The Green Changi: Gardens In An Airport

Singapore's Changi Airport is a unique airport, known as an 'airport in a garden'. It houses more than 200,000 plants across terminals 1 to 4, with a dedicated team of horticulturalists and gardeners who tend to the gardens and create beautiful floral displays. The airport features several gardens, including the Discovery Garden, the Enchanted Garden, the Arrival Garden, and the Butterfly Garden. These gardens offer travellers a chance to connect with nature, providing a tranquil and restorative experience amidst the hustle and bustle of airport life.

Changi Airport's Arrival Garden: A 460-square-metre garden with a dragonfly habitat theme and tall palms

Changi Airport in Singapore is known for its gardens, with the Discovery Garden in Terminal 1 featuring tree-like sculptures adorned with foliage, and the Enchanted Garden offering respite with orchids, sculptural art, and meandering paths. However, one of the most notable gardens in the airport is the Arrival Garden.

Spanning 460 square metres, the Arrival Garden is a unique space that provides visitors with an outdoor experience within an indoor setting. The garden is filled with lush, natural greenery, timber decking, and water features, creating a welcoming atmosphere with a splash of colour and life. The garden's design textures draw inspiration from classic outdoor gardens, offering a comfortable and familiar environment.

The highlight of the Arrival Garden is its specially curated flora collection, which emulates a dragonfly habitat. The water features produce ripples and patterns on the surface, resembling the graceful dance of dragonflies. This theme is further accentuated by the majestic 12- to 15-metre-tall Washingtonia Robusta palm trees. Native to Mexico, these palm trees are adaptable and hardy, capable of thriving in dry soil or sand. The species name, 'robusta', derives from the Latin word for robust, while the genus, 'Washingtonia', pays homage to the first president of the United States, George Washington.

The Arrival Garden also offers a glimpse of the HSBC Rain Vortex, providing a prelude to the Jewel Changi Airport. The combination of natural elements, dragonfly topiaries, and the towering palms creates a captivating setting for photography, making it a popular attraction for visitors seeking a tranquil escape from the hustle and bustle of airport life.

The Butterfly Garden: A tropical paradise with over 1,000 butterflies and 50 species

Changi Airport in Singapore is renowned for its gardens, with the Enchanted Garden, the Discovery Garden, and the Butterfly Garden all providing a peaceful respite for travellers. The Butterfly Garden is a tropical paradise, the first of its kind in an airport, and is home to over 1,000 butterflies from as many as 40 species.

The Butterfly Garden is located in Terminal 3 of the airport and is free to enter. It is open 24 hours a day, but as it is airside, only those with boarding passes can visit. The garden is spread over two levels, with access from both the ground and second floors. It is a small space, but it is carefully designed to mirror the natural habitats of the region, with lush greenery, cascading waterfalls, and gentle streams. The butterflies are attracted to the colourful plants and sweet pineapple triangles, and visitors can observe the butterflies' feeding habits at the fruit-filled feeding stations.

The garden features a 6-metre-tall grotto waterfall and a small koi pond. There are educational corners and individual enclosures where visitors can witness the breeding and feeding of butterflies up close. The butterflies are a mix of local and exotic species, with species including the Leopard Lacewing, Blue Clipper, and Singapore's national butterfly, the Common Rose.

The Butterfly Garden is a unique feature of Changi Airport, providing a peaceful and enchanting space for travellers to relax and connect with nature amidst the hustle and bustle of the airport.

The Enchanted Garden: A magical spot with orchids, sculptures, and a koi pond

Changi Airport in Singapore is a destination in itself, designed to keep travellers happy, relaxed, and refreshed. One of the many gardens scattered throughout the airport is the Enchanted Garden, a magical spot with orchids, sculptures, and a koi pond. Located in Terminal 2, it is hard to miss if you just walk along the terminal, following the trail of greenery.

