Monday, July 2, 2012

Uniquely Singapore - Gardens By The Bay

Gardens By The Bay - Singapore

Gardens By The Bay - Bay South
Tagline:-  Where Wonder Blooms
One of the newest Singapore tourist attractions, Gardens By The Bay, recently opened its doors to the public on 29th June, 2012.  Although a difficult decision to make as 101 hectare of prime land had to be set aside in the heart of Singapore's new downtown Marina Bay, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong believed that the iconic green space would add tremendous value to Singapore and be to Singapore what Hyde Park is to London.

Beautiful
Flora
Orchid
Covering 101 hectares, Gardens By The Bay is set to transform Singapore from a 'Garden City' to a 'City in a Garden' as well as enhance the flora and fauna in the city, thereby increasing the quality of life.

The largest of three gardens, Bay South Garden prides itself with a diverse range of plant life from every continent except Antarctica.  Showcased here is the best of tropical horticulture and garden artistry.

You can get up close with exotic species in the Cooled Conservatories situated along the Marina Reservoir, marvel at towering vertical gardens or learn about the intricacies of plant life in the themed gardens.

The two iconic Cooled Conservatories
The two Cooled Conservatories comprise the Flower Dome and Cloud Forest.  The Flower Dome, the larger of the two, sits on 1.2 hectares, whereas the Cloud Forest is only 0.8 hectares.  What is interesting about these two iconic Cooled Conservatories is that they do not have a single air-conditioner, but are instead cooled by a bio-waste system.

The bio-waste consists of all the fallen leaves, branches and grass clippings from the various parks around Singapore being sent to the Gardens by the Bay and burnt in the in-house furnace.  Heat from the furnace creates steam which powers the in-house turbine which then generates electricity that chills the recycled water and is used to cool the domes.  This helps to achieve at least 30% saving in energy consumption as compared to conventional cooling technologies. 

Supertree Grove

Hours:   05:00 AM - 02:00 AM daily
Admission:   Free
Supertree Grove
These Supertrees are very unique.  Spanning between 25 - 50 metres in height, the Supertrees provide much needed shade in the day.  At night, they fill the area with a light and sound display.

Beautifully lighted up
Night view of the  Supertree Grove
A total of 18 Supertrees can be found with 12 clustered together at the Supertree Grove.  Reaching a height of 16 storeys, these Supertrees add height to the Marina Bay Gardens against a backdrop of the tall buildings in the Marina Bay area.

The Supertrees against the backdrop of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel
If you wish to have a different view of the Gardens, you can take a stroll along the 128 metre OCBC Skyway which connects two Supertrees at the Supertree Grove.

OCBC Skyway

Hours:
  • Opens 09:00 AM - 09:00 PM daily
  • Monday - Friday
    Last ticket sale at 08:00 PM
    Last admission at 08:30 PM
  • Weekends & PH
    Last ticket sale at 07:00 PM
    Last admission at 07:30 PM
Admission:

Adult                       $5
Senior Citizen* $5
Child** $3

* Senior Citizen (≥ 60 years old)
** Child (3 – 12 years old)

The OCBC Skyway connecting two Supertrees
The largest Supertree reaches 50 metre and has a top bistro where one can enjoy great views of the Gardens By The Bay.

King of the Supertrees
11 of the Supertrees are embedded with environmentally sustainable functions like photovoltaic cells to harvest solar energy.

Ability to harvest solar energy
The Supertrees are also vertical gardens where more than 200 species of bromeliads, orchids, ferns and tropical flowering climbers can be found.

The vertical garden
If you are at the Marina Bay Sands area, you can cross the Lions Bridge over to the Gardens By The Bay.
Lions Bridge
Dragonfly Lake
Dragonfly
Water spouting from a lion
View of part of the Gardens By The Bay


Gardens by the Bay is a huge green lung in the centre of the city and has become one of the more popular Singapore tourist attraction.  Here, you will experience a peaceful oases amid the tropical concrete and expressways in the city of Singapore.


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