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More green spaces and nodes of nature have been unveiled in the west.
On Apr. 1, the National Parks Board (NParks) unveiled the completed development of Lakeside Garden's north section.
Lakeside Garden is one of the three gardens in the 90-hectare Jurong Lake Gardens, alongside the Chinese and Japanese Gardens.
The entire garden is now 60 hectares, with the new north section contributing seven hectares.
The new section is adjacent to Lakeside MRT station and functions as the main entrance into the garden.
Lakeside Garden was designed according to the theme of "Nature, Play, Community" to add to the variety of experiences at Jurong Lake Gardens, the first national gardens in the heartlands.
Image from NParks.
To mark the opening, Minister for National Development Desmond Lee planted Jurong trees at the northern section of Lakeside Garden.
He was joined by Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for Social Policies Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu and other Advisers of Jurong Grassroots Organisations (GROs).
Some unique and new features added to Lakeside Garden include an outdoor skate park which has a bouldering wall and parkour course, and the first pet-friendly Starbucks outlet.
Image of Lakeside Plaza, one of the main entrances to Lakeside Garden that's located adjacent to Lakeside MRT station. Image from NParks.
SkatePark @ Lakeside Garden
SkatePark @ Lakeside Garden is the biggest outdoor skate park in Singapore and is the first to incorporate a parkour park and a bouldering wall.
Users can enjoy the scenic lakeside backdrop as the skate park is next to the waterfront.
It measures almost 17,000 square meters, and has five skate pods to cater to skaters of different skill levels.
This was the result of close engagement and consultation with the skateboarding, BMX riding and inline skating community for the past five years.
Convic: Skate Park from Australia was engaged as a consultant.
Members of the skateboarding community will be conducting classes in the various pods, and the facilities are open to the public.
If large groups wish to use the facilities, they will have to make bookings.
Learn to Skate Pod
The Learn to Skate Pod is designed for beginners.
It features gentle inclines and mini ramps.
Image by Zoe Ern Yap
The pod has a total area of 251 square meters.
Skate Drain Pod
The Skate Drain Pod is for intermediate skaters.
It has a mix of street-style obstacles, like curved ramps and rails.
Image by Zoe Ern Yap
The pod's area is 644 square meters.
Mini Bowl Pod
The Mini Bowl Pod features shallow bowls for intermediate or more experienced skaters to practice their drop-ins.
It is 0.9m to 1.5m deep.
Image by Zoe Ern Yap
This pod has a total area of 319 square meters.
Big Bowl Pod
The Big Bowl Pod has steep bowls for advanced skaters who fancy a challenge, or want to prepare for competitions.
Image by Zoe Ern Yap
It is 1.8m to 2.5m deep, and has a total area of 315 square meters.
The bowl pod at East Coast Park is slightly deeper than this though.
Plaza Pod
A popular suggestion from skaters was to have a sheltered space for skating, and thus the Plaza Pod was created.
The Plaza Pod is Singapore's first sheltered outdoor skate pod, able to be used no matter the weather conditions.
Image by Zoe Ern Yap
It features several obstacles such as quarter pipes, ledges and ramps, catering to skaters of different skill level.
The pod has an area of 922 square meters.
Undulating pump track
The pump track is 280m long and 2m wide.
The undulating design has humps for skateboarders to practice their pumping movements.
Image by Zoe Ern Yap
BMX riders can also use the tracks.
Image by Zoe Ern Yap
Skaters are encouraged to be confident in using the pump track before proceeding to more intermediate courses.
Parkour Park
The parkour park has bars, walls and platforms of different heights.
Image by Zoe Ern Yap
It spans 334 square meters.
Image by Zoe Ern Yap
Bouldering Wall
The bouldering wall is 3m tall and 9m long.
It is a 90 degrees wall with climbing holds.
Image by Zoe Ern Yap
The flooring of the Parkour Park and Bouldering Wall are made of the same material as playground mats.
Sign boards are placed around the skate park to remind the skating community of the etiquette they should maintain when using the facility.
Learn to Skate Pod etiquette. Image by Zoe Ern Yap.
Big Bowl Pod etiquette. Image by Zoe Ern Yap.
NParks has also worked with the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) to conduct emergency responses and developed a protocol for any incidents that may happen.
The Taman Jurong Community Emergency Engagement (C2E) is also a community partner that NParks is working with to enhance the safety measures.
Lakeside Green
Lakeside Green is a lawn area of about 4,000 square meters.
It is a unique waterfront event space for performances and concerts, and can function as a gathering space for community activities, such as yoga.
It offers spectacular views of Jurong Lake, and features a boardwalk that brings park visitors to the edge of the water.
Image from NParks
F&B options
The Rainforest Pavilion houses the Ride Side Skate Cafe, which offers food and beverages, skate retail services and recreational programmes for the skateboarding community.
The Ride Side Skate Cafe is slated to open in early April 2023.
Image by Zoe Ern Yap
There is also the first pet-friendly Starbucks outlet at Lakeside House.
Sustainability features
Notably, the Rainforest Pavilion is the first of several buildings in Jurong Lake Gardens to be constructed using mass-engineered timber (MET), with timber harvested from sustainably managed forests.
Image from NParks
According to NParks, MET is a building material made of "engineered wood products with improved structural integrity".
The components of the building are pre-made off-site and assembled on-site. This means the construction can be sped up by four times as compared to constructing a concrete building.
The construction also produced less noise, required less machinery and generated less waste, NParks added.
Image from NParks
Efforts to reduce carbon footprint and energy use
Almost all footpaths in the north section are made of CarbonCure concrete.
CarbonCure concrete is made with a special technology that recycles carbon dioxide by converting the trapped atmospheric carbon into a nanomineral that's embedded in the concrete.
This method reduced carbon emissions in the construction process.
Image from NParks
Furthermore, photovoltaic solar panels are installed on the roof of Plaza Pod to lower the energy consumption at the garden.
Water conservation features
The vegetated detention ponds around the skate park can collect run-off from its surrounding areas.
Image by Zoe Ern Yap
The rainwater harvested will be used to irrigate the north section of Lakeside Garden.
Several aquatic plants such as the Leather Fern and Swamp Lily have been planted inside these ponds which provide habitats for wild animals and other ecological benefits such as phytoremediation.
Image by Zoe Ern Yap
What's next?
The Chinese and Japanese Gardens are currently being redeveloped, and will be ready in 2024.
Most of the existing features and landmarks at Chinese Garden will be retained and enhanced.
New garden features will be added to The Chinese Garden, bringing out more garden artistry.
The Japanese Garden will have floral and aquatic gardens, and one section will be enhanced with tropical flora.
New bridges to the north and east of the island will be built, facilitating greater connectivity within the Gardens and the greater Jurong Lake District.
The Garden Promenade will be developed together with the new Science Centre.
It is slated to be opened around 2027.
Lakeside Garden (North)
How to get here: a 3-min walk from Lakeside MRT station via Lakeside Plaza, or 12-min walk from Chinese Garden MRT station.
Opening hours:
SkatePark @ Lakeside Garden:
- Tuesday to Sunday: 8am to 10pm.
- Closed on Mondays for maintenance
- If a public holiday falls on a Monday, the park will be closed on Tuesday instead.
The Ride Side Skate Cafe at Rainforest Pavilion:
- Opening in early Apr. 2023.
- Monday to Thursday: 10am to 10pm
- Fridays, weekends and Public Holidays (PH): 8am to 10pm
Starbucks at Lakeside House:
- Sunday to Thursday, PH: 8am to 10pm
- Friday, Saturday and eve of PH: 8am to 11pm
Top images by Zoe Ern Yap and from NParks.