Building science report on city square mall

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INTRODUCTION
PAGE 2
CLIMATE DATA
PAGE 14
WIND ANALYSIS
PAGE 15
SUN ANALYSIS
PAGE 16
PASSIVE GREEN DESIGN
ANALYSIS
PAGE 17
REFERENCE LIST
PAGE 30
CONTENT PAGE

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PROJECT: City Square Mall
LOCATION: Singapore
ARCHITECT: Ong & Ong Architects Pte Ltd.
Picture 1: The entrance to City Square Mall
City Square Mall is located at the junction of Serangoon and Kitchener Road,
Singapore, and is the first mall to integrate an urban park, City Green, that is
used for ecological-themed activities and serves as an open spaced
recreation venue. The park includes a playground, Eco-Playground, made of
environmentally friendly materials, a butterfly park, a wide variety of plants
and ecological-themed artworks and signs.
Completed in 2009, the mall was designed by Ong & Ong Architects Pte Ltd.
It has more than 40, 000 sq.m. of retail space and has direct access to public
transport such as the Farrer Park MRT station, as well as a designated
parking space for visitors driving green and hybrid cars. The 5-storey atrium,
comprising retail shops and food courts, leads up to a 9-storey high annex
tower, occupied by fitness centres, spas and education centres.
INTRODUCTION

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Picture 2: Satellite view of City Square Mall
Coordinates: 1.311188 , 103.856378
Aim: City Square Mall aims to be the leading eco-friendly
family mall by creating a fun and engaging eco-friendly
shopping experience for families and children
Certification: City Square Mall has been certified the Platinum Rating in
the Green Mark scheme in Singapore
Green Features: The main passive green design features of the mall
include:
a. Extended solar fins and louvres
Diagram 1: Picture showing side view of Extended Solar Fins and Louvres
Source: http://www.architecturenewsplus.com/project-images/19227

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Picture 3: Extended Solar Fins and Louvres on building
Source: http://www.architecturenewsplus.com/project-images/19239
b. An outdoor park
Picture 4: Picture showing plan of outdoor park

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c. A sky park
Picture 5: Picture showing Sky Park
Source: http://www.architecturenewsplus.com/project-images/19244
Picture 6: Sky Park
SKY PARK

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d. Ceramic fritted low-e double glazed skylight glass integrated with
insulated metal roofing
Picture 7: Ceramic fritted low-E doubled glazed skylight integrated metal roofing
Diagram 2: Heat transfer through low-e doubled glazed glass

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e. Aluminium cladding with insulated backing wall
Picture 8: Aluminium cladding with insulated backing wall
Source: http://www.architecturenewsplus.com/project-images/19238
f. Curtain wall with full height high performance low-E double glazing to
optimize day lighting
Diagram 3: Picture showing zoom in elevation of the curtain wall
Source: http://www.architecturenewsplus.com/project-images/19227
CURTAIN
WALL

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ORTHOGRAPHIC DRAWINGS
Drawing 1: Site Plan (nts)
Drawing 2: Level 1 Floor Plan

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Drawing 3: North East Elevation
Drawing 4: North West Elevation

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Drawing 5: South East Elevation
Drawing 6: South West Elevation

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SITE PICTURES
Picture 9: Panoramic view of the interior

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Picture 10: Front façade of City Square Mall
Picture 11: Walkway on the 6th floor of City Square Mall

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Picture 12: The skypark located on the roof of City Square Mall
Picture 13: The skylight located at the food court area

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Figure 1: Average temperature of Singapore
Diagram 4: Average relative humidity of Singapore
Referring to Figure 1, it can be seen that the average temperature for the
whole year in Singapore is 28o
C. The temperatures do not vary much
throughout the year and therefore it is consistent. It can be seen in Diagram 4,
that the southwestern area of Singapore has a higher humidity level as
compared to the other areas.
CLIMATE DATA

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Diagram 5: A wind rose diagram of Singapore
Diagram 6: A diagram stating the direction of the prevailing winds
Referring to Diagram 5, the highest frequency of wind comes in from the
North and North East of Singapore and the speed of these winds are 10 km/h
and 15 km/h respectively. It can be seen the orientation of City Square Mall is
angled to maximize the circulation of wind around the building.
WIND ANALYSIS

