Creating a Mobility Oasis for a Garden City

As the first of a series of planned upgrades to 57 Shell stations across the country, the Tampines Avenue 2 Shell Petrol Station acts as a testing ground for the viability of the new sustainability features and facilities implemented there.

Designed as a “mobility oasis”, the Shell station was built with the goal of enhancing the convenience and connectivity of the community. In addition to serving motorists with their refueling and servicing needs, the “station of the future” also serves as a pit stop for cyclists travelling on the island-wide park connector network. Adapting to the changing mobility landscape in Singapore towards a car-lite society, Shell took strides to cater to Personal Mobility Device (PMD) users by setting up the “Take a Brake” bicycle bay, allowing for the self-service maintenance of their devices. Residents nearby can also make use of the various facilities housed at the Shell Station, such as a POPstation, AXS, ATM machines, and a newspaper vending machine.

The reopening of the station also marks the launch of a Shell-owned convenience store as well as their food label, named Shell Select and Deli by Shell respectively. Shell also collaborated with strategic partners such as McDonald’s to launch Singapore’s 1st 24-hour drive-thru in a service station, bringing value-added convenience to customers.

The Shell station also boasts new sustainability features in its architecture, as Shell looks to improve energy and water efficiency in day-to-day operations. Solar tubing in the station canopy aids in reducing electricity usage during the day, while motion detectors in parts of the station ensures that lighting is only activated when necessary. 4 panels of Elmich Green Walls totaling 55m2 were established across the station and filled with verdant plants, giving the station a welcoming green façade while simultaneously helping to reduce ambient heat and airborne pollutants. A rainwater harvesting system, projected to save more than a million litres of water per year, helps to irrigate the plants on the green walls, as well as to flush the toilets.

The green walls were constructed using Elmich’s VersiWall® GP green wall products. Approximately 100 VersiWall® GP (VGP) Proprietary Mounting Panels were installed onto 4 different walls of varying sizes across the station, covering a total area of 55.1m2. The Mounting Panels facilitates easy mounting of approximately 1300 VGP Trays. Trays are connected to an irrigation system which uses harvested rainwater to sustain the plants, allowing for low maintenance care of the living wall system.

To prevent against accidental dislodgement, the VGP are fitted with anti-lift arms, effectively locking the trays to the mounting panel. The modular green wall system is also available in a fire-resistant version, which uses specially engineered thermoplastics which will not burn, release toxic emissions, or smoke when a fire is present.

The trays are then planted with 3 varieties of shade-loving plants, Philodendron ‘Gold’, Dracaena reflexa, and Epipremnum aureum. The varying shades of green on the plants create a layered look that brings an added dimension of depth to the walls.