Gardens by the Bay is Singapore’s national garden; it’s a showpiece of horticulture and garden artistry, but also grounded in principles of environmental sustainability. Let’s take a look at this stunning example of green architecture!
energy-efficient conservatory biomes
Two glass conservatories, the Cloud Forest and the Flower Dome, use sustainable engineering and technology for energy-efficient cooling. The two conservatories won World Building of the Year in 2012. And the Flower Dome set a Guinness World Record in 2015 as the largest glass greenhouse!
The roofs are made of specially coated glass that allows optimal sunlight in while minimizing solar heat (and cooling costs). Chilled water pipes embedded in the floor keep ground-level air cool, while warm air rises and is vented out. Carbon-neutral electricity is also generated on-site. All of this has reduced energy consumption by 30% over conventional cooling practices.
super sustainable supertrees
The Supertrees are vertical gardens that resemble tree-like structures, but do much more than actual trees. Some have photovoltaic cells to harvest solar energy. Others serve as air exhaust receptacles for the conservatories. The tallest has a rooftop observatory deck for a panoramic view of the Singapore skyline. And you can literally walk among the trees, on the OCBC skyway that connects several of the Supertrees.
urban aquatic biodiversity
The Kingfisher Wetlands are a thriving aquatic habitat, giving visitors the rare experience of seeing wetlands in a city center. They’re home to lots of fish and dragonflies, as well as over 200 mangrove trees, which help remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere – they actually sequester 4 times more carbon than rainforests.
and the gardens, of course
The designers of Gardens of the Bay wanted to create a city in a garden, and they absolutely delivered. The Flower Dome brings all the world’s flora under one roof, with South American, South African, Australian, Californian, and Mediterranean gardens, plus an olive grove.
At the Cloud Forest, see one of the world’s tallest indoor waterfalls, climb a mountain, or enjoy the Cloud Walk aerial walkway. There’s a Secret Garden with over 135 species of plants, including miniature orchids so tiny you need a magnifying glass to spot them. If you love gardens, it’s a can’t-miss site when visiting Singapore!
Sources: Gardens by the Bay, Sustainability Efforts.
