Principles of environmental sustainability efforts within Gardens By The Bay

Environmental sustainability is one of the principles behind the planning and design of Gardens by The Bay.

The Garden Lake system acts as a natural filtration system for water from the Gardens catchment. The system incorporates essential ecological processes and functions which help in providing aquatic habitats for biodiversity. The Garden Lake system consists of two main lakes called the Dragon Lake and the Kingfisher Lake. The system acts as a natural filtration system for water and provides aquatic habitats for biodiversity. The presence of aquatic plants and reed beds are reducing nitrogen levels and phosphorus which is critical in ensuring better water quality.  High variety of aquatic plants, good water circulation and aeration is the solution for potential problems.

The conservatories are an energy efficient cooling system which applies sustainable engineering technology. A specially selected glass is fitted on the conservatories to allow excellent light for plants and reduce a considerable amount of heat. To decrease the volume of air to be cooled, only the lower regions of the conservatories are cooled. By dehumidifying the air using liquid desiccant before cooling, the amount of energy required in the cooling process is lessened. Through the usage of Combined Heat Power (CHP) steam turbine, the reliance on the electrical grid reduces. Electricity to run the chillers in the Conservatories are generated on site and waste heat is utilize to reconstruct the liquid desiccant.

Supertrees also play a part in the environment sustainability efforts by having photovoltaic cells on their canopies to harvest solar energy, and some serve as air exhaust repository.