Henderson Waves — bridge
Zairon · CC BY-SA 4.0

Henderson Waves

  • 2 min read
  • 1.276° N 103.816° E

Interesting facts

  • The wave geometry was generated from mathematical equations written by architect George Legendre of IJP, rather than drawn freehand.
  • The digital 3D model was unravelled into flat 2D sections so that local craftsmen could cut and assemble the curved timber by hand.
  • The bridge rests on reinforced concrete pylons, the tallest of which rises about 38 metres from the valley floor.
  • Its seven spans are spaced irregularly because the supports had to straddle the six-lane road running beneath.
  • The yellow balau decking was tracked by DNA testing to prove the tropical hardwood had been legally and sustainably sourced.
  • Construction began in September 2006, and the whole project was valued at about £2.6 million.
  • In 2009 it was named Design of the Year in Singapore's President's Design Award.

Why it is worth it

High above a busy road in the south of Singapore, a pedestrian deck threads through a sequence of curving ribs that rise and dip like a line of breaking waves. Henderson Waves is the highest pedestrian bridge in Singapore, its walkway standing about 36 metres above Henderson Road, and it links two forested hills of the island's Southern Ridges with a single sculptural gesture.

The bridge grew out of a 2002 plan by Singapore's Urban Redevelopment Authority to tie together a chain of hill parks along the southern ridge, from Kent Ridge to Mount Faber, with new footpaths and bridges. A design competition followed, and the scheme chosen for the crossing over Henderson Road came from the London-based IJP Architects with the engineers AKT, working with the Singapore firm RSP Architects Planners & Engineers. The structure is 274 metres long and 8 metres wide. Its signature is a wave form made of seven undulating curved steel ribs that alternately arch over and dip below the deck; where they rise, they create sheltered alcoves fitted with benches, and the deck is laid with slats of yellow balau, a durable Southeast Asian hardwood. At night the curves are traced by LED lighting. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong opened the bridge on 10 May 2008 together with its sister crossing, Alexandra Arch, and the same year it was shortlisted at the first World Architecture Festival awards.

The Southern Ridges trail that the bridge completes runs for about 10 km through secondary forest and parkland between Kent Ridge Park, Telok Blangah Hill Park and Mount Faber, one of the oldest parks in Singapore, whose summit looks out over the harbour. Henderson Waves forms the link between Telok Blangah Hill Park and Mount Faber Park, so from its deck the view takes in both the rainforest canopy below and the towers and cranes of the city beyond.

Getting there

Henderson Waves crosses Henderson Road in the Telok Blangah area of southern Singapore, between Mount Faber Park and Telok Blangah Hill Park. Singapore Changi Airport (SIN), the island's international airport, is about 22 km away; the smaller Seletar Airport (XSP) is about 16 km away.

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Nearby places

On these lists

The Most Beautiful Bridges 63The Greatest Engineering Wonders 271

From the encyclopaedia

Henderson Waves is a pedestrian bridge crossing Henderson Road in the Southern Ridges in Singapore. Along with Alexandra Arch, the bridge is one of two pedestrian bridges that form part of the walking trail connecting the Southern Ridges with Mount Faber, and is the highest pedestrian bridge in Singapore. The sun-shading, curved, wooden ribs are illuminated at night.

Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

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