Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Saturday opened two new facilities at the Singapore Botanic Gardens – the SBG Heritage Museum and the CDL Green Gallery - built by the National Parks Board and Singapore-listed City Developments Limited (CDL).
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Both buildings, located at the Holttum Lawn, commemorate Singapore’s 50 years of greening initiatives and the property firm’s 50th anniversary. The CDL Green Gallery is Singapore’s first zero-energy gallery.
Speaking at the launch, Lee said: “I think it is right that we make a special effort to preserve this as part of our heritage. So we built this Botanic Gardens Heritage Museum in Holttum Hall, which is, I think the building behind us – where the former Director Eric Holttum used to work. It captures the Gardens’ long and wonderful journey and I am very happy that we will be opening the Museum today.”
The opening marked the start of more than 50 activities to be held until December 15 that encourages the public to join the golden anniversary celebrations and increase their awareness on Singapore’s environmental and conservation efforts.
Lee also announced the expansion of green spaces in Singapore, such as the Botanic Gardens and the Tengah Nature Waym which will connect up the Bukit Timah and Central Catchment Nature.
“We may not be able to have such large parks like the Istana all over Singapore and also we cannot afford to preserve every single green patch on this little island. But we are determined that we will leave green lungs and natural spaces all over the city, as we build our city. We can do that and we will do that. So that our people can be in touch with nature, never far from green spaces and blue waters,” he said.
The new buildings will showcase the “Living in a Garden” exhibition presenting the evolution of the greening of Singapore, as well as the Singapore Botanic Gardens’ 154-year history.
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The Gallery is clad with solar photovoltaic roof panels, allowing the building to produce more energy than what is required for its operations. The firm estimates that the energy consumption is about 30,000 kWh/year, while the expected annual energy yield is over 31,000 kWh
The CDL Green Gallery particularly encapsulates the progress Singapore has achieved, as it has an innovative design enabling minimal disruption to the site, said CDL.
The one-storey building also uses a prefabricated modular system and a biomaterial called Hempcrete made up of hemp core, lime binders and water. Both features are new to Singapore.
Hempcrete is ideal for the humid climate as it produces good indoor air quality, explained the firm. It is also very durable, and resistant to pests, mould, mildew and fire.
The prefabricated modular system, on the other hand, is beneficial in terms of installation, eliminating the need for resource- and time-consuming construction that enables a low environmental impact.
More importantly, added CDL, the Gallery is clad with solar photovoltaic roof panels, allowing the building to produce more energy than what is required for its operations. The firm estimates that the energy consumption is about 30,000 kWh/year, while the expected annual energy yield is over 31,000 kWh. CDL, though, has not yet indicated any specific plans for the energy surplus.
The firm noted that the building is fitted with LED lighting and has energy efficient air-conditioning systems, helping reduce energy usage.
The roof also has a selection of plants, such as drought-resistant species, that lowers the urban heat island effect or the phenomenon of increased temperature in cities compared to rural areas due to human activities.
There are also green walls with butterfly-attracting plants – like the Chocolate Pansy and Plain Tiger – along the east and west portions of the building, which is to stimulate biodiversity.
For its efforts in sustainability, the CDL Green Gallery was awarded the Green Mark Platinum status by the Building and Construction Authority of Singapore, the government agency in charge of green building certifications.
Kwek Leng Joo, CDL managing director, said: “We are delighted to leverage our green building expertise and gather like-minded partners to contribute to the development of these green icons as our gift to the nation.”
He added that these two additions to the Gardens should help Singapore secure its pending bid to win a UNESCO World Heritage Site designation for the Singapore Botanic Gardens.
PM Lee added: “I am also happy that many companies are supporting the environment as part of your corporate social responsibility, like CDL Green Gallery – a commitment to eco-friendly development and practices.”
