Dawn Koh 2B/07

Contrasts of New and Old

This picture depicts the old and new gates to botanic gardens from Cluny road. The old metal gate has a long history that can be seen from its old, haggard and rusty appearance. It stood there faithfully to guard the 52 hectares of leading equatorial botanic garden-a star attraction for visitors to this city state. With technological advancement, the auto gate was installed to facilitate entry of authorized vehicles. This stark contrast also represents the development of Singapore from the third world country to its current first world status and the need to constantly remember the fundamentals of our nation building. Just like the old gate, it still serves the purpose when the official hours are over; the gate still protects the garden from vandalism and intrusion. Just like the botanic garden, it stood the test of time and challenges of economics benefit because it sits on a prime land of land scarce Singapore. The fundamental belief of our forefathers in their city and nature development master plan has maintained the vision of building gardens in concrete jungle Singapore. I could smell the fresh air from nature and see the solid structures of urban development which are importance for my country, our people and next generations to come.




Uniquely Singapore

This picture was taken along the pavement of the Botanic Gardens. It shows the cow grass growing over the small separation between the concrete slabs. This picture illustrates the uniqueness of my country, Singapore. During my last “free and easy holiday” in Taiwan, I managed to talk to some old folks. When I introduced myself to be a Singaporean in mandarin, they were mesmerized. The first word they said was :‘新加坡好！’(in translation which means that Singapore is good!) They sang praises about this small little red dot has transformed and managed very well in urban development and nature, it is truly a green and vibrant garden city in Southeast Asia. After hearing these compliments, I reflected on these kind words and begin to fall in love with Singapore, like the cow grass between the concrete slabs; Singapore is unique because we strike a good balance of nature and city state development despite our constraints. Like the green and vibrant cow grass, it signifies the energy and life in our country.

Harmony between Nature and Urban Landscape: Long term plans and plants.

This picture is taken along the walkway from the car park to the main entrance of the Botanic Garden. The tinted glass on the covered shelter provides a good harmony to the colourful nature and plants in the surroundings. The design of these tinted glass and the covered walkway reinforce the possibility of co-existence and integration of nature and the urban landscape. The wooden structures also sit very well in the nature of botanic garden, which shows the thoughtfulness of the designer of this structure. It echoes well with the history of Botanic Gardens which was founded in 1822 by Sir Stamford Raffles. The garden was closed in 1829 and was reopened in 1859, then moved to its present site. With the understanding of this history, a good planning of nature and urban redevelopment also requires foresight, long-term planning and the determination to strike a balance between economic development and environment protection.

Dawn Koh Tong Xi 2B/07