Singapore, 11 June 2014 – City Developments Limited (CDL) has set record for the largest vertical garden in the world. The stunning 24-storey 2,289 m2 vertical garden at CDL’s Tree House condominium has entered Guinness World Records. Since it was completed in 2013, the condominium nestled within the Upper Bukit Timah and Chestnut Avenue private residential estate has caught the imagination of many with its eye-catching facade.
Designed with environmental sustainability in mind, Tree House’s vertical garden is more than just a unique architectural structure. A natural insulation, the vertical garden reduces the estate’s carbon footprint by filtering pollutants and carbon dioxide out of the air. It reduces heat absorption and lowers the energy needed to cool indoor spaces. This is expected to achieve air-conditioning energy savings of between 15% and 30%, or a total of approximately between S$12,000 and S$24,000 annually for the 48 west-facing master bedrooms that are insulated by the vertical wall.
Other green features at Tree House include the use of heat-reducing laminated green tinted windows, lifts with Variable Voltage and Variable Frequency motor drive and sleep mode programming and motion sensors at staircases that will activate lights automatically.
Tree House’s various green features are expected to result in energy savings of over 2,400,000 kWh per year and water savings of 30,000 m3 per year, or approximately over S$500,000 annually.
Mr Kwek Leng Joo, CDL Deputy Chairman, said, “CDL takes great pride in building developments that leave an indelible impression on the cityscape. We have continuously pushed the boundaries with breakthrough sustainable designs and features as well as state-of-the-art technologies. With the eco-inspired Tree House, CDL has not only created a place where residents are proud to call home but more importantly, a green icon which placed Singapore in the world map.”
CDL invests 2% to 5% of a new development’s construction cost in eco-friendly features and sustainable construction technologies. The first and only developer to be conferred the pinnacle BCA Green Mark Platinum Champion since the award was introduced in 2011 and the first to receive the BCA Built Environment Leadership Platinum Award in 2009, CDL has continued to drive green innovations and methods that enhance construction excellence, productivity, and environmental sustainability.
In addition to having entered Guinness World Records, Tree House received top honours in the ‘Best Innovative Green Building’ category at the MIPIM Asia Awards 2013 which honours outstanding real estate projects in Asia Pacific. Tree House was also conferred the Green Mark Platinum award by the Building and Construction Authority in 2010 and ‘Special Award - Best Design for Maintenance’ at the National Parks Board’s Skyrise Greenery Awards in 2013.
Besides Tree House, CDL’s D’Nest development has set record for the ‘Largest Solar Panels In A Condominium’ in the Singapore Book of Records in 2013. Solar panels measuring 1,520 m2 will be installed on roof tops to offset electricity consumption for common areas. D’Nest’s solar panels system is expected to harness 219,000 kWh of energy a year. Approximately S$60,000 can be saved in electricity bills, potentially reducing monthly maintenance fees payable by residents.
In 2013, CDL also built Singapore’s first zero energy Green Gallery located in the Singapore Botanic Gardens. The Gallery’s Photovoltaic cladded roof panels are expected to generate over 31,000 kWh of energy annually, above its estimated energy consumption of about 30,000 kWh per year. It was built using the Prefabricated Prefinished Volumetric Construction (PPVC) concept introduced in Singapore for the first time. The entire structure was precast into sections offsite using the PPVC system and then brought to the Gardens for installation. This helped eliminate massive wet works usually required in building developments and resulted in faster construction time, higher productivity and minimised impact on the environment.