Singapore's first public housing blocks built to be
environmentally sustainable have become the testing ground for
future projects. From afar, the high-rises of Punggol Eco-Town
look unremarkable, but they are the first large-scale experiment
to make public housing eco-friendly in Singapore, a tropical
city-state that is hot year-round. Over 80% of Singapore's
residents live in public housing, called HDBs, after the
government agency that builds them. "What we have done is that
we put in various eco friendly features that helps in terms of
capitalizing on the wind, enhancing greenery, reducing energy
consumption, water usage, how to promote waste recycling, et
cetera, all in one development," said Ng Bingrong, the project
director, Treelodge@Punggol. The eco-friendly methods range from
commonplace and practical to highly innovative. Plant-covered
roofs naturally lower the buildings' temperature, and the
towers' orientation, facing away from the sun, helps too.
Painting the buildings white helps keep them cool