Known for doing things on a grand scale, the stylish city of Singapore has created the ultimate green space, but with a difference. Its city forest, built from concrete and steel is nonetheless a celebration of trees, and now the city’s distinguishing tourist attraction.
The city’s futuristic Supertree Grove of 18 Supertrees has become shorthand for Singapore itself, in much the same way that the Eiffel Tower says Paris.
Each Supertree consists of a trunk core made of reinforced concrete wrapped with a steel frame. Panels on the trunks are planted with of a ‘living skin’.
With ‘trunks’ enveloped by more than 160,000 tropical plants from 200 species and varieties of climbers, ferns, orchids and bromeliads, the supertrees are not only an avant-garde landmark, they are also environmental engines for the gardens, harvesting solar energy and rainwater. In designing the supertrees landscape architects were inspired by Western Australia’s Valley of the Giants. The magical forest in the 1997 Japanese film Princess Mononoke also played a role.
The Supertrees range from 25 to 50 metres tall. Curving between two of them is a 128 metre long aerial walkway that recreates the feeling of looking around from the height of a rainforest canopy.
With its two glass conservatories popping out from the foliage like a pair of giant mechanical turtles, entering the 54 hectare urban oasis that is the Bay South area of Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay seems like stepping into Pandora, the verdant wonderland depicted in James Cameron’s epic Avatar.
The Supertrees have different planting schemes in various colours ranging from warm tones like reds, browns, orange and yellows, to cooler hues like silver and pink. Plants were chosen based on their suitability for vertical planting, being lightweight and hardy, soil-less, ease of maintenance, suitability for Singapore’s climate, and of high visual interest.