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Diagram 7: A sun path diagram for Singapore
Diagram 8: Optimum orientation of a building in Singapore
Referring to the Diagram 8, it can be seen that the blue arrow points towards
the South East indicating the direction in which would be the optimum
orientation for a building in Singapore to prevent overheating.
SUN ANALYSIS

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1. NATURAL VENTILATION
a) Description
Ventilation at a space has three main purposes:
1. To maintain a minimum air quality
2. To remove heat in a space
3. To provide air movement to enhance thermal comfort
Diagram 9: A diagram showing the prevailing winds at City Square Mall
Diagram 10: Diagram showing the corner effect phenomenon
PASSIVE GREEN DESIGN ANALYSIS

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Referring to Diagram 9, the orientation of the building maximizes the
ventilation of wind coming in from the North. Due to the angled orientation of
the building, a wind phenomenon called the corner effect occurs. This is when
increased wind speeds occur at the corners of a building (localized within a
radius from the corner equal to the width of the building), reaching 1.5 times of
the average wind speeds. It can be seen in Diagram 10, that the corner effect
allows for wind to pass through the open space in City Square Mall allowing
adequate thermal comfort.
Diagram 11: Diagram showing the zoning of natural and artificial ventilation
Diagram 12: Diagram showing the zoning of the outdoor area of City Square Mall

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The Zoning of the outdoor spaces allow for natural ventilation to occur as
there are no major obstructions on the perimeter of the park. For example, the
fountain square green roof is raised to reduce the obstruction to maximize the
natural ventilation within the space.
b) Wind Phenomenon
Diagram 13: Diagram showing the cross ventilation of hot and cold air at the Fountain Square
Area
Diagram 14: Section cut of the Fountain Square Area

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Picture 14: A view of the roof of the fountain square below
Due to the raised manner of the Fountain Square Green roof, the induction of
cross ventilation is apparent. The lower level of the area is naturally ventilated
due to this phenomenon. With the aid of a fan in the space, the ventilation is
improved resulting in a more comforting environment. The ambience of the
space is further enhanced with the presence of a green wall. Wind induced
pressure happen because the building, which is a fountain square is an
obstacle to the wind. The wind will be deflected and due to its momentum, it
creates positive and negative pressures over the surface of the building.
Referring to Diagram 15, the wind induced pressure windward side, which
means the side or direction from which the wind is blowing, is positive
whereas the wind induced pressure on the leeward side, which mean the side
that is sheltered from the wind, is negative.
Diagram 15: The wind-induced pressure distribution is positive on the windward side and
negative on the roof and the leeward side

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Besides that, cross ventilation also helps to increase thermal comfort inside
an area. Referring to Diagram 13 and 14, inside the fountain square, cross
ventilation occurs when cold air enters the area and hot air escapes from the
area. This happens because hot air is less dense than cold air resulting in
cross ventilation in the area.
To cover the wide range of required ventilation rates and the wide range of
wind speeds, openings must be controlled for example by putting columns
with uniform opening gaps. The fountain square has columns with uniform
small opening gaps, which is called the gap effect. The more the opening area
is distributed, the more likely it is that there will be a pressure difference
between openings to drive the flow (Natural Ventilation: Cross Ventilation,
2014).
Diagram 16: Picture showing the gap effect at the fountain square
2. SUN SHADING DEVICES
a) Types of Sun Shading Devices

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i) Roof Overhang
Picture 15: Main entrance of City Square Mall
Overhangs have been installed on the North Western’s façade of the City
Square Mall. Based on the sun analysis done on this building, it can be
concluded that the North Western façade receives the most exposure during
12PM and 4PM and is still exposed to major sunlight with only a small amount
of area shaded. However, it does help in reducing the amount of sunlight to
be penetrated inside the space targeted to be shaded which is the food court
area.
Picture 16: The roof of the fountain square area

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Roof overhangs are found on the Fountain Square as well, which is located
on the North Western part of the mall. The mentioned shading device helps in
preventing the sun from entering the water musical fountain, which is situated
underneath.
ii) Fins and Louvers
Picture 17: The tower's façade with fins and louvers
Picture 18: The fins and louvers located on the Northwestern façade
Metal fins which acts as louvers have been installed on the City Square Mall
building on the North Western as well as the North Eastern facade. It has
been orientated as such to help in taming down the sunlight penetrating
though the window glass located behind it especially during the peak of
sunlight exposure on 12PM and 4PM. Apart from that, the metal fins absorbs

