Rainforest Wild Adventure among winners of inclusive design award

Aisah Binti Ibrahim (centre), 79, member of Disabled People’s Association, boarding the Canopy Glider with the help of her caregiver Sri Lestari (right), 30, at Rainforest Wild Adventure East on Sept 15.

Published Sep 15, 2026, 08:23 PM

Updated Sep 15, 2026, 08:23 PM

SINGAPORE — For the first time since she started using a wheelchair 12 years ago, 79-year-old Aisah Ibrahim was able to experience an amusement park ride - the Rainforest Wild Adventure East’s Canopy Glider.

The accessible ride, which skims over animal habitats and through trees, has design features that make boarding a breeze even for those using wheelchairs.

“At first I felt so scared due to the height of the ride… but I loved the experience,” said Aisah during a visit to the park on Sept 15.

Rainforest Wild Adventure East is Singapore’s fifth wildlife park at the Mandai Wildlife Reserve. It was one of four projects to win the Building and Construction Authority’s (BCA) Universal Design Excellence Award (UDEA) this year.

Two out of 18 seats on its Canopy Glider ride have removable side guards and armrests. Staff are also equipped with a portable ramp to help wheelchair users get on and off.

Aisah Binti Ibrahim (right), 79, member of Disabled People?s Association, riding the Canopy Glider with the help of her caregiver Sri Lestari (left), 30, at Rainforest Wild Adventure East on Sept 15. The Straits Times

Aisah Binti Ibrahim (right), 79, member of Disabled People?s Association, riding the Canopy Glider with the help of her caregiver Sri Lestari (left), 30, at Rainforest Wild Adventure East on Sept 15.

At the park, free wheelchairs are available for elderly guests or those with disabilities, and signs on the handrails feature Braille translations for visually impaired guests to navigate the park independently.

Wayfinding signages with braille embossed at Rainforest Wild Adventure East on Sept 15. The Straits Times

Wayfinding signages with braille embossed at Rainforest Wild Adventure East on Sept 15.

To make the park more accessible, its eight-metre uphill route uses an over 15-metre gradual elevated ramp, said Toh Sze Chong, project director for DP Architects, who helped in the park’s building process.

The park also has an accessible changing room with adult changing tables, to help caregivers safely assist with personal care needs. There are plans to build more such changing rooms in the other four parks.

Said vice president of park operations Maggie Ang: “Once the park is accessible, once the park is inclusive and comfortable, then everybody will be able to discover the fascinating world of wildlife.”

Other inclusive design award winners

A four-storey extension to the Enabling Village, including a new 750-metre sheltered walkway linking Redhill MRT through the village to the Bukit Merah belt, also won the UDEA award.

A 350-metre section of this walkway is colour-contrasted and textured, with eight way-finding totems that show what is inside each building through diagrams and in Braille.

A wayfinding totem (left) and a footpath (right) for the visually handicapped at the Enabling Village on Sept 15. The Straits Times

A wayfinding totem (left) and a footpath (right) for the visually handicapped at the Enabling Village on Sept 15.

Chong Kwek Bin, the co-creator of Enable Lane and manager of innovation at SG Enable, said the lane is useful for those with visual impairment, like himself, and is also wheelchair accessible as it does not use indicators that protrude from the ground.

“Accessibility is always a work in progress… I do hope that other buildings, other physical premises, the owners and developers will find the pilots which are being run at (the) village useful and it opens up their minds to the possibility of trying out something that can benefit everyone,” he added.

Chong Kwek Bin, 45, co-creator of Enable Lane and manager of innovation at SG Enable, walking on Enable Lane at the Enabling Village on Sept 15. The Straits Times

Chong Kwek Bin, 45, co-creator of Enable Lane and manager of innovation at SG Enable, walking on Enable Lane at the Enabling Village on Sept 15.

The other two UDEA recipients were Great World Mall, which was enhanced for accessibility in 2023, and Harmony Village @ Bukit Batok, Singapore’s first community care apartment.

User-friendly facility information available on Maps

On Sept 15, BCA also announced that parents searching for a diaper-changing station, seniors looking for barrier-free routes, and wheelchair users checking for accessible toilets can now find these amenities via Google Maps or at maps.gov.sg/friendlybuildings .

Over 600 public and commercial buildings across Singapore are included in this database, created in collaboration with Google Maps, Open Government Products and BCA. Accessible washrooms, hearing enhancement systems and lactation spaces are among the seven accessible amenities listed.

The information will be updated as new buildings are completed and assessed, while building owners can also directly update their building information on Google Maps.

Director of building plan and universal design at BCA, Tan Jwu Yih, said BCA is also working with building owners to expand coverage to older buildings.

