Buona Vista community node at Rail Corridor, Singapore
At the meeting point of nature, movement, and city life, the Buona Vista Node marks a defining moment in the transformation of Singapore’s Rail Corridor. Designed by Grant Associates in partnership with SOM and DCA Architects for Ho Bee Land, the project creates the first community node along the corridor’s southern section. Conceived together with the adjacent Elementum development, the urban green space becomes a porous landscape that reconnects people to the nation’s natural and cultural landscape.
Opened in April 2024, the park is the outcome of a multi-year collaboration between design teams, agencies, and community partners. Located between The Metropolis and Elementum in One North district, it extends the ecological and social networks of the Rail Corridor into a vibrant civic landscape.
Connecting city and nature
Once the site of Singapore’s historic rail link to Malaysia, the Rail Corridor is now a continuous green spine that weaves through the city, linking neighbourhoods, biodiversity, and heritage. Here, movement structures the plan. A clear north–south pedestrian axis links the Rail Corridor’s main path to plazas and the adjacent developments, while secondary paths branch into rest points and amenities, allowing users to enter the site from multiple directions.
Grant Associates’ design negotiates significant site constraints, including drainage reserves, MRT corridors and site topography, to create a landscape that is both functional and restorative. The node bridges the transition between urban edges and the corridor’s rustic character, offering an accessible and welcoming public space for everyday use.
A landscape for community life
The 1.6-hectare park comprises a series of interconnected spaces: a large open lawn for gatherings and events, fitness areas for all ages, and a biophilic playground designed to encourage social interaction and outdoor play.
Shaded pathways and gentle ramps ensure barrier-free access from surrounding estates, transit nodes, and adjacent developments in One North.
The lighting design considers impact to wildlife while extending the park’s usability into the evening. Lighting is kept low and warm on ecological edges to protect wildlife movement at night, while sensitively-placed lighting near amenities maintain a safe and atmospheric environment after dark, reflecting the ecological guidance applied across the broader Rail Corridor landscape.
Each zone supports a distinct rhythm of public life – morning exercise, afternoon play, and evening gatherings in nature.
Ecological and cultural continuity
The landscape builds on the Rail Corridor’s broader ecological strategy, extending native and adapted planting to attract pollinators and birds and to soften the corridor’s urban edges. Rain gardens and swales manage stormwater naturally, drawing inspiration from the site’s historic waterways.
Beyond ecology, the design acknowledges the corridor’s layered cultural heritage – from its origins as a railway route to its present role as a public greenway. Textures, materials, and planting palettes evoke this continuity, balancing durability with legibility and allowing visitors to sense the memory of the landscape even as it evolves.
A legacy for movement and imagination
The Buona Vista Node embodies the Rail Corridor’s larger vision: a connected sequence of green destinations that celebrates the interaction between city, nature, and community. It invites new ways of seeing and experiencing urban life through movement and play.
As the first realised community node along the southern corridor, the project establishes a benchmark for future sites, demonstrating how landscape can transform infrastructure into a shared civic realm. Together with Elementum, it anchors a new urban ecology in the heart of Singapore – one that fosters biodiversity, well-being, and belonging.
Project Data
Landscape Architects: Grant Associates
Client: Ho Bee Land Limited
Design Architect: SOM
Architect: DCA Architects
C&S Consultant: Mott Macdonald Singapore
M&E Consultant: Mott Macdonald Singapore
ESD Consultant: Building System and Diagnostic
Quantity Surveyor: AECOM
Lighting Design: Light Collab
Photography: Mi Metipat
Location: Singapore
Type: Community/Urban Park
Built: 2024
