The idea that nature has always been geographically and seasonally specific is put paid by Kew Garden’s nineteenth-century Palm and Temperate Houses. Two centuries later, this notion of displacement and the exchange of knowledge and products take on a different scale in the Gardens by the Bay project.
In Westminster’s original presentation in 2013, the notion of ‘exchange’ between two sites of interest, Kew Gardens in London and Gardens by the Bay in Singapore, was key to the six design proposals presented.
Five years on, the notion of the ‘exchange’ is revisited through issues of site in Singapore, and especially the anthropocenic quality of Gardens by the Bay. It is important to note that the two students presenting have had a chance to visit this site since 2013, and their personal experiences will form part of the discussion in addition to their initial proposals.
The relevance of sustainability and land reclamation is explored in ‘The Floating Archive’ by Larisa Bulibasa. This proposal is read against the idea of land reclamation, a process which has increased Singapore's land area by 23% in just over half a century. Incidentally, Gardens by the Bay is built on reclaimed land. Continuing from the exchange of knowledge and products, the exchange of culture will be discussed by Iga Martynow in speculative proposals for the future of this Bay site. Through the ideas of adaptation, integration and the juxtaposition of local identity against international icons the arguments concerning ‘boundaries’ and displacement are exaggerated
