Authors (including presenting author) :
WAI WT DONALD
Affiliation :
HOSPITAL PLANNING DEPT, KHOO TECK PUAT HOSPITAL, SINGAPORE
Introduction :
The younger generation of Singaporeans, particularly those born from the 1980s onwards, might not have the opportunity to visit local farms as most of them were gradually reduced over the years. This is because Singapore is a relatively small country where land is highly limited for physical horizontal development. To cope with population influx and economic growth, it was necessary to convert farm lands into vertical infrastructure to meet the nation’s emerging industrial and housing needs. The deprivation of real-life experience of farms among younger Singaporeans had not helped the cause of promoting urban farms, much less the idea of skyrise ones. Urban farms would thus see little growth potential unless there are initiatives and other motivational factors such as Government incentives, tangible benefits and residents’ support. This presentation investigates the existence of roof-top gardens on public housing, private residents and other buildings as part of urban design in Singapore. Skyrise greenery had evolved over the years to include urban roof-top farming in Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, Singapore.
Objectives :
The case study of the new Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH) had shown that urban roof-top farming beyond skyrise gardens was not merely an accidental venture but had yielded multiple benefits, ranging from organic food production to biodiversity preservation and energy conservation although it carries various difficulties and challenges that need to be overcome.
Methodology :
Survey results and interviews at KTPH were carried out to gauge the response to the rooftop farms. Collaborations with other researchers from educational institutions who used similar methodologies have yielded similar results.
Result & Outcome :
The results obtained have provided optimism that skyrise gardens and urban farms will see much growth in future developments to meet the nation’s and hospital's sustainable environment plans. With the support of government initiatives and environmental proponents, urban roof-top farms will have good potential to form part of skyrise greenery plans in future local infrastructure developments, as it is happening in other parts of the world.
