Long before I started Eco Traveller Guide, I had a fascination with green technology. I still do.

I am constantly in awe of the ingenuity of designers and inventors; how they can make a real difference in the world by combining new technologies and sustainable practices to concepts that appear wholly futuristic.

I first wrote about the Supertree Grove for an architecture website in 2006/7. At the time, it went viral on Digg (which was a vastly different social media machine than it is now). Readers shared like crazy. They were intrigued and amazed, but, like so many overly ambitious design bids, it was dismissed as another crazy idea that would never see the light of day.

It was only when I visited Singapore a few years ago that I realised the bid had won, and this ingenious plan to recycle rainwater and generate enough energy to sustain the adjoining conservatories was created.

Sitting on the southern edge of Singapore, near Sentosa Island, this amazing complex made entirely of recycled materials was top of my list of places to visit.

It’s the perfect place to recover from a long flight or if you only have a few days to spare when visiting Singapore. Large grassy areas provide plenty of places to stretch out and examine the twisted metal branches and suspended walkways from below. And if you squint hard enough you may even be able to see the infamous – and slightly intimidating – rooftop pool at the nearby Marina Bay Sands Hotel.

If you want to know a little more about the processes in place at Gardens by the Bay, visit their website, or read my post from a few years ago.