The name sounds as if it is out of some cool science fiction movie in which a city of the future-lings helps humans take their shelter from the evil robots. Okay, that may not be a cool movie, just a plain old B-Grade Hollywood flick, but people still watch that. There is nothing B-grade about this Fusionopolis though as this spectacular green skyscraper soars in to the skies of Singapore with plenty of style and a lot more green intent. This surely is a green structure that will make the world sit up and take notice of green architecture.
Fusionopolis will be Singapore’s most eco-friendly building, what makes it so green is a vertical spine of planting that rises up through the 15-storey building. At 1.4km high, it designed essentially as a ‘normal home’ with ‘generational interaction’ between all family members. Designed by Malaysian-born, UK-based architect Ken Yeang, the structure is all about promoting a green lifestyle in the heart of a busy city. But making a truly ‘green’ building presents multiple challenges, from drainage and irrigation to picking the right species of trees and giving them sufficient daylight. It’s no easy task finding plants that survive high altitudes.
Yeang’s master plan at Rajarajeshwari Nagar in Bangalore, India, is the real deal. A continuous corridor of planting will weave through the 87-acre site across bridges and through tunnels. It works on the same principle as Fusionopolis, except the planting will be horizontal rather than vertical. This should surely give green architecture all the lift it needs and more and next time I’m in Bangalore, I will make a point to visit this place!
