Placemaking for Kallang Park Connector Underpasses | 2023
Implemented by the National Parks Board, the Park Connector Network was built in the 1990s to improve connectivity between parks and provide accessible leisure options for Singaporeans. Kallang Park Connector was the first park connector completed in 1992 and linked Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park with Kallang Riverside Park.
Fast forward to the present, there are plans to enhance users’ experience along the park connector by providing a more seamless connection with underpasses. The team was engaged to devise placemaking elements and environmental branding for the new underpasses to add aesthetic appeal and reference the history of the river.
The team based the idea for the thematic environmental graphics upon a retelling of the river’s timeline. Divided into five scenes, the completed environmental enhancements follow the evolution of the Kallang River, from when flora and fauna were its only inhabitants to the modern lifestyle attractions that span the riverbank today.
The first scene sets the original stage for the Kallang River, detailing an untouched forest while the second scene shows how long before human beings settled on the Kallang River, numerous species of wildlife called the riverbanks home. Documenting the early 1900s, the third scene is of the aboriginal Orang Kallang who made the river their home and looked to it as an important source of food and transportation. Peppered in the scene are small traditional boats known as sampans which were often used as a means of transportation and for fishing activities.
Scene four depicts progress and modernisation where wooden houses gave way to industrial buildings. Iconic structures such as Chwee Kang Beo Association, Kallang Airport Building and National Stadium are immortalised on the walls of the Kallang Park Connector. The final scene brings the Kallang River into contemporary times. A redevelopment programme in the early 2000s transformed the riverbanks to bring back greenery, offer new floating decks, pathways and boardwalks, evolving it into a lifestyle and recreational artery.
The team also created distinctive gantries to signal entry points to multiple underpasses, as each underpass has specific height restrictions. As a safety feature these gantries – featuring flora and fauna elements – is lit up at night for easy identification by users. This park connector network not only prioritises functionality but also contributes to a visually appealing and navigable urban landscape.
