Developed as an extension to the sports precinct for Singapore’s hosting of the SEAP games in 1973, Toa Payoh Town Park was a popular venue for outdoor wedding photography with its willowing trees surrounding a 0.8-ha pond and interconnected bridges. Its rejuvenation was called for in the late 1990s’ after it was subject to partial closure for a temporary bus interchange.

The brief called for the rejuvenation of the main park to bring its amenities, facilities and landscaping into the modern era, whilst retaining the charm and ambience that made the park an attractive gathering place for couples. At the same time, the existing pond required rehabilitation to remove its silt and control its algae.

Our approach was to respect the existing physical forms symbiotic of that 1970′s period whilst embellishing the landscape and improving the surface materials in line with a contemporary requirements. Submerged planters with Typha Angustifolia (Narrowleaf cattail) were introduced as biological filters to control algae outbreaks in the pond and soften the prevailing hardscape. The existing meandering pathways were resurfaced, and new benches, lighting and trellis’s introduced to amplify the new entranceways and facilitate new visitors.