Singapore Supertrees
The 18 new “supertrees” in Singapore’s Bay South garden are gigantic trellises for exotic plants, but they also double as exhaust tubes and supports for sustainable infrastructure.
The brightly colored concrete and steel structures rise at varying heights up to 164 feet, and support some 200 plant species including orchids, neoregelias, and bougainvilleas. Eleven of the towers will support photovoltaic cells and rainwater harvesting technology, while also venting warm air from the underground cooling system of adjacent conservatories. A 420-foot-long aerial walkway will link two 138-foot-high supertrees to give visitors a bird’s-eye view of the gardens, and the tallest will house a restaurant in its “canopy.”
The $831 million Bay South garden is the largest of three gardens wrapped around a freshwater reservoir in a mixed-use business and residential development called Marina Bay (perhaps best recognized for the architect Moshe Safdie’s three high-rise buildings connected by a gigantic floating deck in the air). The community is pa1t of the Gardens by the Bay development, which stands on about 250 acres of reclaimed land on Singapore’s south coast. Master planned by Grant Associates and Gustafson Porter, both British landscape architecture firms, it features two conservatory domes, 12 themed gardens, and a two-mile-long waterfront promenade.
The garden layout for Bay South is based on the shape of the national flower of Singapore, an orchid hybrid called Vanda Miss Joaquim var. ‘Agnes.’ Andrew Grant, of Grant Associates, says the giant karri trees (Eucalyptus diversicolor) in Australia’s Walpole-Nomalup National Park were another source of inspiration. The karri trees “loom over the surrounding forest to create an extraordinary sense of scale and drama,” he explains, and he set out to design something similarly impressive.
The gardens will open for an advance viewing as part of the 20th World Orchid Conference in November [2011] and are scheduled to open to the public next summer.
www.gardensbythebay.org.sg/
Emotion in Lights
Growing up in Africa, the emotional effect of light left a strong impression on Barbara Hediger. “My brother and I grew up in Africa, and as you well know, the light in Africa is very special, at all times of the day,” says the Belgian lighting designer.
Brassaï art exhibition
Entitled Brassaï: The Soul of Paris, a major retrospective of Hungarian photographer, sculptor and painter, Brassaï (1899-1984), at the Hayward Gallery represented a large chunk of the one previously held at the Pompidou Centre.
Screen dreams
I pressed my nose up to the small, round window and peered into the darkened room beyond. Something peculiar seemed to be happening. The jaded kiosk attendant standing by my side managed only a thin smile. She had seen it all before.
Remember Paris?
Paris is many things: chic, sophisticated, stylish. But one thing it isn’t is mould-breaking. Modern Parisians are conservative in their tastes, and never more so than when they go clothes-shopping. While the garments themselves may not be that old-fashioned, the stores are another matter. The traditional Paris boutique is a sombre place, with dark granite floors, plain white walls and heavy, dressing-room drapes. Even in 2002, Flaubert’s Emma Bovary would not feel out of place.
Denmark Landmark
Looking like an outsized piece of elaborately folded paper, the new Bella Sky Hotel just outside the Danish capital Copenhagen stands out on the horizon—just what Danish architectural firm 3XN and the hotel client Comwell wanted.
Rule Breakers
The name UnSangDong embraces several meanings—life, energy, movement and substance over surface. Headed by principals Jang and Chang Hoon Shin, the firm has spent the past few years designing buildings that have gained the architects international recognition and awards.
Hi Hotel
The 38-room Hi Hotel in Nice may occupy a narrow spatial footprint, but its cultural reach is far wider, thanks to two hotel entrepreneurs, a young French designer and staff who are knowledgeable about the contemporary arts, architecture, design and music. It is also a place where notions of four-star luxury and comfort are given a contemporary twist.