Library@orchard, Singapore Sep 8, 2025

The library@orchard at Orchard Gateway in Singapore, featured here, reflects a bold shift in how libraries engage with younger audiences. Its journey began in 1999 when then-Minister for Information and the Arts, Lee Yock Suan, inaugurated the original space on the fifth floor of Ngee Ann City along Orchard Road. After closing in 2007 due to rising rents, the concept was revived and redefined—returning in 2014 to its present home at Orchard Gateway where it continues to inspire a new generation of readers and creators. Spanning two visually distinct levels—The Studio and The Loft—this 1,700-square-metre space holds a curated collection of 100,000 items. Developed in collaboration with students and lecturers from Singapore Polytechnic, this library is a dynamic environment for learning, expression and creative exploration in the heart of Orchard Road.

© Darwin Fan/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Sep 8, 2023The Circus, Bath, Somerset, England
Sep 8, 2024Abbey of Saint-Martin-du-Canigou
Sept 8, 2026Beech tree in a cereal field, Hampshire, England

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Aug 4, 2025Great grey owls
May 4, 2024The ruins of an ancient monastery, Skellig Michael, Ireland
June 11, 2026Limpets at low tide on the coast of Praia da Ursa, Portugal
Jan 6, 2025Flooded crypt, Basilica of San Francesco, Ravenna, Italy
Jun 25, 2025St. Michaels Church Tower on Glastonbury Tor, Glastonbury, Somerset, England
Dec 2, 2025Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, United States
Mar 19, 2026Short-beaked echidna, Adelaide Hills, Australia
Jan 11, 2025Heri es-Swani in Meknes, Morocco
Aug 7, 2024St. Joseph North Pier Inner and Outer Lights, Michigan, USA
Jul 29, 2025Bengal tiger, India
Dec 25, 2024Lakes of Covadonga, Asturias, Spain
July 22, 2026Port de Saint-Goustan, Auray, Brittany, France
Feb 5, 2024Monarch butterflies
Oct 22, 2025Belogradchik Rocks, Bulgaria
Apr 14, 2026Common clownfish in a sea anemone, Raja Ampat Islands, Indonesia
Jan 31, 2026Plains zebras, Etosha National Park, Namibia
Jun 6, 2025Common pheasant, Normandy, France
July 17, 2026Vai, Crete, Greece
Feb 28, 2024Bamburgh Castle, Northumberland, England
Aug 14, 2025Piz Nair mountain, Switzerland
Sep 12, 2023North Sea at sunset, Norddorf, Germany
Apr 15, 2026Forgetmenot Pond, Kananaskis Country, Alberta, Canada
Sep 29, 2023Jiaxiu Tower, Guiyang, China
Jan 18, 2024Pont Alexandre III, Paris, France
Dec 31, 2025Oberbaum Bridge, Berlin, Germany
Apr 8, 2025Piazza Maggiore, Bologna, Italy
May 26, 2025Hozugawa River in Arashiyama, Kyoto, Japan
Sep 1, 2025Kaiserstuhl, Germany
Jul 30, 2024San Gimignano, Siena, Italy
Jan 10, 2026The Matterhorn reflected in Lake Stellisee at sunrise, Zermatt, Switzerland