Archinect - News

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...

Moshe Safdie says he 'paid a price' for antagonizing post-modernism

2022-10-31T12:22:00-04:00

“In the 70s and 80s, my ideas were ignored. I was antagonistic to postmodernism [...] and I paid a price.”

The 84-year-old Habitat 67 mastermind sat down with Rowan Moore to discuss his career and new memoir If Walls Could Speak: My Life in Architecture. Among other topics, he said he had “no idea” that his 2011 Marina Bay Sands design would become “an instant icon” and that the political situation in his native Israel brings him “great frustration” even though he believes supporters of the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanction) movement are making a “stupid mistake.”

Safdie then spoke to the chilling reception that met his post-Habitat endeavors in Puerto Rico and New York, which failed to “replicate like mushrooms” as the then 30-something architect had expected. An exhibition of Safdie’s unrealized work is conveniently on display at the Boston Architectural College’s McCormick Gallery from now through January 2nd.

Relate on Archinect: ‘More Than 50 Percent Of My Work Is Unbuilt’ says Moshe Safdie in new Time-Space-Existence video

“As an architect committed to building and impacting the e...

Moshe Safdie on making the iconic spaces that have defined his career

2022-09-27T09:00:00-04:00

On the heels of Safdie’s massive donation to his alma mater McGill University, the 84-year-old architect sat down with CNN in Singapore to dissect his career and discuss his new memoir If Walls Could Speak out next week from Grove Atlantic.

The creator of the iconic Marina Bay Sands (which is about to begin work on a $1.35 billion expansion he says will not include an extension of its famous skybridge) touched briefly on impressive recent designs around Asia, including the Jewel Changi Airport, Habitat Qinhuangdao, and Raffles City Chongqing before veering off into an assessment of the region’s labor markets. He then reasserted the idealism that helped define his career and lamented the contemporary faddish use of biophilia — an element critical to the philosophies that are inherent in his garden-lined residential designs.

“There's a cynicism about so many architects...

Foster + Partner's new Apple Marina Bay Sands takes social media by storm

2020-08-31T17:17:00-04:00

Singapore's third Apple store to date, located at the Marina Bay Sands, has caught the public's eyes and has already made its presence on Instagram.

The floating, spherical structure sits near the iconic Marina Bay Sands Hotel in Singapore, designed by Safdie Architects. Designed by long-time Apple collaborator Foster + Partners, the orb-shaped, colorfully lit store has already received fanfare on social media outlets.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Majid Hussain™ | Singapore(@sgmajidhussain) on Aug 30, 2020 at 3:36am PDT
View this post on Instagram A post shared by tony (@tonytitanium) on Aug 29, 2020 at 8:41am PDT
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View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kelvin Heng | 王俊杰 (@kelv.li...

As Singapore grows from the sea, its heritage continues to shrink

2018-03-12T14:38:00-04:00

Short on space, the city-state has since its independence been reclaiming land to build the nation and to rewrite 'unhygienic' episodes of its history.

In his essay for Failed Architecture, William Jamieson, a PhD candidate in Geography at Royal Holloway, University of London, takes a look at Singapore's monumental land reclamation efforts since 1965, the ecological, urban, and cultural implications, and the inevitable erasing of heritage.

"Singapore sees itself as chronically undersized," Jamieson writes. "It imagines itself as a larger country, and works backwards: materialising the necessary geographical puzzle pieces to suit the demands of the global economy as much as to satiate its own needs. Space is not merely flexible, but hypothetical."

Marina Bay Sands 2.0: Moshe Safdie sets record for tallest sky bridge with new "horizontal skyscraper" in Chongqing

2018-02-26T13:57:00-05:00

Construction of The Conservatory sky bridge has given Raffles City Chongqing the title of development with the highest sky bridge linking the most number of towers. [...] Designed by Moshe Safdie, Raffles City Chongqing also consists of a 350-m supertall skyscraper, which currently holds two records for being China’s tallest residential tower and Chongqing’s tallest building.

