Latest news with #MosheSafdie
Independent Singapore
4 days ago
- Business
- Independent Singapore
Some S'poreans joke that new tower at MBS looks like a dehumidifier or 'like a 4th person lurking'
SINGAPORE: One of Singapore's iconic views is about to change, with the groundbreaking ceremony for the fourth tower at Marina Bay Sands (MBS) held on Tuesday (July 15). The S$10.3 billion project is being touted as an 'ultra-luxurious resort and entertainment destination'. Patrick Dumont, the president and chief operating officer of Las Vegas Sands, was quoted as saying that the brand-new development will have 'amenities that we don't have today to offer tourists coming into Singapore'. Channel NewsAsia (CNA) shared an image from Safdie Architects of an artist's impression of what to expect when the fourth tower at MBS is up. Meanwhile, CNA quoted architect Moshe Safdie as saying, 'The (Urban Redevelopment) Authority repeatedly said, 'This is our icon; our people of Singapore love this, and we cannot do anything that's going to compromise it.' Screenshot Over on Reddit, however, locals had some fun at the new project's expense. 'Does anyone else think a fourth MBS tower looks totally out of place? It kind of ruins the iconic symmetry of the original three MBS towers, said u/Jerainerc in a post on r/Singapore. See also World Cup: Free to air in 2018, please Some joked that the new tower looked like a household appliance. 'Finally, it's about time we get a huge dehumidifier to counter the weather,' wrote one. 'All we need now is a giant air purifier for every November when Indonesia does their slash and burn,' chimed in another, although another joked that the Singapore flyer already serves this purpose. And when one wrote that the 'electricity cost for a 200m dehumidifier is gonna bankrupt the country,' another retorted 'But the air feels cooler so we will be happier.' 'Is it called the Dyson Tower,' a commenter added cheekily. On a more serious note, a Reddit user observed, 'We will get used to it. It's like when they first showed us the design of the Esplanade, the three MBS towers, and the Supreme Court building. Suddenly, everyone become architect kpkb say it'll destroy the skyline, etc.' One opined, however, that while 'The building itself is fine, clearly inspired or by the same architect as MBS (doing a remix),' nevertheless, 'it just feels out of place from this angle, like a fourth person lurking.' 'I think the difference is that MBS has already become a global icon, and disrupting that in any way risks damaging that brand,' another chimed in. A commenter sounded a reassuring note, saying, 'It's far enough away that it doesn't come near the silhouette of the three linked MBS towers. You will still be able to easily take photos of it without the fourth tower.' /TISG Read also: Marina Bay Sands hits record S$2.7B in earnings after targeting luxury travellers post-pandemic
The Irish Sun
4 days ago
- Business
- The Irish Sun
One of the world's most famous hotels is opening a new £5.7billion resort – with 570 suites and rooftop pool
MARINA Bay Sands is undoubtedly one of the most famous hotels in the world - and now, the company behind the resort is planning another in Singapore. Las Vegas Sands - the company behind the iconic cruise ship-like hotel in Singapore - is planning a second resort for the country costing £5.7billion. Advertisement 4 A new £5.7billion hotel is planned for Singapore Credit: Marina Bay Sands 4 The resort would be developed by the same company who own Marina Bay Sands Credit: Marina Bay Sands In total, the The 76,000 square-foot 'Skyloop' - which will be similar to the Sands SkyPark at On the lower levels, the public will be able to explore an observatory, restaurants and rooftop gardens. On higher levels, guests can access more private experiences such as Advertisement Read more on travel inspo And one major feature will be a cantilevered There is more too, as the hotel is expected to have a 15,000 seat arena, with the backdrop of Marina Bay, for live entertainment. Inside the hotel will also be a number of different dining experiences, shops, a gaming area, And it will be designed by the same firm that designed Sphere in Las Vegas and the O2 Arena in London. Advertisement Most read in News Travel The entire hotel is expected to be tilted at a 45 degree angle to give guests amazing views of Marina Bay and the Singapore Strait. In total, the hotel will rise 55 stories into the air and a feature 'biophilic' design that aims to connect people with nature and enhance wellbeing. Luxury 794ft superyacht 'sea hotel' with five restaurants & mini-marina completes trial before first voyage this summer Construction on the resort is expected to finish in 2030. The resort will be designed by Safdie Architects and led by the same designers as Marina Bay Sands - Moshe Safdie. Advertisement Patrick Dumont, Sands president and chief operating officer, said: "Our new development will raise the bar and redefine the ultra-luxury hospitality realm on a global scale, fuelling further growth of high-value tourism." The Marina Bay Sands hotel caters to more than one million guests each year. There has even been a BBC2 documentary on the hotel, presented by Giles Coren and The two presenters explored the hotel including the longest elevated infinity pool in the world - the size of three Olympic swimming pools - at the top of the hotel. Advertisement Guests have claimed that the resort to be a "once-in-a-lifetime experience" and feeling more like "another world". 