The newly renovated PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay boasts a transformational design strongly anchored in sustainability, earning it the highest accolade, “5-star Best Hotel Interior”, at the International Property Awards 2021.
Similar to its sister hotel PARKROYAL COLLECTION Pickering, PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay not only features a biophilic design, but also responds to the call towards sustainability with aplomb. Here’s how it has done so in ways both big and small:
REDUCING CONSTRUCTION WASTE
The hotel’s original architecture, which was designed by neo-futuristic American architect John Portman in 1985, was retained. Doing so prevented the production of 51,300 tonnes of carbon dioxide — equivalent to wiping out 8.7 million trees or an area larger than all of Singapore’s nature reserves — that would come with demolishing a typical high-rise. [1]
“Sufficiently robust and interesting buildings can be repurposed and not torn down. PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay is a really good example of this,” says Donovan Soon, Director, FDAT Architects, who is responsible for the design of the hotel.
BRINGING NATURE INDOORS
PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay features a garden-in-hotel concept that brings Singapore’s lush gardens indoors. A 13-metre-high green wall at the entrance is a precursor to 2,400 indoor plants, including 6-metre-high trees, that act as natural air purifiers. Guests are ushered through a four-storey-high ‘Sky-Bridge’ for an immersive treetop walk experience accompanied by the aria of live songbirds.
For Mr Soon and his team, it was an opportunity to show that large-scale greening is not only possible in newly built projects, but also in repurposed ones.
CREATING CONSCIOUS LIVING ENVIRONMENTS
Every detail counts in creating environments that are not only good for the planet, but for the people who use them. All 583 guestrooms were overhauled, with carpets stripped and replaced with timber flooring (engineered wood) to reduce the volatile organic compounds (VOC) emissions, optimising indoor air quality. Motion sensors were also installed to conserve energy by turning off lights and air-conditioning when guests are not in the room.
Water-filter taps in every guestroom as well as the use of glass bottles eliminate the use of approximately 360,000 plastic water bottles per year. Other little touches include the use of cruelty- and paraben-free bath amenities in biodegradable pump bottles and the reduction of paper usage through features like a digital concierge to access the in-room dining menu and request for additional amenities.
CONSIDERING WHAT’S BEING EATEN (AND WHAT ISN’T)
An urban farm on the hotel’s premises contributes up to 20% of the herbs and vegetables used at Peppermint, the hotel’s all-day dining restaurant. The restaurant also uses sustainable and locally sourced ingredients, keeping in line with the hotel’s green push forward.
What isn’t consumed is also given attention. Food waste is responsibly handled via a food waste bio digester. Every kilogram of food waste sent to the food waste digester is a kilogram diverted away from general waste incineration. The hotel also works with Nespresso to collect used capsules for processing into compost for the hotel’s urban farm.
LEVERAGING GREEN TECHNOLOGY
At PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay, solar panels are expected to generate 121,000 kwh of energy per year. The hotel’s design has also incorporated double-glazed glass ceilings, which help to optimise chilled water systems and promote energy efficiency, estimated to save more than 160,000 kwh per year.
Soon, the hotel will be introducing electric cars and charging stations at its premises. This will be an option for eco-conscious guests to use for their transfers, so as to reduce carbon emission.
Check out The Straits Times’ preview of the hotel here
[1] https://www.indesignlive.sg/insight/case-conservation-modern-architecture