Green Architecture

Benefits of Green Design

Green Architecture/ Design refers to a built environment that is ecologically, socially and economically sustainable - a way of making progress through thoughtful planning and design - to meet the needs of the present without compromising on future potential.

Buildings with natural light and better Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) improves productivity of its occupants. An eco-friendly building that is of such standard will see an increase in the wellbeing and health of its occupant.

COURTYARD HOUSE, SINGAPORE

CORPORATE OFFICE INTERIOR, SINGAPORE

Instead of the usual cubicle office, there is greenery surrounding every workstation here - natural daylight & nature - thus a positive and energetic environment that helps the staff relax. Researchers from Harvard found that a  green office can boost productivity by 15.2% and reduce sickness-related absences by 30%.

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One key way to reduce construction cost is to utilise modular offsite fabrication. Instead of using conventional on-site construction methods, building components requiring higher accuracy and complexity can be produced off-site to ensure precision and less wastage due to in-situ mistakes.

The aforementioned method reduces labor costs while assuring consistency. Construction timeframes can also be shortened with lower noise pollution.

Designing a development that is mindfully designed with eco-friendly features can be more cost-effective aross all building scales. In the long run, an Eco Development can save construction and maintenance costs through both active and passive means like site planning, sensitive use of finishes and sunshading devices, to name a few.

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Studies conducted in US have found out that Green Certification could bring in rental premiums of up to 6%, and sale price premiums of up to 35%. A survey by The Business Times mentioned that Green Certified Buildings attracts tenants that tend to be MNCs and large domestic listed organizations, as they have to showcase their corporate social responsibility, carbon commitments and climate policies to the stakeholders, clients, employees and the public.

 

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The spatial planning of the Eco park allows for passive cooling of its spaces, thereby reducing the air-conditioning load. Selection of energy-efficient products such as unitary air conditioning system and mechanical ventilation system are set to achieve improvement in the motor power requirement with 25% cost savings. Energy-saving light fittings were also installed to achieve lighting energy of at least 30% efficiency. These design details help to reduce maintenance costs in the long run. The Eco Park project obtained a Green Mark Gold in 2016.

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Doing an Eco Development ensures the responsible use of resources without depleting them at the expense of future generations. The impact of a holistic green design extends beyond the physical building, but also positively influences its environment and culture. Be a future ready developer from today!

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GREEN OFFICE IDEAS FOR WORKPLACE WELLNESS

IXA GREEN TOILET, SINGAPORE

When Covid-19 first struck, the shift in the human work environment from the office to home was abrupt and detrimental to productivity. Offices around the world were left vacant for months, with people struggling to balance the duality of work and rest around their homes.

As Singapore currently embarks on our search to find “the new normal”, people are gradually returning to the office. Human interaction is a basic human need, and no virtual communication platform would be able to fully replace face-to-face collaboration.

Post-Covid, we believe in the benefits of having a green office to return to. The application of green, sustainable and renewable systems contributes to healthier workspaces and maintains the wellness of employees. During the pandemic, people recognized the need to connect with nature - as seen in the 2020 circuit breaker botanic boom where Singaporeans turned to gardening as a form of stress relieve and personal therapy. A new-age work environment adapted to our current needs should offer connection to nature and the outdoors, and other natural elements such as natural daylight.

In this upcoming series, we explore various elements of a green office, and how our work spaces play an important role on employee wellness, happiness and productivity. Stay tuned!

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SG GREEN PLAN 2030

You may be wondering - what is the SG Green Plan and how does it affect us as individuals, a corporate company or the built environment as a whole?

The Singapore Green Plan 2030, or the Green Plan, is a nationwide movement that seeks to strengthen Singapore’s national agenda on sustainable development.  Here are the 5 key pillars of the green plan – 1) City in Nature, 2) Energy Reset, 3) Sustainable Living, 4) Green Economy, 5) Resilient Future. These pillars drive the various roles and ways you can contribute to the SG Green plan, with one of which being to adopt a sustainable, reliable energy-efficient lifestyle! In the article below, find out how green architecture positively contributes to both the environment, as well as your personal well-being.

Green Building – Introduction

The Link addresses the social wellness and needs of our future working environment. Using the variety of green spaces, these are opportunities for the users to connect social and also with nature. Besides workstations, there are many spaces designed with fluid functions to allow the different activities in the new office, from leisure, networking, discussions, screening, and others.

The Link brings about green connections in the form of natural greenery, natural elements and natural resource. The close proximity of greenery allows functional use such noise buffer, heat buffer, natural ventilation to the interior spaces. The natural landscape also increases the social welling, providing an optimal office environment.

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Natural Inspirations

The circulation within the space is fluid and inspired from the natural forms. These are reflected in the ceiling profile, floor finishes, and shared worktable. The fluid form is a response to the limited floor width, creating a seamless spatial flow for the users.

Each floor was carried out in line with the client’s direction on the fengshui elements of fire, water, wood, earth and metal. From landscape, furniture, colors, detailing, material, and forms, these designs are specially selected to match the elements. The overall design approach is developed further into a set of highly rich features, comprising of include metal screens, amber-red raw bricks, fluid blue vinyl flooring, coconut shell walls and natural cut stone. This gives each respective floor its own character and aesthetic, allowing every user to truly enjoy their unique yet coherent office space.