Image: CapitaLand

If you thought Marina Bay Sands' sky bridge in Singapore was pretty impressive, hold your breath now for its younger, bigger sibling, Raffles City Chongqing, currently growing towards the sky in Central China.

Also designed by Safdie Architects, the 1.12 million sqm megadevelopment's centerpiece are four 250-tall skyscrapers holding up an enormous 300m-long and 30m-wide curved sky bridge—taller (of course) than its Singapore inspiration and now also holding the world record as the development with the highest sky bridge linking the most number of towers.

Image: CapitaLand

To make the project further stand out, the developers also threw in a couple of supertall 350m-tall apartment towers—one of which already topped out and took the title of China's tallest residential tower and Chongqing’s tallest building.

Image: CapitaLand

"Hoisting the three middle steel segments of The Conservatory—each weighing up to 1,100 tons—to the designated height of 250 m marks a world firs...

Singapore's Marina Bay Sands gets a spiffy state-of-the-art laser and water show

2017-06-01T14:05:00-04:00

Marina Bay Sands is set to unveil ‘Spectra’, a new entertainment experience with state-of-the-art light and water show in June. The city skyline will glimmer with a kaleidoscope of colours and lights each night with Spectra’s free-to-public outdoor light and water show displayed over the water at the Event Plaza along the promenade. Combining an array of state-of-the-art lasers, lighting, water effects and projections, the show promises to be a multimedia extravaganza [...].

"The show will also boast specially developed underwater LED fixtures that allow lights to show perfect whites and richer colour hues. Other state-of-the-art technology used in Spectra include a synchronisation software called timecode, which enables the soundtrack to trigger, down to the millisecond, all of the lasers, lighting, projections and water effects in harmony each time."

h/t CTBUH

Take a peek inside the mesmerizing Hotel Hotel, the 2015 World Interior of the Year

2015-11-06T20:35:00-05:00

Floating fragmented pieces of reclaimed timber energize the lobby space of the charmingly named Hotel Hotel, located in the blossoming precinct of NewActon in Canberra, Australia. Designed by Australian practice March Studio, the hotel was recently named World Interior of the Year at the INSIDE: World Festival of Interiors in Singapore's Marina Bay Sands.

Coinciding with the World Architecture Festival, INSIDE highlights the most outstanding projects in the international interior design scene. This year's competition started out with over 100 nominations that were narrowed down to nine category winners. After the nine teams vied for the overall-winning title in one final round of presentations, Hotel Hotel scored the prize at the end of the day.

Hotel Hotel is part of a wider scheme that includes offices, private residential apartments, cafes, and a cinema. A grand staircase at the center of the two-floor hotel draws in guests to the building's other main areas, which feature more rec...

Who will win World Building of the Year? World Architecture Festival 2015 continues with announcement of Day 2 winners

2015-11-05T18:38:00-05:00

Day Two of the World Architecture Festival Awards 2015 in Singapore just concluded with the announcement of 14 more category winners in the Completed Buildings and Future Projects sections. There's no surprise that these projects are as competitive as the Day 1 winners.

All the WAF Awards winners have been revealed, but the competition isn't over yet! During the final day of the festival tomorrow, the teams will face off in one last round of live presentations and project critiques with the super jury. The jurors will then select one Future Project of the Year and of course, the overall-winning World Building of the Year 2015.

Take a gander at the Day 2 winners:

COMPLETED BUILDINGS

↓ Schools: Ballet School | Russia. Designed by Studio 44 Architects.

↓ Religion: Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies | Qatar. Designed by Mangera Yvars Architects.

↓ Health: Walumba Elders Centre | Australia. Designed by Iredale Pedersen Hook Architects.

↓ Hotel & Leisure: Lanserhof, Lake Tegern | Germany. Designe...

