In the article “Sustainability Efforts _ Gardens by The Bay,” it was mentioned that environmental sustainability is one of the principles behind the planning and design of Gardens by The Bay.
The article describes that the Garden Lake system acts as a natural filtration system for water from the Gardens catchment. The system incorporates essential ecological processes and functions which help in providing aquatic habitats for biodiversity. The Garden Lake system consists of two main lakes called the Dragon Lake and the Kingfisher Lake. The system acts as a natural filtration system for water and provides aquatic habitats for biodiversity. The presence of aquatic plants and reed beds are reducing nitrogen levels and phosphorus which is critical in ensuring better water quality. High variety of aquatic plants, good water circulation, and aeration is the solution for potential problems.
It is detailed in the article that the conservatories are an energy efficient cooling system which applies sustainable engineering technology. A specially selected glass is fitted on the conservatories to allow excellent light for plants and reduce a considerable amount of heat. To decrease the volume of air to be cooled, only the lower regions of the conservatories are cooled. By dehumidifying the air using liquid desiccant before cooling, the amount of energy required in the cooling process is lessened. Through the usage of Combined Heat Power (CHP) steam turbine, the reliance on the electrical grid reduces. Electricity to run the chillers in the Conservatories are generated on site and waste heat is utilised to reconstruct the liquid desiccant.
The article also explained that Supertrees play a part in the environment sustainability efforts by having photovoltaic cells on their canopies to harvest solar energy, and some serve as air exhaust repository.
Acknowledging the fact that much effort was made to plan and design the conservatories in Garden by The Bay to provide energy-efficient solutions in cooling, I believe that increasing the number of such facilities will further enhance the awareness of the pressing issue of Global warming.
According to “livescience.com”, Global warming is the increase in the temperature of Earth’s atmosphere and oceans, and occurs when human activity introduces too much of certain types of gas into the atmosphere. Global warming is a pressing issue as not only glaciers and sea ice are melting, it’s also shifting precipitation patterns and setting animals on the move. If global warming is not brought under control sooner, there will be drastic effects on earth.
One of the ways to bring global warming under control is to lower energy consumption. Around the world, campaigns, such as “Earth Hour” were created to raise the awareness of adopting a “greener” earth. Ms. Elaine Tan, CEO of WWF-Singapore mentioned that if the whole Singapore come together to show that conservation can be possible on a large scale to make a difference. Like the article “Sustainability Efforts _ Gardens by The Bay,” it was stated that the technologies used in the conservatories could help to achieve at least 30% savings in energy consumption, compared to conventional cooling technologies. The implementation of sustainable environment practices will be able to lead an example in protecting the planet.
Finally, I think it is crucial to raise the awareness of global warming and to design more buildings that promote such awareness is welcoming. Everyone plays a part in saving the earth!
References:
No comments:
Post a Comment