Mr Otto Fung, President, Singapore Institute of Landscape Architects,

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen.

1. Good evening. Earlier on, I had the pleasure of viewing the winning entries for the SILA Design Awards on display in the hall and I must say that, I am impressed with the high standard of work. I wish to congratulate all the winners. Your work is a testament of the talented community of landscape architects we have here in Singapore.

SILA Professional Design Awards

2. I would also like to congratulate SILA for organising the Professional Design Awards to showcase the works of our landscape architects. The Awards is an excellent platform for the landscape architect community in Singapore to celebrate your achievements together as an industry.

Role of Landscape Architects – Vision for Singapore

3. Singapore has achieved international acclaim as a Garden City, a distinctive city with lush streetscapes, beautiful parks and gardens. Our success is being emulated by many cities around the world. To ensure that we continue to stay ahead of the competition, we have set ourselves a goal of transforming Singapore into a ‘City in a Garden’. We will create a canvass of green and blue – plants and trees and water bodies - within which our city and our home are nestled. This is an important strategy to make Singapore an endearing home, a distinctive global city. It will help make Singapore a choice destination for people to live, work and play in.

4. To achieve this vision, we are allocating a sizeable area of 54 hectares in Marina South for a signature park, the Gardens by the Bay, that will cater to the lifestyle of an increasingly sophisticated population. This is the first of three gardens in the Marina Bay area that will be developed in phases. We are building up a green network of park connectors to link up our parks across the island adding many kilometers of park land for walking, jogging or cycling. We are enhancing our streets with thematic landscaping, and re-making our reservoirs and canals into beautiful and active water bodies for our enjoyment. All of you in the local landscape architecture community can play an active and important role in supporting these initiatives in the course of your work.

5. We therefore need your participation in the design and implementation of our plans. Your creativity can inspire a greater appreciation of landscape among Singaporeans. You have the understanding of our urban landscape and tropical ecology, as well as knowledge of the local materials and tropical plants. I am confident that this mix of knowledge and creativity will result in landscapes that are not only unique and attractive, but also environmentally sustainable. Indeed, the local landscape architect community is and must continue to be one of the strong pillars of our ‘City in a Garden’.

Promising Outlook for Industry

6. The outlook for the landscape industry is good and promising. In Singapore, the industry is worth an estimated $1 billion today and we expect it to grow rapidly. Conservatively, we are looking at about 10% growth in the industry over the next few years. Manpower demand in the landscape industry is projected to grow at about 4% per year for the next five years, creating about 700 jobs annually. Besides Singapore, landscape architects are also highly sought after overseas in places like China, India, Vietnam, and the Middle East.

7. This is therefore an exciting and challenging time for the landscape industry. There is no better time for the industry to gear itself up for the opportunities. In riding this wave, I am pleased that SILA has taken on a leadership role to enhance the professionalism and quality of the industry. As an active member of the Singapore Landscape Industry Council (SLIC), SILA is involved in various programmes to upgrade the landscape industry, such as developing the Workforce Skills Qualifications System for the industry.

Roles for SILA

8. Moving forward, I would like to encourage SILA to play an active role in the following three areas. First, I hope that SILA will lend its strong support to the development of industry standards in design and implementation. Together with NParks, SLIC and industry partners, SILA can contribute towards defining and developing the standards of design codes and specifications in softscaping. This will help establish international benchmarks and raise the standards of professionalism in our landscape industry.

9. Second, to develop a steady stream of professional landscape architects, I am heartened to hear that SILA is supporting the implementation of the Masters of Landscape Architecture Programme that is being offered by the National University of Singapore this year. To attract more talent to join the industry, the Workforce Development Authority of Singapore, together with the National Parks Board and other industry partners, will be offering scholarships for this Masters programme over the next three years. We would encourage landscape architecture firms to support their employees to pursue this course and to offer sponsorship or scholarship for the course.

10. Finally, I hope that SILA can also work closely with NParks’ Centre for Urban Greenery and Ecology to organise regional seminars and workshops to share and exchange knowledge and expertise among local and regional practitioners. Recognising growing concerns over Climate Change, discussion topics such as environmental sustainability in landscaping and design, and maintaining biodiversity in a landscaped environment will attract attention. Vertical greening should also be actively explored to promote skyrise greenery in Singapore’s highly built-up environment.

Conclusion

11. In closing, I would like to once again congratulate all the winners of the SILA Professional Design Awards 2007. I would also like to thank the landscape architect community for their ardent support to make this event a success. Together, we can transform this industry and elevate it to greater heights. Let us work together as a team to realise our vision of a ‘City in a Garden’.

12. I wish you a pleasant and enjoyable evening. Thank you.

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