Smart High-Rise Buildings Committed to Efficient Waste Management

By Natthanon Nakkhong

It must be admitted that a lot of garbage and people in the capital seem to go together. The more the demand for convenience and speed in life increases, the more garbage there is. And every item thrown in the trash is an increase in the severity of the problem. Therefore, it is difficult for a city full of tall buildings to easily manage garbage.

Today, we would like to present “The PARQ”, a 16-storey building in the Rama 4 area. Bangkok, which is being built as a lifestyle mix building, or a building that combines many types of real estate together, consisting of 2 buildings: The PARQ Workplace, an office building for rent on an area of 60,000 square meters, and The PARQ Life for over 60 shops on an area of 12,000 square meters. The building is also fully equipped with facilities under the concept of Live Well Balanced, or a balanced life to be in line with the lifestyle of people in the present era.

But what is more special is that this building has managed waste since the construction period because there are construction measures to control pollution, which have recycled more than 80% of construction waste. It is interesting to see how effective the waste management in this building will be.

Designing a Smart Building that is Environmentally Friendly

The PARQ building is designed with cutting-edge technology and is a green building that prioritizes the environment, especially in terms of: Waste management Today, we will study The PARQ's comprehensive waste management, including waste sorting, a food waste composter, and a recycling room that reduces the amount of waste and increases hygiene, as well as reducing the amount of waste storage space within the building.

The allocation of space for sustainable waste management is divided into 3 parts as follows:

Waste sorting room for recycling: A room for separating recyclable waste to send to relevant agencies for further recycling and use.

Food waste compost making machine: A tool that takes food waste in the building and breaks it down and composts it into organic fertilizer. This machine can produce fertilizer with good nutrients for plants within 24 hours and can manage 80-90% food waste with biological and thermal processes. The fertilizer will be used to nourish trees inside and around the building instead of using chemical fertilizers.

Dust Drum Type Waste Compactor: A tool that can break down waste into smaller pieces and remove liquids from waste, making it easier for both building and municipal officials to manage waste more sanitarily. The compactor itself is a closed system that is easy to clean and maintain, effectively controlling odors and pests.

Invite tenants to help separate their waste.

The PARQ believes that collaboration can create important changes. It is promoting waste separation, adding value to three types of waste that can be recycled: clear plastic bottles, aluminum cans and glass bottles. By providing waste separation bins for the convenience of tenants and building users, The PARQ is also asking restaurants to help separate their food waste before sending it to the building to be composted.

In addition, there are projects to raise awareness and provide knowledge about waste separation. There are promotions with stores to offer discounts to customers who reduce the use of plastic bottles. In addition, there is a LIVE GREEN, LIVE WELL campaign that encourages tenants to separate waste into value to donate to charities.

Efficiency creates success

Not only modern technology, but also the collaboration of tenants and stakeholders has made The PARQ’s waste management truly “efficient”, creating results that other high-rise buildings would want to study as an example. This building can manage more than 8 tons of food waste per year, by producing more than 2.5 tons of vitamins to nourish trees per year, which are used in the building’s green areas and donated to various projects, communities, temples, and schools. As for recycled waste, more than 23 tons per year can be reused. Furthermore, compressing waste not only reduces storage space, but also greatly reduces the energy used in waste management.

Even though every tall building in Bangkok is going to be transformed into a building like this Smart building It will be difficult to manage waste like The PARQ, but if buildings manage their waste well, by creating knowledge, promoting cooperation, and having the right destinations for each type of waste, they will definitely be able to manage waste as effectively as this building.

“October 2020 to September 2022

The PARQ building can process more than 26 tons of waste into a comprehensive waste management process.”

What you get

The construction of tall buildings today must be carried out in accordance with the current situation, which is to take into account environmental issues, especially waste management.
Even though there are many users in the building, it does not mean that the waste cannot be managed with the large amount of waste generated. If the building is well-managed, no matter how much waste there is, it is not a problem.

Reference list

Green Network. (2566). PEA takes you to visit the success of the "The Park" project, winner of the Thailand Energy Awards 2022 in the green building category.. Retrieved from https://www.greennetworkthailand.com/the-parq-green-building/
The PARQ. (2022). Sustainability Projects. Retrieved from https://www.theparq.com/sustainability/sustainability-initiatives
Brand Inside. (10 August 2022). BI Executive Ep.19: The PARQ, one of the best office buildings today [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vww5062R5o0.
Konggreengrenn. (July 10, 2024). Raiding the garbage room of a luxurious mixed-use project in the middle of the city, The PARQ [Video file]. Retrieved from https://fb.watch/uKInvKqfEJ/.

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