Archive for category: Misc

Qingjian Realty’s Jalan Loyang Besar EC is a one-of-a-kind project that combines the tranquility of a resort with practicality for daily living. The development prides itself on its unique philosophy, offering residents a peaceful and refreshing environment within reach of essential amenities. Designed with hosting in mind, the layouts of the residences are thoughtfully crafted to cater to various lifestyle needs. The expansive balconies provide the perfect setting for outdoor dining, while the generously sized kitchens can accommodate full-sized appliances. In addition, there is ample storage space to store all your entertaining essentials. With popular lifestyle destinations like Downtown East, White Sands, and Pasir Ris Mall in close proximity, Jalan Loyang Besar EC becomes the perfect spot for family and friends to gather. Combining its desirable location and exceptional features, Jalan Loyang Besar EC, available at Coastal Scabana, takes your living experience to new heights.

Ng Sze Oun, the director of Compound Collaborative, used to live in a walk-up apartment on King’s Road and would often visit the Singapore Botanic Gardens to appreciate the greenery and admire the landscape design. Even though he has since moved closer to his office, he still considers the gardens his favorite park in Singapore. However, due to his busy schedule, he rarely gets to visit the nearby Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park.

As a landscape architect, Ng has a deep respect for nature and aims to create landscapes that benefit both people and wildlife in all his projects. One of his recent works is the landscape design for TMW Maxwell, a mixed-use development with a 20-storey vertical garden. Ng sees this project as a prime example of how innovative design can provide space for both humans and nature.

This year, Ng has been invited to be a judge for the EdgeProp Singapore Excellence Awards (EPEA) 2025. It is his second year as part of the panel of six experts in the industry. Ng believes that the EPEA has been a great opportunity for him to witness how landscape design in Singapore has advanced and evolved over the years. He also sees how different landscape designers and developers have implemented urban design policies in their projects.

According to Ng, the award-winning projects in the landscape excellence category have demonstrated a clear respect and incorporation of the surrounding nature and landscape. For instance, The Reef at King’s Dock has a marine theme, using corals in its landscape design to highlight its waterfront location. The project also has a 180m floating deck with a marine viewing hammock for residents to observe marine life. This development, jointly developed by Keppel Group and Temasek Holdings, won three awards at this year’s EPEA – Landscape Excellence, Innovation Excellence, and Top Development.

Ng believes that the progress in incorporating green spaces into the built environment in Singapore has been a top-down approach, with the government taking the lead in transforming the urban landscape into a greener and more climate-resilient environment. Policies have been set in place to ensure that developments have at least 40% of their area dedicated to greenery, and there are also incentives for providing communal green spaces. These policies have been instrumental in achieving the long-term goal of balancing the urban landscape with nature. They have also allowed developers to work closely with landscape consultants to integrate green communal spaces into their projects, such as using vertical green walls as safe spaces for wildlife and pollinator insects.

In recent years, there has been a focus on rewilding urban green spaces in landscape design in Singapore. This involves transforming manicured landscapes into a managed state of wildness, balancing planned and spontaneous plant growth to create an ecologically rich environment. Ng believes that this trend has gained support from developers and private clients, as it helps people feel more connected to nature, whether at home or at work.

This aligns with Singapore’s goal of becoming a City in Nature, as part of the Singapore Green Plan 2030. The plan aims to increase the network of public parks, naturalize green spaces’ biodiversity, restore nature in urban areas, and improve the physical connection between green spaces. Ng believes that as landscape architects, they are among the few who advocate for nature and fight for its protection, especially in a land-scarce country like Singapore.

Over the past 30 years, Singapore has focused on developing green buildings as part of its urban greenery strategy. Ng believes that the next generation of landscape planners and architects will have to find new ways to seamlessly integrate nature and human spaces, in line with the city’s ongoing pursuit of a more sustainable and nature-filled urban landscape.