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MarinaBaySands,Singapore

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WrittenbyMosheSafdie,SafdieArchitects
PostedMarch2011

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TheuniqueSkyParkisaninstanticonforthecityandhasthepotentialtodofor
SingaporewhattheSydneyOperaHousedidforSydney.
MunSummWong,CTBUH2010AwardsJuror,WOHAArchitects
Location
Singapore
Completion
June2010
Height
207m(679ft)
Stories
57
Area
249,843sq.m.
PrimaryUse
Hotel
Owner/Developer
MarinaBaySandsPte.Ltd.
DesignArchitect
SafdieArchitects
Associatearchitect
AedasLtd.
StructuralEngineer
Arup
MEPEngineer
R.G.Vanderweil,LLP
MainContractor
Ssangyong

Thecurvedandsweepinglegsofthethreehoteltowersthatriseuptoculminateinacontinuousbridging
SkyParkanchoritssiteatthegatewaytoSingaporesharborwithastrongandhighlyiconicstructure.The
engineeringandplanningthatwentintotheSkyParksconstructionandincrediblecantileverare
commendable,asisthebringingofamenityandgreenspacestothetopofthetowers,allowingfurther
openspaceatgrade.
MarinaBaySandsisa929,000squaremeter(10millionsquarefoot),highdensityandmixeduse
integratedresortcomplexthatbringstogethera2,560roomhotel,a120,000squaremeter(1,292,000
squarefoot)conventioncenter,ashoppingmall,anArt&Sciencemuseum,twoSandsTheatres,six
restaurants,andacasino.ItislocatedinMarinaSouth,apeninsulaoflandreclaimedfromtheseainthe
late1970sacrossthebayfromSingaporesCentralBusinessDistrict.Conceivedasnotjustamere
buildingproject,butasacitymicrocosmrootedinSingaporesculture,climate,andcontemporarylife,the
projectanchorsSingaporeswaterfront,creatingagatewaytoSingapore,andprovidingadynamicsetting
forvibrantpubliclife.
TheEmergenceoftheUrbanWindow
Withaprogramofnearly2,600hotelrooms,themostefficientmassingwouldhaveresultedinamonolithic
andwalllikebuilding.DuetoitsprominentlocationwithinMarinaBayinSingapore,itwasdecidedthat
threetowerswouldbecreatedinsteadofone.Eachconcretetowerhotelisdesignedataheightof55
stories.Spanningacrossthetopofthethreetowersisa1.2hectare(3acre)SkyPark,anewtypeofpublic
space,framinglargeurbanwindowsbetweenthetowers.Fromthedowntownarea,framedviewsofthe

seaarecreated,andfromthesea,anewcitygatewayisviewed.
At200meters(656feet)abovethesea,theSkyParkspansfromtowertotowerandononesidecantilevers
66.5meters(218feet)beyond.LongerthantheEiffelToweristall,andlongenoughtoparkfourandahalf
A380jumbojets,theSkyParkaccommodatesapublicobservatory,gardenspaces,a150meter(495foot)
longinfinityswimmingpool,restaurants,joggingpathsandofferssweepingpanoramicviewsa
formidableresourceinadensecitylikeSingapore.Lavishlyplantedwithtrees,theSkyParkcelebratesthe
notionoftheGardenCitythathasbeentheunderpinningofSingaporesurbandesignstrategy.

