National Geographic Traveller (UK)
Incredible airports
When the airport’s a destination in itself
How do you improve the world’s best airport? Just ask the architects behind Jewel, the much-awaited addition to Singapore’s Changi Airport.
The island state’s gateway has been voted the world’s best a respectable six times by airport reviewer Skytrax, but it hasn’t rested on its laurels. Instead, aer nearly five years of construction, Jewel Changi Airport has finally opened its doors to take the award-winning hub to new levels. Passengers can now linger amid dining spots, hotels, boutiques, art installations, a maze and a cinema, all clustered in a futuristic space that’s set to make the airport a destination in its own right for both local Singaporeans and travellers-in-transit alike.
But for the most striking feature of the S$1.7bn (£1bn) complex, travellers should look up. A giant, bagel-shaped glass roof crowns the airport, its design inspired by Singapore’s mantra of being a ‘city within a garden’. Imagine a v ivarium-meets-theLouvre: a crisscrossing canopy of glass and steel, concealing a lush ‘magical garden’ (as described by its architect, the renowned Moshe Safdie), dotted with ponds, sculptures and walking trails. It’s also home to the world’s largest indoor waterfall: a rainwater cascade falling 130 from an oculus in the ceiling into a pool below. By night, however, it takes on another guise altogether as the Rain Vortex. This mesmeric soundand-light show kicks o aer dark, and sees multicoloured projections cast onto the column of tumbling water.
For travellers bumping the airport to the top of their Singapore itinerar y, there’s even a chance for an early check-in with over 20 dierent carriers, including British Airways and Singapore Airlines. For the passengers just passing through, however, you’ll need to plan ahead — the airport recommends a stopover of at least five hours to clear customs and make the most of Jewel’s sparkling new oerings. jewelchangiairport.com safdiearchitects.com wetdesign.com
Having picked up a string of accolades, Singapore’s Changi Airport just got even more spectacular