Eight Architectural Wonders Of Singapore
8. The ArtScience Museum
The world’s first ArtScience museum is located within the Marina Bay Sands resort in the Downtown Core of Singapore’s Central Area. It was opened on February 17, 2011. The architecture of the ArtScience Museum resembles a lotus flower. The structure has been designed by architect "Moshe Safdie". The structure has a round base at the center and ten extensions referred to as “fingers” spreading out from the base. The extensions are separate gallery spaces with skylights at the “fingertips.” The ArtScience Museum houses 21 gallery spaces occupying an area of 50,000 square feet. It hosts both a permanent exhibition as well as touring exhibitions.
7. OCBC Centre
A building with unique architecture, the OCBC Center is a 649 feet tall, 52-storied skyscraper located in Singapore. It serves as the current headquarters of the OCBC Bank. The building also hosts an Executive Club and food and beverage outlets. The construction of the OCBC Centre began in 1975 and was completed on November 26, 1976. The building is designed to act as a symbol of strength and permanence. It is often nicknamed as the "calculator" since the flat shape and button pad-like windows of the OCBC Centre appear like a calculator.
6. Reflections at Keppel Bay
The Reflections in Singapore is a luxury waterfront residential complex occupying an area of about 84,000 square meters. The complex has a private 750-meter long shoreline and 1,129 units. Daniel Libeskind, a Polish-American architect, also credited with the creation of the World Trade Center Memorial’s masterplan, designed The Reflections. The six glass towers of the complex offers panoramic views of Sentosa and Mount Faber.
5. Henderson Waves Bridge
The Henderson Waves bridge at 36 meters above the ground is Singapore’s highest pedestrian bridge. It is known for its unique shape that mimics a wave. The 274-meter long bridge curves and twists along its entire length. The unique shape of the Henderson Waves allows it to have shell-like niches and hidden recesses which provide a seating space for pedestrians to sit and enjoy the surrounding atmosphere. The bridge looks even more beautiful as dusk falls when it is illuminated to stunning effect by LED lighting.
4. The Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay
The Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay is one of Singapore’s most celebrated architectural creations. It is a 60,000 square meters large performing arts center that is located in Marina Bay. The Esplanade consists of a 2,000 seater theater and a concert hall with a seating capacity of 1,600. The construction of the structure was initiated on August 11, 1996, and completed in February 2001. The former President of Singapore inaugurated The Esplanade on October 12, 2002. Two architectural firms, Singapore-based DP Architects and London-based Michael Wilford & Partners, designed the structure. The unique design of the building has been said to resemble both a tropical fruit called a durian or the eyes of a fly.
3. The Interlace
A 1000-unit apartment building complex, The Interlace is noteworthy for its unique design. The complex, designed by Ole Scheeren, appears like 31 bricks or Jenga blocks, stacked upon each other in an irregular fashion. In 2015, during the World Architecture Festival, The Interlace was awarded the title of World Building of the Year. The complex spreads over an area of 170,000 square meters. It has 31 apartment blocks with 1,040 units whose size varies from 800 square meters to 6,300 square meters. Swimming pools, basketball court, playgrounds for children, tennis courts, and several other features are part of the complex.
2. Marina Bay Sands
The Marina Bay Sands is one of the most notable man-made structures of Singapore. The integrated resort fronting the Marina Bay was opened in 2010. It features a 2,561-room hotel, a 74,000 square meter mall, and a 120,000-square-metre convention center. The complex also hosts a museum, a skating rink, the largest atrium casino in the world, two large theaters, two floating Crystal Pavilions, and world-class restaurants. The wonders of the Marina Bay Sands are not limited to these features only. At the top of this resort is a 340-metre-long SkyPark that can seat 3,900 people and a 150 m long infinity swimming pool. The swimming pool is set on the largest public cantilevered platform in the world. The Moshe Safdie Architects designed the 20-hectare resort which was opened formally on February 17, 2011.
1. Gardens By The Bay
A nature park spanning an area of 101 hectares, the Gardens by the Bay, located in central Singapore, is one of the top attractions in the country. The park was created with the aim of transforming the "Garden City" of Singapore to a "City in a Garden.” An international competition was held to select the perfect design for the ambitious project. Finally, the entries of the Grant Associates and Gustafson Porter (both British firms) were selected from more than 70 entries submitted by 170 firms from 24 nations.
The park is today visited by millions of visitors and recorded a count of 6.4 million visitors in 2014. The primary attractions of the Gardens by the Bay include the two cooled conservatories which represent one of the best examples of energy efficient sustainable buildings and function as all-weather edutainment centers. The two conservatories are named as the Flower Dome and the Cloud Forest. The interiors of these conservatories have amazing features. The Cloud Forest has a 138-ft tall "Cloud Mountain” with a 115-ft waterfall. The mountain is completely clad in plants like orchids, ferns, clubmosses, anthuriums, and more. Another spectacular attraction of the Gardens by the Bay is the Supertree Grove. The Supertrees refer to giant tree-like structures with heights ranging between 82 feet and 160 feet. The structures are enclaves of unique and exotic varieties of plants. An elevated walkway, the OCBC Skyway, connects two of the Supertrees and offers a panoramic view of the Gardens to the visitors. Several other interesting architectural features make the Gardens by the Bay a true architectural wonder of Singapore.
