As a BCA Green Mark Platinum mall, we make a huge effort in creating a sustainable and enjoyable environment for the community. From the beginning, we were determined that development of a great shopping and working experience should not be at the expense of tomorrow’s environment. We knew that there could be no here-today-gone-tomorrow attitudes when dealing with the delicate balance between a community, a building that holds its heartbeat and the environment that gives it strength.
There is even more to Jem than meets the eye, and we invite you to explore behind the scenes of your eco-friendly mall.
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Construction Method
Anyone who has ever tried to build their dream knows that there is a big leap between having the idea and bringing the idea to life.
Building with tomorrow in mind means using environmentally friendly methods and materials. Jem is among the first developments to lead the rejuvenation of Jurong Gateway. We have embraced construction methods that pave the way for a better future, a sustainable future.
The Jem Method is about saving resources. During construction, we reduced the use of cement by 20%. This will only mean something to you if you know that the production of cement and concrete puts a great strain on the environment. In the construction industry, it is the second most consumed product after water. It is highly energy intensive: the processing and transport of cement uses a lot of energy, and emits high levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
With green in mind, this is what we did instead:
- Replaced 20% of ordinary Portland cement with ground granulated blast-furnace slag
- Used wash copper slag in place of copper aggregates
- Used the Bondek method, which uses less cement
- Used recycled construction waste as pavers
- Chose Green Label* products
What is Green Label?
Administered by the Singapore Environment Council, the Singapore Green Labelling Scheme (SGLS) endorses consumer products and services that have less undesirable effects on the environment. These are the products we used to build Jem.
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The Jem Method
Jem pulled it all together with a future-forward building technique that saved resources like wood by foregoing wooden shuttering in favour of Bondek, which acts as both the formwork and a structural component.
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Conventional Method
Conventional building takes longer because formwork must be built and broken down, uses more cement as temporary slabs must be laid, and presents more safety risks for builders when these temporary structures are removed.
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Green Replacement Strategy
Green is our first principle of design, something you will appreciate even from afar. With sky terraces that wrap every alternate office floor creating beautiful walls of green, this building is easy on the eye, a refreshing sight in your rapidly re-developing suburban landscape. But it's when you visit Jem that you will truly feel the difference.
Bright skies & Butterflies
We invite you to relax in the cool interior, safely buffered from traffic noise by walls of absorbent greenery, rejuvenated by breathing the naturally filtered air that circulates through the building, and inspired by beautiful gardens. With green spaces and earth-friendly features Jem is a breath of fresh air, a living garden in the Jurong neighbourhood for all to enjoy.
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Like stage curtains of green velvet
Cool, calm and beautiful: sky terraces wrap around every alternate office floor, with vertical green walls providing shade and lessening direct sun glare
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Giving Mother Nature room to grow
Roof gardens soften the skyline. On every other floor, sky terraces
with trees and flowers bring park-life right to the doorsteps of people's workplaces.
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Water Efficiency
At Jem, we owe it to the community to provide facilities that help reduce its water footprint. Taking measures to monitor and reduce our water footprint will preserve our H2O resources. Downstream benefits of a reduced water footprint include less strain on water treatment plants that serve the Jurong communities, and less energy used to treat the water.
Catching raindrops & other green games
In a country with abundant rainfall, water may seem plentiful. In reality, Singapore’s water resources are limited. We rely on local catchment, recycled NEWater, imported water from Johor and desalinated water to quench a national consumption that has increased 10 times in the last 50 years.
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Catching raindrops & other green games
Rainwater is harvested for irrigation and the flushing system. -
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Every Drop Counts
Waste water is reduced with the most efficient water fittings and irrigation system.
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Energy Use
Have you ever wondered just how much power is needed to make a building as large as Jem comfortable, cool and light? Armed with the knowledge that buildings account for around 40% of the energy consumed worldwide, we made energy conservation first priority at Jem.
This building packs a punch. Special features such as a highly efficient air-conditioning system, regenerative lifts and extensive use of LED lighting will make it possible for Jem to cut down energy consumption by about 13GWh annually. This is equivalent to that which is generated by about 2,400 public housing apartments each year.
