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, bor ...

, 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

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, ...

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 plannin ...

, which runs through it in the form of a flat riverbed.

History

Bishan Park was constructed to provide a buffer between

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

Before and After Aerial View of Kallang River

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 environm ...

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

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

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

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