Singapore is a city full of cutting edge design and horticultural delights with a unique and inspirational 101 acre park called Gardens by the Bay which opened in 2012.
I am very excited to be volunteering in this amazing environmental space. Gardens by the Bay offers a cloud forest, heritage gardens, cool conservatories, tropical flowers, climbing ferns, and a spectacular view. Most impressive for me is the massive waterfront garden that features a man-made mechanical forest of solar-powered trees up to 50 meters high supplying the garden with recycled rainwater and renewable energy.
According to CNN, the garden’s 18 supertrees do more than just give the public something to look at. Each acts as a vertical garden, generating solar power, acting as air venting ducts for nearby conservatories, and collecting rainwater. To generate electricity, 11 of the supertrees are fitted with solar photovoltaic panels that convert sunlight into energy, which provides lighting and aids water technology within the adjacent climate-controlled conservatories. The trees also mimic their natural counterparts by absorbing and dispersing heat, and providing visitors with some much-needed shad
This unique project is the creation of British based Wilkinson Eyre Architects who worked with top landscape designers and engineers from the UK to create this impressive green landmark in such a bustling and built up city.
Gardens by the Bay heralds a new era in Asian sustainability projects. This horticultural oasis is certainly a contrast to the country’s extremely dense urban environment, forming part of the government’s overall strategy to transform Singapore into a “city in a garden.http://www.gardensbythebay.com.sg/en/home.html
January 31st, 2014 at 1:48 pm
An inspiring design and one which illustrates the valuable use of hi-tech designs and materials which will be so much a part of future conservation efforts worldwide. Have people noticed how cool it is in forests in summer – go from forest onto an open plain anywhere in the world and the temp is much higher – how much is global warming due to deforestation? If no deforestation had happened would the earth be warming up now? Not sure if scientifically accurate but just a simple observation.