Opening Address by 2M Indranee Rajah at the Singapore Landscape Architecture Award (SLAA) Ceremony & Gala 2025
Nov 14, 2025
Ms Yvonne Tan, President of the Singapore Institute of Landscape Architects,
Ms Hwang Yu-Ning, CEO of the National Parks Board,
Esteemed Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen
Introduction
Good evening to all.
It is my pleasure to join you at this year’s Singapore Landscape Architecture Awards (SLAA) Ceremony and Singapore Institute of Landscape Architects (SILA) Gala Dinner.
Tonight, we celebrate excellence in landscape architecture through two prestigious awards: the Singapore Landscape Architecture Awards, and NParks’ Landscape Excellence Assessment Framework (LEAF) Awards.
This evening marks the first time the two awards are presented together, reflecting the strong partnership between the government and industry in advancing landscape excellence in Singapore.
We are also celebrating a significant milestone this evening – the 40th anniversary of SILA. For four decades, SILA has helped shape Singapore into the liveable and green city that we all enjoy today.
Role of Landscape Architects in our City in Nature
The landscape sector has long been our key partner in transforming Singapore into a City in Nature, a journey spanning decades of vision and dedication.
Our jouney began with our founding Prime Minister Mr Lee Kuan Yew's visionary concept of a Garden City, which evolved into our aspiration to be a City in a Garden, and has now matured into our current vision of a City in Nature.
Throughout this transformation, landscape architects have played an indispensable role.
You are the professionals who translate vision into reality, seamlessly weaving nature into our urban environment.
Your work creates spaces that are not only beautiful but also functional, sustainable, and meaningful to our communities and draw admiration from visitors to Singapore
Partnership and Industry Transformation
SILA has nurtured generations of landscape architecture practitioners and elevated professional standards across the industry.
It partnered with NParks to roll out the Landscape Sector Transformation Plan in 2019, driving efforts to digitalise, mechanise and professionalise the landscape industry.
Together, we have strengthened competencies, driven tech adoption, and enhanced practices and standards across the sector.
From co-organising initiatives that uplift the industry to SILA's active involvement in the NParks-Industry Council to enhance professionalism and capabilities, these partnerships have been key to the industry’s progress.
SLAA Award and 2025 Recipients
As greenery implementation and maintenance projects across Singapore become more multi-faceted and complex, our landscape architects have risen to the challenge with higher quality, impactful and immersive projects.
Through thoughtful design, you have demonstrated how we can transform the constraints of our land-scarce island into extraordinary opportunities. The only thing I would add, as an MP, is that you can also design for maintenance as well, because you have to maintain what you design.
Tonight's SLAA 2025 winners exemplify this excellence and innovation.
The 14th edition of the awards attracted 72 submissions across six categories, with 45 projects receiving awards tonight.
I am happy to share that Bidadari Park, designed by Henning Larsen, received the Outstanding Award of Excellence.
Bidadari has long served as a popular stopover for migratory birds on their winter journey towards Indonesia and beyond.
To ensure this important pathway remains undisrupted, the 12-hectare park is sensitively designed to continue serving our feathered visitors while featuring the scenic Alkaff Lake that doubles as stormwater infrastructure.
Drawing inspiration from Winnie-the-Pooh's Hundred Acre Wood, the landscape retained existing mature trees and incorporated themed trails that attract butterflies, bees and birds.
The SLAA also honours outstanding individuals whose contributions have advanced the profession and inspired the next generation of landscape architects.
I am delighted to announce Henry Steed as our Landscape Architect of the Year.
As a partner of ICN Design International Singapore, Henry has been instrumental in designing some of Singapore's most beloved landmarks, including the Esplanade Roof Garden, Sentosa Nature Discovery, the iconic Waterboat House, and the Singapore History Museum landscapes.
I also congratulate Cathy Hang Ka Kee as our Young Landscape Architect of the Year, who was part of the talented landscape team behind Jurong Lake Gardens, along with special mentions to Kwan Yu Wen and Poornima Bargotra.
They represent the bright future of landscape architecture in Singapore, bringing fresh perspectives and innovative approaches for the next generation.
NParks’ LEAF Platinum Award and 2025 Recipients
Tonight, we also celebrate the recipients of NParks' LEAF Certificates.
LEAF is Singapore's first and only certification scheme to recognise the provision and management of greenery through good landscape design, construction and management of parks and development projects.
Since its launch, almost 120 public and private projects in Singapore have been certified under LEAF.
This year, 16 projects spanning parks, residential, commercial, educational and civic institutions achieved LEAF certification.
In the Parks Category, two outstanding projects were awarded the Platinum Certificate this year.
The first is Mandai Wildlife Group's Rainforest Wild Asia. This is Singapore's fifth wildlife park and the region's first adventure-based zoological park.
This 13-hectare development incorporates thoughtful universal design features and amenities, ensuring it is accessible to all visitors.
It achieved remarkable sustainability credentials with 80 per cent of its construction materials sustainably sourced, over 300 mature trees retained, and rooftop solar panels generating enough energy to power 90 four-room HDB flats annually.
NParks' own Bidadari Park was also awarded the Platinum Certificate.
In the Developments Category, Pan Pacific Orchard Hotel stands as the sole Gold recipient.
The development features greenery covering more than 200% of its land area, achieved through a combination of sky terraces, large green columns, and foliage integrated throughout the 23-story building.
The building incorporates four distinct sky garden zones representing Singapore's natural environments - Forest, Beach, Garden and Cloud Terraces.
With such lush skyrise greenery, it truly deserves its "Hotel in Nature" title.
I would also like to mention the Changi Airport Terminal 2 Expansion project, which earned a Silver certification with special recognition for Community Wellbeing and Engagement.
Through clever use of vertical greenery and water features, its biophilic design creates a multi-sensorial nature experience that blurs the boundary between architecture and nature.
Around 200,000 plants from almost 100 varieties, including unique species from Palawan forests, create a verdant gateway welcoming visitors into our City in Nature as they arrive in Singapore.
My heartiest congratulations to all winners of the SLAA and NParks’ LEAF Certificates 2025. Well done!
Conclusion
Tonight’s celebration reflects the remarkable talent and innovation flourishing within the landscape architecture industry.
As SILA marks its 40th anniversary, we are reminded of how far we have come and the exciting possibilities that lie ahead.
I look forward to deepening the partnership between SILA and NParks as we continue elevating professional standards and creating spaces that serve our communities.
Thank you all for your dedication to making Singapore more beautiful, liveable and sustainable.
I wish you all a wonderful evening.