JTC going green with plants on roof trellises

Uma Shankari, Business Times 29 Oct 09;

(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.

A creepy cool idea
Esther Ng, Today Online 29 Oct 09;

SINGAPORE - Forest canopies keep temperatures in our nature reserves cooler, so could a similar concept have the same effect in our business parks?

Singapore's leading industrial landlord intends to find out, and if it works, industrial clusters here are set to turn a shade of green.

The Green Roof Trellis concept by JTC Corporation aims to lower temperatures in these parks by 2-3°C - which would reduce energy consumption and, hence, electricity bills.

"Climber plants will grow from planter boxes along roof edges of buildings, to a wire mesh structure supported by cables from columns across the rooftops of two buildings," explained JTC senior planner Mr Yio Yang Huat, who came up with the idea. "Over time, plants will grow to cover the entire mesh and provide shade."

This trellis will provide better coverage than conventional awnings or eaves, he added. Besides less power needed for air-conditioning, the benefits include improved air and aesthetics, and a more pedestrian-friendly industrial park.

JTC will pilot the project at its Clean Tech Park in mid-2010. If successful, "there are plans to extend the concept to all buildings," said JTC director of engineering planning Koh Chwee, adding that it will work with the National Parks Board and the Urban Redevelopment Authority.

Ms Valerie Teo, chief executive of car retailer Pinnacle Motors which is located in industrial parks in Sin Ming and Ubi, said:

"Everyone is going in the green direction, so if this saves business cost and reduced carbon emission, it's a win-win. But if it's going to cost tenants, I'm not so sure." The project's cost is still being worked out, said Mr Koh.

Standard Chartered, a tenant of JTC's Changi Business Park, told MediaCorp the green project will transform the operating landscape for firms.

"Having a green building will become a way of doing business and companies will need to look into efficient and sustainable buildings in their portfolio," it said.