Project No. 6589
The BE Collective team was commissioned to provide ESD services in support of a huge 17-hectare high-density, mixed-use development concept in Suan Lum in the heart of Bangkok; master-planned by The Buchan Group.
Tasked with facilitating sustainability and environmentally conscious initiatives for a development of this size, the BE Collective team looked to push ourselves and the project beyond the typical ‘carbon neutral’ or ‘carbon neutral’ standards that are the core of most current energy efficiency rating schemes.
We identified the specific environmental needs of the Suan Lum district to be pollution mitigation relating to air quality, water quality, stormwater management and energy generation.
We envisaged a group of buildings that drew-in air pollution and breathed out fresh air for the neighbourhood. We pictured structures that harvested clean energy from the head of the sun and of the earth to mitigate its own energy needs. A development that took in the polluted water of Bangkok’s struggling waterways and returned it clean and fresh.
To facilitate cleaner air, we suggested high-volume, low-pressure scrubbing and UV treatment systems. While the majority of current external air pollution control systems are designed only to disperse polluted air in a space deemed less harmful (those used in underground traffic tunnels for example) we nominated a system that would actively contribute to improving air quality.
To achieve higher stormwater management capabilities in the area and increase flood proofing, we suggested a network of storm traps, porous concrete pavements and bio retention including green roofs.
In order to mitigate our developments vast energy needs, we worked to incorporate a multi-pronged and multi-discipline strategy including photovoltaic glass, wind turbines, a tri-generation plant and an underground thermal labyrinth.
Through these initiatives we were proud to target a Platinum “World Excellence” rating through the LEED Neighbourhood Developments rating tool. This equates to the highest possible 6-Star “World Leadership” ranking in the GBCA’s Green Star Communities tool, which is the Australian equivalent rating system.
