Singapore Botanic Gardens Visitor Kiosk and EcoLake Boardwalk

Prior to 1930, the Bukit Timah Core of the Singapore Botanic Gardens (SBG) was the site of economic crop plantations such as rubber and sago – hard to believe on a contemporary weekend when the rolling lawns are teeming with people enjoying picnics overlooking the Eco Lake.

“There’s a history of developing rubber tapping techniques at this part of the SBG, which subsequently evolved into a rubber manufacturing economy,” says Wu Yen Yen, Principal Architect at Genome Architects. And in the heydays of Singapore’s rubber industry, the railway was a vital link for exports. “Historically, there was a Cluny Road Railway Station located along Bukit Timah Road, and further along the road, a rubber factory,” explains Wu.

She and her team at Genome Architects drew deeply on this history when designing a visitor pavilion for the National Parks Board (NParks) at the SBG’s Bukit Timah Gate. “We saw this new pavilion as a piece of architecture that is not only for navigation and service, but that also carries a narrative speaking of the Bukit Timah Core’s heritage,” says Wu.