15 years of the Cooled Conservatories in the Gardens by the Bay

Explore the different landscape ambients of all around the world generated with the help of technology in “15 years of the Cooled Conservatories in the Gardens by the Bay” by Paul Baker, Director and Project Lead, WilkinsonEyre

Our designs for the Cooled Conservatories at Gardens by the Bay constituted two of the largest simulated biomes in the world. They were conceived as the architectural centrepiece of the 54-hectare Bay South Garden, the first completed part of the spectacular Gardens by the Bay project. The overall scheme was masterplanned, along with designs for the surrounding landscape and towering forest of “Supertrees”, by our colleagues at Grant Associates. The first phase of the development opened to the public in June 2012.

Our concept for the glass and steel structures was to bring the climates and plant life of the Mediterranean biome and Montane Forest regions to tropical Singapore. Highlights of the interior attractions included an indoor waterfall, a perpetually flowering meadow, cascading levels of vertical planting and high level walkways through and above the tree canopy in the Cloud Forest.

Foto profesional del interior de la bioma y las pasarelas / Professional Photos Interior View of Biome & Walkways
Fotografía / Photography: Kevin Scott

The curvilinear conservatory structures were designed with sustainability as a starting point, with every consideration given to passive climate control techniques. A computer-controlled shading system and carbon neutral cooling technologies, including the use of biomass, were integrated into the fabric of the building to efficiently maintain the climate within.

“A computer-controlled shading system and carbon neutral cooling technologies, including the use of biomass, were integrated into the fabric of the building to efficiently maintain the climate within.”

Foto profesional de la vista interior del reverso de la plantación vertical / Professional Photos Interior View of Reverse of Vertical Planting
Fotografía / Photography: Kevin Scott

The Cooled Conservatories jointly enclose an area of over 20,000m2 and reach a height of 58 metres above the shore of the bay. Bay South Garden is built on reclaimed land and, in the absence of significant natural landscape features, the conservatories are landmarks that prominently address both the bay and the skyscrapers of densely urban districts that surround the garden.

Three main, interlinked themes form the narrative of a visit to the gardens. The story of “Plants and People” is illustrated by the individual gardens on one side while “Plants and Planet” is presented on the other, with lively displays describing the important relationship between man and nature. In between these two zones are the gardens that represent “Nature’s Balance”. The Mediterranean (or Cool Dry) biome sits on the People side of the balance with the Montane Forest (or Cool Moist) biome on the Planet side; both highlight the threats of climate change on the Earth’s biodiversity in an immersive, entertaining yet hopefully informative way.

The Cool Dry biome has a planted footprint of in excess of 10,000m2 and displays a range of flora from the Mediterranean habitats of the globe, bringing alive the experience of seasonal change in a country that is eternally tropical. From the lavender fields and olive groves of the Cultivated Worlds to the baobab and pachypodium trees in the Strange Worlds the visitor is presented with a unique collection of plants from locations as diverse as Southern Europe, South Africa, Madagascar, California and Australia. The landform of the biome draws inspiration from Mediterranean landscapes evoking a language of dry baked hillsides, punctuated with rocky terraces and stony outcrops and evoking the intimate bond between land, geology, vegetation and cultivation. At the centre of the permanent display is the Flower Field, a stunning carpet of flowers in bloom.

Foto profesional de la vista interior del reverso de la plantación vertical / Professional Photos Interior View Across Biome
Fotografía / Photography: Kevin Scott

The Cool Moist biome, with a smaller footprint but a greater height, showcases the cooler tropical environments known as “Cloud Forest” in an unforgettable experience. A 30 m high waterfall plunges past visitors as they circulate around a planted mountain and experience the forest at different levels from a Cloud Walk, a Canopy Walk and the Forest Floor. Around the bottom of the mountain is the Ravine: a series of darkened spaces with extraordinary planting, wreathed in mist and mystery.

Gardens by the Bay was conceived as a global destination that would help rebrand Singapore. It has been spectacularly successful; in December 2023 the attraction welcomed its 100 millionth visitor. We saw it as having an educative mission as well as being an attraction; we wanted to profile the beauty of the natural world in a condensed, supercharged way. When planning began, 15 years ago, we had in mind global warming but the messaging was muted: the gardens would persuade visitors of nature’s fragile beauty through being attractive, stimulating and comforting. However, we placed a focus on those ecologies (cool moist for the tropical mountain/cloud forest and the cool dry Mediterranean dome) that were particularly susceptible to small changes in temperature of 1-2 degrees.

“We saw it as having an educative mission as well as being an attraction; we wanted to profile the beauty of the natural world in a condensed, supercharged way.”

15 years later we now face an existential threat to those ecologies through global wildfires, species loss and continued deforestation; as seen across the world from California, to Southern Europe, South Africa and Australia. In this light the gardens have taken on a new, urgent, symbolism of everything we are about to lose from the natural world.