Gardens by the Bay celebrates its 10th anniversary this week in Singapore, Andrew Grant RDI, founder of pioneering landscape architecture practice Grant Associates and lead designer on the world-renowned project, believes that it is more important than ever before for biodiversity-rich green spaces to be intentionally cultivated in order to combat the climate emergency:
“Gardens by the Bay demonstrates the possibility of using landscapes, plants and nature to create powerful places where people can come together and be inspired. The whole project’s approach to integrated planning and design serves to signify Singapore as the City in a Garden; Gardens by the Bay is the perfect fusion of nature, technology and art and its legacy and impact is sizeable ten years on. Its success shows how, as landscape architects, we can positively influence and transform cityscapes into areas that add more value to people and planet, supporting human wellbeing and fuelling urban biodiversity.”
Andrew Grant RDI, founder and director, Grant Associates.
Since opening, millions of visitors have been wowed annually by the attraction, in particular by 18 visually stunning ‘Supertrees’ – measuring between 25 and 50 metres high – which serve as vertical gardens displaying tropical flowering climbers, epiphytes and ferns. At night, these canopies come alive with lighting and projected media, with an aerial suspended walkway offering visitors a truly unique perspective on the gardens.
“Gardens by the Bay demonstrates the possibility of using landscapes, plants and nature to create powerful places where people can come together and be inspired. The whole project’s approach to integrated planning and design serves to signify Singapore as the City in a Garden; Gardens by the Bay is the perfect fusion of nature, technology and art and its legacy and impact is sizeable ten years on. Its success shows how, as landscape architects, we can positively influence and transform cityscapes into areas that add more value to people and planet, supporting human wellbeing and fuelling urban biodiversity.”
Andrew Grant RDI, founder and director, Grant Associates
One of the largest garden projects in the world, the Bay South Garden masterplan took inspiration from Singapore’s national flower, the orchid, expressing the beauty of these flowers through the exotic gardens and the physiology of the orchid through the sophisticated infrastructure for managing energy, water and waste.
The landscape architect behind Singapore’s iconic Supertrees and the current Tower of London Superbloom display is calling for more city spaces to be turned over to nature in order to boost biodiversity, tourism and wellbeing.
Alongside lead designers Grant Associates, the British design team for Bay South comprised of Wilkinson Eyre (architects); Atelier Ten (environmental design consultants); Atelier One (structural engineers); Land Design Studio (museum and visitor center designers) and Thomas Matthews (communication designers).
Images Credit: Rory Daniel
