Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum

The Natural History Museum of Singapore is the repository and exhibition space for specimens and artifacts that were formerly housed in the old National History Museum. The Natural History Museum is also a venue for biodiversity research. The rationale for the museum as an education centre led to the creation of four distinct areas; simulating the natural habitat for plants native to Singapore that fill a 6-story cleft in the building's 'cliff-like facade'. Between the geodic-shaped, main building and the supporting laboratory facilities are a series of interactive native species. These exhibits are freshwater mangroves, aquatic plants, palms, and other native flowering plants. To encourage hands-on learning, small, micro-ecosystem pools allow children of all ages to interact with the exhibits. On the east side of the building, a phylogenetic garden showcases distinct shrub species that demonstrate the evolution of native plant species over time. On the north side of the Museum, an extensive 'beach' environment and interactive mangrove pools replicate the evolution of an equatorial rainforest island. Interactive mangrove pools highlight the importance of the contributions these habitats made to Singapore's brackish rivers.