038 Exemplar: Gardens by the Bay, Singapore

"Inspired by the orchid shape, the master-plan addresses two main themes; plants & peoeple , and plants & planet. both narratives encompass the length of the park and feature special attractions with the help of an intelligent infrastructure that even allows the cultivation of plants which would not otherwise grown in Singapore."

[reference to be updated & added]

This is a (governmental?) initiative which in my opinion shows the deep interest that the government has towards expanding the knowledge of its own citizens towards global biodiversity without having to get out of Singapore. Alternatively, I can also view this as one way to encourage the citizens to be more open to learning about the expansive climate of biodiversity that exists outside the limited shores of Singapore. This encourages Singaporeans to be more mobile by traveling out of Singapore to see for themselves natural environment that can't be found in Singapore. Holistically, I think this sets the Gardens by the Bay as an initiative on a platform acting as a catalyst into triggering interest at both a local and global context.

Impression of Architectural Design by Wilkinson Eyre Architects
http://www.wilkinsoneyre.com/projects/singapore-gardens-by-the-bay.aspx?category=sport-and-leisure

Building upon this idea, a hypothetical Australia can be a the labyrinth of many different initiatives pushed by the government. These initiatives are not strictly designed to be within Canberra or within the governmental state, but to be designed to be found in every state of Australia instead. I am possibly treading towards an idea that will generate a static-mobile structure that can be found on the periphery of every state, using the areas on the fringes of different metropolitan cities as a context.

Illustrative section of Landscape Design by Grants Associate
http://www.grant-associates.uk.com/projects_77_2921.aspx

Environmental design information provided by Atelier Ten
http://blog.emap.com/footprint/2010/12/06/rsa-recognises-sustainable-design

Here are some FAST FACTS about Singapore's Gardens by the Bay  which I have taken from the website itself. It pretty much gives a background overview (or executive summary) of the context, location, brief design and what will be procured for the gardens. I have placed these facts under appropriate headings for a clearer understanding:-

Context & Environment

• Singapore' s geographical location is 1 22 N, 103 48 E. The equator passes 137km south of the island.
• Singapore has a population of 4.6 million (Jul 07 estimate) and a land area of 682.7 sq km or about 3.5 times the size of Washinton DC .  It has a coastline of 193km. 
• Gardens by the Bay comprises three gardens around the Marina Channel in the southern part of Singapore . Once the Marina Barrage is ready, the Marina Channel will, over two years, become a fresh water lake and supply 10 per cent of Singapore' s water needs.  
• The total size of Gardens by the Bay is 101 hectares or 177 football fields.  Bay South is 54 hectares, Bay East is 32 hectares and the Bay Central is 15 hectares. 

Location

• The Gardens will be built on land that was reclaimed from the sea some 30 years ago. The new downtown Marina City is being developed around Marina South. 

Design

• In January 2006, an international master plan design competition for the Gardens was launched.  Some 70 teams comprising 170 firms, from over 24 countries, including 35 from Singapore , participated in the competition.
• An 11-member Jury comprising local and international experts shortlisted eight teams and two winners were announced in September 2006; namely Grant Associates for Bay South and Gustafson Porter for Bay East, both from the UK.  Bay Central will be developed later.
• The site for the Gardens (Bay South and Bay East) was hoarded up in June 2007.
• The first phase of the Gardens - Bay South - is expected to complete by end 2011.

Location of the Gardens by National Parks Board of Singapore
http://www.gardensbythebay.org.sg

Community Involvement & Participation

• A public exhibition of the master plan concepts and models of the winning teams was held from 6 - 23 September 2006.  Some 10,000 people visited the exhibition and over 700 gave feedback directly via feedback forms, face-to-face interviews, online feedback and focus groups surveys.
• An overwhelming majority (85%) of those surveyed liked the features in the master plans and over 97% said they would visit the gardens.

Sustainability Aspects

Sustainable design data and description provided by Wilkinson Eyre Architects
http://www.wilkinsoneyre.com/projects/singapore-gardens-by-the-bay.aspx?category=sport-and-leisure

~ Hana