Alexandra Arch & Forest Walk
Forming part of Southern Ridges, a network of trails that link three parks of Singapore, Alexandra Arch and Forest Walk provide visitors with a scenic walk over the forest.
Comprising a 1.6 kilometer elevated pedestrian walkway beginning from Telok Blangah Hill Park and the 80 meters long Alexandra Arch across Alexandra Road, ALEXANDRA ARCH & FOREST WALK has opened a portal to the treasury of natural heritage in Singapore.
Designed by LOOK ARCHITECTS Pte Ltd, Alexandra Arch & Forest Walk is a key element in bringing to life the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s vision of linking up the 9 kilometer rolling expanse of the Southern Ridges – consisting of the parks Mount Faber, Telok Blangah Hill and Kent Ridge – to form an uninterrupted network of linkages for the public to enjoy convenient access to nature.
An aesthetic symbiosis between man-made and nature. Photography: Calvin Low
GATEWAY TO NATURE.
Straddling a threshold between urban bustle and the tranquility of nature, the sweeping form of Alexandra Arch alluringly beckons at the onlooker to cross the gateway into a sanctuary of calm repose.
Subtle play of lights on the structure and shape. Photography: Courtesy of CKT Thomas
Rising about 15 meters above Alexandra Road, the curving deck of the bridge introduces a gradual passage of transition into the approach of the adjoining Forest Walk.
The arching steel rib armature of Alexandra Arch asserts a structural dynamism in the day, but metamorphoses with nightfall into a dematerialized sculpture of light.
Alexandra Arch – Una puerta a la naturaleza en forma de hoja plegada. FotografíA: Tim Nolan
SERPENTINE WALK AMONG THE TREETOPS
Visitors would embark on a titillating journey of exploration through sinuous topography as the elevated walkway deftly traverses the hilly terrain, and one would be delighted by breath-taking views of the city and waterfront that sporadically ruptures into the foreground.
Overall aerial view of Telok Blangah Hill Park. Photography: Patrick Bingham-Hall
Overall Site Plan. Plan: LOOK Architects (Singapore)
Walkway zap through hilly terrain – mile a minute (Polygonum perfoliatum L.). Photography: Amir Sultan
Visitors would be spoilt for choice by the varied range of experiences – raised walkways brushing the tops of tree canopies offer a bird’s eye view of the secondary forest, whilst ground-level earth trails allow one to have a candid encounter with wildlife thriving on the forest floor.
The architectonics of the link mimics the unique biological makeup of the “mile-a-minute” plant (Polygonum perfoliatum L.), whose equilateral triangle-shaped leaves find an intriguing likeness in the tessellations of the prefabricated metal decking modules that constitute the construction of the walkways.
Zigzag walkways inscribing on forest ground. Photography: Tim Nolan
Walkways deftly traverse through dense vegetation. Photography: Courtesy of CKT Thomas
Planta “Vid de a milla por minuto” Fotografía: By Dalgial – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7723860 Rain shelter offers respite and rest. Photography: Jeremy San
Kits of part. Plan: LOOK Architects (Singapore)