Singapore
Wilkinson Eyre Architects, Grant Associates
2012
Side-by-side parabolic conservatories of glass and steel anchor this cutting-edge botanical garden in Singapore’s booming Marina Bay district. Named the 2012 building of the year by the World Architecture Festival, the Wilkinson Eyre–designed structures replicate distinct climates—one dry, the other humid—allowing for diverse attractions like a flower meadow and a misty mountain forest.No less extraordinary is the adjoining grove of vertical gardens by Grant Associates. Visitors can stroll an elevated walkway connecting the “supertrees,” some of which are fitted with photovoltaic cells to harness solar energy.
Type | Nature park |
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Location | Downtown Core, Kallang, Marina East, Marina South, Singapore |
The Gardens by the Bay is a nature park spanning 101 hectares (250 acres) in the Central Region of Singapore, adjacent to the Marina Reservoir. The park consists of three waterfront gardens: Bay South Garden (in Marina South), Bay East Garden (in Marina East) and Bay Central Garden (in Downtown Core and Kallang).The largest of the gardens is the Bay South Garden at 54 hectares (130 acres) designed by Grant Associates. Its Flower Dome is the largest glass greenhouse in the world.
Gardens by the Bay was part of the nation’s plans to transform its “Garden City” to a “City in a Garden”, with the aim of raising the quality of life by enhancing greenery and flora in the city. First announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at Singapore’s National Day Rally in 2005, Gardens by the Bay was intended to be Singapore’s premier urban outdoor recreation space and a national icon.
Being a popular tourist attraction in Singapore, the park received 6.4 million visitors in 2014, while topping its 20 millionth visitor mark in November 2015 and over 50 million in 2018.
Bay Central Garden will act as a link between Bay South and Bay East Gardens. It stands at 15 hectares (37 acres) with a 3-kilometre (1.9 mi) waterfront promenade that allows for scenic walks stretching from the city centre to the east of Singapore.
Bay East Garden is 32 hectares (79 acres) in size and it has a 2-kilometre (1.2 mi) promenade frontage bordering the Marina Reservoir. An interim park was developed at Bay East Garden in support of the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics. The first phase of the garden was opened to the public in October 2011, allowing alternative access to the Marina Barrage.
It is designed as a series of large tropical leaf-shaped gardens, each with its own specific landscaping design, character and theme. There will be five water inlets aligned with the prevailing wind direction, maximizing and extending the shoreline while allowing wind and water to penetrate the site to help cool areas of activity around them.
Bay East Garden provides visitors with an unobstructed view of the city skyline. Upcoming developments of Bay East Garden will be based on the theme of water.
In 2018, Bay East Garden was designated as the future site of the Founders’ Memorial.
Bay South Garden opened to the public on 29 June 2012. It is the largest of the three gardens at 54 hectares (130 acres) and designed to show the best of tropical horticulture and garden artistry.
The overall concept of its master plan by Grant Associates draws inspiration from an orchid as it is representative of the tropics and of Singapore, being the country’s national flower, the Vanda ‘Miss Joaquim’. The orchid takes root at the waterfront (conservatories), while the leaves (landforms), shoots (paths, roads and linkways) and secondary roots (water, energy and communication lines) then form an integrated network with blooms (theme gardens and Supertrees) at key intersections.
The conservatory complex at Gardens by the Bay comprises two cooled conservatories – the Flower Dome and the Cloud Forest, situated along the edge of Marina Reservoir. The conservatories, designed by WilkinsonEyre and Grant Associates, are intended to be an energy-efficient showcase of sustainable building technologies and to provide an all-weather edutainment space within the Gardens. Both are very large (around 1 hectare (2.5 acres)) and the Flower Dome is the world’s largest columnless glasshouse.
The construction of the glasshouses is special in two ways. First of all by being able to have such large a glass-roof without additional interior support (such as columns). Secondly, because the constructions aim strongly at minimizing the environmental footprint. Rainwater is collected from the surface and circulated in the cooling system which is connected to the Supertrees. The Supertrees are used both to vent hot air and to cool circulated water.
