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Safdie Architects will expand Marina Bay Sands for 2029

2024-04-08T13:02:00-04:00

Safdie Architects has announced plans for a programmatic expansion of their previous Marina Bay Sands design in Singapore.

The scheme calls for the addition of a new luxury hotel tower with a sky roof, a 15,000-seat entertainment venue, and further spaces reserved for work, retail, and dining.

The project is being undertaken to provide a boost to Singapore’s tourism sector, which is considered lagging behind other destinations in the Asia-Pacific region in spite of strong post-pandemic numbers. (The resort has drawn more than 470 million visitors since its opening, according to a press release from its Las Vegas-based management group.)

Rendering of the new entertainment arena. Image courtesy Marina Bay Sands

"The all-suite hotel tower will set new standards of hospitality, the state-of-the-art arena will help attract the highest-caliber global entertainment events and artists, and the additional convention and exhibition space will extend the success of Singapore as a leading MICE d...

Safdie Architects opens world's longest sky bridge in China

2020-06-09T18:41:00-04:00

A new 300-meter-long sky bridge connecting four skyscraper towers at the Safdie Architects-designed Raffles City Chongqing has made its public debut.

The tube-shaped bridge is lifted 250 meters into the sky and contains a bevy of recreational and tourist-oriented programs, including a 270-degree vantage over the city. The viewing deck features an all-glass platform and is currently open with reduced capacity due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

View down the length of the sky bridge. Image credit: Tang An Bing 唐安冰.

View inside the sky bridge. Image courtesy of CapitaLand.

The sky bridge represents the marquee attraction at the massive 1,127,000-square-meter development, which also features a multi-story, 220,000-square-meter shopping mall at its base, 1,400 luxury housing units, a hotel, and 150,000 square meters of Grade-A office space, all spread out across eight towers.

View of the observation platform. Image courtesy of CapitaLand.

Six of the concrete towers rise 250-meters each while th...

'Detroit Skybridge' lights up abandoned walkway with work by contemporary artist Phillip K. Smith III

2018-09-14T14:47:00-04:00

The 100-foot-long skybridge connecting two of Detroit's most iconic buildings has been brought back to life with the colorful, site-specific work of Phillip K. Smith III, who has transformed the abandoned passageway into a floating bar of light hovering above the streets of downtown Detroit.

Phillip K. Smith III's Detroit Skybridge, 2018; Acrylic, aluminum, LED lighting, electronic components, unique color program; Photo by Lance Gerber. Courtesy of the artist and Library Street Collective.

Sandwiched between the Guardian Building and One Woodward, the 16th floor passing was constructed in the late 70s to allow employees of the Michigan Consolidated Gas company and the American Natural Resources Co.—which occupied the two buildings—to pass freely. When the American Natural Resource Co. relocated in the 90s, decreased usage led to the walkway's subsequent closure and it has since sat abandoned.

Phillip K. Smith III's Detroit Skybridge, 2018; Acrylic, aluminum, ...