On 29 June 2012, Singapore welcomed the addition of a new icon to the city as Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong officiated the opening of Gardens by the Bay.
Bay South, one of the three uniquely themed world-class gardens is the first in the government-funded development to be ready.
A string of events were also lined up to mark the opening of Bay South, including live concerts by Grammy Award winner Jason Mraz and Los Angeles-based Singaporean singer-songwriter Corrine May. Other activities include story-telling sessions for children, outdoor movie screenings and photography competitions.
Bay South features the science-fiction design of architects Grant Associations and Wilkinson Eyre. Sprawling 54ha, it has six dining areas, 18 supertrees and two climate-controlled conservatories (Flower Dome and Cloud Forest).
“Underlying the concept of Gardens by the Bay are the principles of environmental sustainability. We’re pleased to have contributed to the sustainable engineering of this beautiful garden.
+ Russell Cole, Building Group Leader in Arup’s Singapore office.
Arup in particular worked with architects Wilkinson Eyre and provided the fire and façade engineering design of the conservatories. To mitigate the greenhouse effect, Arup's façade specialists used high-performance and low-emissivity glass as part of their massive façades. A performance-based approach adopted by our fire team enabled the unique structures to be built as entirely open spaces without sub-divisions, and streamlines the egress and smoke control design to ensure life safety.
Representing a New Age park, the Gardens seek to reflect Singapore’s culture of growing more green spaces despite rapid urbanisation. In 2007, 47 per cent of the island was green compared with 36 per cent in 1986.