Bukit Timah Rail Station

Grant Associates was been appointed as the Landscape Architect for the redevelopment of the historic site of the old Bukit Timah Rail Station and Jalan Asas. Both sites are nodes part of the wider Master Plan for the Rail Corridor. The Rail Corridor is a continuous open space crossing Singapore from North to South alongside the abandoned railway line connecting Malaysia with Singapore.

The restoration of the Bukit Timah Rail Station and the adjoining Station Master House are the focus of the project. The intent is to celebrate both nature and Heritage. For the surroundings of the Station and Station Master House, this translates to a theming to a planting palette popular in the 50s and 60s. There will be an abundance of edible plants, fruit trees and colourful plants, typically used in that era. The linearity of the space is emphasised by linear strips of wild orchids on site. The actual space of the former railway is preserved as an open space. Furthermore, the landscape frames views and screens adjacent more recent developments to create an immersive experience on the linear site.

The Asas site is a more natural node interfacing between suburban development, a more manicured interim park and the wilder Rail Corridor. Informally planted native plants will seamlessly interface between these different characters and lead people alongside a new toilet building/shelter onto the Rail Corridor.

The project is developed as a close collaboration between URA (actual client and the Singaporean authority responsible for conservation and urban development) and NParks (the end-user of the project, the Singaporean Parks organisation).