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Monday November 04, 2024

Singapore's 51-storey 'biophilic' building with 80,000 trees

In some areas of Singapore, companies are legally bound to keep areas green

By Web Desk
October 16, 2022
Green Oasis occupies floors 17 through 20.— Finbarr Fallon/Bjarke Ingels Group via CNN
"Green Oasis" occupies floors 17 through 20.— Finbarr Fallon/Bjarke Ingels Group via CNN

Hundreds of feet above the ground, Singapore's recently completed skyscraper, the CapitaSpring Tower, is a spiral park full of plants and trees.

Passersby and office staff can enjoy the view of the tropical flora — also known as the four stories of "Green Oasis".

Almost a thousand feet above (919 ft), the skyscraper is now one of the tallest buildings in the country.

That is not it. Above the Oasis, on the tower's top floor, people can visit and take a stroll in a massive rooftop farm where fruits, vegetables, and much more is available along with three restaurants.

An urban farmer told CNN that the garden produces nearly 100 kgs of staples and commodities every month.

The building has a total of 51 floors and is home to more than 80,000 trees and plants. Danish firm Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) reported that the plant species are mostly those that are indigenous to the country. 

— Finbarr Fallon/Bjarke Ingels Group via CNN
— Finbarr Fallon/Bjarke Ingels Group via CNN

In 2018, CapitaSpring was described as being "biophilic" which is now a popular term used to describe the integration of nature into urban areas of life. 

BIG designed the tower in collaboration with Carlo Ratti Associati and said in a press release that the design "mimics the plant hierarchy of tropical rainforests".

The vertical design, the founder explained, was because of Singapore's unique urbanism. 

Not far away from CapitaSpring is Parkroyal Collection Pickering hotel which has greenery spread over 160,000 square feet. To its South, another hotel is turning greener than it was before.

In some areas of Singapore, which is a small country with a population of six million, companies are legally bound to keep areas green.

The government has branded the country as a "garden city" for a long time.