MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Beauty and environmental benefits meet on a rooftop
Sydney, 28 August, 2009 - An environmentally friendly green roof crowns a stunning
public structure in Singapore which was recently the recipient of a prestigious
environmental engineering award.
The Marina Barrage is a dam
commissioned by PUB, Singapore’s
National Water Agency.
It has three major purposes: to boost
Singapore’s water supply, to alleviate
flooding in low lying areas and to provide
a new lifestyle attraction and venue for
recreational activities.
The development recently received the
top award at the American Academy of
Environmental Engineers’ Excellence in
Environmental Engineering competition.
The rooftop area is used for outdoor
concerts and performances and as a picnic and recreation area for the complex’s
thousands of visitors.
Pivotal to the success of the structure is VersiCell
®
,
an innovative drainage module that
enables the grass to thrive without risk of compaction despite significant pedestrian and
maintenance vehicle traffic. The modules also enable large volumes of water to be
dispersed and drained rapidly, which is particularly important during Singapore’s
frequent, heavy rainfalls.
The VersiCell
®
drainage modules used in
this project are made by landscape
engineering innovator, Elmich.
“The installed area is equivalent to the
size of four football fields,” said Elmich
Australia Pty Ltd’s Managing Director,
David Oliver. “VersiCell
®
drainage
modules are lightweight and made of
high-strength recycled plastic. They
provide efficient drainage without the
need to use heavy gravel and they also
protect the waterproofing membrane.
Furthermore, additional thermal and
acoustic insulation results,” he said.
Landscaping for the project was carried out by Nature Landscapes, one of Singapore’s
major contractors. A total area of 15,000 m² was planted with cow grass (Axonopus
Compressus).
Elmich supplied the VersiCell
®
as well as the waterproofing membrane, Bitulen SK 347
for the Marina Barrage project.
The award winning Marina Barrage project
in Singapore.
The rooftop was planted with 15,000 m²
of turfgrass.
Image courtesy of PUB.
Over two million m² of VersiCell
®
has been installed on
various green roof and landscape developments
worldwide. Projects include the Sydney
Conservatorium of Music and the Melbourne Cricket
Ground (Australia), Stanford Medical School and
CalPERS HQ (USA), Wafi Mall and Dubai Mall (UAE),
Paradise St Redevelopment (UK), Infosys Building
(India), Putrajaya Convention Centre and Kuala
Lumpur Convention Centre (Malaysia), and Republic
Polytechnic and VivoCity (Singapore).
“Marina Barrage’s graceful green roof is visually
stunning and offers substantial environmental benefits
that complement the overall eco-friendly design of the
building,” said David Oliver. “VersiCell
®
had a major
part to play in the overall success of the project by
enabling turfgrass to be planted in high use areas,
and for rainfall to be drained and dispersed with great
efficiency,” he said.
High resolution versions of the images in this
media release can be accessed at:
About Elmich Australia Pty Ltd:
For more than a decade, Elmich, an Australian company, has designed and created
innovations in landscape engineering. Working closely with specifiers and landscape
engineering specialists, Elmich develops customised solutions for residential,
commercial, infrastructural and industrial projects world-wide. For further details see:
Contact:
David Oliver
Managing Director
Elmich Australia Pty Ltd
Ph:+61 2 9648 2073
Fax:+61 2 9648 4731
E: David.Oliver@elmich.com.au
VersiCell
®
drainage modules
promote sub-surface
drainage and protect
waterproofing membranes.
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