Having won the President’s Design Award in 2013, Gardens by the bay consists of one of the most innovative park designs in Singapore. Gardens by the bay is also one of the most ambitious green projects that Singapore has ever embarked. The design covers about 177 soccer field and has raised the bar for urban green spaces in 21^st century.

1. The Supertrees

Inspired by our national flower- the orchids, the Super trees, ranging from 25m to 50m, are made of shield metal and concrete that supports plants, aerial walkway and restaurants. There were designs by Andrew Grant. There are in total of 18 Supertrees, 11 in which are equipped with solar photovoltaic cells. Photovoltaic cells are semiconductors that generate electrical current when expose to light as it converts light into enegy. Such energy either supports the lighting up of the Supertrees at night or supports the water technology in the domes. Other SuperTrees serves as a container for air exhausts. Each of such trees also has steel structures for various ferns and flowers to live on. The tallest Supertree of 50m even has a bistro on top for tourists to visit.

2. The Domes

With the aim of being the international showcase for flora, Singapore has brought in about up to 80% plants from everywhere in the world, including those from Mexico.  One interesting fact is that up to 60 % of the plants are not found in Singapore. Therefore, the two respective conservatories, designed by Paul Baker, will then be very vital to provide optimal conditions to the plants from drier and cooler areas of the world under controlled temperature.

Situated along the equator, Singapore faces a lot of tropical monsoon and receives a lot of radiation from the sun. These conservatories are specially made to shield the plants from both monsoon and radiation for optimal growth. In order to shield the plant specimens from the tropical weather, 28 metal arches were placed on the outside of the domes on top of the glasshouses. These delicately-made arches, inspired by the human ribcage, were designed to absorb and deflect strong winds. In addition, a network of triangular 100 steel frames called grid shells underneath were designed to be as light as possible and to bring the glass pieces of the domes together. Such structures protect the specimens from strong winds and leakages from rain. In order to test that, experiments were carried out during the course of designing as the structures were put through simulated pressures similar to monsoons. The domes glazed with special material and the roof has a sensor-operated retractable sails. In my other tab “Sustainability Efforts”, I will elaborate on how these structures are useful for the conservation of energy.

There are two glass conservatories house different temperatures and they are called the flower dome and cloud forest. In the flower dome, it contains very Mediterranean climates which are more like cool-dry conditions. In contrast, the Cloud Forest has a cool-moist climate inside. One of the significant features is the world’s largest indoor waterfall which is 35-m tall. It also has planted walls to hosts plants from tropical highlands up to 2000 metres above sea level. The Cloud Forest also has this black box called GB Model which informs the public about how the system works.

Awards

The domes have won several awards since its opening like World Building Award of the Year, WAF Award 2012 and BCA Green Mark Recommendation. The designer, Wilkinson Eyre also won the 2013 RIBA Lubetkin Prize from the conservatories.

3. Heritage Gardens

In the Heritage Gardens, it features the three main ethnic groups and the colonial past – Malay, Chinese, Indian and colonial gardens respectively. The Heritage Garden is an example of the protecting some of our natural heritage from the old Singapore. Its design is inspired by the way of living within the different ethnics in old Singapore. For example, in the Malay Garden, there is The Kampong House which is inspired by the kampong houses made by the Malays in the past. It is designed using natural materials like Nipah or Rumbia Palm Trees for the roof, Nibong Tree Trunk for the floors and bamboo mats.

Stark in contrast was the Black and White Verandah in the Colonial Garden to represent the colonial houses in the past.

Not only was the Indian Garden displayed in a shape of an Indian traditional motif called Kolam, there were also decorative motifs panels derived from the Night Life of Trees. In the Chinese Garden, there are also sculptures from Buddhism and Chinese sayings.

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