BLUF
Singapore is looking at innovative ways to use architecture, design, and foliage to reduce temperatures across the city.Summary
In Singapore, air conditioning units consume a vast amount of energy. To reduce energy costs Singapore is using a combination of building design and smart technology to reduce temperatures, for example:
- Petal-shaped ventilating rooftops.
- Cooling underground water pipes.
- Reflective outdoor surfaces.
- Planting of foliage (cools but can block breezes and increase humidity).
- Data modelling to predict how future planning decisions could affect heat levels.
In Sep 2020 Singapore began developing a data model that should allow planners to try out, in a virtual environment, different ways to keep cool. Singapore so far has found that varying building heights can affect temperatures and that pumping chilled water throughout a building has the potential to reduce energy use by up to 30%. However, Singapore recognises it must do more to mitigate the impact of climate change. Consider what Australia can learn from Singapore to reduce the cost of cooling our buildings.
References
- Scientists Are Discovering Groundbreaking Ways to Keep Cool
- Commentary: Air-conditioning – the unspoken energy guzzler.
- Tackling Adelaide's urban heat by cooling roads
