Theme park in Singapore: River Safari by DP Architects.

Singapore-based firm DP Architects has designed and developed Asia’s first river-themed wildlife park, featuring the habitats of flora and fauna and boasting the world’s largest freshwater aquarium, in addition to the adored Giant Panda.



River Safari is a wildlife theme park on the outskirts of Singapore. This is not just your run of the mill zoo, it’s an environment where people and animals can get up close and interact.





The team from DP Architects created DP Architects created eight different freshwater habitats: showcasing plants and animals from the Amazon, Yangtze, Ganges, Mississippi, Congo, Mekong, Murray and Nile rivers.



A series of slightly elevated walkways connects the four zones of the park, where visitors can soak up the natural atmosphere and get away from the hustle and bustle of Singapore.





The architecture follows the lie of the land and the park is designed to engage with its landscape, aided in this by the use of bamboo, the consummate natural, local material.





Apart from the wildlife, the major attraction of River Safari is the place itself, designed with great attention to the two key requirements of a wildlife park: making sure guests are safe and enjoying themselves and giving animals a natural habitat.
Singapore’s Building and Construction Authority (BCA) rewarded the architects for their efforts to minimise environmental impact by making this the first and only park in the world to be awarded Green Mark Platinum Awardstatus. And the washrooms impressed the Singapore Institute of Architects, receiving the SIA Rigel Bathroom Design Award for their engagement with nature.

Project: DP Architects Limited Pte, http://www.dpa.com.sg/
Location: Singapore
Year: 2013
Area: 894,400 m2
Photography: Rory Daniel - all materials owned by DP Architects Limited Pte
Awards: Green Mark Platinum Award BCA Singapore, SIA Rigel Bathroom Design Awards