Get a glimpse of the first set of World Architecture Festival 2015 winners

2015-11-04T20:36:00-05:00

The 2015 World Architecture Festival is back at the Moshe Safdie-designed Marina Bay Sands in Singapore once again. During the two-day event, which started today and concludes on November 6, attendees get to witness the competition unfold before their eyes as they watch architecture teams from around the world present their projects and listen to critiques from the "super jury". The 2015 super jurors include Peter Cook (UK), Sou Fujimoto (Japan), Benedetta Tagliabue (Spain), Charles Jencks (UK/US), Kerry Hill (Singapore) and Manuelle Gautrand (France).

The competition is anyone's game, with this year's shortlist rounding up 338 projects across 31 categories from architects based in 46 countries — including works from renowned firms. Day One of the event concluded with the announcement of 15 category winners, and more winning projects will be revealed tomorrow.

Here are the winners so far. Do any of them catch your eye?

Completed Buildings:

↓ HOUSE: Saigon House | Vietnam. Designed by a2...

The World Architecture Festival + INSIDE live competitions return to Marina Bay Sands this November

2015-06-25T08:59:00-04:00

The World Architecture Festival (WAF) is preparing for another eventful year at the Moshe Safdie-designed Marina Bay Sands in Singapore on November 4-6. Architects, designers, and clients from around the world gather to witness the happenings of the live architecture competition and form connections with some 2,000 of their fellow attendees. Needless to say, the competition attracts a number of stellar projects from today's leading designers, so it's anyone's game.

For 2015, the WAF shortlist boasts 338 projects across 31 categories from architects based in 46 countries.

From top to bottom: Fulton Center by Grimshaw; Cardedeu by EMC Arquitectura; Nanyang Technological University by Heatherwick Studio; Ribbon Chapel by Hiroshi Nakamura & NAP Co. Ltd.

During the event, WAF competitors will get the chance to interact and hear critiques from the 2015 ‘super jurors’: Sir Peter Cook (UK), Sou Fujimoto (Japan), Benedetta Tagliabue (Spain), Charles Jencks (UK/US), Kerry Hill (Singapore) and...

Second set of winners announced for INSIDE: World Festival of Interiors 2014

2014-10-03T12:34:00-04:00

Starting out with 60 shortlisted nominees across nine categories, the final four category winners of the INSIDE: World Festival of Interiors 2014 were announced in Marina Bay Sands, Singapore. The INSIDE awards competition -- which highlights the very best in the international interior design scene -- will conclude with one interior design project winning the top award, World Interior of the Year 2014.

Here's a glimpse at the second set of INSIDE winners:

Above - CATEGORY WINNER, Education and Health: Abedian School of Architecture, Bond University by CRAB studio

CATEGORY WINNER, Civic, Culture and Transport: CINE TIMES by One Plus Partnership Limited

CATEGORY WINNER, Offices: The Barbarian Group by Clive Wilkinson Architects

HIGHLY COMMENDED, Creative Re-use: Design Republic Design Commune by Neri&Hu Design and Research Office

See more of the projects and other details on Bustler.

World Architecture Festival 2014 - Day 2 winners

2014-10-02T17:29:00-04:00

The winning announcements continue with Day 2 of the World Architecture Festival 2014, currently happening at the Moshe Safdie-designed Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. In the second day of the international live competition event, a total of 13 winners were awarded in additional categories for the main sections of Completed Buildings and Future Projects.

Have a peek at some of the Day 2 winners below.

Pictured above - Completed Buildings - Culture: Danish Maritime Museum, Denmark, by BIG

↓ Completed Buildings - Civic and community: The Chapel, Vietnam, by a21studio

↓ Completed Buildings - Transport: Scale Lane Bridge, United Kingdom, by McDowell+Benedetti

↓ Future Projects - Residential: The Village, India, by Sanjay Puri Architects

↓ Future Projects - Experimental: Skyfarm, Italy, by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners and Arup Associates

See more of the winning projects on Bustler.

