is 175°F,
causing substantial wear and tear.
o Energy Use
 Energy savings: A typical 2-3 story building could experience 15-25 percent savings in
summertime energy costs.
o Water Management
 Green roofs can catch 40-60 percent of storm water, reducing flow into a city’s
sewers
o Reducing Air Pollution, Urban Heat, & Atmospheric Carbon Levels
 A study quantifying ecosystem services resulting from Portland, Oregon’s green
infrastructure practices in 2009 found that green roofs reduced particulate matter
less than 10 micrometers in diameter (PM-10) by 7.7 lbs, created 8,270 + kWh/Acre
energy savings, and sequestered 7.1 metric tonnes of carbon emissions per acre per
year.
o Urban Heat
 A modeling study found that adding green roofs to 50 percent of the available
surfaces in downtown Toronto would cool the entire city by 0.2 to 1.4°F (0.1 to
0.8°C).
 A Toronto study found two green roofs with minimal vegetation reduced peak
summertime roof membrane temperatures by 35°F and summertime heat flow
through roofs by 70-90 percent compared with a conventional roof, substantially
reducing energy needs for cooling.

o Green walls include most of the benefits of green roofs, but also:
 Temperatures behind green walls can be reduced by as much as 10 degree celsius.
 Green walls can help reduce sound reflection
 Through shading, green walls can lower temperatures in summer and reduce energy
costs by 23 percent.
GREEN WALL BENEFITS
Green Walls offer many public, private, and design-specific benefits.

PUBLIC BENEFITS
AESTHETIC IMPROVEMENTS
 Green walls can reclaim disregarded space by providing aesthetic stimulation where it would not
otherwise be found. They can also serve to create privacy and a sense of enclosure while
limiting the negative psychological effects associated with property demarcation.
REDUCTION OF THE URBAN HEAT ISLAND EFFECT
 The reintroduction of vegetation into urban environments promotes the occurrence of natural
cooling processes, such as photosynthesis and evapotranspiration.
 With strategic placement of green walls, plants can create enough turbulence to break vertical
airflow, which slows and cools down the air (Peck et al. 1999).
IMPROVED EXTERIOR AIR QUALITY
 Green walls mitigate air pollution levels by lowering extreme summer temperatures through
photosynthesis, trapping particulate matter, and capturing gases.
 The ability of green walls to provide thermal insulation for buildings means less demand on
power, and as a result, fewer polluting by-products are released into the air.
LOCAL JOB CREATION
 Green walls draw upon several disciplines for their design, installation, and maintenance
 Demand for a local supply of plant materials, blended growing media, greenhouse production,
and fabrication of structural frames creates further business activity.

PRIVATE BENEFITS
IMPROVED ENERGY EFFICIENCY
 Green walls can reduce the temperature fluctuations at a wall's surface from a range of 10-60°C
(50-140°F) to one of 5-30°C (41-86°F), in turn, limiting the movement of heat between building
walls (Minke 1982). They cause this reduction by:
o Trapping a layer of air within the plant mass.
o Reducing ambient temperature via evapotranspiration and shading.
o Creating a buffer against wind during winter months.
 Green walls can help lower the air temperature around intake valves, which means HVAC units
will require less energy to cool air before being circulated around a building.
BUILDING STRUCTURE PROTECTION
 Temperature fluctuations over a building's lifetime can be damaging to organic construction
materials in building facades. Green walls provide an additional layer of exterior insulation and
thereby limit thermal fluctuations.
 Green walls protect exterior finishes and masonry from UV radiation and rain. They can also
increase the seal or air tightness of doors, windows, and cladding by decreasing the effect of
wind pressure (Peck et al. 1999).
IMPROVED INDOOR AIR QUALITY
 Most North Americans spend 80-90% of their time indoors (Jenkins et al. 1992) and as a result,
are highly influenced by the effectiveness of interior air circulation systems. It has been
estimated that problems associated with poor indoor air quality negatively affect workplace
production by $60 billion per year in the United States (Reitze 1998).
 Air that has been circulated throughout a building with a strategically placed green wall (such as
near an air intake valve) will be cleaner than that on an uncovered building. The presence of
vegetation indoors will have the same effect.
 These processes remove airborne pollutants such as toluene, ethyl benzene, xylene, and other
volatile organic compounds.
NOISE REDUCTION
 The vegetated surface provided by strategic urban greenery such as green walls and roofs will
block high-frequency sounds, and when constructed with a substrate or growing medium
support can also block low-frequency noises.
 For over 30 years, plant life has been used to this end along freeways, arterials, and rail lines in
North America and Europe.
MARKETING POTENTIAL
 Green buildings, products, and services now possess a competitive edge in the marketplace.
 Green walls are an easily identifiable symbol of the green building movement since they are
visible and directly impact the amount of green space in urban centers.
DESIGN SPECIFIC BENEFITS
INCREASED BIODIVERSITY
 Green walls can help mitigate the loss of biodiversity due to the effects of urbanization, help
sustain a variety of plants, pollinators, and invertebrates, and provide habitat and nesting places
for various bird species.
IMPROVED HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
 Buildings that feature and promote access to vegetation have been documented as having a
greater positive human health impact than those without (Honeyman 1987)
 Studies have shown that visual access to natural settings lead to increased job satifaction and
productivity (Kaplan 2001) and post-operative recovery rates in medical facilities (Ulrich 1983).
URBAN AGRICULTURE
 Green walls offer the opportunity for urban agriculture, such as vertical gardens of small fruits,
vegetables, and herbs.
ONSITE WASTEWATER TREATMENT
 Several water-recycling systems can be applied to green walls. These systems pump grey water
through a green wall, which then passes through filters, gravel, and marine plants.
 Treated water is then sent to a grey water holding tank for household or irrigation use or
released into the public water treatment system (Shirley-Smith 2006). Some of these systems
also collect stormwater, which is filtered for household use or irrigation purposes.

