Greenroofs.com Project of the Week: 7/4/11
Universal Studios Singapore
Singapore
376,737 sf. Greenroof

Year: 2010
Owner: Resorts World at Sentosa Pte Ltd
Location: Singapore
Building Type: Commercial
Type: Extensive
System: Single Source Provider
Size: 376,737  sq.ft.  
Slope: 1%
Access: Inaccessible, Private

Project Description & Details

Universal Studios Singapore, an integral part of Resorts World Sentosa, is a casino-resort off the south coast of Singapore occupying almost 124 acres.  Amid the make-believe world of movies, roller-coaster rides, theme dining and shopping, down-to-earth issues in the Park were not ignored.  Sustainable “green” features including solar panels and nearly 35,000 M2 of green roofs were extensively integrated into the theme park’s concept and design, showing its firm commitment to energy conservation and responsible environmental stewardship.  Resorts World Sentosa received the Singapore Building and Construction Authority’s Green Mark District GoldPlus Award.

Elmich Green Roof  was used as the wide structural spans of the immense roofs and fast track construction of the Park demanded that the system selected must be light and easy to install.  Elmich Green Roof comprises a VersiDrain ® 25P water retention and drainage layer, a geotextile filter layer and EnviroMix ® GR, a primarily inorganic soil-less lightweight planting media and drought-tolerant plant species that require little maintenance. For the metal roofs, VersiCell ® structural drainage/insulation cells were used to fill the space between the metal ridges to create a level flat surface first, on which a separation sheet was installed. For the concrete roofs, waterproofing is provided by a fully adhered layer of root-resistant Evalon PVC/EVA terpolymer membrane. An irrigation system is incorporated for use during the initial plant establishment and to provide regular irrigation and fertilization on the roofs, especially essential in prolonged periods of drought.

Designers/Manufacturers of Record

Developer: Resorts World at Sentosa Pte Ltd
Architect: DP Architects Pte Ltd
Landscape Consultant: ICN Design International Pte Ltd
Landscape Contract Owner: Nature Landscapes Pte Ltd
Green Roof Specialist: Elmich Pte Ltd
Designer & Manufacturer of VersiCell ®, sub-soil drainage modules: Elmich Pte Ltd
Supplier of VersiDrain ® 25P, water retention & drainage trays: Elmich Pte Ltd
Supplier of EnviroMix ® GR, soil-less lightweight planting media: Elmich Pte Ltd

Additional Info

The reported $4.32 billion Resorts World Sentosa offers something for everyone, from business travelers to families in search of the ultimate holiday, and certainly to sustainable design fans looking for a greener vacation!

This unique travel destination is home to six hotels, spa villas, the world’s largest oceanarium – Marine Life Park – Asia’s largest column-free ballroom (which seats 7,300 guests), and the first and only Southeast Asian Universal Studios theme park with its multiple lush yet equatorial hardy  greenroofs.

In early 2010 Resorts World Sentosa had a soft-opening, with four hotels and the Universal Studios Singapore, among other features.

The region’s only world-class movie theme park just celebrated its official grand opening on May 28, 2011, and its red carpet event was attended by famous Hollywood and Asian celebrities including Jet Li, Maggie Cheung, Vicki Zhao and Paula Abdul.

Unseen by the celebrities and most visitors to the park, except for roller-coaster riders, a real green carpet is rolled out everyday on the rooftops of the park.   Amid the glitz and glamour, approximately 377,000 sf of lush vegetated roofs provide beyond just a touch of green to the resort – they offer a cooler environment both inside and outside the buildings.

“The resort integrates three key elements – water, greenery and built form with careful detailing in the articulation of the facades, the use of a palette of natural materials and colours, extensive planting and the consistent treatment of sun shading devices such as overhanging pitched roofs, covered walkways, awnings, trellises and latticework to fuse the resort with the tropical climate context. ” ~  Roof & Façade Asia

The Elmich Green Roof system provides a barrier against tropical temperatures.  The top photo below shows the installation of the  VersiCell ® structural drainage/insulation cells which will  fill the spaces between the roof’s metal ridges to create the flat planting level, and the bottom shows theVersiDrain ® 25P water retention and drainage layer:

Aside from eco-friendly design, other corporate sustainability efforts have included participating in Earth Hour 2011 – according to the  Resorts World Sentosa  blog,  at the stroke of 8.30 pm on March 26, “the resort dipped into limited electricity mode – with landscape, canopy and non-essential lightings as well as water fountains in areas all across the resort turned off.”

Just a couple of other sustainable initiatives include:

* Lowering energy consumption from air-conditioning across the resort through the use of extensive canopies to reduce ambient temperature and energy-friendly eco-coolers:
* Trees that were preserved during construction of the resort (122 of them!) have either been replanted or recycled into benches at the Festive Walk.

Find out more on Resorts World’s corporate social responsibility efforts here.  I wish we could have seen some of these spectacular Universal Studios Singapore greenroofs  when we visited the lovely island nation of Singapore last November!  Singapore has some incredible greenroofs, for sure, and it’s hard to beat the sheer quantity found here within the  Universal Studios Singapore:

And finally, for the kid in all of us, watch this spectacular action packed video on YouTube introducing Resorts World Sentosa by clicking below:

Did we miss something?  We’d love to hear from you!  Click  here to see more information about this project in  The International Greenroof & Greenwall Projects Database.  See how you can submit yours  here.

Love the Earth, Plant a Roof!

~ Linda V.