INSIDE: World Festival of Interiors 2014 reveals first five category winners

2014-10-01T21:20:00-04:00

Coinciding with the World Architecture Festival 2014 at the Marina Bay Sands, Singapore, the just-as-popular INSIDE: World Festival of Interiors honors the very best in the international interior design scene with its annual awards competition. Starting out with 60 shortlisted nominees across nine categories earlier this summer, the first five winners were revealed today.

Here's a few of this year's winning INSIDE projects:

Pictured above - CATEGORY WINNER, Retail - Cultura Bookstore in Sao Paulo by studio mk27

↓ CATEGORY WINNER, Display: IDC Space: research and display space for the International Design Centre in Singapore by Singapore University of Technology and Design

↓ CATEGORY WINNER, Residential: XINTIANDI PENTHOUSE in Shanghai, China by JOYCE WANG STUDIO

↓ HIGHLY COMMENDED, Retail: Camper Showroom/Office in Shanghai, China by Neri&Hu Design and Research Office

↓ HIGHLY COMMENDED, Hotels: The Tent in Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa, Vietnam by a21studio

See more of the winning projects on Bustler.

World Architecture Festival 2014 - Day 1 winners

2014-10-01T19:31:00-04:00

The World Architecture Festival 2014 is now in full swing at the Marina Bay Sands, Singapore, and the Day 1 competition winners have been revealed. The international live competition is unique in that it lets anyone apply and have a chance to win and event attendees can see the competition unfold before their eyes...For Day 1, the "super jury" selected 16 winners worldwide -- including projects in Vietnam, Iran, Brazil, Turkey, and the UK.

Here's a few winning projects in the Completed Buildings and Future Projects categories.

(Pictured above) Completed Buildings - House: House for Trees, Vietnam, by Vo Trong Nghia Architects

↓ Completed Buildings - Housing: The Carve, Norway, by A-Lab

↓ Completed Buildings - Religion: La Ascension del Señor Church, Spain, by AGi architects

↓ Future Projects - Culture: Freedom of the Press Monument, Brazil, by Gustavo Penna Arquiteto & Associados

↓ Future Projects - Commercial mixed-use: Isfahan Dreamland Commercial Center, Iran, by Farshad Mehdizadeh Architects

↓ Future Projects - House: The Olive Grove, Australia, by Ian Moore Architects

Find the rest of the winners and other project details on Bustler.

UPDATE: World Architecture Festival 2014 adds Ole Scheeren as speaker + new conference sessions

2014-09-08T18:28:00-04:00

The anticipated 2014 World Architecture Festival is less than a month away! Taking place at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore on October 1-3, WAF is expecting over 2,000 visitors from over 60 countries to experience a jam-packed program of conferences, seminars, workshops, and exhibitions. This year's WAF Awards shortlisters will also be preparing their live presentations to the Super Jury for the WAF Competition.

Just recently, WAF announced Ole Scheeren — the principal of Buro Ole Scheeren — as the latest addition to the notable lineup of keynote speakers. New sessions that were added to the program highlight building sustainable cities, a look into Heatherwick Studio's work, and a series of networking sessions titled "Meet your next client".

Details below.

Ole Scheeren announced as 2014 keynote speaker:

"The festival will start at 10am on Wednesday 1st from Ole Scheeren, Principal, Buro Ole Scheeren. Ole will give his unique perspective on the relationship between architects, architectur...

Safdie's Marina Bay Sands opens in Singapore

2010-06-25T13:21:00-04:00

The UK's Daily Mail reports on the £4billion Moshe Safdie-designed project that has just opened in Singapore, with a focus on the huge infinity pool on it's cruise-line-shaped rooftop.

The infinity pool on the roof is in the 'SkyPark' which spans the three towers of the hotel. The platform itself is longer than the Eiffel tower laid down and is one of the largest of its kind in the world.