3. Green policy
― Building Control (Environmental Sustainability) Regulations 2008. As Singapore aspires to be
a leading global city in environmental sustainability, there is scope to further improve on
energy efficiency requirements in buildings, to address the impact of climate change. While
the focus on energy efficiency remains important, a more holistic approach was taken to
encourage environmental friendliness in buildings to ensure that environmental quality and
comfort are not compromised. Among other initiatives, BCA (building and construction
authority) has enhanced the Building Control Act and put in place the Building Control
(Environmental Sustainability) Regulations, to require a minimum environmental
sustainability standard that is equivalent to the Green Mark Certified Level for new buildings
and existing ones that undergo major retrofitting. This regulation took effect from 15 Apr
 2008. Projects that are submitted for URA planning permission on or after 15 Apr 2008 will
be subject to this requirement.
― BCA Green Mark is a green building rating system to evaluate a building for its
environmental impact and performance. It provides a comprehensive framework for
assessing the overall environmental performance of new and existing buildings to promote
sustainable design, construction and operations practices in buildings.
― Under the assessment framework for new buildings, developers and design teams are
encouraged to design and construct green, sustainable buildings which are more climatic
responsive, energy effective, resource efficient, smarter and have healthier indoor
environments. As for existing buildings, the building owners and operators are encouraged
to meet their sustainable operations goals and to reduce adverse impacts of their buildings
on the environment and occupant health over the entire building life cycle. Beside buildings,
the assessment criteria evaluates energy efficiency, water efficiency, environment
protection, indoor environmental quality and other green/innovative features of districts,
parks, infrastructure and building interiors.
― The assessment process aims to verify the relevant reports and documentary evidences
such that the building project meets the intents of the criteria and certification level.
― The total number of points obtained will provide an indication of the environmental
friendliness of the building design and operation. Depending on the overall assessment and
point scoring, the building will be certified to have met the respective Green Mark rating.

4. Green building incentives program

― San Diego County, CA
San Diego County’s Green Building program offers various incentives to commercial
green building projects. For example, a builder can obtain expedited plan checks saving
approximately 7 to 10 days on a project’s timeline. Developers may also qualify for a
7.5% reduction in plan check and building permit fees for projects meeting program
requirements. (Note that these incentives only apply to projects in unincorporated areas
of the County.) At least one of the following measures must be implemented to qualify
for the incentives:
1. Natural Resource Conservation
• Recycled content materials. (a) Show that 20% or more of the primary materials being
used in the building system contain 20% or more postconsumer recycled content. Any
reused materials will be found to satisfy the 20% post-consumer recycled content
requirement; or, (b) Show that at least one primary building material (such as roofing) is
50% or more post-consumer recycled content. (This can be fairly easy to do for projects
pursuing LEED certification, since the documentation is required for LEED purposes).
2. Water Conservation
• Graywater Systems. The installation of a graywater system will qualify for the
incentives. Graywater is the wastewater produced from bathtubs, showers and clothes
washers. In order to conserve water, it can be used for irrigation through subsurface 8
 Green Building Incentives That Work NAIOP Research Foundation November 2007
distribution systems. A permit is required from the County Department of
Environmental Health for the graywater system.
3. Energy Efficiency
• Energy Use Below State Energy Code Standards. Residential projects must exceed the
minimum California state “Title 24” standards by 15%, and commercial projects must
exceed the standards by 25% qualify for the Green Building Incentive Program. Please
see http://www.sdcounty.ca.gov/dplu/green buildings.html for further details. San
Diego’s Regional Energy Office is active in offering training, design assistance and
technical support for public and privatesector green building projects.

State of Oregon Oregon provides a Sustainable Building Tax Credit for buildings
achieving Silver, Gold or Platinum LEED certification. Credit is calculated based on the
gross square footage of all conditioned spaces. For a large LEED Gold project, the credit
might be worth $1.50 per sq.ft. off state taxes. The Oregon 35% five-year Oregon
Business Energy Tax Credit is also available to projects that fulfill certain energy
conservation, equipment efficiency and renewable energy systems requirements. A
pass-through option is also available for businesses that choose to pass their tax credit
onto a partner in exchange for an equivalent cash payment. For preliminary information
about the Oregon tax credit, please visit: http://www.oregon.gov/ENERGY/CONS/BUS/
docs/betcbro.pdf. Oregon is also home to the Oregon Energy Trust’s Business Energy
Solutions Program which assists businesses in identifying energy savings in existing
buildings and in new buildings. Financial incentives and technical support are available
for such measures as energy modeling, design assistance and installing high-efficiency
HVAC equipment

5. Pneumatic Refuse waste collection

The pneumatic refuse conveying system is a type of waste disposal system that uses air to
move refuse through pipes to collection points.
Refuse is conveyed through steel pipes by a 20–25 meter per second air current to accomplish
the goal.

6. Collected rainwater
Collected rain water that are stored in tanks at void decks in the building is use for cleaning
and to toilets.