theSun | MONDAY MAY 4 2009
From left ... See Hoy Chan Holdings group
Secret Garden at
1 Utama unveiled
by Isaac Hiew
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
A SECRET GARDEN on the roof-top of 1
Utama shopping complex has finally been
unveiled to the public.
At nine storeys high, the roof-top garden
occupies almost 30,000 sq ft and houses over
500 species of rare tropical and temperate
plants - making it possibly the largest roof-top
garden in Southeast Asia in terms of variety
and number of plants.
The garden is the brain-child of 1Utama
director Datuk Teo Chiang Kok who had been
concerned about preserving the environment
in the face of mushrooming development.
Teo had way back in 2000 called for the
development of a roof-top garden to be in-
tegrated with the construction of 1 Utama’s
new wing, to help reduce the complex’s car-
bon footprint and alleviate global warming.
It was fondly nicknamed The Secret Gar-
den to the few who knew about it, because its
very existence was not revealed to the public
or to most of the shopping centre staff.
Previously only accessible through one
hidden lift, The Secret Garden is now open
to receive visitors from 10am to 6pm every
Saturday and Sunday.
The number of visitors at any one time
will, however, be controlled to preserve the
serenity of the place. Those who wish to
visit the gardens need just drop by 1 Utama
customer service centre on the ground floor
of Highstreet to get a ticket before proceeding
to the upper roof level by lift.
“We’re excited about the potential of The
Secret Garden to promote awareness and
10-year wait for land finally over
by Opalyn Mok
AFTER more than 10 years
of waiting to acquire two
lots of land next to the
school in Jalan Hamilton,
SMJK Heng Ee in Penang
was finally able to purchase
the land for RM819,200 from
the Penang Island Municipal
Council.
In a ceremony witnessed
by Chief Minister Lim Guan
Eng and state local govern-
ment committee chairman
Chow Kon Yeow last week,
school board president
Datuk Loh Geok Beng
handed over the cheque to
council acting president Tan
Cheng Chui.
Loh said in the past, when the school ap-
plied to purchase the 1.3ha land, the process
was delayed and postponed without any valid
reason.
9
chairman Tan Sri Dr Teo Soo Chiang, Teo
and Ng releasing butterflies at The Secret
Garden.
develop the appreciation of plants,” Teo said
at the opening of the garden last Saturday.
“It’s a great teaching tool especially when
we have achieved many technological and
research breakthroughs through cultivating
the garden.”
The roof-top garden coincides with an-
other green initiative – an actual rainforest
enclave cultivated within 1 Utama called the
Rainforest.
Both projects were led by distinguished
botanist and researcher Dr Francis Ng, who
recently was awarded the prestigious David
Fairchild Medal 2009 (Plant Exploration)
presented by the National Tropical Botanical
Garden of the United States.
The garden uses high performance, build-
ing-integrated technologies such as chilled
water irrigation sourced from 1 Utama’s
air conditioning system to grow temperate
plants and a rainwater harvesting system to
recycle rainwater for general irrigation, mak-
ing it energy efficient and environmentally
friendly.
A welcome, visual respite from the norm
of dreary concrete roofs, The Secret Garden
is divided into seven themed sections linked
by foot paths, accomplished with facilities
include a walking guide, pergolas, waterfall,
plant nursery and ponds.
A vast variety of flowering shrubs, herbs,
temperate plants, vegetables, even a cactus
bed and mini padi field are there with their
names and origins shown.
For details, contact 1Utama customer
service centre at 03-7710 8118 from 10am to
10pm daily or visit www.1utama.com.my /
www.onecard.com.my
MASRY CHE ANI/THESUN
Loh handing over the
cheque to Tan (left)
witnessed by Lim.
“We are glad that we will be able to acquire
the land to build extra classrooms, an informa-
tion technology hall, a science laboratory and a
library on the extra piece of land,” he said.