Bishan Park Case Study Presentation

ATELIER DREISEITL JV ENGINEERS: CH2M HILL

Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park Naturalization of a channelized River

Singapore 2009-2012

The intention of this project was to naturalize an existing channelized river and incorporate it into an existing residential park as part of a greater national project to protect water resources in a large scale watershed. It is a blue-green infrastructure project that addresses the dual needs of water supply and flood management for Singapore.

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Aerial of Bistan Park Š PUB/Atelier Dreiseitl

LOWER PEIRCE RESEVOIR

KALLANGE RIVER

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Before

Bishan Park was an existing well-loved park built in the 1980s. The park is linearly sandwiched between the residential neighbourhoods of Bishan and Ang Mo Kio and about a 14 minute bus ride from downtown Singapore. Before the park however, was the Kallange River, a river that had previously been channelized with concrete in the 1960s, void of all vegetation and natural life. As a result, during times of heavy rainfall, water speeds dangerously from the Lower Peirce reservoir to the coast. As a result, the water was fenced off from the park users.

3.2km of the Kallange River was naturalized and integrated into the park resulting in soft banks that hosts accessible by humans, flora, and fauna. A broad boulevard runs parallel to the river to accommodate a volume of walkers, bikers, and skaters.

ANG MO KIO

BISHAN

SINGAPORE

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SOUTHEAST ASIA After

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Before

November 2009

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After

March 2012

All Images are screenshots from‘Time-lapse: Transformation of Bishan Park to River Plains’ by Brice Li

Design + Program The design also includes 3 new playgrounds, one of which is a water playground appropriate for the very hot climate. The Adventure Playground provides climbing features for active teenagers, while the Bubble Playground is targeted at younger kids with many rubber mounds set in sand The design also incorporates new bridges that link to access points in to the park , stepping stones into the water and a riverside gallery all built to encourage interaction with the river. The park also includes a new lookout point called ‘Recycled Hill’ made out of recycled walls from the old concrete channel.

The new naturalized river provides flood protection for the city by increasing water capacity, and decreasing velocity of the water. Due to an increase roughness along the riverbed and banks by rocks, pools, and riffles reduces the velocity of water-flow of the river. Fewer particulates are moved downstream to the Marina Reservoir where they would have to be extracted.

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Above: Recycle Hill Below: Water Playground

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New bridges integrating park into cityscape

River Naturalization + Water Management

Additionally, one of the existing ponds has been transformed into a cleaning biotope that has been bioengineered to clean storm water run-off and river water. The cleaned water is then used in the Water Playground in the park. A biotope is a water treatment method that includes carefully selected plants in a filter medium to remove pollutants and absorb nutrients. The biotope is situated upstream within the park to improve water quality quickly, and without chemicals. The water used at the water playground also goes through ultraviolet treatment to kill any harmful biological contaminants.

Soil bioengineering had not been previously implemented in Singapore before this project, and is not common in the tropics of Southeast Asia in general. As such, soil bioengineering had to be thoroughly tested. In 2009 a year long survey of 10 different soil types and strategies was constructed using a variety of tropical plants along 60m at a side drain in the park. In the end 7 were chosen for the project (planted gabions, rip-rap with cuttings, fascines, and geotextile wrapped soil-lifts, brush mattresses with fascines, reed rolls, and geotextile with plantings). Soil engineering requires the use of vegetation, natural materials, and civil engineering to stabilize the banks of a river in order to prevent erosion.

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Above: (left) Water overflow rrteries, (right) Plant pallette suitable to flood conditions Below: Cleansing Biotope

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Above: River Naturalization Diagram Below: Bioengineered River Edge ŠAtelier Dreiseitl

“As a strong new impulse for the future, an infrastructure that can be appreciated and accessed by citizens which at the same time respects the environment in a sustainable manner and also brings about a subtle change in behavior and thinking...and, it is through this change that we can begin to create places which are vibrant, healthy and full of sociocultural liveliness�

Herbert Dreiseitl

NOTES

1. Boyer, Mark. “Singapore’s Bishan Park Wins Landscape of the Year Award at the World Architecture Festival Read More: Singapore’s Bishan Park Wins Landscape of the Year Award at the World Architecture Festival | Inhabitat - Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architec.” InHabit. 8 Oct. 2012.

Web. 17 Nov. 2014. <http://inhabitat.com/singapores-bishan-park-wins-landscape-of-the-year-award-atthe-world-architecture-festival/>.

2. Dreiseitl, Herbert. “Central Watershed and Bishan Park, Singapore.” Recent Waterscapes: Planning, Building and Designing with Water. 3rd Rev. and Expanded ed. Basel: Birkhäuser, 2009. Print..

3. Holmes, Damien. “Kallang River Bishan Park | Singapore | Atelier Dreiseitl « World Landscape Architecture – Landscape Architecture Webzine.” World Landscape Architecture Landscape Architecture Webzine RSS. 28 Mar. 2012. Web. 17 Nov. 2014. <http://worldlandscapearchitect.com/kallang-riverbishan-park-singapore-atelier-dreiseitl/#.VGpinPnF_mc>.

4. “Kallang River at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park by Atelier Dreiseitl.” Landscape Architecture Works Landezine RSS. 20 June 2012. Web. 17 Nov. 2014. <http://www.landezine.com/index.php/2012/06/ kallang-river-at-bishan-ang-mo-kio-park-by-atelier-dreiseitl/>.

5. “National Parks Board.” National Parks Board. Singapore, 1 Jan. 2009. Web. 17 Nov. 2014. <http:// www.nparks.gov.sg/cms/index.php?option=com_visitorsguide&task=parks&id=8&Itemid=73>