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.
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 photographs illustrating the named jobs 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
NEWS 
