Manmade Canopies at the Gardens By The Bay
If you are headed to the island nation of Singapore, you must not miss out on one of its most scenic and iconic landmarks. A multi-awarded destination that is insanely stunning and undeniably astounding is a must-visit for every traveller. Situated in the midst of Central Singapore is the Gardens by the Bay – a splendidly colourful and scenic futuristic park, located right in the middle of the bay area of Singapore and features Botanical Gardens and complies of Supertree groves, High-tech space domes and Outlandish sculptures.
Gardens by the Bay is a popular sightseeing spot and is characterised by the mesmerizing architecture adorned with scenic greenery that is spread across 250 acres of reclaimed land right along the waterfront. One would wonder if they walked directly into Alice in Wonderland or Harry Potter land due to the sheer beauty of the gardens. You can take an impressive skywalk over the gardens, and the huge seashell greenhouses–all of which recreate chilly mountain climates. Yes, chilly winter-like weather right in the midst of a sultry, warm, humid, ‘it might rain anytime now’ weather that Singapore is popular for!
Picture Credit: Dr. Nikita Pawar
If you thought that the gardens are just one large piece of land, you might want to think again because the Gardens by the Bay split into three waterfront gardens i.e Bay South Garden, Bay East Garden and the Bay Central Garden. Bay South Garden contains a huge area of the gardens and is home to the iconic Supertrees and the award-winning conservatories. Bay East Garden is a tranquil, beautifully landscaped waterfront garden with stunning views of the mesmerising Singapore skyline. Bay Central Garden is a link between Bay South and Bay East with a 3km scenic waterfront promenade. Its as if heaven descended on Earth!
The Solar Powered Supertree
The most picturesque and magnificent view within the Gardens by the Bay is the Supertree, which comprises of an inner vertical structure made of a concrete core that keeps the tree upright. The concrete core has a huge trunk that comprises of beds of plants and planting panels installed over the trunk, with the top portion of the canopy made into an inverted umbrella. Each Supertree has around 1,62,900 plants that contain over 200 species of tropical flowering plants, orchids, ferns and other plant species from all across the world. These trees look magical both in the day and during the night with all the lighting. Infact, they the lead role during the evening laser show that is a must-watch when you spend your day at the Gardens. What is exciting to know is that these Supertrees carry solar panels that store energy and are used for the evening’s laser show, and the others are used as an air exhaust receptacle that helps the Flower Dome and Cloud Forest Observatories cool down.
The Beauty of the Supertrees
Each of the trees carries out a variety of functions. Some are equipped with photovoltaic panels that collect energy from the sun to generate electricity for the park and to pump water to the top of the tree, some collect rainwater for watering the plants while others serve as air intake and exhaust towers to regulate the temperature and humidity within the park and its conservatories.
OCBC Skywalk
Image Credit: Dr. Nikita Pawar
The Supertrees support a restaurant at the top of the tallest tree with a 128meter long aerial OCBC sky walkway– an experience not to be missed. This gives tourists breathtaking photo capturing views of the scenic beauty and the surrounding flora connecting several trees, 22 meters above the ground! The supertree observatory deck has a short flight of stairs leading towards the rooftop which is the highest point of gardens. Tourists can take a complete 360 degree unblocked views of the Gardens and the Marina Bay Sands Hotel –the most iconic Singapore hotel famous for its infinity pool that also has a world’s most expensive self-standing casino property, the Singapore flyer which is Asia’s largest giant observatory wheel and a bird’s eye view of Singapore that can be captured forever as a memory.
Rhapsody Show
The iconic Supertrees dazzle every evening with a light and music show called the Garden of Rhapsody. This visual extravaganza brings sparkle to towering structures dressing them up in stunning colours and dancing patterns of light with melodious music as an add on to it.
Inspiring and Futuristic
Image Credit: Dr. Nikita Pawar
In a rapidly urbanising era, cities should be more creative with indigenous approaches of fusing technology and architecture with the environment. Gardens by the Bay, which has an iconic feature of Supertree and a botanical extravaganza with world’s exotic floral wonders is a great example of how a country can not just showcase the collection of plants around the world but also reinstate the environmental balance so man and nature can coexist.