This month Arup is celebrating the official opening of Marina Bay Sands’ Crystal Pavilions in Singapore, which took place over the weekend of 16 September.
The striking, diamond-looking 6,000m2 pavilions are located in the waters of Marina Bay on both ends of the waterfront boardwalk. Designed by internationally-renowned architect Moshe Safdie, the pavilions are part of his overall design of Marina Bay Sands®, which has been made possible by Arup’s engineers and designers.
André Lovatt, Arup’s Singapore office leader, comments: “The unveiling of the Crystal Pavilions is a significant milestone in our history with the Marina Bay Sands® project. Resembling shards of ice, these elegant floating ‘islands’ are a fusion of architectural and engineering art.”
The four-story high pavilions are home to luxury brands Louis Vuitton, mega dance club Avalon and celebrity night club, Pangaea. With interiors modelled after a luxury boat, the Louis Vuitton Island Maison is the brand's 12th maison and first in Southeast Asia.
This month Arup is celebrating the official opening of Marina Bay Sands’ Crystal Pavilions in Singapore, which took place over the weekend of 16 September.
In enabling the pavilions to appear like they are floating, Arup designed 60m-wide circular ‘cofferdams’ to keep seawater out during the construction of each pavilion. The top two floors are encapsulated by glass walls while the other two levels are underwater and sit on foundations that are anchored 50m deep into the seabed. Linked by underwater tunnels from the retail promenade of Marina Bay Sands®, visitors emerge literally from under the water to the pavilion spaces in the middle of Marina Bay.
This month Arup is celebrating the official opening of Marina Bay Sands’ Crystal Pavilions in Singapore, which took place over the weekend of 16 September.
To replicate the natural form of ice shards, the pavilions’ façade consists of an array of oddly-tilted steel and glass that holds itself up without the need for any internal support structures. Arup’s façade specialists designed an interdependent yet lightweight pre-stressed steel system that works similarly to individual cards within a stacked house of cards. The result is a modern structure that epitomises the architectural vision and luxe factor within.
The opening of both pavilions has added to the architectural brilliance of the Marina Bay Sands project® which has since earned numerous design awards. Across Marina Bay, Arup has also been involved in other high-profile projects including the Singapore Flyer, The Helix, the Waterfront Promenade and Gardens by the Bay.