Orchids are the fashionistas of the plant world.
A waterfall flows from the top of Cloud Forest’s manmade mountain.
Pitcher plants have adapted to the infertile mountain soil by digesting trapped insects and even small vertebrates. An audio guide tells me how the plants lure in their prey by collecting water. When the insect stops to get a drink of water, the plant closes its lid. Melting down the trapped animal takes roughly ten days. SCIENCE WITHOUT FICTION While some of the world’s most famous botanical gardens showcase centuries of history – for example, those of Padua in Italy and Oxford in the UK originate from the 16th and 17th centuries, respectively – Gardens by the Bay offers an entirely contrasting experience. This is science nonfiction, through and through. The giant greenhouses bring to mind a futuristic space colony. These well-oiled ecosystems reflect Singapore itself, whose extreme tidiness and organisation are in stark contrast to the famously chaotic Southeast Asia. Gardens by the Bay also reflects another quintessentially Singaporean quality: everything is possible. Local projects are realised with a grandiose and open-minded attitude. Gardens by the Bay is part of the enormous Marina Bay
complex. The Marina Bay Sands casino hotel, a hefty landmark that opened in 2011, is located next to the gardens. Singapore is a model example of how a small country with limited natural resources can base its success on ambition and innovation. For the past five years Singapore has been undergoing a continuous evolution. Gardens by the Bay were designed by Grant Associates, a British architecture firm that was selected via a competition. Their commission was to design “the most amazing tropical gardens in the world, incorporating cutting-edge environmental design and sustainable development principles.” GUARDED SPRING Another glass-enclosed garden, Flower Dome, is slightly more traditional than Cloud Forest. The air isn’t filled with cinematic mist, and a manmade, jungle-covered mountain doesn’t dominate the scenery. But a lack of spectacle doesn’t make Flower Dome any less impressive. Spanning more than an acre, it’s the world’s largest greenhouse standing without the help of columns. Flower Dome is designed to feel like spring. The cliMARCH 2013
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