Orchard Central Park

COMMENTARY 116 A Landscape Architect's Vision for Singapore's City Centre: Orchard Central Park A Landscape Architect's Vision for Singapore's City Centre Orchard Central Park Text by Joerg Rekittke Images as credited CITYGREEN #3 A Centre for Urban Greenery and Ecology Publication 117 “Shop until you drop”—Without a doubt, this mantra has been internalised by most Singapo- reans, as well as visiting tourists, and shopping has become an axiomatic element of Singa- porean quotidian culture. The cardinal temple of the pursuit of this interest is Orchard Road. Spanning almost 2.2 kilometres, Orchard Road is a one-way street flanked by shopping malls on both sides of the road, offering retail, dinning and entertainment opportunities. The shopping belt around Orchard Road comprises nearly 800,000 square metres of stores and restaurants, from designer brands to fast fashion, from upscale restaurants to food courts. "Still, what makes our street truly great is that it is constantly being refreshed and rejuvenated; the most recent being the government's expendi- ture of 40 million dollars to spruce up the infrastructure along Orchard Road. Setting the stage for this shopping belt to become the country's opposite Impressions of Orchard Central Park (Design: Toh Chong Ji, Nur Syafiqah Bte Nahadi, most unique events arena, this initiative saw the Neha Mehta, Tan Yi Wei, 2010). widening of pedestrian malls and the installation below Time is money: People Movers in Orchard Central Park (Design: Sng En Ai Rebecca, 2010). of new cool street lamps, street furniture, flowers totems and urban green rooms" (Orchard Road The biggest problems of the iconic shopping block, we acted on the assumption that this Business Association, 2010). street and district, seen from a landscape time, not just millions of dollars would be avail- designer's perspective, are related to outdoor able, but rather billions. We asked the students Zooming out, Orchard Road reveals many life. While malls are private property, widely to think about some basic questions. Should more qualities than just being a designed and self-centred, perfectly managed by professional the road traffic be relocated underground or managed street of shopping malls. It is a large experts, totally controlled and regulated by be rerouted? Should the space between the linear urban landscape element, which connects technical marvels, the street space is still rightly shopping malls of Orchard Road be completely the famous Botanic Gardens, the Istana, Fort public, has numerous infrastructural functions dedicated to pedestrians? Should the existent Canning Park and the future Gardens by the and represents a piece of outdoor and earth- vehicular traffic be combined with an efficient Bay, currently under construction at Marina bound, nature-related territory. Currently, this and high-frequency two-way public shuttle bus Bay. Situated at the bottom of a topographical space is mainly used for vehicular traffic and service, other innovative people movers or free valley, it is a natural catchment area. The disci- occasional public events and promotion. rental bikes? We suggest that Orchard Road pline of urban landscape architecture is partic- be transformed into an Orchard Central Park— ularly interested in this kind of urban space, Outdoor Orchard Road is the unbeaten, most embodying a vast linear urban tropical garden, with its fair share of potential and challenges. effective and most popular connector between green, lush, shady and lively. Thus, an ideal mall A Landscape Architect's Vision for Singapore's City Centre Therefore the Master of Landscape Architecture the many shopping malls of the district, which connector and public cat-walk should be gener- programme at the National University of Singa- strongly relies on synergy effects with the neigh- ated, three-dimensional but barrier-free, avoid- pore (NUS) committed a design studio project bouring competitors. In this regard, Orchard ing conflicts and stress. A new urban park for Orchard Road. The students were asked to Road features interesting potential for improve- icon should be brought into being, contribut- develop a landscape architectural vision predi- ment, a challenge which the students dedicated ing to maximised sales figures in the malls and cated on the fusion of the indoor worlds of the themselves to in this design project. becoming a mega-active urban jungle. Orchard shopping malls and the outdoor character of a Central Park should point out the importance of tropical public park. We baptised this envisaged At the academic studio at NUS, we declared Orchard Road as a higher-ranking park connec- Singapore-style super-project "Orchard Central everything as being thinkable—nothing had been tor between Singapore Botanic Gardens, the Park." predetermined. In order to avoid any mental Istana, Fort Canning Park and Gardens by the COMMENTARY 118 A Landscape Architect's Vision for Singapore's City Centre: Orchard Central Park ABOvE, top & bottom vision of Orchard Central Park (Designs: Toh Chong Ji, 2010). 