17 Apr 2019
US$1.2bn leisure airport with tallest indoor waterfall opens in Singapore
BY Andrew Manns
The Moshe Safdie-designed Jewel Changi Airport – an atmospheric leisure complex and air terminus in Singapore – has finally opened its doors to the public.
The result of a four-year construction process, the US$1.25bn (€1.1bn, £958m) structure is roofed by a unique glass and steel geodesic dome that links to its crowning feature, a 40-metre-tall waterfall dubbed the "Rain Vortex".
The impressive complex – a city in its own right – also boasts a seemingly innumerable array of facilities, including retail outlets, restaurants, Asia's first YOTELAIR hotel, and a 14,000 sq m Canopy Park which Safdie said was partly inspired by the surrealistic landscapes depicted in James Cameron's science-fiction blockbuster, Avatar.
Jewel Changi is also home to a number of on-site attractions, such as mazes, sky nets, a butterfly garden, and a cinema.
BuroHappold Engineering served as the main contractor, while Atelier Ten provided environmental and sustainability design oversight.
The expanded airport – expected to spur a global rethinking of passenger experience design – will now be able to accommodate up to 85 million travellers.
"The vision for Jewel Changi Airport is to be a destination where 'The World meets Singapore, and Singapore meets the World'," Hung Jean, executive of Jewel Changi Airport Development commented in a statement.
Jean added: "The unique proposition of world-class shopping and dining, seamlessly integrated with lush greenery, fulfils the needs of increasingly discerning travellers for a meaningful and experiential journey, even for brief layovers."
Speaking on the opening, Lee Chee Koon, president and CEO of CapitaLand Group, one of the property's developers, said: "Jewel demonstrates our multi-faceted capabilities in real estate development and illuminates the limitless possibilities we will have to enliven an airport precinct with retail at its core."
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