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Ans: About 45cm 2) How long is the entire 'stream'? Ans: 22m 3) How wide are the two extreme pools? Ans: About 4m diameter. 4) Is this pond an eco-pond? Ans: Yes 5) Do you have a name for the eco-pond garden? Ans: Yes, it is called an Ecological Stream Garden. 6) Why do you call it an Ecological Stream Garden? Ans: The pond is constructed like a stream running through a natural garden. Both pond and garden are planted with native and naturalized plants found in Singapore. In time, as we progressively enriched both the aquatic and terrestrial plant communities, we hope to produce a ecologically-viable 'wilderness' habitat that is conducive for the native fishes in the water as well as visiting insects, reptiles, amphibians and birds. 7) How does it serve the school? Ans: The Ecological Stream Garden will serve as a quiet oasis for nature education and a sanctuary for everyone to relax in. This has been our design concept. 8) Why the inverted 'S' shape? Ans: It is another way of looking at 'S', which for us, stands for 'Serangoon'. It is inverted to serve as a statement about the importance to 'think out of the box' when teaching and learning. 9) Why is the wooden bridge without railings? Ans: Railings would appear obstructive in the garden landscape. The open sides lend students greater intimacy with the 'stream' through better access - physically and visually. 10) How best to use the garden? Ans: Use it freely. The beauty of the design is its simplicity. It gives room for possibilities and evolution, and depends really on the creativity of the users. The design kept it friendly, safe and low in maintenance. The concept brings about flexible learning-spaces that should evolve with changes in lesson plans and other artistic demands. Users should, however, keep the light well bright. So the greenery needs to be trimmed low yet kept looking 'wild' within the limitations of a confined space. That is the challenge for all future users. 11) What needs to be considered now that the Ecological Stream Garden has been built? Ans: We need committed people to use and maintain the garden, of course! 12) Where is the pond's filtration system? Ans: There aren't any. You need not be bothered with cleaning or changing filters; no spare parts to buy or stock up. Maintenance is carried out simply by partial removal of pond water for watering plants, and replacing with clean tap water. The pond water is thus recycled. And as more submerged plants are introduced, they will provide the pond with oxygen. The fountain itself helps in aeration too. |
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| ©Joseph Lai 2003 |