Asia’s first adventure-based zoological park – Rainforest Wild Asia – opened to the public on 12 March 2025. Designed to offer an immersive and sensory journey, the 10-hectare wildlife park is a bold new addition to the Mandai Wildlife Reserve in Singapore.
Grant Associates was appointed in 2017 by Mandai Wildlife Group, to co-lead the landscape vision up to full tender documentation, alongside CLR Design. Following this initial design work, the design and build construction contract was awarded to contractor China Jingye Engineering Corporation in 2020, who engaged DP Architects and DP Green as part of their consultant team to refine and implement the project.
A living landscape
Working closely with Mandai Wildlife Group, the design team created a wildlife park that dissolves visible boundaries between people, wildlife, and nature, inviting visitors to immerse themselves within rainforest habitats. The park features open, naturalistic habitats where animals like the hog deer, Malayan tiger and bearded pig roam freely without visible barriers, creating chance encounters as visitors explore.
This design draws inspiration from Southeast Asia’s rainforests and their structure of emergent trees, layered canopies, and deep understoreys. More than 7,000 native trees and shrubs were planted to complement retained tree clusters and reinforce ecological connectivity. Integrated landscape elements such as rock formations, streams and waterfalls, highlight natural ecological processes.
Adventure as interpretation
The design reframes adventure as a form of ecological interpretation. Visitors can choose their level of immersion, ranging from universally accessible elevated walkways to physically challenging forest treks and guided climbing routes. These curated journeys vary in intensity and offer different perspectives of animal habitats.
For the adventurous, additional options include harnessed, guided tours along a via ferrata path to scale karst walls up to 20m, simulated cave expedition involving a 10m abseil and narrow tunnels, or controlled freefall experiences from 13m or 20m platforms.
Fallen logs, rock scrambles, and other tactile elements are scattered throughout the park to ensure visitors engage with the landscape, and provide opportunities to learn about rainforest ecology.
A park organised as ecological narrative
The visitor journey unfolds through a sequence of landscape zones inspired by Southeast Asia’s ecological landmarks — from karst gateways and forest edges to cavern systems and shadowed understoreys.
This layered progression is designed to heighten emotional response: curiosity at the forest edge, awe in the cavern, and reflection at watering holes and clearings. Trails, elevated platforms, and natural light are choreographed to frame key moments while preserving habitat quality.
These landscape elements draw on specific regional precedents. Walkways and structures are carefully threaded between retained trees, with significant species transplanted or protected during construction. Fallen timber was reused for furniture and thematic elements, reinforcing a regenerative design approach.
Universal Design principles ensure accessibility throughout. Elevated walkways and cavern routes accommodate wheelchairs and strollers, with rest areas and shelters integrated across the site.
The Cavern: a subterranean landscape of light and stone
The Cavern, the park’s most ambitious environment, recreates the drama and complexity of Southeast Asia’s karst landscapes. Inspired by Sarawak’s Mulu Caves, it comprises nine chambers shaped by light, geology, water and sound.
This sequence was developed through intensive fieldwork: expeditions to Mulu, geological sampling, colour studies, and high-resolution 3D laser scanning of cave textures to inform digital models. These scans enabled the team to resolve accessibility, structural coordination, and overhead clearances while preserving geological authenticity.
The result is an immersive spatial narrative — from twilight chambers and echoing vaults to dramatic light shaft of the Oculus — where geology and ecology converge.
A vision for connection
Andrew Grant, founder and director at Grant Associates, says: “This project redefines what it means to connect with nature. Our approach has been to create a landscape that feels as authentic and immersive as possible, allowing visitors to step into the heart of a thriving rainforest ecosystem. We’re thrilled to see this vision come to life and hope it inspires a deeper appreciation for biodiversity and conservation.”
Through a fusion of landscape architecture, ecological design and adventure, Rainforest Wild Asia extends Mandai Wildlife Reserve’s mission to inspire appreciation and stewardship of the natural world. The project demonstrates how landscape-led design can heighten emotional and physical connections to biodiversity, shifting visitors from passive observers to active participants in the landscape narrative.
Project Data
Landscape Architect: Grant Associates
Location: Mandai, Singapore
Construction began: 2020
Completion: March 2025
Client: Mandai Park Development Ltd
Site size: 10 hectares
Architect: CPG Consultants
Master planner/ Zoo Specialist: CLR Design
C&S Engineers: AECOM
M&E Engineers: Squire Mech
Quantity surveyor: Arcadis Singapore
Adventure Specialist: Stretchmarks Asia
Irrigation Specialist: Water Equipment Technology
Lighting Designer: Lighting Planners Associates
Signage Designer: Acacia Design
Arborist & Biodiversity Specialist: Camphora
Main Contractor: China Jingye Engineering Corporation
D&B Design Consultants: DP Architects, DP Green
Photos credit: Mi Metipat
Vision co-led to tender by Grant Associates and CLR Design
Location: Singapore
Type: Park, Zoo
Built: 2025
