Behind the obvious tourist pull, there is, of course, a more serious educational and research element to Bay South Garden, including programs in which environmental specialists will study flowering cycles and growing food in controlled habitats. As Baker puts it, “Making the bio-domes incredibly beautiful was a serious objective. But equally, there is quite a lot of science here.”
On a broader level (in Singapore, it’s always about the bigger picture), Gardens by the Bay is the most ambitious salvo in the on-going quest to brand Singapore as a garden city. As Kenneth Er puts it, it’s an attempt to create a genuinely green city, framed against water and Singapore’s soaring skyline. “It’s about a bit of magic.
For this little island, at least, that magical future is also looking so much greener.
Bay South Garden opens to the public on June 29. Tickets from US$22; gardensbythebay.org.sg.
Originally appeared in the June/july 2012 print issue of DestinAsian magazine (“Garden Variety”)
