Lowered local temperature

The 2-hectares public garden is located in Makati Central Business District of Metro Manila between the main arteries of Makati - Paseo de Roxas, Makati Avenue and Ayala Avenue - that form a triangle in the backyard of business towers. [2, 4]. The Garden was opened to the public in 2009 and showcases various trees and other plant species alongside numerous public artworks created by local artists [2]. The park provides habitat for hundreds of various trees of types, including rain trees, golden palms, fire trees, orange jasmines, and podocarpus. Two Filipino artists, Ovvian Castrillo-Hill and Ral Arrogante have created public art pieces scattered throughout the park [2,4]. The garden is also paved with verdant patches, providing a space for office workers to unwind and destress. In addition to serving as a place of recreation, the Ayala Triangle Gardens also hosts the yearly Festival of Lights as well as various music festivals. The Ayala Triangle Park is the first urban park to be built in Manila and the lush gardens are now considered a refuge for the residents of Makati [1,2,3].

In 2021, the local municipal government of Navi Mumbai City and a local NGO converted a neglected urban space used as a dump yard in Nisarg Udyan into a healthy and dense forest (Ref 1,2). The aim of the project was to improve biodiversity and complement the local ecosystem, choosing specifically native species from the local area for plantation (Ref 3). By applying the Miyawaki forest technique, the project was able to transform the wasteland into a 3-acre mini-forest quickly. A civic officer on behalf of the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) drove the re-forestation project jointly with the support of Green Yatra, a local NGO, and corporate social responsibility (CSR) funding support from Sony Music Entertainment (Ref. 1, 3).

A low-rise building located within Prestige University's existing 32-acre campus in Indore will feature an entirely walkable, stepped green roof. The green roof is planned to be punctuated with courtyards for temperature regulation and accessible to its users (university staff, students and other visitors etc.) from the ground level (1,2). It is designed and implemented by 'Sanjay Puri Architects', Architecture Consultancy based in Mumbai (1,2,6). This building is planned to be used for administration offices, an auditorium, lecture halls, and a library and cafeteria (1,2,3). The green roof mainly serves as a space for recreational activities for the users. The terraces will also include different-sized open-air sections, providing the building's interior with natural ventilation (2,4,5). This project truly blends with the traditional Indian Architecture approach in an innovative and modern way (4,5) and targets problems related to central India's oppressive heat (1,2,4).
Despite the initial target completion date of June 2022 (9), the construction phase of the project has not yet been finalized. The responsible architecture firm anticipates the completion date within the forthcoming months. This information was disclosed in January 2023 (10).

The new office building of the Council of Engineers is located on one of the busiest streets of Bangkok, Thailand. The building aims to combine new engineering technology with aesthetic and function, while maximizing green area and promoting sustainability. The building's terraced green area lead the people up to the entrance on second floor and continue up to the sky garden on the forth floor. The main features of the garden are lush fauna with tree and shrub species, planters, multi-purpose open spaces and bio-filtration system that use plants to filter and divert rainwater. The project aims to acquire the platinum TREES building rating (a green building certificate in Thailand) and it is in the process of applying for the certificate. (Ref. 1,2,3,5)

Sky Park One Islamabad is an innovative high-rise apartment building project, located in the heart of the prestigious Gulberg Greens in Islamabad (2). The building has been designed with a unique concept that features a rooftop level garden with ample plantation. It aims to enhance the quality of life for the residents and provide them with facilities for relaxation within the apartment building (3). The rooftop garden spans an area of 9 Kanals (about 650sq.m) and features 7 green courtyards in the building. The 152 residential apartments are all connected to the joint courtyards (2, 3). Rooftop garden are still very rare in Pakistan (5) and as such, the project provides an example for the green vertical housing in Pakistan with a focus on energy efficiency (1).

Since 2012, the Municipality of Ipoh continued the revitalization and rehabilitation of the D.R. Seenivasagam Recreational Park (TDRS) under the Malaysian National Urbanisation Policy, which suggests that for every 1,000 inhabitants, there should be public green open spaces of 2 ha. Through this intervention, the Ipoh municipality tried to address several sustainability challenges, which are usually a result of the lack of green open spaces. Some of the challenges addressed were the urban heat island effect, soil erosion resulting from improper drainage, and noise pollution. Ultimately, the municipality aimed to provide a convenient setting for a variety of leisure and recreational activities in addition to enhancing the civic values of the community. The intervention consisted of several tree-planting actions organized by the Ipoh Council in collaboration with the Perak Government (a Malaysian state that has its capital in Ipoh).
D.R. Seenivasagam Recreational Park was built in the 1950s and is one of the largest urban parks in Ipoh. It has become a favourite among locals as well as an example of good practice for integrating green open spaces in addressing sustainability challenges over the years. Located in the vicinity of the Kinta River, during the early days of its opening, it was a mini botanical garden which eventually transitioned to a full-scale park, one of not too many in Ipoh. The park also includes a lake with wooden bridges that contributes to the diversity and habitat of the place. The DR Park, as it is known to the locals, has entertained many families for more than 25 years, starting as a mini-theme park during its formative years, much to the delight of many children. To date, the park has remained a popular spot with abundant greenery and attractions, an oasis within Ipoh’s city life. (1,2,3,4)

