Gardens by the Bay (Bay South Garden)

Gardens by the Bay occupies 101 hectares of prime land by the water as part of Marina Bay. Situated at the heart of Singapore’s next phase of development as a global city, the Gardens is an integral part of a strategy by the Singapore government to transform Singapore from a "Garden City" to a "City in a Garden",  in which the island-state is woven into a green and floral tapestry.

The stated aim is to raise the quality of life by enhancing greenery and flora in the city and is intended to become Singapore's premier urban outdoor recreation space, and a national icon.

Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay is an outstanding example of creative and eco-friendly engineering. Associates/Wilkinson Eyre Architects came up with the creative concept design and Arcadis was involved in providing quantity surveying, procurement management strategy and cost management services for all aspects of the project with a focus on life cycle cost to ensure cost efficiency. The design called for a new construction technology and the Supertrees were constructed with pre-cast concrete trunks and metal branches. In addition, there were desiccant cooling and biomass systems.

This mega project transformed 54 hectares into a massive garden with three signature features: 

• The Conservatory Complex which features 2 Cooled Conservatories; namely the Flower Dome and the Cloud Forest;
• The Supertrees which are designed as big tree-like structures; each between 25 metres to 50 metres high with an aerial walkway linking two of the Supertrees; and 
• The Horticultural Themed Gardens which include 2 collections of Themed Gardens; namely the Heritage Gardens and the World of Plants.

"Life Cycle Costing was important ot Singapore National Parks to ensure longevity and cost efficiency.We incorporated sustainable design features and carried out Cost in Use studies on a regular basis. We held Value Engineering workshops to improve the project's economic status. We made sure that value for money solutions and designs were chosen as budget is critical." Khoo Sze Boon, Executive Director, Arcadis Singapore

Achievements:

• Over 20 million visitors in its first 3.5 years 
• Guinness World Records 2015 - The largest glass greenhouse
• International Architecture Awards 2013
• RIBA International Project of the Year, 2013 
• BCA Green Mark Platinum Award (Special Project)