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Gardens by the Bay (Marina South)
Gardens by the Bay (GB) is a key project underpinning the National Parks Board's continuous strategy to realise the vision of transforming Singapore into a Garden City. Occupying 101 hectares of prime land by Marina Bay, the Gardens is a fantasia showcasing horticultural craftsmanship and floral artistry at its finest.

The largest of the three gardens in the overall development, the 54-hectare Gardens at Marina South (GBMS) was implemented. With an expansive water frontage, the Gardens at Marina South showcases the best of tropical horticulture and garden artistry, with mass display of tropical flowers and coloured foliage. Vibrant programming is incorporated for the gardens to host a suite of international and national events.


Green Design
Gardens by the Bay sets the standard for a new generation of garden development and management practices, applying sustainable energy and water usage solutions. The integrated system of Cool Conservatories and 'Supertrees' will showcase the application of sustainable energy solutions. Besides replacing the conventional air-conditioning system with centralised district cooling systems, the project applies sustainable energy solutions through the burning of biomass generated from the gardens to power up its combined heat and power system, together with photovoltaic collectors that produce electricity for the garden's own use. Water harvesting and storage from the 'Supertrees' also provide an alternative source for irrigation.

The green features implemented are a bio-waste cogeneration system, liquid desiccant system, automatic shading system with lux level control, spectrally-selective high performance glass, displacement cooling and slab cooling, photovoltaic panels, light shelves/sky roofs, green roofs, 100% recycled concrete, rainwater harvesting, natural water filtration with aquatic plants and weather control station for irrigation plants.


Transportation Engineering
A Traffic Impact Assessment was conducted for the project. The scope of work included the following:

  • Forecasting the trip generation of GBMS and its surrounding developments
  • Establishing the proposed highway network surrounding the garden
  • Assessing parking requirements based on trip generation and the Land Transport Authority's parking standards for the garden and its developments
  • Reviewing the internal vehicular traffic layout, pick-up/ drop-off areas and vehicle parking areas in the garden
  • Undertaking junction analysis during peak hours for the design years using SIDRA Intersection software
  • Proposing road junction improvements
  • Estimating the pedestrian volumes generated for the garden and assessing the impact on nearby pedestrian facilities connected to the garden
  • Providing measures for crowd control and formulating a traffic operation plan during a major event in the garden.

Visitor flow modelling of the interiors of the Cool-Dry and Cool-Moist Conservatories at GBMS was also conducted. In anticipation of the large crowd that the development will attract, STEPS (Simulation of Transient Evacuation and Pedestrian Movements) modelling was used to identify areas that require improvements and fine-tuning for smoother pedestrian flow.

The study has provided insight into visitor circulation patterns within the conservatories and helped to provide design assurance in these areas.


Environmental Engineering
A Traffic Impact Assessment was conducted for the project. The scope of work included the following:

  • Forecasting the trip generation of GBMS and its surrounding developments
  • Establishing the proposed highway network surrounding the garden
  • Assessing parking requirements based on trip generation and the Land Transport Authority's parking standards for the garden and its developments
  • Reviewing the internal vehicular traffic layout, pick-up/ drop-off areas and vehicle parking areas in the garden
  • Undertaking junction analysis during peak hours for the design years using SIDRA Intersection software
  • Proposing road junction improvements
  • Estimating the pedestrian volumes generated for the garden and assessing the impact on nearby pedestrian facilities connected to the garden
  • Providing measures for crowd control and formulating a traffic operation plan during a major event in the garden.

Visitor flow modelling of the interiors of the Cool-Dry and Cool-Moist Conservatories at GBMS was also conducted. In anticipation of the large crowd that the development will attract, STEPS (Simulation of Transient Evacuation and Pedestrian Movements) modelling was used to identify areas that require improvements and fine-tuning for smoother pedestrian flow.

The study has provided insight into visitor circulation patterns within the conservatories and helped to provide design assurance in these areas.

