Gardens by the Bay, the gorgeous botanical gardens located in central Singapore, are more than just a tourist paradise. The stunning nature park spanning on a area of 250 acres is high on environmental sustainability with a wide variety of flora and greens. It is located near the Marina Reservoir. The Singapore government aims to transform Singapore from a “Garden City” to a “City in a Garden”.

The Park is listed third on things to do in Singapore Tripadvisor. Created in 2012, it has more than 40 million visitors to date. According to Facebook, the park is one of the World’s top 20 most checked-in places. The mind-blowing architecture consisting of huge domes, supertrees and gardens which are all together are home to more than 1,000,000 plants.

The park was first announced by Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong in 2005 to be built as an outdoor recreational space and a national icon. The gardens are designed by two British Firms- Grant Associates and Gustafson Porter who were awarded the contract from 70 entries from 24 countries.

The Sustainable Model of the Gardens

Garden by the Bay consists of three waterfront gardens- Bay South Garden, Bay East Garden and Bay Central Garden.

Bay South Garden

The largest of the three gardens, Bay South Garden is inspired by an orchid, Singapore’s national flower. It consists of two cooled conservatories – Flower Dome and Cloud Dome, Supertrees and various horticulture themed gardens.

The huge conservatories are designed as a highly sustainable and energy efficient buildings that aim at minimizing the environmental footprint. The specially selected glass allows optimal light in for the plants but reduces a substantial amount of heat. The roof contains sensor-operated sails that open automatically to provide shade to the plants when it gets hot. Rainwater is collected from the surface of the domes and used in the cooling system attached to Supertrees.

Finally, the Supertrees! The big tree-like structures are not real trees. They are vertical gardens containing exotic ferns, vines, orchids. Some Supertrees are fitted with photovoltaic cells harnessing solar energy that powers the lighting of Supertrees. Some dispatch heat from the top and serve as an air exhaust system.

The electricity is also generated from the biomass waste of the garden thus reducing the dependency on the electric grid. Moreover, the drying agent used for dehumidifying the air in Flower Dome is recycled using the heat from burning the biomass. The whole system works as a biome.

Bay East garden

Bay East Garden borders the Marina Reservoir. It is designed as a series of large tropical leaf-shaped gardens, each with its own specific landscaping design, character and theme. Still developing, it provides a stunning view of the city skyline.

Bay Central Garden

Bay Central Garden acts as a link between the other two gardens. It stretches from the city centre the east of Singapore. The Park is still in its development phase.

The Lake System

The gardens lake system is also a crucial part of the magnificent labyrinth of Singapore. An extension of the Marina reservoir, the lake system consists of two lakes – Dragonfly Lake and Kingfisher Lake. It is responsible for cleaning the water from Gardens with the help of aquatic plants before being discharged into the reservoir and also used in the built-in irrigation system for the Gardens. The whole system works as an ecosystem of its own providing home for fishes, dragonflies and aquatic plants.

Gardens by the Bay is an absolute example of a sustainable living. It’s a perfect blend of technology and nature incorporated together in right proportions. The whole system of the Gardens seems like a glimpse of a future with high sustainability, harnessing clean energy and keeping the threat to the environment at bay.

Source – Gardens by the bay

Image Credits- Pixabay