http://www.straitstimes.com/archive/...chers-20140919

Void decks for CBD buildings - a cool idea by researchers

Published on Sep 19, 2014 1:05 AM

By Marissa Lee


THE central business district is hotter than less urban areas of the island - and creating more void decks could be the solution to keeping its residents and workers cool.

Researchers at the National University of Singapore (NUS) Centre for Sustainable Cities have found that daytime temperatures in the CBD can be up to 5 deg C higher than in areas like Lim Chu Kang, and warned that the gap could widen as the population grows.

Lowering temperatures in certain "heat islands" like the CBD can improve people's well-being, and one way to do this is to catch the wind that blows during the north-east and south-west monsoon seasons, said Professor Wong Nyuk Hien, a design and environment researcher at NUS.

"Where buildings are likely to block the wind, we recommend providing void decks to allow the wind to channel," Prof Wong told a room of about 150 researchers and urban planners.

"You can design it so that the so-called void deck can be put to good use, or converted into an atrium."

Prof Wong's team identified Singapore's urban hot spots using a simulation tool it developed that can predict temperatures based on wind patterns, greenery and building density - all at the push of a few buttons.

Recently, the team worked with the Urban Redevelopment Authority on a simulation that mapped potential hot spots in the Marina Bay area, even before they were built.

"In countries like ours, we want the wind to come down to the street level and bring comfort to the people there," said Mr Lee Chuan Seng, emeritus chairman of engineering consultancy Beca Asia.

"It's definitely do-able. If you look at the buildings in the Marina Bay area like Asia Square, you'll see that its ground floor is an open atrium."

Prof Wong's team was one of nine groups to present its findings at a symposium on sustainable cities held at NUS yesterday.

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