City in a garden brought to life in the CBD at future Guoco Midtown

SINGAPORE (EDGEPROP) - The upcoming Guoco Midtown integrated development will contain the most extensive privately developed collection of gardens in the Central Business District. Collectively known as Guoco Midtown Gardens, the future development will comprise 30 thematic gardens and landscaped spaces that span a total of 3.8 hectares.

According to the developer, the gardens will be ‘weaved’ into the built environment like a botanic tapestry that spans the ground floor podium to the tower rooftops. Ten of these gardens will be open to the public and will be used to host public events at Guoco Midtown.

Some of the public spaces include a Native Garden of indigenous plants and orchids, Midtown Market with an epiphyte collection that forms a hanging garden, Forest Giants Walk comprising tall tropical forest trees, Water Garden with a freshwater plant collection, and a resting area called Eucalyptus Plaza.

“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,” says Cheng Hsing Yao, group managing director of GuocoLand Singapore.

This biophilic design at Guoco Midtown will be helmed by landscape architect Ortus Design, who is tasked with integrating nature into the multiple components of Guoco Midtown. This includes the office tower, retail clusters, and two residential developments.

“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,” says Chia Jui Siang, partner at Ortus Design.