The Enchanted Garden is a delightful spot to wander around, full of orchids, prominent sculptural art, and meandering paths. Its centrepiece is four giant glass bouquet sculptures, decorated with shimmering stained-glass mosaics, fresh flowers, and ferns. The canopy provided by the ferns and bouquets creates a magical garden experience, with the meditative sounds of flowing water from the koi pond adding to the tranquil atmosphere.

The garden also provides unique photography opportunities with its many floral arches and distinct textures, such as timber decking. It is a soothing attraction in the busy terminal, offering respite and captivating visitors with its tranquility.

The Enchanted Garden is a wonderful exhibit at Changi Airport, a small yet beautifully crafted garden that is easily accessible for those transiting through the airport. It is a great place to relax and unwind, with a long artsy bench surrounding the garden and a few benches within it. The koi pond is a highlight, with large and graceful koi fish, as well as a few other species, including a plecostomus and archerfish.

The Enchanted Garden is a delightful escape, a magical forest with multimedia senses that trigger the sounds of nature. It is a must-visit attraction in Changi Airport, offering a restful and captivating experience for travellers.

The Discovery Garden: Tree-like sculptures with foliage and raised walkways

Changi Airport in Singapore is renowned for its innovative design, offering travellers more than just the usual amenities, shops and restaurants. One of its standout features is the Discovery Garden, located in Terminal 1. This garden is a beautiful spot filled with tree-like sculptures that are clad in lush, verdant foliage. The foliage is diverse, creating a unique and captivating atmosphere.

The Discovery Garden offers travellers a chance to immerse themselves in nature, even while at the airport. Raised walkways wind through the garden, allowing visitors to explore and enjoy the natural surroundings from multiple vantage points. It is a peaceful escape from the hustle and bustle of airport life, providing a moment of calm and connection with the natural world.

The garden's design is not just aesthetic but also functional, as the walkways offer a unique perspective on the foliage-clad sculptures. This interplay between nature and architecture is a signature feature of Changi Airport, which has become known as a "city in a garden". The airport has raised the bar for travel experiences by prioritising the well-being of travellers and offering them a restorative and revitalising space.

The Discovery Garden is just one example of how Changi Airport has reinvented what an airport can be. By integrating nature into the airport's design, Changi has created a haven that reduces stress, restores cognitive ability and improves mood. The garden is a testament to the airport's commitment to providing a unique and memorable experience for its visitors, offering a respite from the typical sensory overload of air travel.

The Discovery Garden is a beautiful and innovative feature of Changi Airport, showcasing the airport's dedication to merging the built and natural environments seamlessly. By doing so, Changi Airport has set a new standard for travel hubs worldwide, inspiring a biophilic design culture that prioritises the well-being and satisfaction of its passengers.

Jewel Changi Airport: A 6-acre indoor forest with walking trails and the world's tallest indoor waterfall

Jewel Changi Airport is a nature-themed entertainment and retail complex linked to one of the passenger terminals of Changi Airport in Singapore. It covers a gross floor area of 135,700 square metres, spanning five storeys above ground and five basement levels. The complex includes gardens, attractions, a hotel, about 300 retail and dining outlets, and aviation facilities.

The centrepiece of Jewel Changi Airport is the Rain Vortex, the world's tallest indoor waterfall at 40 metres (130 ft) high. The waterfall is surrounded by a terraced forest setting, the Shiseido Forest Valley, an indoor garden spanning five storeys. The Forest Valley features an impressive selection of more than 200 plant species, with walkways and seating integrated into its design.

At the topmost level of Jewel is the Canopy Park, which offers recreation and leisure attractions, including two gardens: the Topiary Walk and the Petal Garden. The Topiary Walk features animal-shaped topiaries, while the Petal Garden showcases seasonal floral displays. The Canopy Park also includes a suspension bridge, two mazes, and various children's play facilities.

Jewel Changi Airport was designed to combine a marketplace and an urban park, offering a unique experience for both visitors and locals. The complex is a model for airport design, presenting the airport as more than just a transit hub.

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