4 Marina Bay Sands originally opened in 2011 and cost just under £4billion to build Credit: AFP Another guest added: "My wife and I both felt like I was in the Barbie movie." A Sun reporter who went to Singapore a few years ago said: "For me, the place to be is Ce La Vi on the 57th floor of the majestic three-tower Marina Bay Sands hotel. Advertisement "It offers fabulous views, especially at sunset." Ce La Vi is one of the hotels' 80 restaurants and is located on the rooftop, with a bar. Overall, the hotel has 2,560 rooms and cost £3.92 billion to build. Some of the Advertisement Plus, these are the 4 In addition to hundreds of suites, the new hotel would have a wellness terrace 'hanging in the air' Credit: Marina Bay Sands
Scottish Sun
4 days ago
- Business
- Scottish Sun
One of the world's most famous hotels is opening a new £5.7billion resort – with 570 suites and rooftop pool
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) MARINA Bay Sands is undoubtedly one of the most famous hotels in the world - and now, the company behind the resort is planning another in Singapore. Las Vegas Sands - the company behind the iconic cruise ship-like hotel in Singapore - is planning a second resort for the country costing £5.7billion. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 A new £5.7billion hotel is planned for Singapore Credit: Marina Bay Sands 4 The resort would be developed by the same company who own Marina Bay Sands Credit: Marina Bay Sands In total, the luxury resort will boast 570 suites and there will also be a hotel tower capped with a rooftop. The 76,000 square-foot 'Skyloop' - which will be similar to the Sands SkyPark at Marina Bay Sands - will have 360-degree views. On the lower levels, the public will be able to explore an observatory, restaurants and rooftop gardens. On higher levels, guests can access more private experiences such as private cabanas, infinity-edge pools and sprawling palm trees. And one major feature will be a cantilevered wellness terrace - essentially hanging in the air - for yoga, arts and other events. There is more too, as the hotel is expected to have a 15,000 seat arena, with the backdrop of Marina Bay, for live entertainment. Inside the hotel will also be a number of different dining experiences, shops, a gaming area, spa and wellness facilities. And it will be designed by the same firm that designed Sphere in Las Vegas and the O2 Arena in London. The entire hotel is expected to be tilted at a 45 degree angle to give guests amazing views of Marina Bay and the Singapore Strait. In total, the hotel will rise 55 stories into the air and a feature 'biophilic' design that aims to connect people with nature and enhance wellbeing. Luxury 794ft superyacht 'sea hotel' with five restaurants & mini-marina completes trial before first voyage this summer Construction on the resort is expected to finish in 2030. The resort will be designed by Safdie Architects and led by the same designers as Marina Bay Sands - Moshe Safdie. Patrick Dumont, Sands president and chief operating officer, said: "Our new development will raise the bar and redefine the ultra-luxury hospitality realm on a global scale, fuelling further growth of high-value tourism." The Marina Bay Sands hotel caters to more than one million guests each year. There has even been a BBC2 documentary on the hotel, presented by Giles Coren and Monica Galetti. The two presenters explored the hotel including the longest elevated infinity pool in the world - the size of three Olympic swimming pools - at the top of the hotel. Guests have claimed that the resort to be a "once-in-a-lifetime experience" and feeling more like "another world". 4 Marina Bay Sands originally opened in 2011 and cost just under £4billion to build Credit: AFP Another guest added: "My wife and I both felt like I was in the Barbie movie." A Sun reporter who went to Singapore a few years ago said: "For me, the place to be is Ce La Vi on the 57th floor of the majestic three-tower Marina Bay Sands hotel. "It offers fabulous views, especially at sunset." Ce La Vi is one of the hotels' 80 restaurants and is located on the rooftop, with a bar. Overall, the hotel has 2,560 rooms and cost £3.92 billion to build. Some of the world's craziest hotels have also been named - from Flintstones-like caves to a Barbie Dreamhouse. Plus, these are the luxury hotels crowned best in the world – and one is in the UK.
