Singapore’s Greening Journey – 200 Years and Beyond

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For immediate release

Singapore’s Greening Journey: 200 Years and Beyond – an exhibition on Singapore’s transformation into one of the world’s lushest cities

  • Exhibition jointly organised by City Developments Limited and National Parks Board, showcasing the strong partnership between private sector and Government in supporting greening efforts
  • Different interactive zones, including sniff-and-guess spice station

21 June 2019 – Today at the Singapore Botanic Gardens, City Developments Limited (CDL) and the National Parks Board (NParks) launched an exhibition that explores the evolution of Singapore’s landscapes from 200 years ago till present day. Held in conjunction with the Singapore Bicentennial commemorations and as part of the Gardens’ 160th Anniversary celebrations, the “Singapore’s Greening Journey: 200 Years and Beyond” exhibition will run from 21 June till 10 November 2019 (9am to 6pm) at the CDL Green Gallery.

The exhibition was officially opened by Lawrence Wong, Minister for National Development and Second Minister for Finance, and was also organised in partnership with the National Library Board and Singapore Green Building Council.

Divided into three zones and using a mix of interpretive panels and interactive displays, the exhibition takes visitors across three themes through three different timelines: 1. From Forested Island to Urban Jungle (1819 – 1964); 2. Garden City to Biophilic City in a Garden vision (1965 – 2019); and 3. Biophilic Garden City of Tomorrow (2019 and beyond) – where visitors can experience each timeframe through three interactive stations (please refer to Annex A).

Dr Nigel Taylor, Group Director of Singapore Botanic Gardens, said: “The “Singapore’s Greening Journey: 200 Years and Beyond” exhibition serves as a reminder that the greenery we may often take for granted actually took years of hard work and meticulous planning, and is something we could not have achieved without the support of our community. Thus, we hope the exhibition will encourage more people to step forward, contribute towards our greening journey and help us transform into a more biophilic City in a Garden.”

Mr Sherman Kwek, Group Chief Executive Officer of CDL, said, “For decades, the private sector has played a significant role in supporting the Government’s focus on imbuing our city with nature and CDL is glad to have contributed to this vision. We have established a great partnership with NParks over the years to promote the importance of greening Singapore through various collaborations including the CDL Green Gallery. We hope that the exhibition launched today will enable Singaporeans and foreign visitors to learn more about Singapore’s greening journey and aspirations to be a biophilic City in a Garden.”

For media enquiries, please contact:

Wendy Chua (Ms)
Communications Manager
National Parks Board
DID: 6471 7915
Mobile: 9829 2599
Email: [email protected]

Tan Hock Lee (Mr)
Senior Manager, Corporate Communications
City Developments Limited
DID: 6877 8369
Email: [email protected]

About City Developments Limited

City Developments Limited (CDL) has been Singapore’s property pioneer since 1963. It is a leading global real estate operating company with a network spanning 103 locations in 29 countries and regions. Listed on the Singapore Exchange, the Group is one of the largest companies by market capitalisation. Its income-stable and geographically diverse portfolio comprises residences, offices, hotels, serviced apartments, integrated developments and shopping malls. As a socially responsible corporation, CDL is fully committed towards environmental sustainability and has been initiating and supporting sustained outreach programmes to deliver a lasting and positive impact in the communities where it operates.

For more information on CDL, please visit www.cdl.com.sgFor details on CDL’s sustainability journey, please visit www.digital.metafusion.com.sg/websites/2023/cdl

Follow CDL on social media:
Instagram: @citydevelopments / instagram.com/citydevelopments
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/city-developments-limited
Twitter: @CityDevLtd / twitter.com/citydevltd

About the CDL Green Gallery

Developed and donated by CDL in 2013 in celebration of the company’s 50th anniversary, the 314sqm CDL Green Gallery @ SBG Heritage Museum is an eco-friendly building sited on Holttum Lawn in the Singapore Botanic Gardens. It has been conceptualised as an extension of the Heritage Museum and features botanical or green-related exhibits that are changed every six to nine months.

Designed to be sustainable right from the start, the project introduced two eco-features for the first time in Singapore: the use of Hempcrete, a bio-composite material; and a pre-fabricated modular system that reduced onsite construction time to under 24 hours. Rooftop solar panels harvest solar energy to generate an annual energy yield of over 31,000 kWh. This is greater than the gallery’s estimated annual energy consumption of about 30,000 kWh/year, making the CDL Green Gallery Singapore’s first purposefully built zero-energy Green Gallery.

Other eco-friendly features at the CDL Green Gallery @ SBG Heritage Museum include:

  • Green walls. The east and west facades are clad with butterfly-attracting plant species to enrich biodiversity.
  • Green roof. Selected drought resistant plant species help to lower the Urban Heat Island effect around the building.
  • Energy-efficient interior fittings. The gallery is fitted with LED lights and energy efficient air-conditioning systems.

About National Parks Board

The National Parks Board (NParks) is responsible for enhancing and managing the urban ecosystems of our biophilic City in a Garden. We are the lead agency for greenery, biodiversity conservation, and wildlife and animal health, welfare and management. We are also actively engaging the community to enhance the quality of our living environment.

NParks manages more than 350 parks, 3,347 hectares of nature reserves, the Singapore Botanic Gardens, Pulau Ubin and the Sisters’ Islands Marine Park. Adding to this is the extensive roadside greenery, and the over 300 km Park Connector Network that links major parks, nature areas and residential estates islandwide. Every year, we run over 3,500 educational and outreach programmes across our various green spaces.

NParks has developed an urban biodiversity conservation model, which aims to conserve representative eco-systems in land-scarce Singapore. NParks also monitors and coordinates measures to enhance the presence of biodiversity in our urban landscape.

NParks is working closely with partners in the landscape, horticulture, veterinary and animal sectors to increase productivity, and provide training for all levels of the workforce. Enhancing competencies of the industry will support Singapore’s vision of being a biophilic City in a Garden.

For more information, visit www.nparks.gov.sg and www.facebook.com/nparksbuzz.

About Singapore Botanic Gardens (SBG)

Established in 1859, the Singapore Botanic Gardens played an important historical role in the introduction and promotion of many plants of economic value to Southeast Asia, including the Para rubber tree. Over the years, the Gardens has continued to introduce and rejuvenate its horticultural attractions while continuing its mission of connecting plants and people.

Today, the 82-hectare Gardens is a key civic and community space, and an international tourist destination. Attracting an annual visitorship of more than 5 million, it is also an important institution for tropical botanical and horticultural research, education and conservation.

The Gardens showcases the best and most spectacular of tropical flora, including more than 10,000 types of plants and the region’s most significant living collection of documented palms, orchids, cycads and gingers. Its historic 19th century garden landscape is well preserved and includes the earliest ornamental designed lake in Singapore. Home to numerous heritage trees and a tract of primary rainforest, the Gardens is less than a 10-minute walk from the shopping belt in Orchard Road. The Gardens was inscribed as Singapore’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015.

The Gardens was ranked the number one park in Asia in TripAdvisor’s Travellers’ Choice Awards for attractions in 2014. In 2012, it clinched the inaugural Garden of the Year Award by the Canadian Garden Tourism Council. In 2008, it was awarded the Michelin three-star rating and selected by Time Magazine as Asia’s Best Urban Jungle.

The Singapore Botanic Gardens is managed by the National Parks Board. For more information, visit www.sbg.org.sg and www.facebook.com/singaporebotanicgardens.