By Mr Michael Wong Seong Khuen, Managing Director of Hitchins Group Ltd
25 August 2006

Although roof gardens are not new, as evidenced by the Hanging Gardens of Babylon (approx. 600 BC), their usage was not widely propagated in our modern buildings. While the aesthetics and beauty of a properly manicured roof garden can be easily appreciated, the environmental and ecological benefits are somewhat less well known. However, the Green Movement in the 60’s has rejuvenated much interest in the promotion of roof greening as the answer to the host of problems related to rapid urbanization such as the Urban Heat Island effect, increased storm water runoff causing flash floods, poor air quality, increased energy consumption and loss of habitat and biodiversity. This talk examines some of the environmental benefits which green roofs can offer in mitigating the adverse impact of urbanization caused by the creation of what is commonly known as the concrete jungle.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Mr Michael Wong Seong Khuen, Technical and Managing Director of Hitchins Group Ltd. has over 25 years of industrial experience in the field of building waterproofing and protection both in Singapore and the Asean region. Mr Wong’s involvement with greening of roofs started back in 1995 when he was introduced to green roofs installation during a business trip to Germany. In 1996 he signed a technology transfer agreement to bring the German concept into Singapore and set up a model to test bed the system to assess it’s suitability to tropical conditions. In 2003 he was involved with the installation of the first large-scale extensive green roof for HDB’s Pilot Project in Edgefield Plains, Punggol. Currently Mr Wong is the co-chairman of the Working Committee under the Singapore Landscape Industry Council with the task of drafting out a National Standard for Green Roof Application. Mr. Wong holds a Diploma in Civil Engineering from the Singapore Polytechnic and a Bachelor’s Degree in Building Surveying from the Central Queensland University of Australia and is a member of the Australian Institute of Building Surveyors, Council Member of the Singapore Concrete Institute and Member of the Singapore Institute of Arbitrators and the Singapore Institute of Building.

Last updated on 25 Jun 08

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