Did you know that roof gardens have been around for centuries, but still a fairly new concept in the Philippines?
In the country, SM is helping bring the benefits of roof gardens to the public through its Sky parks. First introduced in SM North Edsa, SM’s sky parks let customers experience the relaxing ambience of an oasis atop the mall and away from the busy thoroughfares of the city.
“We see the Philippines as the next up and coming market to embrace green roofs and sky gardens as a next trend in architecture,” said Mr. Ho Wan Weng, Managing Director of a Singapore-based green roof development consultancy company Verditecture.
Verditecture was responsible for the design and implementation of the Sky Garden in SM City North Edsa and SM Aura Premier in Taguig City.
Apart from their aesthetic qualities, these gardens have been proven to reduce temperature around the area where they are built, providing a cooler sanctuary in the midst of sweltering urban jungles.
Another little-known concept is urban heat island, an area significantly warmer than its surroundings. A highly urbanized city is a perfect candidate to be an urban heat island. Apart from the discomfort caused by high temperature in these areas, they cause several other problems such as high power consumption, health problems, and water quality loss. The vegetation provided by roof gardens help counter these degenerative effects.
Weng added that a roof garden has economic benefits because it saves us a lot of energy. He also mentioned that the structure saves on cost of the building, with a roof garden’s life cycle lasting 40 to 50 years.
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