SBG Heritage Museum

The SBG Heritage Museum is located in Holttum Hall, which is next to Botany Centre in the Tanglin Core of the Gardens. Built in 1921 to serve as the Director of the Gardens' office and laboratory, the two-storey building has been designated as an Urban Redevelopment Authority conservation building. This was where Professor Eric Holttum, the Gardens' Director from 1925 to 1949, developed the orchid breeding technique which enabled the efficient production of healthy seedlings in sterile flasks from a hybrid seed. This technique, which is still used today, was a key factor that stimulated orchid industries throughout the region.

First opened in November 2013, the Heritage Museum featured interactive and multimedia exhibits and panels detailing the Garden’s rich heritage since its inception in 1859. Over the last decade, there were several key milestones for the Gardens, including its inscription as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015 and the completion of the Tyersall-Gallop Core of the Gardens in 2022. As we commemorate 60 years of greening, the Heritage Museum has also been refreshed and visitors to the museum can now find out more about the Garden’s rich heritage and milestones with a particular focus on the accomplishments of the past decade through new installations and interactive exhibits.

CDL Green Gallery

Developed and donated by CDL in 2013 in celebration of the company’s 50th anniversary, the 3,380 sq ft CDL Green Gallery is an eco-friendly building sited on Holttum Lawn in the Singapore Botanic Gardens. It was conceptualised as an extension of the Heritage Museum and features botanical or related exhibitions that are changed every six to nine months. Designed to be sustainable right from the start, the project introduced two eco-features for the first time in Singapore: the use of Hempcrete, a bio-composite material; and a pre-fabricated modular system that reduced on-site construction time to under 24 hours.

Other eco-friendly features at the CDL Green Gallery @ SBG Heritage Museum include:
• Green walls. The east and west facades are clad with fauna-attracting plant species to enrich biodiversity.
• Roof top solar panels harvest solar energy.
• Green roof. Selected drought-resistant plant species help to lower the Urban Heat Island effect around the building.
• Energy-efficient interior fittings. The gallery is fitted with LED lights and energy-efficient air-conditioning systems.

A Garden of Birds: Community Photography Exhibition of the Birds of the Singapore Botanic Gardens ran at the CDL Green Gallery from 7 May - 31 October 2024.
 
This exhibition was a curated selection of photographs shared by the community of birding enthusiasts who come to the Gardens to observe, admire, study and research the amazing diversity of birds found in Singapore Botanic Gardens. Through it, we also highlight the role of green spaces like the Gardens to support the biodiversity conservation goals of City in Nature.
 
Missed visiting the exhibition? You can join the virtual tour below.