GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE this environment ; recycling materials , launching a creative ecosystem for art and participation .” One such project completed to international acclaim , Singapore ’ s Gardens by the Bay adopts an embedded energy cycle , integrated systems and exceptional landscaping .
Spanning a total of 101 hectares , the gardens have become a main gathering space in Singapore , attracting over 25mn visitors worldwide . All water is collected and fed back into the lakes and ecosystem , with two self-sufficient glass biomed conservatories and manmade supertrees that incorporate a continuous energy cycle . The relationship between buildings and cities is one which is forever being broken down with the implementation of green infrastructures , where the gardens will now be connected through a 150km Round Cycle Island Route , enabling cyclists to travel around the island . Grant adds : “ With a beautiful , complex city , what is that relationship and what does it mean to the city ? Participation and collaboration , makes it worthwhile .”
Quoting Darwin , Grant concludes : “ In the long history of humankind
( and animal kind , too ), those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed .”
By bringing sustainable building and green infrastructure into the mainstream , cities will become healthier and drive further efficiencies . With the implementation of new technologies and processes , the construction sector is in transition , at which the role of designers and architects will become increasingly vital in driving these transformations in years to come .
15