Singapore announces Bay South Garden opening

Singapore's Bay South Garden, the largest of three gardens that make up the city's Gardens by the Bay project, will open on 29th June.

Located on the shores of the downtown Marina Bay, adjacent to the Marina Reservoir, the 54 hectare Bay South Garden site will offer those living in Singapore's highly urban environment a taste of what the rest of Southeast Asia enjoys - a tropical rainforest, complete with a waterfall streaming down an artificial 'mountain'.

Spanning 101 hectares, Gardens by the Bay 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.

The completed Bay South Garden will feature:

Conservatories
There will be two cooled conservatories at Bay South Garden - the Cloud Forest and Flower Dome.

The 1.2 hectare Flower Dome replicates 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 will replicate 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 programme, which aims to bring plant knowledge to the public.

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

Gardens by the Bay is expected to become one of Singapore's biggest tourist draws, with one of the world's most technologically-advanced green spaces.

Project Chief Executive Dr Kiat W. Tan explains "it will be excellent that, here in the tropics, we (will) get a touch of the seasons.

"As the plants ... mature over time, we hope that visitors will continue to give their support and grow with the Gardens."

Entry to Bay South Garden will be free, but entry to the two conservatories will be ticketed. Non-Singaporeans will be charged $28 for entry to both conservatories, while Singaporeans will be charged $20.

To celebrate the opening of Bay South, there will be a series of events held over two weekends from 29th June to 8th July.

These include 'live' concerts by Grammy Award winner Jason Mraz and local singer Corrine May. Six restaurants will also be opened.

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

Image: Singapore's Bay South Garden. Credit: Grant Associates and Wilkinson Eyre Architects.