S’pore is at the frontier of skyrise greenery movement: Khaw Boon Wan

SINGAPORE — National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan has said that he is hoping to see more skyrise greenery in Singapore, especially within public housing estates in Singapore. He made these comments in a blog post today (Mar 1).

In the blog post, Mr Khaw said that Singapore is a pioneer in the skyrise greenery movement, giving the super trees in Gardens by the Bay as an example of something that broke new ground.

Mr Khaw noted that there are 61 hectares of rooftop gardens in Singapore, which he adds is “no mean feat” as the country only actively embarked on greening roofs in the last five years.

Comparing Singapore’s track record to Chicago’s, Mr Khaw noted that the American city has 50 ha of rooftop gardens even though it has a longer history in greening roofs.

Singapore’s achievements in this field have been documented in a book by National University of Singapore’s Professor Dr Tan Puay Yok titled Vertical Garden City, Singapore.

Mr Khaw said Singapore will continue to contribute to this emerging global effort to green upwards, such as by getting more buildings with bolder skyrise greenery designs. These include the recently completed Park Royal@Pickering and the upcoming CapitaGreen building.

In the public housing sector, Mr Khaw shared that the new integrated development project located next to the Admiralty MRT Station will soon “ground-break and show what can be achieved within HDB estates”.

Mr Khaw also shared that a project in Milan, which is due for completion next year, is history in the making. The project aims to create a vertical forest within a residential concrete tower. CHANNEL NEWSASIA