Tender awarded for design of gardens in the heartland

A team of architects and engineers has beaten five others to clinch a tender for the design of Jurong Lake Gardens Central and East, which form part of Singapore's "new national gardens in the heartland".

The National Parks Board (NParks) announced yesterday that it had awarded the tender to a team comprising Liu & Wo Architects, Landscape Design Inc, SALD, Aecom Singapore, and Davis Langdon KPK (Singapore).

Six teams had been shortlisted from 31 submissions based on their track record and analysis of the task at hand.

The shortlisted teams were then evaluated on the quality of their proposals, taking into considera- tion factors such as the overall concept, integration between the gardens and surroundings, attractions, and heritage preservation.

The 90ha Jurong Lake Gardens will comprise Jurong Lake Gardens West, which was renamed from Jurong Lake Park; Jurong Lake Gardens Central, consisting of the Chinese Garden and Japanese Garden; and Jurong Lake Gardens East, which has a promenade fronting the new Science Centre and goes along the northern and eastern shores of Jurong Lake.

It will be a "people's garden" catering to families and the community, in a makeover of the Jurong Lake district announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong during the 2014 National Day Rally.

A steering committee was set up that year, comprising members from the Government, the private sector and the community, to explore ideas and gather feedback for the development of the area.

In engagement sessions last year, the public contributed some 17,700 suggestions for Jurong Lake Gardens.

They suggested having features such as cycling tracks and community gardening, as well as retaining pagodas and bridges and conserving biodiversity hot spots.

While construction in Jurong Lake Gardens West will be finished by 2018, the rest of the gardens will be progressively ready from 2020.

NParks is now refining the design for Jurong Lake Gardens Central and East, which will be exhibited next month at sessions where the public can share its feedback.

These will take place

• from Nov 26 to Dec 4 at Canopy @ J Link in Jurong East (11am to 9pm)

• from Dec 5 to 11 at Lakeside MRT station during operating hours

• in town-hall sessions held by NParks from December to February.

Lin Yangchen

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on October 25, 2016, with the headline Tender awarded for design of gardens in the heartland. Subscribe