Since opening in 2012 this project has become a global landmark, winning awards and media attention and shifting perception of Singapore. More than five million visitors came in the first year.
The Gardens provide extensive opportunities for recreation with waterside walkways, themed gardens, play areas, a major outdoor performance space and numerous opportunities for restaurants and cafes in a garden setting. The Cooled Conservatories offer two unique experiences; Flower Dome, a formal and managed planting character featuring changing displays of flowers, Cloud Forest, an immersive experience of mists and waterfalls. The visual icons of the gardens are 18 structures called ‘Supertrees’; these range from 25-50m high and offer spectacular vertical gardens showcasing tropical epiphytes and climbing plants, and perform significant environmental functions for the project. Within the Supertree Grove a 120m long aerial walkway is suspended 20m above the ground, providing panoramic views across the gardens and surrounding city. At night, the Supertrees, Gardens and Conservatories are transformed through lighting to create distinctive beacons in the city and define a major gathering and meeting place for Singaporeans.
Gardens by the Bay exemplifies the importance of well-planned and designed open space within the fabric of dense urban developments. It has become an important international example of strategic urban planning of green infrastructure and public open space. Many of the principles, techniques and details used in the
delivery of the gardens have the potential for wider application in urban and landscape planning around the world.
The gardens, which feature around one million plants, are organised around two main themes. The relationship between plants and people is explored in the Heritage Gardens while the significance of plants and planet is explored in the six World of Plants gardens that examine the biodiversity and structure of the forest.
Credits as supplied:
Client: NParks, PM Link Pte Ltd
Masterplanners: Grant Associates
Architects: Wilkinson Eyre, CPG Consultants Pte Ltd
Landscape Architects: Grant Associates
Engineers: Atelier One (Structural Engineer), Atelier Ten (Services Engineer), CPG Consultants Pte Ltd (Mechanics & Engineering, Environmental Engineering), Meinhardt Infrastructure Pte Ltd (Engineer)
Quantity Surveyor: Langdon Seah, CPG Consultants Pte Ltd, Philip Prank & Partners
Design Manager: Buro Four
Irrigation Specialist: Water Equipment Technology
Signage Consultant: Thomas Matthews
Interpretive Consultant: Land Design Studio
Soil Specialist: Netherwood Horticultural Consultants Pte Ltd
Façade Consultant: Arup Facade Engineering
Fire Consultant: Arup Fire
Acoustic Specialist: VIPAC Engineers and Scientists Pte Ltd
Climate Consultant: Transsolar Energietechnik GmbH
Water Specialist: Cardno Lawson Treloar
Lighting Consultant: Speirs and Major Associates, Lighting Planners Associates Inc
Marketing Consultant: Knight Frank Pte Ltd
Energy Modelling Consultant: Building System & Diagnostics Pte Ltd
