Eden in the clouds
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Plants are celebrated at Singapore's new nature attraction but visitors would do better not to think of the air-conditioning bill
Singapore has brought a bit of the Mediterranean to Southeast Asia with a new attraction called Gardens by the Bay, which includes greenhouses that have to be cooled, not warmed, to a comfortable 23 degrees Celsius.
A 30-metre-high waterfall whooshes into the depths, fog hangs in the air, a strong wind blows, leaves rustle in the trees, insects chirp and apes cry out: the scene has all the elements of a perfect cloud forest. But the fog is sprayed in, the animal and insect sounds are from a tape recording and the waterfall is run by an enormous generator.
It’s all on display under a 54-metre-high glass dome on a surface area about as big as a football field. In tropical Singapore the giant terrarium requires a massive energy output to hold the temperature at 23-25 degrees Celsius.
The glass dome is part of Gardens by the Bay, a 101-hectare nature attraction that Singapore built for more than 600 million euros (Bt23.9 billion) in an effort to increase the amount of greenery in the city state. It lies between the skyscrapers of the business district and the sea and it’s not yet finished: the crowning piece is a 3-kilometre-long boardwalk along the sea.
But the part that has been completed is impressive, with 50-metre-high giant redwoods made of steel, a huge harbour in the background, an artificial lagoon, a Ferris wheel and the futuristic Marina Bay Sands Hotel with a rooftop garden 200 metres high.
A walk around the cloud forest begins after an elevator ride to the top and leads downward on a slowly spiralling walkway covered by non-slip mats. Blossoms are everywhere – 130,000 plants and 400 species, including coffee, tea, ferns and moss.
“There are no animals here,” says spokeswoman Lynda Lim. No earthworms are present to keep the soil aerated, thus the gardeners are kept very busy. There are no mosquitoes to ruin the fun and no spiders or snakes are lurking about.
There also is a flower hall with Mediterranean, Australian and South American ambience. It features a Spanish olive grove with a 1,000-year-old tree, Lim proclaims. There are baobab trees, sugarbushes and tulips.
“We are changing over to autumn,” Lim says. Asters are in bloom and wheelbarrows are decorated with ears of corn. Something to appreciate in Singapore where there is no change of seasons and something green is sprouting year-round. Outside the dome, visitors stroll through Chinese, Malaysian and Indian gardens with typical herbs and fruit.
The steel trees are a highlight, with huge trunks fashioned into vertical gardens that are meant to grow over with green and tops that open upward like the bell of a horn. Sunlight collectors are positioned inside and they store energy for the evening light show. Lim says the dome is energy efficient, pointing out how biomass made from garden refuse runs a steam turbine.
Officials say the new garden has exceeded expectations. After eight months, it recorded its 1 millionth visitor. Locals in particular have turned out in large numbers to tour the site. Its outside areas are free of charge, but to enter the dome or halls, visitors must pay 12.50 euros.