119 Bay, an investment which would pay off in many strip. We embarked on the second working respects should it become a reality. Singapore step – to develop a personal vision of a perfect is targeting to be a "City in a Garden", one that Orchard Central Park, without yet having done strives for ecological exemplariness and sustain- any detailed fieldwork. Allowing fantasy and ability. According to a public survey concerning emotions to run free led to surprising results, sustainability, identity and quality of life (Straits and it helped to tackle a project which had Times, August 2010), people wanted more to meet the three-dimensional complexity of pedestrian havens, more room for cyclists and Orchard Road. The initial artwork, illustrated more iconic spaces. We thought Orchard Central here, is not yet design. The students showed Park could be an answer to this call. that the marriage of the large-scale shopping mall architecture and an exuberant tropical The first step of our work was a collective field central park would be stunningly beautiful and trip, starting from the middle of the primary virtually logical. The beauty of their images rainforest patch in the Singapore Botanic demonstrated how much potential could be Gardens. After being immersed in the wonder- opened up within Orchard Road. ful sights, fragrances and sounds of the age-old forest, it appears elusive that Orchard Road is In the third step, students had to conduct just a stone’s throw away from this paradise. thorough fieldwork in and around Orchard Road. It is interesting to recall that before urban- In the subsequent design process, it became isation, a monkey could cross the island in the evident that vehicular traffic did not have to be canopy without touching the ground. If a large completely banned from Orchard Road to allow tropical city would allow the same, it would a significant central park. It would be wonder- find its way into the ecological hall of fame. A ful if the most prominent part of the street, living city can’t become a primary forest again, between the ION Orchard and Orchard Central but if growth of natural vegetation be allowed malls – spanning from Paterson/Scotts Road and accepted wherever it finds space, soil and to Killiney/Koek Road – could become car-free. nutrients, the final variety and size of plants, This solution would avoid the decoupling of the as well as the general extent of urban biodi- important arterial roads of Scotts and Paterson, versity, would be overwhelming. Thus, ultimate at the same time it would break clear the true touch-stones of a "sustainable" approach in heart of Orchard Road and allow the incorpora- urban development would be established. The tion of a large central park. A park that would more buildings are erected in large cities, the be a barrier-free, above-ground connector of bigger the need and desire for every "piece of the most prominent mall-systems: a central nature" grows. “Biodiversity is one of our future oasis of relaxed urban outdoor life. The direct life insurances, its territory starts in the remote and fast access to all adjacent malls would nature reserve and ends in the dense city core. cross pollinate business and bring comfort to If we preach the importance of biodiversity the patrons. Orchard Central Park would be for the future of our planet and the survival of the place to be for all those who love the urban coming generations, we have to leave no stone life and yet seek to be free from a conglomer- unturned” (Rekittke, 2010). ate of concrete, granite and asphalt. The new park would sit perfectly between the Singapore After we left the forest patch in the Singapore Botanic Gardens, where plant and picnic lovers Botanic Gardens, we arrived in Orchard Road, go to, and the future Gardens at the Bay, where experiencing the considerably higher levels leisure and enjoyment will be the main thing on of heat, noise, and pollution of the shopping the schedule. Orchard Central Park on its part COMMENTARY 120 A Landscape Architect's Vision for Singapore's City Centre: Orchard Central Park would crest the temples of commerce, offer- Singapore – which was rapidly becoming urban- ing enticing alternatives to the indoor air-condi- ised in almost the same manner as today – tioned climate and framing attractive locations into an attractive place to live, he emphasised for alfresco cafes, bars and more. When night on green. Today, Singapore is without doubt a falls, this is where the urbanites will take out green city – it took decades to reach this desired their new shoes, clothes and haircuts – and status and it needs large new park projects continue to spend their money. everywhere in the city to keep the equilibrium between new office and apartment space, and Orchard Central Park would emblematise a between street infrastructure and green space.

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