09
November
2015
|
21:40
Asia/Singapore

The Museum is green, naturally

The Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum received the Skyrise Greenery Award for the 'Community Facility' category

The Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum at NUS has won the Excellence Award for the "Community Facility" category of the Skyrise Greenery Awards 2015. Given out by National Parks Board of Singapore, the Skyrise Greenery Awards acknowledge developments with greenery provision and ecologically friendly landscapes. Mr Lawrence Wong, Minister for National Development, presented the awards on 5 November 2015 during the GreenUrbanScape Asia 2015 opening ceremony. 

The Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum's facade, designed to resemble a "moss-covered rock", showcases the biodiversity in Southeast Asia. A pocket houses more than 60 types of cultivated indigenous plants, including mangrove species. The planter boxes in the pocket simulate natural terrain so as to encourage local fauna, such as birds and butterflies, to inhabit the spaces, creating a natural biodiverse wall feature. This greening effort enhances the building's energy efficiency by acting as a heat screen to cut down the heat absorbed by the building, while drawing visitors to interact with the living garden.

Mr Chew Chin Huat, Director of NUS Facilities Management, said the accolade recognises the University's continuous efforts in sustainable development and construction. "With a long-term vision of creating a biophilic campus, we aspire to incorporate lush greenery into our building designs wherever possible, he said.

This year, a record 123 entries were submitted for the Skyrise Greenery Awards. They were assessed based on design, function, sensitivity to surroundings, engagement and sustainability.