A Green Mark Living Lab - How participants can have a deep appreciation of green buildings by staying in one!

May 19, 2020

Singapore's Urban planning abilities impress visitors

Singapore is envisioned to be a "City in a Garden" with greenery not just constrained to parks but grown strategically on buildings as well. With vegetation and luscious trees framing our sidewalks and roads, our urban environment melds seamlessly with nature. Roads are continuously maintained to ensure smooth journeys for all road users. 

Our public housing structure and facilities available in the neighbourhood will impress many foreigners visiting Singapore. Other than being common spaces for socialising and holding events, our void decks house many amenities such as health clinics, minimarts and even tuition centres. 

Many amenities are available within a stone's throw. Drains can be seen along housing estates, leading to canals. Installed as part of our drainage system, the canals prevent floods in residential estates and critical city areas.

Green initiatives are not not just limited to parks and residences but are also extended to the commercial sector. 

In January 2005, Singapore’s Building And Construction Authority (BCA) launched the GREEN MARK Scheme to direct Singapore's construction industry towards more environment-friendly buildings. It was intended to promote sustainability in the built environment and raise environmental awareness among developers, designers and builders. 

The social benefits of being a Green Mark building includes more efficient use of key resources such as energy and water, enhanced occupant productivity and health due to improved indoor environmental quality.

Most of us might not be aware that Palawan Kidz City, where KidZania Singapore is situated, is awarded the BCA Green Mark scheme. 

KidZania Singapore officially opened its doors on 12 April 2016. A world class family edutainment centre located in Sentosa, Singapore, the architects not only created a city designed for kids but it also embodied the green principles advocated by BCA and is now a living laboratory for young designers. 

The Palawan KidzCity is a small jewel on Sentosa and part of the nation's larger City In A Garden vision, where sustainability and functionality work hand in hand.

High Achievers has developed a unique training programme that provides participants with a unique opportunity to see, touch and understand the design thinking and engineering concepts that went into KidZana’s Green Mark journey.

Here are some of the key criteria for buildings to be awarded BCA Green Mark:

Designers are encouraged to design and construct green, sustainable buildings which are: 

• Climatic responsive: A building design reflects the weather conditions in the precise area where the building is built. 
• Energy effective: A building that eliminates energy waste and brings a variety of benefits: reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and lowering the costs of the building.  
• Resource-efficient: A building that maximises the supply of funds, materials, staff, and other assets in the organisation to function effectively. 
• Smarter and have healthier indoor environments: A building that ensures the indoor provides healthy indoor quality to provide a comfortable and healthy environment for employees. 
• Water efficiency: A building that reduces water wastage. 
• Green/innovative features: A building that innovates ideas to a greener and better design of districts, parks, infrastructure and building interiors

Why is the Palawan Kidz City building considered a green building? 

The Palawan Kidz City building consists of 5 key structural features: The Green RoofTop, annexe building, building interior, building Exterior and walkways, and adjacent greenery. Each structure was developed to meet one or more of the criteria listed in the Green Mark certification process. 

How does High Achievers collaborate with KidZania Singapore to deliver the Green Mark programme?

We believe strongly in the use of experiential learning and so we have developed a story based programme with each of the key structures in Palawan Kidz City serving as a learning station where participants engage in exciting science activities that help illustrate green concepts. Participants learn and have fun as a team completing tasks and discovering clues to the Green Mark Puzzle.  

Participants will get to tour the building, go behind the scenes at certain stations and complete a series of team based challenges each with its own Eco Environment message. Every task is relatable to engineering, design and the pursuit for greener more environmentally practices. 

The KidZania Green Mark Building programme had its debut run together with 60 participants during the CodeFest 2019 hack-a-ton. 

More than just an attraction, overnight participants get to live and learn in an Eco Friendly building and take away concepts that can be applied at home and everyday life. This exciting new project is tailored especially to schools which have a focus on eco-friendly concepts and how nature can complement urban development. 

Besides the Palawan Kidz City building, Sentosa offers many Eco-friendly attractions and is committed to long term sustainability. Check out these other eco-friendly attractions upon arrival at KidZania Singapore. 

Write to us to find out how this programme can be tailored to suit your group goals!

Leave a comment

Comments will be approved before showing up.

Name *

Email *

Comment *

---

Also in News & Updates