Mandai Wildlife Group

9 月 15 日，79 岁的残疾人协会成员艾莎·宾蒂·易卜拉欣（中）在 30 岁的护理员斯里·莱斯塔里（右）的帮助下，登上了雨林野生探险东部的树冠滑翔机。

发布于 2026 年 9 月 15 日晚上 8:23

更新于2026年9月15日晚上8:23

新加坡——79 岁的艾莎·易卜拉欣 (Aisah Ibrahim) 自 12 年前开始使用轮椅以来，第一次体验了游乐园的游乐设施——雨林野生探险东部的树冠滑翔机。

这条无障碍轨道车掠过动物栖息地，穿过树林，其设计特点使得即使是使用轮椅的人也能轻松登车。

“一开始我因为游乐设施的高度而感到非常害怕……但我很喜欢这种体验，”艾莎在9月15日游览公园时说道。

雨林野生探险东园是新加坡万代野生动物保护区的第五个野生动物园。它是今年获得新加坡建设局（BCA）通用设计卓越奖（UDEA）的四个项目之一。

其“树冠滑翔机”游乐设施的18个座位中，有两个座位配有可拆卸的侧护板和扶手。工作人员还配备了便携式坡道，以帮助轮椅使用者上下车。

9月15日，79岁的残疾人协会成员艾莎·宾蒂·易卜拉欣（右）在30岁的护理员斯里·莱斯塔里（左）的帮助下，在雨林野生探险东部体验树冠滑翔机。《海峡时报》

9 月 15 日，79 岁的残疾人协会成员艾莎·宾蒂·易卜拉欣（右）在 30 岁的护理员斯里·莱斯塔里（左）的帮助下，在雨林野生探险东部乘坐树冠滑翔机。

公园内为老年游客或残疾人士提供免费轮椅，扶手上的标志配有盲文翻译，方便视障游客独立游览公园。

9月15日，《海峡时报》报道，雨林野生探险东区设有带有盲文压印的导视标牌。

9 月 15 日，雨林野生探险东区设有带有盲文压印的导视标志。

为了让公园更方便游客进入，公园8米长的上坡路段采用了超过15米长的缓坡式高架坡道。DP Architects的项目总监Toh Sze Chong说道，他曾参与公园的建设过程。

公园内还设有无障碍更衣室，配备成人换尿布台，方便护理人员安全地协助儿童进行个人护理。其他四个公园也计划建造类似的更衣室。

公园运营副总裁 Maggie Ang 表示：“一旦公园变得易于进入，一旦公园变得包容和舒适，那么每个人都将能够发现迷人的野生动物世界。”

其他包容性设计奖获奖者

Enabling Village 的四层扩建工程，包括一条连接 Redhill MRT 穿过该村与 Bukit Merah 地带的 750 米长的有顶走廊，也获得了 UDEA 奖。

这段 350 米长的步道采用色彩对比鲜明且富有纹理的设计，设有八个导视图腾，通过图表和盲文显示每栋建筑内部的情况。

9月15日，在“赋能村”（Enabling Village），为视障人士设置的指引路标（左）和人行道（右）。（《海峡时报》）

9 月 15 日，在 Enabling Village，为视障人士设置的寻路图腾（左）和人行道（右）。

Enable Lane 的联合创始人兼 SG Enable 创新经理 Chong Kwek Bin 表示，这条车道对像他一样有视力障碍的人很有用，而且由于它不使用从地面伸出的指示器，因此也方便轮椅通行。

“无障碍设施建设始终是一个不断完善的过程……我希望其他建筑物、其他场所的业主和开发商能够发现该村庄正在进行的试点项目很有用，并能让他们开阔眼界，尝试一些能够造福所有人的方案，”他补充道。

9月15日，45岁的张国斌（Chong Kwek Bin）——Enable Lane的联合创始人兼SG Enable的创新经理——走在Enabling Village的Enable Lane上。《海峡时报》

9 月 15 日，45 岁的 Chong Kwek Bin（Enable Lane 的联合创始人兼 SG Enable 的创新经理）走在 Enabling Village 的 Enable Lane 上。

另外两个 UDEA 受助项目分别是 2023 年进行了无障碍改造的 Great World Mall，以及新加坡首个社区护理公寓 Harmony Village @ Bukit Batok。

地图上提供用户友好的设施信息

9 月 15 日，新加坡建设局 (BCA) 还宣布，寻找换尿布台的家长、寻找无障碍路线的老年人以及查找无障碍厕所的轮椅使用者现在可以通过谷歌地图或 maps.gov.sg/friendlybuildings 找到这些设施。

该数据库收录了新加坡超过600座公共和商业建筑，由新加坡建设局（BCA）与谷歌地图、开放政府产品公司（Open Government Products）合作创建。无障碍洗手间、助听系统和哺乳室等七项无障碍设施均已列入其中。

随着新建筑的竣工和评估，相关信息将会更新；同时，建筑业主也可以直接在谷歌地图上更新其建筑信息。

新加坡建设局建筑规划及通用设计总监陈俊义表示，建设局也在与业主合作，将服务范围扩大到老旧建筑。

万代野生动物集团