Business Times
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Business Times
How architect Moshe Safdie's new Marina Bay masterpiece will redefine Singapore's skyline
[SINGAPORE] Fifteen years ago, when the glitzy Marina Bay Sands (MBS) with its avant-garde architecture opened for business, its architect, Moshe Safdie, wondered if the integrated resort would become an icon in Singapore. Well, we know the answer to that one. Since then, the development's three sloping hotel towers – topped off with a surfboard-like SkyPark carrying its now-famous infinity pool – have been frequently featured in popular culture, from movies and TV shows to music videos, documentaries and even video games. 'I'm amused by the fact that if I want to explain what Marina Bay Sands is to somebody, I just ask, 'Did you see the movie Crazy Rich Asians?' and that takes care of it,' Safdie tells The Business Times in an exclusive interview. MBS is today not only an instantly recognisable symbol of Singapore, but also a glittering architectural marvel the world over. 'We had no clue whether it would be iconic,' says Safdie. 'It's a kind of magic you don't control.' A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 2 pm Lifestyle Our picks of the latest dining, travel and leisure options to treat yourself. Sign Up Sign Up Perhaps, but it certainly helps when the architect is one as visionary as he is. At just 26, he established his own firm to realise the innovative Habitat 67 for the 1967 World Exposition in Montreal, Canada. The project was an adaptation of his thesis at McGill University for a revolutionary, three-dimensional modular urban housing system. MBS with the new, yet-unnamed US$8 billion development on its right. ILLUSTRATION: SAFDIE ARCHITECTS In town for the official groundbreaking ceremony for IR2 – as the new, yet-unnamed US$8 billion development next to MBS is currently called – Safdie has said MBS changed lives at his eponymous firm in terms of the work they received. Among other projects, he went on to design another Singapore landmark, Jewel Changi Airport – with the world's tallest indoor waterfall within, surrounded by a lush, multi-level garden – adding one more Instagram favourite that's synonymous with the city. One could say Singapore struck gold with Safdie, who has helmed such large-scale projects that cemented the city's image as modern, innovative, vibrant and yes – green. After all, who else could have dreamt up these things? Given the successes Safdie has had, expectations are naturally high that with him fronting IR2's architecture, Singapore can add yet another stunning landmark to its skyline. Get ready for this new waterfront composition with the addition of an ultra-luxury development to the right of MBS' three towers. ILLUSTRATION: SAFDIE ARCHITECTS He's excited too. 'People will get used to the new composition, and it'll become part of the so-called iconic view from across the water,' Safdie predicts. Of rooftops and stealing the thunder While MBS' design took just four months of conceptualisation ('we were under enormous pressure'), IR2 is running at eight years just to get to a schematic. This is due in part to the pandemic, but also because of technical constraints from the tight site (3 hectares versus MBS' 15.5 hectares), the logistical puzzle of how to move people in and out of the area, as well as the connecting networks under and overground that the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) wants. 'One thing you can say about designing in Singapore,' Safdie says wryly, 'the whole system insists that you think about the next step – growth and expansion – which is somewhat different from our experience in some other places.' The architectural challenge? MBS as a building that's already a beloved icon and the danger of compromising it with a new structure. 'So (IR2) has to be substantial in its own right and have an identity that complements and, in a sense, improves on the existing icon.' There's 'a gallery' of IR2 models in Safdie's office, and the team lived with the original plan of the new, 55-storey, 570-suite luxury hotel tower abutting MBS' Tower 1 'pretty comfortably for a couple of years'. The final schematic flipped the location of the arena with that of the new tower, so the latter is no longer right next to MBS' three towers. ILLUSTRATION: MARINA BAY SANDS Then, just as they were coming close to the decision to build, the team felt uneasy about the juxtaposition of the two developments being so close. They proposed flipping the location of the tower with that of the low-rise 15,000-seat arena to its current position, solving the problems of access that they thought were insurmountable. This, Safdie says, was 'very well-received by the URA, who also had concerns'. Now, the arena acts as a spacer between the three towers and the new one. Voila, all the stakeholders are happy. Funnily, once the new development was announced, the first question people asked him was whether IR2's roof will be connected to the SkyPark. 'I said 'no', we didn't think that would be appropriate. The roof of the new tower should be an experience in itself.' Because it isn't as long as the linear SkyPark, Safdie conceived a completely new design to 'make it almost as long'. The 76,000-square-foot (sq ft) Skyloop will be a multi-level rooftop experience made of two boomerang-shaped structures placed atop each other, one facing the city, and the other, the Singapore Straits, with another layer in between. Skyloop will be a multi-level rooftop experience made of two boomerang-shaped structures placed atop each other, but facing opposite directions. ILLUSTRATION: SAFDIE ARCHITECTS The Skyloop, almost three stories higher than the SkyPark, will be 'quite a sensational experience' and 'kind of science fiction', says Safdie. 