
I selected the Gardens by the Bay because of their unique design and Singapore’s innovation to develop a city within a garden. The buildings also posit a potential future that entails integration between nature and urbanization, showcasing the possibility for future generations to coexist with flora (PMP, 2022). Its beautiful design and elegant structures also have an aesthetic pull that motivated me to research their architect and inspiration for making them. Before taking this class, I knew about the Gardens by the Bay; however, my knowledge was limited to their location and accolades collected over the years.
Architect and their Motivation to Carry out the Work
The Gardens by the Bay were designed by two firms working in tandem, the Wilkinson Eyre Architects and Grant Associates. When the Supertrees are lit at night, they look like cocktail glasses. The structures’ lead design director, Andrew Grant, claimed he drew inspiration for this form after visiting his brother in Australia and going to the Valley of the Giants. He saw aerial walkways that permeate a canopy of tingle and karri trees (PMP, 2022). Additionally, it is important to consider the influence of Singapore’s national flower, the orchid. This master plan emphasizes the beauty of these flowers via the exotic gardens while expressing their physiology via the structures’ distinct infrastructure to manage water, energy, and waste. It is also important to consider Singapore’s motivation for this attraction as it involved plans to create a ‘city in a garden, raising the life quality through intricate flora and greenery in the city.
Form and Function
It is Singapore’s national garden and a leading horticultural attraction for its citizens and international visitors. The gardens are a showpiece of garden and horticulture artistry, illustrating a novel way to view the plant kingdom. They integrate nature and urban living, intertwined in a mutually beneficial way (Gardens by the Bay, 2022). Additionally, the Gardens by the Bay was developed as a form of entertainment while it educates visitors on plants that many people around the Asiatic region rarely see. It combines plant species from cool regions, temperate climates, tropical habitats, and forests. The Gardens by the Bay is the world’s largest garden with supertrees.
Personal Reaction to this Work
The Gardens by the Bay is one of the world’s most unique and environmentally-friendly structures. The supertrees mimic ecological functions, using technology to illustrate similar properties as plant photosynthesis (Gardens by the Bay, 2022). The structures collect rainwater, further illustrating the impressive commitment by Singapore to protect the environment. Its choice to plant exotic plants in an education-designed attraction is also a noble feat. While the country gains monetary value for its structures, it helps protect some plant species and elicits interest in younger generations about the beauty of diversity. The exotic plants help individuals in the region glimpse the natural greenery and horticulture in other places; few locations can boast of attempting such a feat.
Influence on the Work’s View based on Architect Knowledge and Structures’ Use
The structures’ use in Singapore has a major influence on how I view the Gardens by the Bay. Additionally, I do not believe the architect has influenced my perception of the works. Nonetheless, it is important to state that Grant’s building design had a noble inspiration as it focused on integrating nature and urban buildings (BBC Travel, 2022). It aims at utilizing natural energy, water, and waste conservation methods to fuel a modern lifestyle. My positive perception is greatly hinged on the environment-friendly nature of the buildings, illustrating the capacity for individuals to construct concrete structures while mimicking organic material to safeguard the planet and promote environment-consciousness.
Formal Elements of Architectural Design
Balance
The Gardens by the Bay are balanced as the supertrees involve vertical circular columns. Furthermore, the Bay Gardens are also balanced despite lacking column support, as in some dome-shaped buildings (Vinnitskaya, 2011).
Contrast
The structures do not exhibit any form of contrast. For instance, the supertrees are modeled off an orchid flower, while the Bay Gardens are based on a leaf. Nonetheless, the sleeping baby deviates from this conformity as a white 7-ton structure (Vinnitskaya, 2011).
Pattern and Repetition
The work illustrates similar patterns in its external and internal structures. Supertrees are between 25m to 50m and are conical in shape, adopting a similar form to cocktail glasses. There are 18 structures connected by walkways exhibiting this form.
Rhythm
It is important to note the rhythmic patterns exhibited by the supertrees as they have a similar form. They also light up at night, illuminating the garden in an alluring way. Their connection provides the allure of a forest with luminous flowers (Vinnitskaya, 2011).
Symmetry and Asymmetry
The Bay Gardens are asymmetrical, while the supertrees are symmetrical. However, the latter exhibit varied sizes to mimic the nature of a forest, with tall and shorter structures.
Proportion and Scale
The structures have high ceilings, with one of the Bay Gardens hosting the second tallest indoor waterfall in the world. The large rooms aim to reflect the vast nature of open space rather than a room.