| Scheduled for completion in 2009, the Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort (MBSIR) certainly looks all set to play a key role in the area’s buzzing hive of activity. As Southeast Asia’s first luxury integrated resort, the development will be home to premier conference and exhibition facilities, edutainment attractions, retail outlets, as well as wining and dining establishments. With its powerful and impressive design by renowned architect Moshe Safdie, the MBSIR will also add a fresh dimension to our city skyline. |
| the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), in collaboration with National Library Board (NLB) and Marina Bay Sands (MBS), jointly presented a
talk and exhibition titled “Designing Leisure – Inspirations from the Marina Bay Sands”. |
| Through such outreach platforms, URA aims to build upon the community’s interest in Marina Bay to raise awareness and appreciation of good design and architecture in our built environment. By celebrating outstanding examples of good architecture in our city and presenting these to the community, we hope that people will be more conscious of the diverse range of enriching experiences that our city can offer through thoughtful design elements. |
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| More than 300 architects, planners, developers and other building professionals gathered on 22 May 2007 at The URA Centre to catch a
talk by Mr Moshe Safdie, chief architect for the project. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hear firsthand from the architect, whose internationally acclaimed works have become landmarks in leading global cities. |
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The affable and unassuming Mr Safdie explained to the full-capacity crowd how the MBSIR’s design evolved from concept to construction, and explained how the resort integrated with the waterfront, the future bay bridge, underground train station and Gardens by the Bay. |
| Distilling the intense three-and-a-half month period when the design was first conceived and submitted for the competitive bid, Mr Safdie
also brought the audience through the thinking process of ensuring that the development responds closely to the planning intentions of the area and is neatly integrated within site context – which is a clear source of inspiration in itself. |
| is designed to be accessible to the public. Promenades and public spaces lace through the complex as spines of activities, with two major view corridors linking and providing views and pedestrian connectivity to Marina Bay. The seawall is expressed as a series of curves and tiers, playing with the change in levels and views to bring people closer to the water.
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| In terms of building massing, the podiums facing the bay are kept as low as possible, and capped with wave-like roofs which draw the eye up to the three towering hotel blocks. With a client committed to strive for the Green Mark for Buildings in the MBSIR’s design, Mr Safdie and his design team set forth to capitalise on the east-west movement of the sun by weaving greenery into the design at the promenade level, threading through the buildings, and up along the eastern facades to the rooftop garden. |
| With the ArtScience Museum, a major attraction where visitors will explore the connection between the arts and sciences, the design team went through at least 40 models to refine its lotus-like form. Maintaining the essence of initial sketches, the museum has since evolved into a key feature housing galleries and a 350-seat amphitheatre. Mr Safdie candidly shared the team's struggles with the audience, pointing out examples which were not to his satisfaction, before showing how they arrived at the final solution. |
| A travelling exhibition which featured a large
model of the MBSIR and its design highlights premiered at URA on 14 May 2007 before making
its next stop at the National Library in June. |
| This showcase enabled us to share with the community the excitement arising from the upcoming plans for Marina Bay to transform
it into a flourishing downtown district that
promises brand-new business, lifestyle, entertainment and residential options. |
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