10,000 people visit Gardens by the Bay in first 12 hours

Singapore opened its S$1 billion (US$782 million) 101-hectare Gardens by the Bay attraction on Friday (29th June) welcoming 10,000 visitors in it first 12 hours of operations.

Located on the shores of the downtown Marina Bay, adjacent to the Marina Reservoir, the garden site provides a botanical space, which includes six themed gardens and two climate-controlled conservatories for residents and visitors to Singapore's highly urban environment.

Among the first visitors on Friday were those wanting to see the plants in the two cooled conservatories - with escaping from the heat being a perk and others who queued to enter the Flower Dome and the Cloud Forest, two ticketed attractions.

The Gardens by the Bay project forms part of a strategy by the Singapore Government to create a 'City in a Garden' with the stated aim to raise quality of life by enhancing greenery and flora in the city and to boost visitor arrivals which are expected to rise by 10% this year.

Built on reclaimed land, the site aims to attract as many as five million visitors a year.

In a speech marking the project opening Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong stated "we could have easily used this for far more valuable commercial or residential developments, right in the middle of the new Singapore city.

"(However) the city's planners "believe a large and beautiful park was an important element of our new downtown. Just like Central Park in New York or Hyde Park in London, although not quite as big."

Project Chief Executive Dr Kiat Wee Tan explained "this is the first tropically-focused garden.

"We are competing for the interest of the young, who are more seduced by informational technology and we have to reconnect them to (nature)."

Gardens by the Bay attraction features:

Conservatories

• Two cooled conservatories at Bay South Garden - the Cloud Forest and Flower Dome.

• The 1.2 hectare Flower Dome which replicate cool dry conditions and will feature permanent displays of plants found in the Mediterranean and semi-arid tropical regions.

• A changing display field has also been incorporated to enable flower shows and displays to be held within the Conservatory.

• The Cloud Forest replicates the cool moist conditions found in tropical mountain regions and features a 'Cloud Mountain', a 35 metre high mountain complete with a waterfall.

• Access up the 'mountain' will be via lifts or a winding walk.

Supertrees

• The Bay South Garden's 'Supertrees' are man-made tree-like structures that dominate the landscape at heights that range between 25 and 50 metres. They are vertical gardens that perform a multitude of functions, which include planting, shading and working as environmental engines for the gardens.

• Two of the 'Supertrees' are lined by an aerial walkway, as well as the Dragonfly Lake and four heritage gardens.

The Garden also features horticulturally themed areas, which centre on the relationships between 'Plants and People' and 'Plants and Planet'. They are an important part of the Gardens' edutainment program, which aims to bring plant knowledge to the public.

Phase two of the development will feature a Flower Market and Main Event Space.

For more information go to www.gardensbythebay.org.sg/index.php