DESIGN PORTFOLIO
Can we grow Asian Greens in Multi-Storey Car Parks?
SIE 3124 Capstone Project
This study explores the feasibility of urban farming in Singapore's Multi-Storey Car Parks through site studies, daylight simulations and comprehensive analysis, highlighting challenges in cost, implementation and regulatory compliance.
Academic Year: SIE BEng Y3
Supervisor: Associate Professor Chien Szu-Cheng
Industry Collaborators: Associate Professor Mamiko Fujiyama, Ochanomizu University, Professor Toshikazu Ishida and Professor Hikaru Kobayashi, Tohoku University
Urban farming is already feasible on rooftops
But what about the lower floors?
Aims & Objectives
1
Study daylighting performance of intermediate floors to determine suitability for farming...
2
Using modelling and simulation tools like Rhinoceros and ClimateStudio
3
And conducting analysis and proposing recommendations
Literature review
Only 16 MSCPs tendered for rooftop farming...
... with car-lite future expected, MSCPs will be underused
... opportunity for intensified urban farming on lower floors
Crop selection
Unit of measurement
Lux (lx)
Measure of illuminance: Total amount of visible light to the human eye
PPFD
Photosynthetic Photon Flux Density
(μmol/s/m²)
Determine how much light (photons) is available for photosynthesis at a given moment
DLI
Daily Light Integral
(mol/m²/day)
Determine total photons (PPFD) available per 24-hour day.
Selected crop
PPFD
200-300 μmol/s/m²
DLI
14-16 mol/m²/day
Nai Bai
(Asian Green)
Methodology
Results and findings
Urban farming in MSCPs is not feasible in their current state
Recommendations
Study recommends using light reflectors and solar tubes to introduce daylight further into the deep floors.
The M&E rooms of MSCPs are place on the edges of the floors, prime location for urban farming
Study also suggests placing M&E rooms in the centre of the floor to free up the edges for urban farming
But it acknowledges that proposed relocation would result in vehicular access for maintenance vehicles as per BCA's guidelines
Standardised planter module may not suit all MSCPs, can be customised for each MSCP
