MULTIFACETED
Singapore’s new Jewel complex embodies the city-state’s mission to reinvent itself as a show-stopping destination for leisure as well as business
The dazzling Jewel Changi airport, Singapore
Even the smallest of waterfalls is captivating, but when that waterfall is 40 metres high, and inside an airport shopping centre, it’s doubly so. Throw in a dash of jet lag from the flight you’ve just stepped off, and it borders on the surreal. Go up through the levels of the Jewel and you can watch the initial cascade of the water as it is funnelled through the striking glass roof. Further down, double-height strengthened glass channels the water in the final part of its descent. Here, shoppers stare in wonder, hands pressed against the glass, smiling for pictures. At night, a light and sound show is held every half-hour for about five minutes, drawing the crowds back to look at it all over again.
It’s quite a first impression of Singapore, but, then, it’s the embodiment of how the city-state has transformed itself in recent years and is continuing to challenge its reputation for being staid. Perhaps it was the opening of Gardens by the Bay that started the process in 2012,
or even earlier when the Marina Bay Sands complex launched in 2010, but Singapore is seeing more visitors than ever before – 18.5 million last year, up from 11.6 million in 2010.
THE JEWEL IN THE… AIRPORT
By now, most of us have heard about the Jewel Changi airport. Opened in April, the spectacular mixed-use complex landside at Singapore Changi covers a total floor area of 135,700 sqm. It contains a large indoor garden, recreation space, airport facilities, a 130-room Yotelair, and a huge number of retail, food and drink outlets.
The construction of the
S$1.7 billion (£1 billion) project began in 2014 on the former site of the Terminal 1 open-air car park – there’s parking for 2,500 cars in the basement of the Jewel, although it’s expected that most people will use public transport, or their feet, to visit it. The complex was designed by Moshe Safdie, the architect behind Marina Bay Sands and Toronto Pearson airport’s Terminal 1. In total, there are ten storeys – five above ground and five below.
The overall design draws inspiration from Singapore’s reputation as a “city in a garden”, and there are many elements that will remind the regular visitor of Gardens by the Bay and its distinctive Flower Dome and Cloud Forest conservatories. Viewed from outside, as you might expect, the Jewel looks like an enormous gem. Its domeshaped façade is made of steel and special glass materials that both transmit light and reduce heat gain, which enables the growth of plants inside while providing sustainable cooling. There’s also a 16mm air gap that can control the level of noise from planes taking off and landing on the nearby runways.
GREAT HEIGHTS
The waterfall – or the HSBC Rain Vortex, to give its official name – is the world’s tallest indoor waterfall, inspired by Singapore’s tropical downpours. Harvested rainwater cascades through the oculus on the roof and streams down seven floors. It’s an outstanding engineering feat, not least since the Skytrain was already running through the space before the Jewel was built; the waterfall is slightly off-centre to allow the train to continue on its course.
Surrounding the Rain Vortex is the Forest Valley – again, the Shiseido Forest Valley is its official sponsored name – home to one of the largest indoor collections of plants in Singapore, with more than 900 trees and palms as well as about 60,000 shrubs. The lush forest spans four storeys above ground and features two walking trails. You can climb from level 1 all the way up to the topfloor Canopy Park on level 5, where
Harvested rainwater cascades through the oculus on the roof and streams down seven floors
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