The Cloud Forest is higher but slightly smaller at 0.8 hectares (2.0 acres). It replicates the cool moist conditions found in tropical mountain regions between 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) and 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) above sea level, found in South-East Asia, Central- and South America. It features a 42-metre (138 ft) “Cloud Mountain.” After ascending to the top by an elevator, visitors descend the mountain via a circular path which crosses underneath the 35-metre (115 ft) waterfall multiple times.
The “Cloud Mountain” itself is an intricate structure completely clad in epiphytes such as orchids, ferns, peacock ferns, spike- and clubmosses, bromeliads and anthuriums. The design by Grant Associates was inspired by the Maiden Hair Fungus and consists of a number of levels, each with a different theme, including The Lost World, The Cavern, The Waterfall View, The Crystal Mountain, The Cloud Forest Gallery, The Cloud Forest Theatre and The Secret Garden.
Supertrees are the 18 tree-like structures that dominate the Gardens’ landscape with heights that range between 25 metres (82 ft) and 50 metres (160 ft). They were conceived and designed by Grant Associates, with the imaginative engineering of Atelier One and Atelier Ten. They are vertical gardens that perform a multitude of functions, which include planting, shading and working as environmental engines for the gardens.
The Supertrees are home to enclaves of unique and exotic ferns, vines, orchids and also a vast collection of bromeliads such as Tillandsia, amongst other plants. They are fitted with environmental technologies that mimic the ecological function of trees: photovoltaic cells that harness solar energy which can be used for some of the functions of the Supertrees (such as lighting), similar to how trees photosynthesize, and collection of rainwater for use in irrigation and fountain displays, similar to how trees absorb rainwater for growth. The Supertrees also serve air intake and exhaust functions as part of the conservatories’ cooling systems.
There is an elevated walkway, the OCBC Skyway, between two of the larger Supertrees for visitors to enjoy a panoramic aerial view of the Gardens. Every night, at 7:45pm and 8:45pm, the Supertree Grove comes alive with a coordinated light and music show known as the Garden Rhapsody. The accompanying music to the show changes every month or so, with certain themes such as A World of Wonder and A Night of Musical Theatre, which features excerpts/pieces from films like Jurassic Park and Pirates of the Caribbean.
There is also a newly opened attraction called the Supertree Observatory, which opened on 27 December 2019. This attraction is housed inside the tallest Supertree which is 50 metres tall. It comprises three levels, the ground floor, the Observatory Space and the Open-Air Rooftop Deck. Visitors would take the lift up to the Observatory Space and thereafter take a flight of stairs up to the Rooftop Deck. The Observatory Space is located one level below the rooftop deck and it consists of an indoor area with full-height glass windows, as well as a peripheral outdoor walkway. Here visitors can also experience a message about the effects of climate change creatively conveyed through digital media. The Open-Air Rooftop Deck, which is an open-air observation deck on the canopy of this Supertree, offers 360-degree unblocked views of the Gardens and the Marina Bay area.
Designed by Grant Associates, which also designed Gardens by the Bay, the Children’s Garden was fully funded by Far East Organization for $10 million. This attraction was opened on 21 January 2014. The children’s garden is near the treehouse and the adventure trail. The adventure trail consists of trampolines, balancing beams, hanging bridges and more.
It is open from Tuesdays to Fridays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. It is closed on Mondays, or on the next working day if Monday is a public holiday.
There are two distinctly different sets of horticultural themed gardens which centre on the horticultural heritage of the various cultural groups in Singapore and on the biology and ecology of gardens and forests. They are an important part of the Gardens’ edutainment programme, which aims to bring plant knowledge to the public.
The “Heritage Gardens” theme features gardens that highlight the various cultural groups in Singapore and the important role that plants play in their respective cultures, as well as the country’s colonial history. It also focuses on economically important plants in Singapore and South East Asia. The four gardens are the Indian Garden, the Chinese Garden, the Malay Garden and the Colonial Garden.
