Planting ideas: What will a cleaner, greener, smarter Singapore look like?

Two large terrariums which represent what Singapore can be in the future will be part of an exhibition to be held at Gardens by the Bay, as part of the SGfuture engagement series.

Channel NewsAsia 4 Jan 16;

SINGAPORE: An exhibition in the Marketplace at Gardens by the Bay will be held in conjunction with a series of engagements titled "A Cleaner, Greener and Smarter Home", the National Parks Board announced on Monday (Jan 4).

Set to take place from Jan 4 to 31, the exhibition will feature a pop-up park and interactive elements to show off NParks' efforts to create a more livable Singapore, and display what a cleaner, greener and smarter home for Singaporeans can look like.

The series of engagements is held as part of SGfuture conversations, and this track will be led by the Ministry of National Development, together with the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, Ministry of Communications and Information, Ministry of Transport and their family of agencies, said NParks.

As part of the engagements, a closed-door symposium will be held on Jan 7, followed by a series of dialogues with members of the public.

"Through these dialogues, we hope to gather ideas on how Singaporeans can play a bigger role in creating a more liveable and sustainable future and inspire them to drive projects and take tangible actions to realise their hopes, dreams and aspirations," said NParks.

EXHIBITION TO FEATURE TWO TERRARIUMS

One highlight of the exhibition is two large terrariums - each measuring 2m long, 1.2m wide and 0.6m high - which aim to "embody what our City in a Garden is and can be in the future", said NParks.

"With a number of different elements intricately put together, the terrariums are meant to illustrate a closely integrated environment that is sustainable, diverse and innovative," added NParks. "It also serves as a reminder that the evolution of Singapore towards SG100 requires balanced care for our communities, environment and economy.

The first terrarium will showcase the evolution of Singapore's living environment, and the second will showcase the evolution of Singapore's workplace from past to future, while both terrariums will "highlight the importance of play and recreation amid rapid urbanisation, using cut-outs to illustrate elements of our buildings, parks and park connectors", it said.

TERRARIUM 1 "SHOWCASES EVOLUTION OF OUR LIVING ENVIRONMENT"

The first terrarium will feature more than 30 aquatic and terrestrial plant species, including rare species like the Dragon-Tail Plant and the Keladi Rimau, and will display Singapore's cityscape past, present and future.

This will include old kampongs and swamps, present-day residential buildings such as The Pinnacle@Duxton, and edge-lit acrylic cut-outs of futuristic buildings. More than 30 species of terrestrial and aquatic plants were used in the creation of the terrarium.

For the terrarium, an aquarium chiller was installed to regulate the temperature, as the rare and native plants require high humidity and special conditions for growth.

"Innovative selection of media, suitable light conditions and temperature that required the installation of an aquarium chiller were created in the terrariums to allow these plants to be in an environment similar to their origin," NParks said.

TERRARIUM 2 "SHOWCASES SINGAPORE'S URBAN, WORK ENVIRONMENT"

The second terrarium will feature more than 15 species of uncommon orchids to "create a tiered landscape that will showcase Singapore’s urban and work environment of the past, present and future, symbolising our journey from a Garden City to a City in a Garden", said NParks.

The species of orchids include the Paphiopedilum villosum - a cool-growing species from Myanmar, and the Stenorrhynchos speciosum - a cool-growing terrestrial orchid from South America that grows at elevations of 1,200m to 3,000m.

Old buildings such as shop houses, present iconic landmarks such as Gardens by the Bay and the Singapore Flyer, as well as edge-lit acrylic cutouts of futuristic buildings, will also be shown.

- CNA/av


Living displays trace city's growth
Tiffany Fumiko Tay, The Straits Times AsiaOne 4 Jan 16;

Six-year-old Kyle Chong plays with a balloon as he runs past one of the two large terrariums on display in the Marketplace, part of the ongoing Future of Us exhibition at Gardens by the Bay.

Two terrariums showcasing how Singapore has evolved into a "city in a garden" will be on display at Gardens by the Bay today.

They are part of the ongoing Future of Us exhibition, which envisions what daily life in Singapore will be like in the years to come.

Contributed by the National Parks Board (NParks), the displays measure 2m long, 1.2m wide and 0.6m high, and use more than 45 species of terrestrial and aquatic plants to create tiered landscapes that show the nation's past, present and future.

One aims to capture the evolution of Singapore's cityscape and living environment. It features old kampungs and swamps, present-day residential buildings, such as The Pinnacle@Duxton, and acrylic cut-outs of futuristic buildings. Some 30 species of terrestrial and aquatic plants were used in its creation, many of which are rare and native to forests here.

The other focuses on Singapore's urban and work environment, and features old buildings such as shophouses as well as iconic landmarks such as Gardens by the Bay and the Singapore Flyer. More than 15 species of rare orchids were used in its creation.

The terrariums are part of a new exhibition that will accompany this month's SGfuture dialogue series, titled " A Cleaner, Greener and Smarter Home". The government-led series, which kicks off on Thursday, aims to gather ideas on how Singaporeans can play a bigger role in creating a more liveable and sustainable future.

The free exhibition will be on display from today until Jan 31 at the Marketplace at Gardens by the Bay.