Designed by Wilkinson Eyre, The Cooled Conservatories demonstrates the governments commitment to turn Singapore in to a 'City in a garden'. This entire structure is built on reclaimed land and houses the main attraction, two huge conservatories. The first houses a Mediterranean garden that demonstrates to visitors how plants and environments can change throughout seasons (of course living in an eternally tropical climate, locals may have never seen seasonal change).
With everyday selections from the Cultivated Worlds to the extremes of the Strange Worlds its a feast of vegetarian wonder.
In the second you'll find the Cloud forest complete with a 35m high waterfall, sky walks and a mountain!
The plantation is cool for sure, but the sense of scale of this project, and the overwhelming effect it has on you, is profound. The architecture is awe inspiring. We prefer the cell-like structure of the Eden project but the sheer size of this space would make a similar structure surely impossible.
Move away from the conservatories and walk through the 18 super-trees and yeah, they look cool! But wait.......what's that, they're engines....?!?!?!?! Oh yes, that's right, solar engines that power the conservatories! So they look like they are from Avatar, when in actual fact, they exist in todays world and they have a function as well as look beautiful. I'm starting to get giddy!
We've given this the number 3 spot because, yes, we know it cost £250m and yes it huge, but the vision that it represents from a forward thinking government trying to integrate sustainable, environmentally friendly design in to the very foundations of its city, is truly amazing.
So congratulations to The Cooled Conservatories, not only the worlds best building but also No.3 in the TYC Top 10 most exciting things of 2012....! :)
Go visit people!
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