SINGAPORE - Visitors to The Sembcorp Cool House at the National Orchid Garden might feel like they have been transported into a cloud forest half the world away, with the cool air, a waterfall and orchids from across the globe. The facility is one of the jewels in the crown of the new Tropical Montane Orchidetum, which was opened by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Saturday (April 3). It comes after extensive enhancement work at the National Orchid Garden undertaken by the National Parks Board (NParks) from 2017 and at a cost of about $35 million. The work was expected to be completed in 2019 but was delayed due to design and technical challenges as well as the Covid-19 pandemic. The Orchidetum is designed to simulate the experience of ascending through a tropical montane forest and features orchids and other plants. A montane forest, also known as cloud forest, describes a terrain found in mountainous areas - an environment far removed from Singapore. The Orchidetum contains three display houses - The Sembcorp Cool House, the Yuen Peng McNeice Bromeliad Collection and the Tan Hoon Siang Mist House - which have been expanded from their original sizes. The Sembcorp Cool House has b...