As an industrial development practice that involves a symbiotic connection between materials, energy, natural systems and local communities, the concept of green industry has become a point of focus for a factory in Rangapur, Karupannya Rangpur Ltd., designed by Architect Bayejid Mahbub Khondker and his team. The factory has become a pioneering example in the "green industry" initiatives in Bangladesh (2).
The factory has a green façade of climbing plants, as well as a green rooftop and integrated green elements, designed specifically to incorporate a once extinct industry, the Shataranji (weaving style). The intervention was designed to respond to human and enviornmental needs (2,7). From a human perspective, the intervention responds by improving work conditions for the workers by introducing green spaces that help with local temperatures and relaxation. From an environmental perspective, the project responds to challenges related to energy efficency (3,4).
The factory architecture incorporates cultural and indigenous knowledge with the utilization of natural light, wind, water, and flora while maximizing the use of natural elements and the idea of "Reuse and Recycle." The factory's roof features the Nandini Park, where employees can relax and eat lunch. The Nandini Park is surrounded by flowering plants and vegetation. (1, 2, 4, 6)

Uuliin Nuur (Mountain Lake or Green Lake) is a community park located in the ger district area known as Denjin Myanga of Ulaanbaatar city. The Ger district is a term commonly used in Mongolia to refer to a type of settlement located on the outskirts of the country's capital city and characterized by traditional Mongolian gers, or yurts. The area was once a quarry for the city’s construction during the socialist regime (from 1946 to the late 1960s) and was turned into a dumping ground after its closure. In 2009, a private citizen, Ulziitogtokh Sodnomsenge, gained approval to develop Uuliin Nuur. He cleaned up the area and used his savings to turn the former dumpsite into a green garden in the middle of ger areas to create a healthy, green, public space, especially for children living in the area. He opened an ice rink in the winter of 2012 and officially opened the Uuliin Nuur park in May 2014. From 2013 to 2019, approximately 1000 trees and shrubs were planted in this park during the spring and autumn. The trees were planted by the founder of the project by locals and foreign visitors as memorial trees. Over the years, the park was equipped with various community facilities to support social interaction and educational purposes. Uuliin Nuur is one of the few public places launched and developed by an individual. It showcases how abandoned places can be transformed into valuable places and how the local community's attitudes and awareness can change. (Ref. 1, 3, 4)

The Urban Farm Office building, is a concrete-framed structure covered in a "vertical farm" of vegetables, fruits and herbs. The building was constructed by the Vietnamese architectural firm Vo Trong Nghia (VTN) Architects in early 2022 as its own headquarters in Ho Chi Minh City. It aims to promote the production of safe food while reintroducing green space to the city with a façade covered in vegetation. Furthermore, the project also seeks to address the absence of green space that contributes to a number of socioeconomic issues, including air pollution, flooding, and the heat island effect. VTN Architects' idea for the Urban Farming Office includes the area of space-efficient food production in cities through vertical urban farming in addition to the core objective of restoring vegetation to urban structures. (1, 3)

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of Lumpini Park in 2025, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration initiated the extensive renovation of the park. Lumpini Park was the first public park in Thailand. It was first opened in 1925 and had been renovated once 50 years ago. The new Lumpini Park aims to enhance the history of the park, to provide space for people holding different cultural backgrounds and to create space for modern recreational activities, designed for everyone within the framework of 'climate action park' - a green area that has the ability to restore itself, promotes urban farming while also contributes to climate change adaptation through water management, air quality improvement and more. The project will promote high engagement with local people about their vision and concern for the park which will be integrated into the new design plan. The project is divided into three phases. The first phase involves renovating main infrastructures such as roads and water management systems. The second phase involves the construction of green and learning areas such as the resilient park, forest park, urban farming, learning centre and other recreational spaces. The third phase involves the development of underused areas. (Ref. 1,2,4,5,6)