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heat which would lessen the heat exposure from the sun entering the interior.
This shading device functions well in shading the interior space of the covered
area.
Picture 19: The louvers located at the sky park
Horizontal sun louvers are found on the same level of the sky park, orientated
towards the North Western. It aids in shading the walkway since the sky park
is an open space. However, it only shades a small amount of area.
iii) Awning
Picture 20: The green awning located on the roof of the southwestern façade

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Glass awning system has been discovered on the South Eastern façade of
the City Square Mall. This façade receive the least sunlight exposure, which is
why the installation is at the top of building. The sunlight would be refracted
away from the entrance, which is situated below the awning. The minimal
shading is helpful as such there are less sunlight exposure occurs on the
mentioned area.
b) Sun Shading Analysis at the Fountain Square
Diagram 17: A section cut of the fountain square on the 21st of March at 9am
Diagram 18: A section cut of the fountain square on the 21st of March at 12pm

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Diagram 19: A section cut of the fountain square area on the 21st of March at 4pm
Diagram 20: A section cut of the fountain square area on the 22nd of June at 9am
Diagram 2: A section cut of the fountain square area on the 22nd of June at 12pm

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Diagram 21: A section cut of the fountain square area on the 22nd of June at 4pm
Diagram 22: A section cut of the fountain square area on the 22nd of December at 9am
Diagram 23: A section cut of the fountain square area on the 22nd of December at 12pm

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Diagram 24: A section cut of the fountain square area on the 22nd of December at 4pm
The roof overhang on the fountain square area can be proved to be effective
in sun shading. This is because throughout the year a major portion of the
basement area is shaded. The reason that there should be lighting within the
space is because of the presence of the green wall underneath the space.
Besides shading the interior spaces, the roof overhang shades the areas on
the ground level as well further improving the comfort of the users of the
space.

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Aizat, M. (n.d.). Environmental Analysis of City Square Mall.
Retrieved May 15, 2014, from
http://www.coroflot.com/mohammedaizat/Environmental-Analysis-of-City-
Square-Mall
Barker, N. (n.d.). Natural ventilation: cross ventilation. Retrieved May 21,
2014, from
http://www.architecture.com/SustainabilityHub/Designstrategies/Air/1-2-
1-3-naturalventilation-crossventilation.aspx
BCA Greenmark. (n.d.). Retrieved April 2, 2014, from
http://www.greenmark.sg/property-detail.php?id=14
REFERENCE LIST

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City Square Mall - Home. (n.d.). Retrieved May 4, 2014, from
http://www.citysquaremall.com.sg/index.php
City Square Mall - Singapore's First Eco-Mall ~ Merlion Wayfarer Goes
Green [Web log post]. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://merlionwayfarergoesgreen.blogspot.com/2013/06/city-square-mall-
singapores-first-eco.html
City Square Mall. (n.d.). Retrieved May 19, 2014, from
http://www.architecturenewsplus.com/project-images/19227
Double glazing for thermal insulation. Low-E–energy saving glass - Double
Glazing Info. (n.d.). Retrieved April 1, 2014, from http://www.double-
glazing-info.com/Choosing-your-windows/Types-of-glass/Low-E-energy-
saving-glass
Green building experts shop for ideas at Singapore’s first eco-mall | News |
Eco-Business | Asia Pacific. (n.d.). Retrieved May 19, 2014, from
http://www.eco-business.com/news/green-building-experts-shop-for-
ideas-at-singapores-first-eco-mall/
Marusiak, J. (2011, September 17). Green building experts shop for ideas at
Singapore’s first eco-mall | News | Eco-Business | Asia Pacific.
Retrieved April 2, 2014, from http://www.eco-business.com/news/green-
building-experts-shop-for-ideas-at-singapores-first-eco-mall/

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site location plan. (n.d.). Retrieved May 21, 2014, from
http://www.arthitectural.com/ongong-city-square-mall/site-location-plan/
Thermal mass and Designing for Heating and Cooling. (n.d.).
Retrieved April 1, 2014, from http://www.level.org.nz/passive-
design/thermal-mass/thermal-mass-design/
Thermal mass and Passive Design. (n.d.). Retrieved April 1, 2014, from
http://www.level.org.nz/passive-design/thermal-mass/
What is Energy-efficient Glazing? (n.d.). Retrieved April 1, 2014, from
http://www.pilkington.com/en-gb/uk/householders/types-of-glass/energy-
efficient-glass/what-is-energy-efficient-glazing