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Sustainable Resources

A conical skylight descending from the roof brings visual links between levels. It is a clear focal point within the office. Multiple functions are incorporated around this multi-leveled volume, to encourage linkages between departments.

The skylight that spans across all floors is the main source of natural light which brighten up the otherwise dark and narrow interior space. It is embraced with steel rods whereby its porosity evokes a sense of spaciousness vertically across all floors and beyond the roof skylight.

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Social Wellness

With the possibility of remote working, the significance of future office is geared towards congregation areas and a series of informal meet up nodes to connect people. Staff has the mobility and freedom to work at relaxed spaces or even the outdoor garden.

A working place is not just an air conditioned box but a space where people could choose the settings to fit the nature of an activity.  It is a balance working environment for group discussion or a tranquil place for quiet moments.

   

With the introduction of the central air well, this conical realm allows multiple visual and acoustic connections within the 6 levels of stacked office space. Physically, a lightweight spiral staircase goes around the skylight structure, allowing the users travel vertically. This also creates opportunities for them to connect.

Several communal pods are carefully incorporated within the skylight to engage with the dynamic volumetric space. The central air well highlights the entire office environment and brings vibrancy to the close-knitted open office lifestyle.

 

Raw Materials

To allow ease of construction, the spaces often utilise raw finishes. This reduces the required construction time. At the same time, by exposing the materials like plaster, bricks and blocks, these gives a very enriching texture to the space. This is contrary to the typical materials which may include wall tiles, paint or partition boards.

Ecological Master Planning – Introduction

The Eco-Resort which is located at the south-east of Phnom Penh, envisions an authentic experience where guests get to appreciate nature, culture and architecture harmoniously integrated as one. It delivers a holistic exposure through its numerous amenities and attractions,  and is the perfect getaway catering to a wide diversity of entertainment, relaxation, adventure or privacy needs.

How can architecture be framed to promote and maximize the potential of a site? Our design follows these core principles to promote Eco-Tourism:

• • Designing to minimize physical, social, behavioral and psychological impacts to site and its inhabitants.
  • Identifying the rights, beliefs and traditions of the indigenous people in the community and partner with them to create empowerment.
  • Deliver an impactful interpretative experience for visitors to raise sensitivity to host countries’ environmental and social climates.
  • Accommodate for direct financial benefits for conservation

Site Planning Strategies

Site Analysis

The site is situated along a new canal that extends from a river tributary. This presents the opportunity to create water activities and irrigation for farmland along the new canal. It sustains the livelihood of the villages surrounding it by providing an abundantly fresh supply of fish. The densely forested area has its own ecosystem and a sustainable relationship with the locals that live in it. The river presents an opportunity to incorporate fishing activities for leisure for visitors but it must be done sensitively and sustainably.

Site Planning

Land is allocated to the 4 main groups of usage/activities:

• • • The conserved forest
    • Agriculture
    • Recreational spaces
    • Resort core and accommodation

Careful consideration was placed in the allocation of land use which prioritizes preservation of forested area and greenery. A large proportion of the site is preserved to maintain the rich local biodiversity of lalangs and love in a puff. Visitors can be in touch with nature and the interesting flora and fauna that the site offers.

Empowering Locals, Sharing Cultures

Our architectural design celebrates the site and empowers the locals to exhibit their traditions while enriching the tourist experience. Activities are centered on locally made arts and crafts, modes of transportation and forms of entertainment.

1. Traditional modes of transportation via basket boats turned into a tourist activity at Mondar Bay.

2. Art market and exhibition that showcases traditional and cultural wares. Bamboo roofing provides a rustic, cozy and eco-friendly environment.

3. Reaksa Theatre is a waterfront promenade that hosts performance for locals to perform their traditional dance and music, such as the aspara show and water puppet.

Preserving Nature

There is a conscious effort to understand the underlying systems of nature and encapsulate it into our design strategies. Our architecture reacts to the cyclical motion of tides, crafting periodic view frames and opening up new circulation within the site. The various nature trails are curated with specific themes, educating the visitors on wildlife, farming and the biodiversity within this rich ecosystem.

1.Pelican is one of the local bird species. With the introduction of the Pelican rattan sculpture along the trail, it will add a character to the cycling trail which enable the visitors to have an unique exposure.

2. The activities and architecture seeks to respect the tributary and its adjacent landscaping.

3. Long wooden decks and meandering paths embraces the landscape and provide users an experiential walk along the farms.

 

Sensitive Architecture

Locally-sourced bamboo and straw thatch is highly used, which are cheap, widely available and promotes the local economy. These are crafted into round enclosures that promote natural light and ventilation, while celebrating the landscape.

1.The tree-top resort which is built within the forest create a wonderful experience for the guests to constantly engage with the natural ecosystem while they are living inside. The texture and the color of the bamboo, rattan and thatch blend in perfectly with the forest atmosphere.

2. The Pelopruk Bridge utilizes a sparse thatch foliage to provide shade. Its material color blends well with the surrounding landscaping.

3. The Concierge serves as a multi-purpose space with a roof made of thatch and bamboo. The structure emphasizes on bringing in natural light and ventilation.