Project name Gardens by the Bay (Marina South)
Location Singapore
Completion Date 2012
Site Area 540000 m²
Gross Floor Area (GFA) 61,000 m²
Project Cost SGD 1,000,000,000.00
Client National Parks Board (NParks)
    ARCASIA Awards 2016 (Honorable Mention)
    Category: Sustainability
    BCA Construction Excellence Awards 2014 (Award - Conservatory Complex)
    Category: Institutional Buildings
    BCA Construction Excellence Awards 2014 (Certificate of Merit - Energy Centre and Arrival Clusters Supertrees)
    Category: Institutional Buildings
    BCA Construction Excellence Awards 2014 (Certificate of Merit - Lion Grove Supertrees)
    Category: Institutional Buildings
    BCA Construction Productivity Awards 2014 (Gold)
    BCA Design and Engineering Safety Excellence Award 2012 (Award - Flower Dome)
    Category: Institutional and Industrial
    BCA Green Mark Awards 2014 (Platinum)
    Category: BCA-NParks Green Mark for New Parks
    BCA Green Mark Awards 2012 (Platinum)
    Category: New Non-Residential Buildings (Special)
    BCA Universal Design Mark Awards 2014 (Platinum)
    British Expertise International Awards 2013 (Outstanding International Design Project)
    CIBSE Building Performance Awards 2014 (International Project of the Year)
    Cityscape Awards for Emerging Markets 2014 (Winner)
    Category: Leisure & Tourism Project Award (Built)
    Design & Health International Academy Awards 2015 (Winner)
    Category: Salutogenic Design Project Public Space
    Design for Asia Awards 2012 (Grand Award)
    Design for Asia Awards 2012 (Special Award for Technology)
    Green Good Design Awards 2010
    IStructE Singapore Structural Awards 2012 (Award for Special Structure - Cooled Conservatories)
    IStructE Singapore Structural Awards 2012 (Commendation Award for Special Structure - Supertrees and Aerial Walkway)
    Landscape Institute Awards 2013 (College of Fellows Award for Climate Change Adaptation)
    LIAS Awards 2015 (Best of Category - Children's Garden)
    Category: Maintenance - Public and Urban Spaces
    LIAS Awards 2015 (Bronze - The Canopy)
    Category: Maintenance - Public and Urban Spaces
    LIAS Awards 2015 (Gold - Children's Garden)
    Category: Maintenance - Public and Urban Spaces
    LIAS Awards 2015 (Gold - Flower Dome & Cloud Forest)
    Category: Maintenance - Public and Urban Spaces
    LIAS Awards 2015 (Gold - Supertrees)
    Category: Maintenance - Public and Urban Spaces
    LIAS Awards 2015 (Silver - Golden Garden)
    Category: Maintenance - Public and Urban Spaces
    LIAS Awards 2015 (Silver - Heritage Garden)
    Category: Maintenance - Public and Urban Spaces
    LIAS Awards 2015 (Silver - Sun Pavilion)
    Category: Maintenance - Public and Urban Spaces
    LIAS Awards 2013 (Excellence)
    Category: Others
    MIPIM Architectural Review Future Projects Awards 2011 (Commendation)
    Category: Big Urban Projects
    MIPIM Architectural Review Future Projects Awards 2009 (Commendation)
    Category: Regeneration and Masterplanning
    MIPIM Awards 2014 (Best Innovative Green Building)
    MIPIM Awards 2014 (Special Jury Award)
    MOM Workplace Safety & Health Performance Awards 2012
    President’s Design Award 2013 (Design of the Year)
    RIBA International Awards 2013 (Lubetkin Prize : Best New International Building - Cooled Conservatories)
    SIA Architectural Design Awards 2013 (Design Award)
    Category: Others
    SIA Architectural Design Awards 2013 (Design Award)
    Category: Recreational Buildings
    SIA-Nparks Skyrise Greenery Awards 2013 (Special Award - Skyrise Greenery in a Garden)
    SIA-Rigel Bathroom Design Award 2013 (Merit)
    Category: Completed Projects
    Singapore Good Design Mark Awards 2014 (Platinum)
    Sustain Magazine (UK) Awards 2013 (International Prize - Project of the Year)
    The International Architecture Awards 2013 (Architecture Award - Cooled Conservatories)
    The International Architecture Awards 2013 (Architecture Award - Master Plan)
    The President's Award for the Environment 2011
    The Structural Awards 2013 (Award for Arts or Entertainment Structures)
    Thea Award 2014 (Outstanding Achievement - Botanical Garden)
    WAN Landscape Award 2013 (Winner)
    World Architecture Festival Awards 2012 (World Building of the Year)