Gardens by the Bay @ World ‘s Premier Public Gardens in the Tropic
Marina South, Marina East & Marina Centre
9 Nov 2007
Singapore

Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay project on track with groundbreaking ceremony

Phase 1 Gardens at Marina South to be completed by end-2010

Gardens by the Bay, Singapore’s project to build three major waterfront gardens, broke ground today, as the development made progress to create the world’s premier public gardens in the tropics. The 54 hectare (ha) Gardens at Marina South is scheduled to be the first of the three Gardens to be completed in end-2010. Gardens by the Bay will eventually total 101 ha, and comprise three themed gardens at Marina South, Marina East and Marina Centre.

Singapore’s Minister for National Development, Mr Mah Bow Tan, was joined by Minister of State, Ms Grace Fu, Parliamentary Secretary, Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman, senior members of the National Parks Board (NParks), other government officials and industry leaders today as he officiated at the groundbreaking ceremony. Mr Mah planted a Golden Rain Tree (scientific name: Samanea saman) to commemorate the groundbreaking of the Gardens. Originally native to South America and the West Indies, the Golden Rain Tree has been widely planted throughout the Tropics as a shade tree, including in Singapore, where such yellow variants were first deployed as a valued cultivar. This tree will be re-planted along the avenue framing the new 1km-long boulevard bordering the East side of the Gardens at Marina South. 

Phase 1 of Gardens by the Bay
Gardens by the Bay will provide Singaporeans a new dimension of city living experience right in the heart of Singapore’s New Downtown District. Setting a new standard in the way gardens are developed and managed, it will become Singapore’s premier urban outdoor recreation space at Marina Bay – a national icon and a source of pride for Singaporeans.

In line with the completion of the Marina Bay Integrated Resort and other developments at Marina Bay, NParks has targeted for the first phase of the Gardens at Marina South to be completed by end-2010.

The Gardens at Marina South is designed by UK-based design firm Grant Associates. Among the attractions will be displays telling the story of “Plant Use by Man”, focusing on economically important plants in Singapore and Southeast Asia. Active spaces for vibrant programming will be incorporated and will enable the Gardens to host a suite of international and national events. Some key features of the Marina South Gardens include:

• Cool Conservatories
• SuperTrees
• Horticultural Show Gardens
• Plant Edutainment Gardens
• Flower Market
• Main Events Space

Aware of global issues pertaining to climate change, NParks is also exploring sustainable energy and water technologies for the Gardens. This includes the research done on energy modeling and latest cooling technologies for the two Cool Conservatories at Marina South. The commissioned study has shown that by applying a combination of the latest cooling technologies, the energy consumption for each Conservatory will be lower than that of a comparable commercial building in Singapore of similar size.

Details of the developments at Marina East and Marina Centre will be announced at a later stage.
Gardens at Marina South

Key features of Gardens at Marina South:

• Cool Conservatories
  • The Cool Conservatories will be an architectural icon, a horticultural attraction and a showcase of sustainable energy technology.
  • It will provide an all-weather “edutainment” space within the Gardens. Comprising a “Cool Moist” Conservatory (0.9 ha) and a “Cool Dry” Conservatory (1.4 ha), it will display plants and flowers from the Tropical Montane and Mediterranean environments.
  • To ascertain the environmentally sensitive energy requirements of the Conservatories, the National Parks Board commissioned an energy modeling study. The commissioned study has shown that by applying a combination of the latest cooling technologies, the energy consumption for each Cool Conservatory will be lower than that of a comparable commercial building in Singapore of similar size.
• SuperTrees
  • Designed as tree-like structures between 25 meters and 50 meters in height (9 to 16 storeys), the SuperTrees are uniquely designed vertical gardens, with emphasis placed on creating a “wow” factor through the vertical display of tropical flowering climbers, epiphytes and ferns. At night, these canopies will come alive with lighting and projected media.
  • Given our equatorial climate, the grove of SuperTrees will help to ameliorate discomfort by providing shade and shelter with the canopy.
  • The SuperTrees will also be embedded with sustainable energy and water technologies that are integral to the cooling of the Cool Conservatories.
• Horticultural Show Gardens
  Comprising 2.6 ha, these gardens will showcase the best of tropical horticulture and garden artistry. Together with another 10 ha of mass flowering and coloured foliage landscape, they will form a spectacle of colour and texture. The show gardens will be made up of:
  • Lion Grove. This will consist of a cluster of SuperTrees. See above on description of the SuperTrees.
  • The Orchidetum. A luxurious showcase garden featuring orchids.
  • Pride of Singapore. A cluster of beautiful gardens and flower displays representing the very best of Singaporean horticulture.
  • Global Garden Display. A mix of permanent and temporary themed gardens in and around the entrance plaza to the main buildings, representing global awareness of horticulture and plant conservation.
• Plant Edutainment Gardens
  • These gardens (2.5 ha) will focus on the theme of “Plant use by Man”. They will provide an interactive display of the “economic plants” that have contributed to the development of Singapore and Southeast Asia.
• Flower Market
  • The 2.8 ha Flower Market will eventually be the main entry precinct into the Gardens. It will comprise an indoor events space, retail and various food & beverage outlets.
• Main Events Space
  • This will be a 2 ha event lawn with a stage. It will have capacity for hosting up to 7,000 people during international and national events.