Gardens by the Bay, Singapore.

In the Flower Dome

Bottle Trees

Left: Olive Tree, Right: Canary Islands Dates

Verandah Bistro at Gardens by the Bay

Gardens by the Bay (Chinese: 滨海湾花园) consists of three distinct waterfront gardens – Bay South, Bay East and Bay Central, set in the heart of Singapore’s new downtown Marina Bay, adjacent to the Marina Reservoir.

Spanning 101 hectares, Gardens by the Bay is an integral part of a strategy by the Singapore government to transform Singapore from a ‘Garden City’ to a ‘City in a Garden’. The stated aim is to raise the quality of life by enhancing greenery and flora in the city.

First announced to the public by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong during the National Day Rally in August 2005, Gardens by the Bay is intended to become Singapore’s premier urban outdoor recreation space, and a national icon.

An international competition for the design of the master plan, held in January 2006, attracted more than 70 entries submitted by 170 firms from 24 countries. Two firms – Grant Associates and Gustafson Porter – were eventually awarded the master plan design for the Bay South and Bay East Gardens respectively.

The Gardens are being developed in phases. Bay South was completed and opened to the public on 29 June 2012.^[1]Bay East has been developed as an interim park in support of the Youth Olympic Games 2010, and is opened to the public since November 2011, allowing an alternate access to the Marina Barrage. The full master plan implementation of Bay East and the development of Bay Central are part of the next phase of development.