Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park or Bishan-AMK Park, (formerly known as Bishan Park) is a major park in
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
, located in the popular heartland of
Bishan Bishan most commonly refers to Bishan, Singapore, a residential town in Singapore's Central Region, and its associated places.
Bishan may also refer to:
Places Singapore
* Bishan, Singapore
** Bishan MRT station, a MRT interchange station along t ...
. Serving the residents of
Bishan Bishan most commonly refers to Bishan, Singapore, a residential town in Singapore's Central Region, and its associated places.
Bishan may also refer to:
Places Singapore
* Bishan, Singapore
** Bishan MRT station, a MRT interchange station along t ...
,
Yishun
Yishun, formerly known as Nee Soon, is a residential town located in the northeastern corner of the North Region of Singapore, bordering Simpang and Sembawang to the north, Mandai to the west, the Central Water Catchment to its southwest, An ...
and
Ang Mo Kio
Ang Mo Kio is a planning area and residential town situated in the North-East of Singapore. Located approximately north of the Downtown Core district, Ang Mo Kio is the 3rd most populated planning area in the North-East Region and ranks 8th ...
, the park sits entirely within Bishan, running along the Ang Mo Kio–Bishan boundary line, which is situated at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1. In the middle of the park lies the
Kallang River
The Kallang River (, ms, Sungei Kallang) is the longest river in Singapore, flowing for 10 kilometers. from the Lower Peirce Reservoir (originally named "Kallang River Reservoir") to the Kallang Basin. It originates in the planning ...
, which runs through it in the form of a flat riverbed.
History
Bishan Park was constructed to provide a buffer between
Ang Mo Kio
Ang Mo Kio is a planning area and residential town situated in the North-East of Singapore. Located approximately north of the Downtown Core district, Ang Mo Kio is the 3rd most populated planning area in the North-East Region and ranks 8th ...
New Town and Bishan New Town. It was also envisioned as a leisure destination for residents ranging from children to nature-lovers,
containing facilities such as a football field, a floating amphitheatre and a natural pond.
Construction took place in two stages.
The park, which cost $8.5 million to build, was one of the biggest park projects by the
Housing Development Board
The Housing & Development Board (HDB) (; ms, Lembaga Perumahan dan Pembangunan; ta, வீடமைப்பு வளர்ச்சிக் கழகம்) or often referred to as the Housing Board, is a statutory board under the M ...
at the time of its construction.
Before construction work was completed, people from the adjacent areas began using the unfinished facilities, making work on the park difficult.
Redevelopment
Background
The Active, Beautiful, Clean Waters (ABC Waters) Programme was launched in 2006 to transform the country’s water bodies beyond their functions of drainage and water supply into beautiful and clean rivers and lakes with new spaces for community bonding and recreation. At the same time, it promotes the application of a new,
water-sensitive urban design
Water-sensitive urban design (WSUD) is a land planning and engineering design approach which integrates the urban water cycle, including stormwater, groundwater, and wastewater management and water supply, into urban design to minimise environme ...
approach (also known as ABC Waters design features in Singapore) to managing rainwater sustainably. A long-term initiative, over 100 locations have been identified for project implementation in phases by 2030, with 20 projects already completed, bringing people closer to water.
ABC Waters Kallang River @ Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park is one of the flagship projects under this programme. The park was due for major refurbishment and the
Kallang River
The Kallang River (, ms, Sungei Kallang) is the longest river in Singapore, flowing for 10 kilometers. from the Lower Peirce Reservoir (originally named "Kallang River Reservoir") to the Kallang Basin. It originates in the planning ...
in the form of a concrete channel along the park edges was also due for upgrading to cater to increased rainwater runoff from the catchment due to urbanisation. Plans were thus made to carry out redevelopment works together, transforming Kallang River from a linear utilitarian concrete drainage channel into a meandering, natural river through the park.