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Lighting the way
With natural daylight pouring into offices on the perimeter of the floor-plate, the need for artificial lighting is reduced.
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Stepping Up
With energy, a little thing can go a long way. We installed tiny sensors to slow the escalators when there is no one on board, and move again/at normal speed when someone steps on. Why not stop empty escalators altogether? Because it takes more energy to re-start.
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Upwardly Mobile
Energy recovery systems turn the lifts at Jem into real energy savers, using the energy of the lift going down to power the lift going up.
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Staying Cool
Keeping cool is a high priority, but it shouldn’t come with a high price tag. To keep energy consumption low, Jem has invested in Singapore’s first high efficiency, multi-tier chilled water plant system. The chilled water it delivers improves air conditioning efficiency by 25% over BCA Green Mark’s baseline, Singapore’s benchmark for measuring sustainability in the built environment.
Jem is an intelligent building, employing a 2-stage fresh air treatment system to create a consistent, healthy indoor environment. The ACMV system regulates temperature and humidity independently, preventing over cooling to maintain humidity or vice-versa. This separation results in significant energy savings. Wherever you are in the building, Jem keeps you comfortable at 24oC, +/- 1 oC, with humidity of less than 65%.
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Waste Management
We make it easy for shoppers and tenants to be green:
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shoppers are encouraged to toss waste into conveniently placed recycling bins
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non-organic waste is collected from retail tenants twice a day
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used kitchen oil from food and beverage tenants is collected and recycled into biofuel. The green corner at the waste management room allows tenants to recycle paper, aluminium cans, glass bottles, and plastic
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cutting decomposition time from 4 weeks to just 24 hours, our on-site eco-digester recycles food waste into water. This means less chance of vermin such as rats, less waste going into incinerators and landfill, and less air pollution from incinerators.
Recycling is a team effort at Jem.
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Low VOC Products
A healthy planet is a sustainable planet. This includes good, clean air. We’d like to keep it that way, which is why we insist that tenants at Jem use low VOC products for their fit-out.
Manufactured products like paint, adhesives and cleaning materials give off Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) that may cause us harm. VOCs are typically not acutely toxic, but instead have compounding long-term health effects. Because the concentrations are usually low and the symptoms are slow to develop, research into VOCs and their effects is difficult. VOCs can cause anything from mild eye irritation, nose and throat discomfort, headaches, allergic skin reactions, nausea, fatigue and dizziness to liver and kidney damage and even cancer. But we are not taking the chance.
In order to reduce and control indoor air pollutants, Jem uses low VOC products, from construction materials to the cleaning products used to maintain the mall.
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Jem Park
Jem has brought green ribbons, leafy nodes, sky parks and lush terraces to Jurong, giving everyone the opportunity to be rejuvenated by the beauty of nature. At Jem a breath of fresh air is just a few steps away. A multi-level landscape integrates retail and office areas.
Dreaming of picnics and playtime
Look out for these special features:
- Green ways:
The Sky Garden on Level 5 is a landscaped garden with play areas, promenades and viewing platforms.
The Green Connector on Level 6 gives office workers a pleasant, leafy walk to Jem for lunch. - Kid friendly:
Seating is provided on Level 5 and 6 for caregivers to supervise use of playground and Science Centre exhibits. - Easy riding:
Numerous informal wheelchair spaces are located around the Cascading Sky Park. The width of main access walkways is typically 1800mm to allow adequate maneuvering space for wheelchair turning. - Safety first:
No sharp or protruding corners or edges are proposed on external seating. Trees with low branches are not planted along main walkways to minimize hazard to the visually impaired.
Floor surfaces are stable, firm, slip-resistant and durable. - Meet and greet:
Ample seating is provided to create a variety of spaces for social interaction, passive recreation and rest.
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Jem Play
Families with children can have a great time too at Jem Play, a honeycomb-themed playground located at Level 5. Kids can climb across an exciting canopy, crawl through safe and fun nests and hammocks, making their own little nest world as they revel in an imaginative adventure with dry and water play amidst open spaces!
