Graduation Year

2020

Document Type

Open Access Senior Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Environmental Analysis

Reader 1

Char Miller

Reader 2

Lance Neckar

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Terms of Use for work posted in Scholarship@Claremont.

Rights Information

© 2019 Claire Yi

Abstract

From the futuristic Jewel at Changi Airport, the healing gardens at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital in Yishun to School of the Arts at Orchard Road, greenery has sprouted in buildings vertically and horizontally in Singapore, painting a growing green canopy for the dense, high rise city. This paper combines both analyses from first-hand site visits and case studies from external scholar studies to examine the performance of existing Green Building Infrastructures (BGIs) within Singapore’s unique urban context. The study reveals that the success of BGIs is highly dependent on the programming (i.e. thermal comfort design, accessibility, amenity facilities etc.), as well as the function and users of the existing building. Designs and planning that take those factors into consideration while being in line with the city’s general development goals, such as storm water management and pervasive greenery, are likely to bring out the most benefits in BGIs. To demonstrate, this paper also proposed several policy and planning recommendations that included several sets of rudimentary yet relevant parameters. Future research is encouraged to explore more complex combinations of considerations, their incorporation in design and policy making process, as well as a scientific and systematic method to evaluate BGI performance that includes both objective environmental impacts and subjective user experience that might be achieved through smart city developments.

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