Design process
The integration of the river and park involved joint responsibilities between government agencies in charge of different areas (parks and water). The National Water Agency, PUB, and NParks engaged Ramboll Studio Dreiseitl (design) and CH2M Hill (engineering) to look at how the park, river and surrounding residential estates could be integrated as one. This took place through a series of workshops, on-site tours and discussions where issues were thrown out and ideas were exchanged and debated. The suitability of plant species for soil bioengineering, for example, had not been implemented in Singapore prior to this, and thus had to be tested – this was done through a year-long survey at the test reach (see Techniques). Other parties which came on board included bioengineering specialists and horticulturists
Project Details and Cost
Landscape Architecture: Atelier Dreiseitl
Partners in Charge: Herbert Dreiseitl, Gerhard Hauber
Project Management and Lead Design: Tobias Baur, Rudolf Mager, Leonard Ng, Hendrik Porst
Project Engineers: Andreas Bockmühl, Stefan Brückmann
Project Team: Jeff Boggess, Angelika Büchele, Jason Chia, Edith, Gustavo Glaeser, Tobias Klinger, Martin Koller, Birgit Kühlbrandt, Wi Ming, Herbert Montevirgen, Vera Sieber, Angela Soler, Chanida Suebpanich, Sebastian Walker, Melissa Yip, Ingo Zoefelt, Christoph Hald, Nengshi Zheng
Bioengineering: Peter Geitz und Partner JV
Partner: CH2MHILL
Project owners: PUB, Singapore’s national water agency and the National Parks Board
Area: Central catchment 140 km² 62 ha / 155 acres
Client: Public Utilities Board & National Parks Board
Design: 2007 – 2010
Construction: 2009-2012
Cost: 76 million SGD / 45 million € / US$ 60 million
Awards: WAF 2012, Excellence on the Waterfront Honor Award 2012, President’s Design Award Singapore 2012
Opening
![Prime Minister Lee at Bishan Opening](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/94/Prime_Minister_Lee_at_Bishan_Opening.JPG)
Amidst a crowd of 2000 people including residents, local community partners such as schools and non-profit groups, Prime Minister
Lee Hsien Loong
Lee Hsien Loong (; born 10 February 1952) is a Singaporean politician and former brigadier-general who has been serving as Prime Minister of Singapore and Secretary-General of the People's Action Party since 2004. He has been the Member of Par ...
officially opened the redeveloped park on 17 March 2012, renaming it Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park.
Gallery
File:1 2014 panorama bishan park aerial gopro dji phantom.jpg, Drone shot from above the park
File:1 bishan park panorama 2012.jpg, The park at night
File:Kallang River at Bishan Park 2.JPG, The park lies in the Bishan heartland
File:Kallang River after Rain.JPG, The floodplain fills up after a rain event
See also
*
Kallang River
The Kallang River (, ms, Sungei Kallang) is the longest river in Singapore, flowing for 10 kilometers. from the Lower Peirce Reservoir (originally named "Kallang River Reservoir") to the Kallang Basin. It originates in the planning ...
*
Herbert Dreiseitl
*
List of parks in Singapore
There are numerous parks throughout the sovereign island country of Singapore. This is a list of parks in Singapore that are currently existing and have articles on Wikipedia. Parks in Singapore are managed by the National Parks Board or NParks ...
*
National Parks Board
The National Parks Board (NParks) is a statutory board under the Ministry of National Development of the Government of Singapore.
History
In November 1989, Minister of National Development, S. Dhanabalan, presented the National Parks Bil ...
References
External links
Atelier DreiseitlCH2M HillBishan-AMK Park - National Parks BoardBishan Park - Public Utilities BoardWorld Landscape ArchitectLandscape Architecture MagazineECOWAN
{{Parks in Singapore
Ang Mo Kio
Bishan, Singapore
Kallang
Parks in Singapore
Rivers of Singapore
Tourist attractions in North-East Region, Singapore
Tourist attractions in Central Region, Singapore