New book looks at 10 years of Gardens by the Bay, challenges it faced during pandemic

SINGAPORE – During the Covid-19 circuit breaker in 2020, Mr Lee Kok Fatt, deputy chief executive of Gardens by the Bay, asked his staff to do some maths.

He asked them to consider the profits and losses in the Gardens’ annual report and calculate how long its reserves – about $140 million at that time – would last if the pandemic were to continue for a long time.

The answer: About 3½ years, based on projected losses of about $40 million a year.

“I wanted everyone in the organisation to understand that concept,” Mr Lee is quoted as saying in A Blossoming City Garden, a new book by former ST assistant news editor and environment correspondent Audrey Tan, which was launched at the nature park’s Active Garden on Thursday.

The book, published by Straits Times Press, details the premier horticultural attraction’s first decade since opening in 2012.

“Having done the exercise, people understood the need to cut costs – and it was easier for us to do it together,” the quote by Mr Lee concludes.

From then on, it was all hands on deck for about 300 employees. No one was laid off during the pandemic. Some had to pull 12-hour shifts on alternate days, up from eight-hour shifts daily; others, including chief executive Felix Loh, started doing maintenance work around the compound – work previously done by migrant workers now confined to their dorms.

Wage support from the Government also helped cut costs, which were further minimised when the Gardens invested in semi-autonomous vehicle-mounted sprayers to fertilise plants and spray insecticide in outdoor gardens, keeping losses to $9.5 million over two financial years during the pandemic.

In April – the start of a new accounting cycle – the Gardens broke even,

Mr Loh told The Straits Times in November

.

Besides telling the story of the Gardens, the book also offers readers a chance to immerse themselves in it, with the help of augmented reality features available on an app by the same name from the App Store and Google Play.

For instance, using the Blossoming City Garden app, readers get a 360-degree view of the Supertree Grove from the OCBC Skyway – an elevated walkway that visitors typically pay to use.

The app, which was developed by information technology firm NCS, allows users to scan pages of the book and bring elements of the Gardens to life on their devices.

Mr Gregory Wood, head of the experience design team at NCS, said the app features were developed by a team of five to seven people over a year.

He highlighted one of the features, which focuses on the Gardens’

Kingfisher Wetlands, opened in 2021.

“It is a beautiful hybrid experience,” said Mr Wood. “There is an augmented reality kingfisher that comes alive and flies around and then finds its way back to the page, which then becomes a platform for a video.”

Speaking at the book launch, Mr Loh said the Gardens are “more than a park, or even garden... they are the living archive of memories across decades, from generation to generation”.

The book captures the experiences of visitors and volunteers at the Gardens – including wedding proposals and first dates, he added.

Among those featured are Ms Ng Lee Siang, a volunteer since 2016. Because of the pandemic, she learnt to conduct digital tours, which are screened for nursing home residents and those recovering from stroke.

“Even though I come here so often, every time I am back, I find something new,” the 53-year-old, who works in IT, said on Thursday.

“I am grateful and honoured to have been able to take these discoveries to others, no matter where they are.”

Ms Tan, the author, said that working on the book gave her a newfound appreciation for the sprawling garden.

“Most of the Gardens’ grounds are free for Singaporeans, and I interviewed so many people who over the past decade made so many sweet memories with friends and family there,” said Ms Tan, who noted that the Gardens are located on prime real estate in Marina Bay.

“It is truly a garden for the people, and I hope that message comes across in this book,” she added.

The book also gives readers a glimpse into the future. Come 2027,

the 32ha

Bay East Garden

will open, offering more choices to visitors, who can also look forward to learning about how waste can be repurposed at a second waste-to-energy plant to be located near Kingfisher Wetlands.

It will likely incorporate recreational, entertainment and educational amenities, and help the venue derive at least 60 per cent of its energy needs from renewable sources by 2027, up from 30 per cent now.

A Blossoming City Garden retails at $49.50 until the end of 2022. It will cost $49.90 from 2023. It is available at the Gardens’ retail shops and at

shop.gardensbythebay.com.sg

from Friday. The book can also be purchased from the Straits Times Press online store at

stbooks.sg

and major bookshops.