The area around KCR Tai Po Market station will soon filled with a lively green sky garden. Creating a cooler environment for the neighbourhood, the green roofing concept, which has already been much lauded in Singapore , will be implemented on the rooftop of Tai Po Market station.

Touted as the city's biggest sky garden, the KCR Corporation will be spending HK$2 mil out of the HK$79 mil renovation budget on the station exterior, including the planting of peanuts and firecracker vines on the 2,000 sqf rooftop.

According to tree expert Jim Chi-yung, "apart from creating a pleasant view for passengers and residents of the nearby Uptown Plaza , the project was also expected to save power and bring down the temperature of the station's rooftop by at least 22 degrees Celsius."

It is hoped that, besides reducing summer temperature of the station rooftop from

54 to 32 degrees Celsius, significant energy savings will be achieved thanks to the garden. Fung Wing-yiu, General Manager of infrastructure and building, KCR, said, "the spot-cooling system has already saved up to two-thirds of electricity. After completion of the sky garden we hope our electricity bills can be slashed by another 2-3 per cent."

If this pilot project is successful, the sky garden concept could be expected. According to The South China Morning Post, the KCRC has a budget of HK$1 bil to upgrade East Rail stations over the next decade. The Tai Po garden is scheduled to open in Spring 2008. RFP