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How modern architecture and green jungle intertwine
Singapore’s rhythm development speeds up every day. And no wonder, the map of progress is drawn by the future. Singapore is one of the few places on the planet where the future is not vague but stands out incredibly clearly. A union of technology and nature.
Singaporeans do not just dream and talk about tomorrow but every day put the idea into practice with great enthusiasm. Here, the future instantly becomes the present.
Ahead of its time
Singapore is several steps ahead of many, it can be seen in its space architecture. Modern buildings go hand in hand with verdant greenery. Parks, squares, and gardens are everywhere. An endless line of planters on the streets where it’s hard to plant trees. Even such a sad place as the women’s prison is not left out, the perfect lawn laid out in front of its entrance. The aim is not to create a garden in the city, but a city in a garden.
Where are the greenest areas today? Let’s take a look at some of the amazing locations that make the whole city unique. First, however, it’s worth mentioning the last place where the «home jungle» breathes the past.
Lorong Buangkok Village
Lorong Buangkok Village is an extinct dinosaur among Singapore’s other architecture. There are only 25 houses in the village (kampong). Typical kampong houses are incredibly simple and refer back to that homey Malaysia that disappeared from Singapore forever.
After the first wave of the pandemic, interest in Lorong Buangkok increased. Tourists now regularly visit it to enjoy the special charm of the old village lurking in the urban jungle. Here lives the friendly village spirit that Singaporeans instill in the infrastructure of the high-rise buildings. The government tries to organize public spaces in the skyscrapers to make people see each other more often and socialize in a nice neighborhood way.
Gardens by the Bay
The star of Singapore is the Gardens by the Bay. Today it is already world-famous. It’s supertrees as one of the city’s calling cards.
Every day at the park runs a show called «Garden Rhapsody». The supertrees are lit with lush colors, changing colors, types, and intensity of glow. The show is accompanied by the sounds of nature: rustling leaves, birdsong, and other natural sounds. It is noteworthy that even the show in Singapore manifests the idea of the unity of humans and nature. And these are not just words. Throughout the day, the supertrees store solar energy and then use it during the show.
The supertrees are located in the southern part of the park, and along with them are the domes with incredible greenhouses: the Flower Dome and the Cloud Forest.
Flower Dome
To see the most exotic trees and plants, just visit the Flower Dome. This rare greenhouse contains all the amazing flora: baobabs, bottle trees, canary dates, agaves, opuntias, and endless other beauties. All the “inhabitants” of the dome are bathed in ideal conditions, all thanks to the special structure of the roof.
The dome consists of 3 thousand panels made of glass that retains the excess solar energy. At the base of the dome are laid pipes with circulating cold water. This way cool air is always at the bottom and warm air accumulates at the top.
Surprisingly, all the zones of the greenhouse are in the same space and are not separated by partitions. Each zone has its own microclimate: the desert has dry air, while the tropics have humid air. Each flowerbed has its own temperature. How exactly this particular atmospheric symbiosis is maintained is a real mystery.
There are 9 gardens in the Flower Dome: 5 gardens with flora from South America, California, South Africa, the Mediterranean, and Australia; 2 devoted to regularly updated seasonal collections and 2 devoted to current themes.
Important detail: almost all of the plants can be touched.
Cloud Forest
The Cloud Forest dome replicates mountain rainforest conditions. The dome is backed by an artificial mountain with a waterfall. It makes the impression of a mountain atmosphere and creates the right temperature for the plants.
Such cloud forests are rare on the planet. It can be found only in the equatorial and subequatorial belts, between 500 and 4,000 meters above sea level. Here, as well as in the mountains, a beautiful thick fog forms.
In the Cloud Forest, you can find plants from South Africa, Western America, the Himalayas, mountain India and the island of Sri Lanka.
A string of trails stretches across the entire dome so that all the beauty can be seen at maximum proximity.
SkyPark at Marina Bay Sands
At a height of 200 meters stands a ship’s deck the size of three soccer fields. It has the world’s largest pool at this height (150 meters). Enjoying the pool`s coolness, you can view a breathtaking panorama of the city. On a clear day, you can see the islands of Malaysia and Indonesia from the deck.
Like the rest of Singapore, the deck is lavishly decorated with greenery. Hundreds of palm trees and other exotic trees flutter in the wind along the entire area. Once here, you feel as if you are in a magical lagoon but high up in the mountains.
There are regular bars and restaurants on the deck. And down at Marina Bay Sands, you can go shopping and visit the casino.