'What you get are very dramatic views from the SkyPark to the Skyloop and vice versa.' The lower layer of the Skyloop will offer public access, including restaurants, an observatory and over 300 feet of a Skywalk. ILLUSTRATION: SAFDIE ARCHITECTS The lower layer of the Skyloop will offer public access, including restaurants, an observatory, over 300 feet of a Skywalk and a small section with 'the traditional glass floors to get a little vertigo', he jests. On the upper layer, there will be a cantilevered wellness terrace, private cabanas and infinity pools for hotel guests. The upper layer of the Skyloop will feature a cantilevered wellness terrace, private cabanas and infinity pools for hotel guests. ILLUSTRATION: SAFDIE ARCHITECTS 'In terms of building composition, you get the linear first phase of (MBS') towers three, two, one, and then you get an exclamation mark… boom!' When IR2, which includes 200,000 sq ft of meeting space, is completed in 2030, the SkyPark would be two decades old. But it won't just sit idly by while Skyloop steals its thunder. An overhaul is in the works, reveals Safdie, with plans to restructure elements such as the lounging areas, bars and plantings, while adding a new restaurant and rebuilding to 'accommodate a more ambitious programme'. Of garden cities and liveable buildings It was Safdie's birthday on the day of BT's interview. At 87, the great-grandfather may move less quickly than before, but his mind is clearly still as sharp. A citizen of Israel, Canada and the United States, Safdie is known for his humanistic approach to architecture and urban planning. His oeuvre includes projects ranging from cultural, educational and civic institutions to neighborhoods, public parks, housing, mixed-use urban centres and airports around the world. Having first visited Singapore in 1975, and coming and going since, Safdie feels he's been a part of the nation's 60-year history. Safdie turned 87 on July 14. PHOTO: YEN MENG JIIN, BT 'I think it's one of the most impressive stories of a city developing and growing; an urbanistic story,' he says. 'The combination of all the planning and attention to landscape which started from (modern Singapore's founding father) Lee Kuan Yew, has produced an extraordinary outcome. I think the emphasis on planting the city, making it green, is one of the most inspiring decisions made right at the beginning of the state.' That said, architecture in the last decades has leapt in terms of the emergence of 'many sculptural, visually very exciting buildings that are not that livable'. 'At the same time, we're dealing with density in a way that we never had and an environment that's in great danger, with global warming being one. All of that needs to be achieved within a very livable, humanistic environment.' So the challenge Singapore now faces lies in dealing with density and towers as the dominant building type in the city, while keeping it humane. 'This is the next phase as the building codes already encourage the creation of public spaces, gardens and parks at different levels to make the city more livable and achieve a better balance between greenery and construction,' Safdie notes. 'There are many new areas opening up for development here and I hope there'll be a lot of the architectural innovations that we see, some of them downtown, towards that objective.' Of big projects and an unfulfilled architectural dream Home for Safdie is Cambridge, Massachusetts, although he still sticks to a punishing schedule that sees him travelling almost every week. Some of the projects his firm is currently working on include a large addition to the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Arkansas, a museum for the Cherokee people in Oklahoma, the Canadian embassy in Senegal and two medical schools in Israel. In a storied career spanning over six decades, which are the projects most significant to him personally? 'Certainly, Habitat 67, my firstborn, is the most radical thing I've ever done,' he says. 'I'd say my first museum, the National Gallery of Canada, which is now 37 years old, was a very important milestone. The Yad Vashem Holocaust History Museum in Jerusalem, was maybe the most emotionally challenging. 'The United States Institute of Peace headquarters, which President (Donald) Trump just shut down – I hope the building survives – was very important in terms of a symbol of peace.' Habitat 67 in Montreal, Canada. PHOTO: UNSPLASH But if there is one project he would love to work on, that would be to realise the original Habitat 67, which was digitised into virtual reality by Epic Games in 2023. His vision was to create 1,200 prefabricated dwellings arranged in Lego-like stacks, rather than the scaled-down 158 units that were eventually built. The modular units and their sculptural placement allow natural light and enhanced views and are connected to gardens, suspended terraces and pedestrian walkways. Seeing it in its original form is important to Safdie because it embodies the urban idea of a three-dimensional city in which different activities are reorganised to make dense, high-rise housing more livable – a concept which is yet to be realised or understood, he says. 'I'd say if we could build that today, it would look as fresh and meaningful and significant as it did 60 years ago.'
