Sep 29 2009
The Taipei City Department of Economic Development has just completed the greening of the Chengkung Market roof under the Promotion Plan of Taipei Garden City in preparation for the 2010 Taipei International Gardening and Horticulture Exposition, the next major event to be sponsored by Taipei City Government following the just successfully concluded 2009 Deaflympics.
Chou Ching-an, director of City Garden Center under the Development of Economic Development, said in coordination with landscape engineers and Chengkung Market Self-Governing Committee, the one-month roof greening project was completed on Sept. 13 with a budget of some NT$2.4 million. The 1,980-square meter makeshift market, constructed of corrugated iron on Siwei Road near the Chengkung Public Housing Complex, has 200 stalls.
By covering 1,806.72 square meters of the Chengkung Market roof with such drought-resistant plants as crown of thorn, rose moss and spiderwort, the greening is the largest-scale landscape gardening project ever been done in Taiwan. It will not only lower the temperature inside the market from 40 to 32 degrees Fahrenheit in summer, but also beautify the city landscape when viewed from the nearby five-star Far Eastern Plaza Hotel.
After considering maintenance costs and bearing capacity of the market’s iron structure, the landscape engineers used both waterproof paint and waterproof cloth to cover the corrugated iron roof and installed automated sprinkler Chou said. The engineers also chose crown of thorn and other drought-resistant plants to decrease the frequency of trimming and management. In other words, he pointed out, to green the roof with a thin layer of plants is the best choice for environment-friendly urban greening.
Liu Wan-lai, chairman of the Chengkung Market Self-Governing Committee, said that “With the in-door temperature being lowered significantly in summer, both vendors and customers feel more comfortable.”
After the greening of the market roof, residents of its neighboring building are happy to enjoy the view of a new high-rise garden, Chief Weng Hung-yuan of Chunhsien Li said, adding that guests staying at Far Eastern Plaza Hotel, who had complained about the dull sight of the grey market roof, will definitely be impressed with the greening of Taipei.
Source: https://english.gov.taipei/