A short walk from Singapore’s main business district lies an engineering and architectural marvel known as Gardens by the Bay.

It is hard to imagine that this horticultural destination was once sea, then sand and soggy soil. Yet, in a five year time-span, an inter-disciplinary team of international and local architects, engineers and landscape specialists successfully transformed a barren site bereft of road, drains and electricity into a lush green space where over 1 million plants reside. Plants, trees and flowers from every continent, except for Antarctica, can be found in the Gardens.

Inspired by mature trees in a rainforest, the  16-story-tall, vertical gardens are fitted with state-of-the-art technology that mimics the ecological function of real trees. These man-made structures have been designed to collect rainwater, generate solar power and act as venting ducts for the park’s conservatories. 

The Cloud Forest, above right, is one of the two armadillo-shaped hothouses located within the Gardens by the Bay. It houses the world’s largest indoor (man-made) waterfall. The Flower Dome, above left, houses plants from the Mediterranean and semi-arid subtropical regions.