CNN
5 days ago
- Business
- CNN
Singapore's most famous landmark is undergoing an $8 billion expansion
With three 650-foot-tall skyscrapers connected across the top by a boat-like skybridge — and an Instagram-famous infinity pool — Marina Bay Sands has given Singapore one of Asia's most recognizable skylines since opening in 2011. So, when the resort's original architect was invited to design a new, fourth tower for the site, his brief from the country's government was clear: Don't mess with a national symbol. 'The (Urban Redevelopment) Authority repeatedly said, 'This is our icon; our people of Singapore love this, and we cannot do anything that's going to compromise it,' said Israeli architect Moshe Safdie, referencing the country's urban planning agency. 'And that was very much on our minds, as well: How to make something that has its own identity but is very complementary.' The 87-year-old said he only entertained the idea of extending the complex's soaring skybridge to meet the fourth tower 'for a few minutes.' Instead, his new 55-floor skyscraper, which broke ground on Tuesday, sits apart from its famous neighbors on an adjacent plot of land. Connecting the towers would have 'really compromised the existing scheme and spanning across just seemed unwise,' Safdie said, comparing his new high-rise to the dot of an exclamation point. 'It would be just more of the same, whereas we really wanted to create something.' The $8-billion expansion plan is a testament to the commercial success of Marina Bay Sands, which contains a hotel, mall, convention center and one of only two licensed casinos in the southeast Asian city-state. The US hospitality giant behind the resort, Las Vegas Sands, said the property attracted 38 million visitors and 2.19 billion Singapore dollars ($1.7 billion) in business spending last year alone. Safdie's new tower will expand the hotel's capacity by 570 suites, while adding more luxury retail and meeting space. The architect's eponymous firm has also designed an adjoining entertainment venue for the site. When the Massachusetts-based architect unveiled initial plans for the expansion in 2019, this 15,000-seat venue was situated on the far side of the fourth tower. But about a year ago, with progress stalled by Covid-19-related delays, Safdie proposed 'flipping' the scheme, lodging the arena between the new skyscraper and the original three — and in turn extending the distance between them. 'I came to the conclusion that it just didn't feel right, and that there (wasn't) enough space between the towers,' he explained. 'It meant a lot of reworking of the access and transportation … (but it) was a quantum jump improvement.' The architect nonetheless wanted to create a consistent design language for the complex. For one, the new building's boat-like roof — dubbed 'Skyloop,' it will host an observation deck, restaurants and public gardens, as well as cabanas and infinity pools for hotel guests — clearly nods to the original structure's iconic roof. 'The buildings look related,' Safdie said. 'They're in the same family.' At Tuesday's groundbreaking ceremony, Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong joined Safdie on stage to mark the start of construction with a symbolic shoveling of sand. Addressing guests at the event, Wong said the new structure 'will refresh our skyline.' The final design was, however, met with mixed reviews among Singaporeans online. On social media platform Reddit, the new tower was accused of being 'out of place' and sticking out 'like a sore thumb,' while being compared to a 'huge dehumidifier' or a 'fourth person lurking' next to its three neighbors. Other users were more sympathetic, suggesting that the tower will eventually 'blend in naturally' with the other skyscrapers being planned in the district — which was built on 660 hectares (1,631 acres) of land reclaimed from the Singapore Strait — over the coming decades. 'When it's all said and done, people will feel it's always been there,' Safdie argued. 'And they will love it as much as they love this building, if not more, because I think the sum total of the two together is greater than the individual parts.'
