Ravi Chandran
Guocoland brings largest garden collection to CBD with Guoco Midtown Gardens
- Guoco Midtown Gardens will comprise of over 350 species of flora across 3.8 hectares of gardens and landscaping
- Public can have free access to 10 of the 30 gardens and landscaped spaces in Guoco Midtown Gardens
Guoco Midtown, the second flagship integrated mixed-use development of GuocoLand Limited (“GuocoLand”), will transform the city’s skyline, as well as its landscape, when completed in phases starting from 2022. Building on its strong track record in green and sustainable developments, GuocoLand has upped the ante by introducing a game-changer with the most extensive privately-developed collection of gardens in the Central Business District (CBD).
Known collectively as Guoco Midtown Gardens, 30 thematic gardens and landscaped spaces spanning 3.8 hectares (ha) will turn the 3.2 ha of prime land in the Beach Road-Bugis district into a new leisure destination.
The Guoco Midtown Gardens are ‘weaved’ like a botanic tapestry into Guoco Midtown’s built environment, extending from the ground floor to various levels at the podium and all the way to the rooftops of the towers. Ten of these gardens are publicly accessible, providing the community with a chance to immerse themselves in nature and partake in public events – right in the heart of the city.
Mr Cheng Hsing Yao, Group Managing Director of GuocoLand Singapore, said: “Our vision for Guoco Midtown is to bring about a transformation of the neighbourhood into a new business and lifestyle destination in the CBD. One of the new identities of the future ‘Midtown’ of Singapore is a botanic garden in the city – one that is knitted into the urban fabric of an integrated mixed development.”
“The biophilic design of Guoco Midtown also demonstrates how the private sector can play a role in a whole-of-nation effort to contribute to the Singapore Green Plan 2030. Guoco Midtown’s city in nature concept is built upon these principles to make our city greener, more liveable and promote a sustainable lifestyle with green transportation and green buildings,” added Mr Cheng.
Guoco Midtown is the result of GuocoLand’s collaboration with many preeminent design firms. Australia’s Denton Corker Marshall led by Design Director Adrian Fitzgerald helms the overall site over at Beach Road, while four-time President’s Design Award winner Yip Yuen Hong of ip:li Architects designed the latest addition to Guoco Midtown – the 558-unit Midtown Modern with its twin residential towers and a retail podium.
Ortus Design is the landscape architect tasked with integrating nature into the multiple components of Guoco Midtown, from its office tower, retail clusters to the two residential developments. This is not the first time Mr Chia Jui Siang, Partner at Ortus Design, has collaborated with GuocoLand, having been involved in the landscape design for Goodwood Residence and Martin Modern in his previous employment before setting up Ortus Design.
Mr Chia said: “Guoco Midtown Gardens will show how nature can be weaved into spaces for live-work-play. The botanic tapestry is purposefully designed to achieve a delicate balance between the built-up and the green spaces in the development. It will enhance wellness and productivity of the community, and serve some ecological functions like mitigating heat island effect, collect and purify rainwater for use or as run-off into the city reservoir.”
“We designed the gardens with different themes, framing the views of experience so that there is more sense of exploration. The curation of a diverse range of plant species seeks to evoke curiosity and a sense of awe and mindfulness, while contributing to the natural capital and biodiversity of the place. This is wellness living with nature,” added Mr Chia.
With a total of more than 350 species of plants, including several rare and endangered native species, these gardens are part of GuocoLand’s efforts to create a green destination to connect with the surrounding community through recreation, wellness, in-nature dining, events and placemaking activities.
Some of the publicly accessible thematic gardens include a Native Garden of indigenous plants and orchids; Midtown Market with an epiphyte collection that forms a hanging garden above the public space; Forest Giants Walk with its tall tropical forest trees; Water Garden with a fresh waterside plant collection; and Eucalyptus Plaza for people and cyclists to rest.
Gardens in the City for the Public
Directly linked to the Bugis MRT Interchange Station, Guoco Midtown will have three distinctive public spaces – Midtown Square, Midtown Market and Midtown Common. The Midtown community will enjoy unique shopping and dining experiences at these spaces elevated by an abundance of greenery and participate in a curated programme of public events and activities.
Midtown Square is located near the grand arrival of Guoco Midtown’s office tower. Overlooking Midtown Square on Level 3 is the Native Garden, an outdoor botanical library of native plants and orchids, and home to one of the world’s largest orchid species, the Tiger Orchid (Grammatophyllum speciosum).
An ideal space for informal markets, concerts and festival celebrations, Midtown Market, is anchored by the Network Hub and Midtown House, the conserved heritage building of the former Beach Road Police Station. Visitors can dine al fresco at one of the gastro bars under the collection of epiphytes, or plants with hanging foliage and flowers such as the Curtain Ivy (Cissus verticillate) and Jade Vines (Strongylodon macrobotrys).
Located next to Midtown Market is the Water Garden ( a garden of serenity featuring freshwater waterside plants such as the native Paku Wangi, Sakat Hitam (Phymatosorus scolopendria) and flowering plants such as the Giant Spider Lily (Crinum x amabile) and the Bamboo Orchids (Arundina graminifolia).
Right below Midtown Modern is Midtown Common, a large public space where the community can shop and dine amidst a natural setting. It will further enliven Tan Quee Lan Street, and serve as the de facto gathering point and venue for public energy for the neighbourhood.
Other featured plants in Guoco Midtown’s public areas include Dipterocarp, found at the Forest Giant Walk. It is the world’s tallest tropical tree which averages about 45 metres and can reach over 80 metres at maturity in its natural environment.
