REPORTS 10 A Practical Approach: Incentives for Skyrise Greenery A PRACTICAL APPROACH: INCENTIVES FOR SKYRISE GREENERY Text by Vincent Cossé Images as credited as a complement to research and publica- initiatives under LUSh (landscaping For urban owners provide rooftop landscaping for their tion, Singapore agencies promote green roofs Spaces and high-rises) to promote skyrise developments. and vertical greenery through a broad panel of greenery: incentives for new and existing buildings.1 c Gross Floor Area Exemption for Communal a Landscape Replacement Policy for Strategic Sky Terraces GREEN ROOF INCENTIVE SCHEME Areas ura encourages higher quality sky terraces The national parks board Singapore (nparks) as more land is taken up by buildings in through a series of GFa exemptions to has introduced the Green roof incentive areas of high density, this innovative policy encourage the provision of more covered Scheme to encourage owners of existing build- encourages the replacement of greenery lost public spaces for communal use and ings to green their rooftops. The incentive takes at building footprint with skyrise gardens enjoyment. the form of a cash grant equal to 50% of the and roof terraces on the first storey and the actual installation costs, subject to a maximum upper levels of the development. The new d Enhancing Planting around Landscaped of $75 per square-metre of planted area within policy applies to all new developments and Decks the green roof installed. redevelopments within the downtown core The landscape deck Guideline allows car (including marina bay), Kallang riverside and parks to be housed within a landscaped nparks started giving out the cash incentives Jurong Gateway. raised deck with communal facilities in September 2009 and the scheme will run for above, as an alternative to the increas- 3 years. owners of all existing buildings with a b Outdoor Refreshment Area on Landscaped ing trend of building multi-storey car parks. minimum roof area of 300 square-metres for Roof Tops The edges of the raised car park deck should green roof installation are eligible to apply for ura offers a Gross Floor area (GFa) incen- be concealed by attractive landscaping. the scheme. tive for existing buildings within key activity corridors in the orchard and downtown core other existing initiatives include a panel of LUSH: A LUSHER SINGAPORE planning areas to promote rooftop greenery. GFa measures, such as the incentive for in 2009, the urban redevelopment authority The additional GFa can be used for outdoor balconies in residential and hotel develop- (ura) consolidated existing, revised and new refreshment areas on the rooftop level if ments, exemption for communal landscaped CITYGREEN #2 A Centre for Urban Greenery and Ecology Publication 11 area at 1st Storey and exemption for commu- from the vertical green walls and sky gardens. nal planter boxes, and the provision of Greenery within Green buffer and peripheral planting Strip. To date, about 20% of the Green mark certi- fied projects have green rooftops and/or verti- BCA GREEN MARK CERTIFICATION cal greenery. AND INCENTIVE SCHEME 1 Terms and conditions apply. For more information, launched in January 2005 by the building and consult the following sites: <http://www.skyrisegreenery. construction authority (bca), the bca Green com>, <http://www.ura.gov.sg> and <http://www.bca. mark Scheme provides a meaningful differentia- gov.sg>. tion of buildings in the construction industry and real estate market. it is a benchmarking scheme which incorporates internationally recognised best practices in environmental design and performance. The Green mark rates the environ- mental friendliness of a building based on a point-scoring approach. oppoSiTe citi at 3 changi business park crescent. Several points in the scoring system are awarded award: Green mark platinum. for the installation of green roofs, rooftop (photo courtesy of alex Tang, addp architects) gardens and vertical greening, depending on leFT, Top Sophia residence award: Green mark platinum. 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