BARRY Reader Response Draft 1

According to the article “About the gardens” taken from the Garden by the Bay website, it states that much effort is done in ensuring that it is environmentally sustainable in terms of water and energy. The author talks about the implementation in Dragonfly lake and Kingfisher lake, how it acts as a natural filtration system as well as a provider of aquatic habitats for the diversity of biological life living within them. It raises awareness of the value that aquatic plants play in nature and also highlighting the significance of clean water in a sustaining biodiversity. The author mentioned that the two conservatories dome are fitted with specially selected glass that allows optimal light in for plants, but reduces a substantial amount of heat. It also brought up the cutting-edge technologies for energy-efficient solutions helps the energy-efficiency in cooling by at least 30% savings in energy consumption. It described that how the conservatives’ uses shade to lower the heat within reducing the need of cooling and how in return the waste heat produced by the electricity could be reuse for dehumidifying. In addition, the author mentioned about the use of photovoltaic cells on the supertrees harvested which will be used for lightnings while others act as air exhaust containment units.

I believed that Garden by the bay uses an eco-friendly approach in being energy efficient and sustainable at the same time. I agree that Garden’s by the bay has achieved local and international success by being the largest ecofriendly and sustainable conservatories ever built by being energy efficient and sustainable at the same time.

Firstly, the main showcase of Garden’s by the bay are its two main conservatories as they are exhibit of energy efficiency and sustainable technology. The Flower Dome replicating the climate of Mediterranean and semi-arid region such as South Africa, California and Western Australia. The Cloud Forest Dome is a cool and moist conservatory in tropical montane regions.

Secondly, The glasses of the conservatories were specially selected that prevents over amount of heat entering the domes. It also enables 65 per cent of light to enter the dome, providing maximum illumination. [Laetitia 2014] The Conservatories apply the strategy of cooling only the lower levels, thus reducing the volume of air to be cooled. This is achieved through thermal stratification – ground cooling by chilled water pipes cast within the floor slabs enabling cool air to settle at the lower occupied zone while the warm air rises and is vented out at high levels. Electricity is generated on-site to run the chillers that cool the Conservatories.[Laetitia 2014] At the same time, waste heat is captured in the process to regenerate the liquid desiccant. This co-generation of energy is achieved by the use of a Combined Heat Power (CHP) steam turbine that is fed by horticultural waste from the Gardens and other parks around Singapore. This reduces dependency on the electrical grid.[Laetitia 2014] This Innovative design strategies were developed for controlling these conditions within the naturally environment of Singapore, while minimizing energy demand to ideal levels.

In conclusion, I believe that Garden's by the bay was a success by creating awareness of eco-friendly sustainable energy design locally and internationally. The author brought across the different aspects and ways that Garden’s by the bay used to achieve its goals by being ecofriendly sustainable gardens.    

References:

Laetitia, W (2014) Gardens by The Bay: The garden life. Retrieved 31 May, 2014, from: http://www.todayonline.com/lifestyle/travel/gardens-bay-garden-life

According to the report taken from the Garden by the Bay website, the concept of Gardens by the Bay are the principles of environmental sustainability.There are two main lakes within the garden lake system: Dragonfly lake and Kingfisher lake. These two lakes act as a natural filtration system as well as a provider of aquatic habitats for the diversity of biological life living within them. Water run-off from within the Gardens is captured by the lake system and cleansed by aquatic plants before being discharged into the reservoir. Naturally treated water used in the built in irrigation system from the Gardens.  It raises awareness of the value of aquatic plants in nature, and highlights the significance of clean water in sustaining biodiversity. This is only achievable by incorporating the following methods - firstly by the filtering of water, reducing nutrient load and maintaining an aquatic ecosystem. Hence the conservatories replicate the cool-dry climate of the Mediterranean and semi-arid sub-tropical regions and the cool-moist climate of the Tropical Montane region. By applying the cutting-edge technologies for energy-efficient solutions in cooling, it can help to achieve at least 30% savings in energy consumption compared to conventional cooling technologies. This allows for reduced energy consumption, minimizing solar heat gain, cooling only the occupied zones and de-humidifying the air before cooling and generating energy and harnessing waste heat. Therefore , with the use of photovoltaic cells on the supertrees the solar energy harvested will be used for the lighting of the supertrees while others are incorporated within the conservatories acting as air exhaust containment units.

“My English Language Learning Journey” 

Winston Churchill once wrote success is not final, and failure is not fatal. A poignant reminder that success lied in an individuals determination to succeed despite the odds stacked up against us. Diagnosed with dyslexia at an early age, learning had always proved to be a challenging task for me particularly in the field of English. My difficulty in English soon proved to be a mounting obstacle for me, as English became harder to grasp and concepts more difficult to understand over the years and course of my studies. With the large emphasis placed on English as our first language, my parents grew increasingly worried with my persistent struggles in the language. Determined not to let my struggles in the language affect my determination to succeed and through the help and support of my parents whom sought help and found new ways to help improve my English. However, being young and immature at the time I failed to understand the paramount importance of English and my struggles in the language that would once again surface in Secondary School. Once again realizing the stark importance of English in secondary three for my N and O levels and the crucial role it played on my results, I once again turned my focus to doing well in English. This once again sparked my desire to continue improving on the language and my determination not to let my dyslexia in English  and in anything I set my mind to do and prevent me from achieving and attaining success later on in life. "It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop" Confucius