The “World of Plants” theme emphasizes the web of relationships amongst the various plants within a fragile forest setting, showcasing the biodiversity of plant life on the planet. It consists of six subthemes illustrated by six “gardens”, which are named Discovery, Web of Life, Fruits and Flowers, Understorey, World of Palms, and Secret Life of Trees.
The Bayfront Plaza is the main entry precinct into the Gardens from Bayfront MRT station. It includes an attraction called Floral Fantasy which consists of four garden landscapes of floral artistry and a 4D ride experience. The 1,500-square-metre (16,000 sq ft) Floral Fantasy features floral artistry, as well as a 4D multimedia ride simulating the journey of a dragonfly’s flight path through Gardens by the Bay. Included is also an indoor events space, the Bayfront Pavilion, a cafe and a pop-up markert on weekends.
The beauty of nature beckons visitors to the Flower Dome in Bay South Gardens. Covering 1.28 hectares, this verdant space is the larger of three cooled conservatories, and broke the Guinness World Record as the World’s Largest Glass Greenhouse in 2015. It is home to plants and flowers from five continents, from thousand-year old olive trees to magnolias and orchids.
While certainly one of Gardens by the Bay’s most spectacular attractions, the Flower Dome is far from the only floral paradise that awaits visitors.
Like any tourist attraction that gets this much attention, you’re bound to ask: Is it worth the hype? Well, in my own opinion, it’s simple: Yes, it sure is. There’s no doubt that Gardens by the Bay is insanely popular. At times (such as during the evening light & sound show) maybe a little too popular for some tastes.
When is best time for visiting Gardens by the Bay? Visit on weekdays to avoid the crowds. Alternatively, pay a visit towards the early morning or the evening when it is cooler. The Cooled Conservatories stay open till 9 pm and have a different atmosphere after dark.
While entry into the garden complex is free, you must pay admission to enter the two great biodomes – the Cloud Forest and the Flower Dome – and to walk along the Supertree skywalk.
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The lush and beautiful Gardens by the Bay is dominated by the sleekly sculptured biodomes—marvels of architecture, design and engineering. Majestic supertrees at Gardens by the Bay. Gardens by the Bay’s cool and misty Cloud Forest Dome contains a 30-metre-tall indoor waterfall and stunning views.
Architects Wilkinson Eyre
In January 2006, Landscape Architects Grant Associates together with Architects Wilkinson Eyre emerged as winners of an international competition that drew over 70 entries to create the world’s best tropical garden at the waterfront edge of Singapore’s Marina Bay.
The main car park at Gardens by the Bay is located at the Visitor Centre with 420 car lots and 39 motorcycle lots. Another car park is located at Meadow but this is a distance away from the Cooled Conservatories.
Beside visiting the Cooled Conservatories, kids can enjoy a special area known as the Far East Organization Children’s Garden. There are both wet and dry playgrounds at this children’s play area.
Yes, there are a variety of dining options at Gardens by the Bay. These include fast food restaurants, cafes, casual dining restaurants and formal dining establishments.
Gardens by the Bay will be Singapore’s largest garden project and is central to the country’s continued development of Marina Bay. Managed by the Singapore‘s National Park Board, the gardens were designed by a team of two firms: landscape architects, Grant Associates and architects, Wilkinson Eyre Architects. The gardens will feature two cooled conservatories – the Flower Dome (cool dry biome) and Cloud Forest (cool moist biome), as well as themed horticulture gardens, heritage gardens, and hundreds of thousands of plants from around the world.
One of the more impressive elements will be the Supertrees, which are tree-like structures ranging in height from 25 metres and 50 metres in height (9 to 16 stories). There will be 18 Supertrees, which act as vertical gardens covered with tropical flowering climbers, epiphytes and ferns. During the day, the trees and their huge canopies will provide shade, shelter and help moderate temperatures. Then at night, the canopies will come alive with special lighting and projected media. Eleven of the trees are embedded with solar photovoltaics to generate electricity for lighting and water technologies to help cool the conservatories.
cource: architecturaldigest _ wikipedia _ visitsingapore _ littledayout _ archdaily
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