What’s new in Singapore’s Sentosa: A tech and nature-inspired attraction, your next must-visit

March 15, 2024 | 10:20am

SINGAPORE — While Taylor Swift certainly lit up Singapore this March, Sentosa Island has unveiled a light spectacle of its own with the launch of a new immersive “multi-sensory” landmark.

Singapore’s landscape of innovation welcomes a new addition as it opens Sentosa Sensoryscape, its latest attraction melding nature-inspired architecture with technology to offer an immersive phygital experience to visitors. 

Located centrally on Sentosa, the vast 30,000-square-meter Sentosa Sensoryscape connects Resorts World Sentosa in the north to the island’s southern beaches via a walkway adorned with six sensory gardens that feature soundscapes, interactive digital light art and some augmented reality (AR) features. 

“If you look at the trajectory of recovery, Sensoryscape will be an anchor to help us support the recovery of tourism in this year and the year after,” Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC) Chief Executive Officer Thien Kwee Eng shared with Philstar.com.

“We believe it is truly offering an inspiring and unique first-of-its-kind experience for our guests, and it will be an icon for Sentosa. Every visitor that comes to Singapore, we hope they come to Sentosa to enjoy Sensoryscape,” she added. 

A celebration of the senses

True to its name, each sensory garden, namely, Lookout Loop, Palate Playground, Glow Garden, Tactile Trellis, Scented Sphere, Symphony Streams, appeals to different human senses, including imagination which SDC refers to as the sixth sense. 

What catches the eyes right away are the three diagrid structures Tactile Trellis, Scented Sphere, and Symphony Stream which architecture was inspired by woven baskets popular in Asia. These structures enclose guests within, inviting them to appreciate the curated landscape in their view.

The Tactile Terrils, as its name suggests, is all about textures, allowing guests to feel various plants with interesting textures, such as the velvety Chinese wormwood, feathery Asparagus plant and spiky Juniperus plants. 

Meanwhile, the Scented Sphere takes your nose on a journey within a forest-like steel sculpture filled with meticulously picked scented plants. 

Lastly, the Symphony Stream allows guests to dive into serenity with the therapeutic sound of trickling water. 

Senses come to life with tech

But at night, the Sensoryscape changes into an even more immersive experience, with technology lighting up seven unique digital light art installations and bringing each of the three vessels’ inspirations to life.

Once you step into the Tactile Trellis, you’ll witness a light projection telling the story of how light and fire sparked the sense of imagination among our predecessors. 

The Scented Sphere becomes an interactive light art experience featuring flowers that bloom in a lush forest. Making things more immersive, through the downloadable app ImagiNite, the park’s AR feature can be activated to see and capture photos of butterflies dancing with guests within the landscape. 

Meanwhile, at the Symphony Stream, digital floor projections transform the vessel into an underwater world, with creatures swimming around the area. Through the power of AR, visitors will find themselves hanging out with jellyfish, sea turtles and more. 

According to Keigo Miki of 1-10, Inc, the team behind the AR-powered app Imaginite, the immersive offering through AR adds another dimension to the Sentosa Sensoryscape experience. 

“While the digital light art projects are fun canvases for guests to interact and play with, the immersive augmented reality offerings take things up a notch, transporting guests to an ethereal realm of imagination,” he said. 

A new Sentosa attraction

Beyond Universal Studios Singapore and Resorts World, Sentosa Island offers numerous other attractions and spots waiting to be enjoyed, with the Sentosa Sensoryscape being its latest addition.

Apart from the three main vessels, there are more spots at the SensoryScape that visitors can immerse themselves in.

Enjoy a panoramic view at the highly Instagrammable Lookout Loop. At night this elevated garden bursts into life with animated light beams extending skyward, and visitors can find themselves in an enchanting environment created by dry mist.

Where’s the sense of taste, you might ask? The Palate Playground is the spot for that. This garden features different edible plants, like pandan and ginger.

At night, Palate Playground transforms into a feeding ground for the virtual creatures that inhabit Sentosa, and when you step onto the interactive floor, you can learn more about flora and fauna, and the food web. 

Lastly, see flower stalks light up at the Glow Garden. In the evening, this flight of stairs comes alive as giant LED light structures rhythmically shift colors and glow. 

If you come at the right time, you can oversee the award-winning “Wings of Time” light show from this spot. 

Described as the Sentosa master development plan’s “first milestone project,” the Sentosa Sensory Scape is now accessible to the public for free starting March 14, and is anticipated to draw more tourists to Sentosa island. 

Editor’s Note: This media familiarization trip was sponsored by Sentosa Development Corporation.