Gardens By the Bay

Singapore Gardens By the Bay is fast becoming one of my favorite places. We were told by a taxi driver on one occasion that when the reclaimed land became available there were many ideas about what to use it for but the Singaporean government were firm that they wanted an iconic park like Central Park in New York. As always the steadfast vision of the Singaporean government has produced something very special.

The above picture was taken in 2011 from the Singapore Flyer (big wheel). At that time I had no idea what I was taking a picture of, it was just clear they were developing something. Three years later a similar picture shown below shows that the structure they created is now surrounded by lush greenery.

The Singapore Flyer taken from the Gardens.

The Gardens consist of two green houses maintained at 15C, one dry, one humid. The government wanted to make the gardens sustainable so they came up with a method to cool the greenhouses without the need for electricity from the grid. Green bio fuel from around Singapore (plant waste) is burned to generate power which enters a local grid within the gardens. This power is used to cool the greenhouses and by any other power needs around the gardens. The by-products of this process are ash which they use around the gardens as fertilizer and then they vent of the water vapor generated through special funnels. These funnels were incorporated into the garden design as super trees, shown below. These supertrees have been planted up the sides of their metal structure and a raised walkway created.

The 'branches' contain solar panels which absorb sunlight during the day and light up the gardens at night without the need for grid electricity. You can even have dinner in a restaurant at the top of the main super tree. Its a formal garden and reminds me a little of Kew in London but obviously with a very modern twist. I am always impressed by how much green space they can cram into this little island.

To add to the sustainability rainwater caught on the greenhouse roofs is collected into a nearby reservoir where it is naturally filters through the plants until it is ready for use around the gardens for plant watering, toilets etc. I won't put too many pictures for now, don't want to spoil it for those who might get the see it for themselves!