07 July 2011

JCube: Singapore's Green Mall

The heartland mall is still being constructed but has already won acclaim for its sustainable design.

JCube, a CapitaMall Trust development, will be a large new mall located in the West of Singapore, at the intersection of Jurong East Central 1 and Jurong Gateway Road. Currently in the process of being constructed, it is slated for completion in the first quarter of 2012.

JCube

While yet to open its doors, the mall has already won a prestigious award. In the middle of May, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) of Singapore awarded JCube the Platinum Green Mark Award, their highest honour. The Green Mark Award was begun in January 2005 as a way of differentiating buildings that incorporate internationally recognised sustainability practices. This year, out of the 162 Green Mark Awards given, 45 were Platinum Green Marks.

JCube is being positioned as a trendsetting, multifaceted lifestyle destination for the young, working professionals and the residents in west Singapore and is designed by multi-award winning firm RSP Architects Planners & Engineers.

JCube

Its form will be a six-sided development resembling an ice cube. This is almost certainly partly because a fully integrated Olympic-sized ice skating rink (Singapore's first), complete with a 463-seater gallery and changing rooms, will be located on Level 3. Space around the rink will be fully utilised with commercial shop spaces, envisioned to be eventually taken up by high-street fashion outlets, and restaurants, pubs and bars. The ice cube facade will be softened with an outdoor terrace on Level 2 and a rooftop landscaped garden with a Teflon-covered event space on Level 5.

The construction of JCube began with a pre-demolition audit to determine the type and quantity of waste that would be generated. Any materials and equipment that could be salvaged were reused and recycled and the construction of the development heavily features recycled concrete and other green-certified materials.

JCube

The green elements incorporated into the design include LED lights and motion sensors to activate the lights at staircase landings as well as solar panels to supplement the mall's energy needs. The ice rink will have heat recovery features to recycle heat and an automatic tube cleaning system installed to increase productivity of the air-conditioning plant. There will also be a rainwater harvesting tank and recycling process of the condensate water of the air handling units.

The developer CapitaMall Trust has also committed to educating JCube's visitors about sustainability and the mall's green features through educational panels and displays.

CapitaMall Trust
capitamall.com

RSP Architects Planners & Engineers
rsp.com.sg