Figure2.HotelLobby

Figure3.DiagramofHotelComponents

DesignConcept
Conceptually,eachtoweriscomposedoftwoslabsofeastandwestfacingrooms.Thedoubleloaded
towersspreadatthebaseformingagiantatriumatthelowerlevels,andconvergeastheyrise(seeFigure
2).Thetowerslabsalsogivefurthercharactertothemassingandrelatetothesitecontext:theglazedwest
sidefacesthecitycenterwhiletheeastsideisplantedwithlushbougainvilleasfacingthebotanical
gardensandoceanbeyond.Inplan,astheparcelvariesinwidth,thecrosssectionisdecreasedfromone
towertothenext.Thethreevoidspacesareconnectedbyonecontinuousandconditionedglazedatrium,
fillingthespacebetweenthetowerswithrestaurants,retailspaces,andapublicthoroughfare.Eachtower
slabformisalsotwistedslightlyinrelationtoitspair,creatingadancelikerelationshipbetweenthetwo
partsandaccentuatingtheslendernessofthebuildings,resultingintheappearanceofsixtowers,rather
thanthree(seeFigure3).
Faades
Asthelargestamountofheatgainoccursonthewestfaade,itwasofparamountimportancethatan
innovativesolutionbedevelopedtomaintainenergyefficiency,withoutlimitingtheviewfromthehotel
roomstoSingaporesdowntown.
Thedesignsolutionproposedandimplementedwasacustomdoubleglazedunitizedcurtainwall.The
energyefficientdoubleglazedunitsrestinaframesuspendedfromtheedgeoftheslab.Perpendicularto
thefaade,glassfinswereinstalledtoprovideshading.Theouterskinfollowsthenaturalcurvedshapeof
thebuildings,andtheuseofreflectiveglasscreatesataughtmirroredfaade.Oneofthekeystoachieving
thisaestheticwasaminimalspandrelpanelatthefloorslabs(350millimeters/13.8inches),witha
continuousdoubleglazedunitspanningthefull3meters(10feet)floortofloor.Theglassfinsare
suspendedoutofthehorizontalstackjointinordertoallowthemtoradiateoutinelevation.Theyare
supportedbya3sidedaluminumframe,withtheforwardedgeexposed,whichcatchesthelightofthe
sun,aswellasreflectionsofthefaade,tocreateauniqueeffect.Thefinsusea30%reflectiveglassand
areresponsibleforshadingthefaadeforupto20%ofallsolargain(seeFigure4,5).
Theeastfaadehandlesheatgaindifferently,utilizingdeepplantedterraceswhichfollowthesloping
radialgeometryofthebuildingsprofile.Theplantershelptocreatemicroclimatecooling,andthedeep
overhangsofthebalconiesnaturallyshadethehotelroomsfromdirectsun.Eachplanter,filledwith
bougainvilleas,willintimecoverthemajorityofthiseasternfaade.

Figure4.GlassFaade

Figure5.GlassFaade

TheSkyPark
Inadditiontothe0.9millionsquaremeters(9.6millionsquarefeet)ofbuiltspace,theprojectprogramalso
calledforthedevelopmentofextensiveexteriorgardenswithswimmingpools,joggingpaths,andpublic
spaces.Asoneoftheaimsoftheprojecthadbeentominimizetheheightofthepodiumbuildings,seeking
toreferenceSingaporespastoralhillsmorethanitsurbancore,theproblememergedthatthecomplex
programleftnovacantlandsuitablefortheseamenities.Creatinggardensontopoftheroofofthecasino
andtheconventioncenterwasstudied,howeverthesevastspaceslackedviews,overshadowedand
overpoweredbytheadjacenthoteltowers.Theideaemergedtobridgebetweenthethreetowersinorder
toreclaimexteriorgardenspaceandcreatea2.5acreparkinthesky(seeFigure5and6).
TheBelly
AnotherfaadeoftheprojectwhichrequiredcarefulconsiderationwasthusthebellyoftheSkyPark(see
Figure7).Madeofmorethan9,000silverpaintedmetalcompositepanels,thisskinenclosesthemega
trusseswhichbridgethebuildingsatlevel55,aswellasamultitudeofbackofhousespaces(i.e.large
mechanicalroomswithwatertankssupportingthepoolsandanetworkofcorridorsandofficesforhotel
operationsstaff).ThegeometryoftheSkyParkbeganwithaplatonictoroidform,whichwasthenfurther
shapedtostreamlinethecrosssectionsofthebuilding.Theresultingsurfacewasthenregularizedand
panelizedusingacomputerscript,triangulatingthefaadeintosimpleshapes.Theshapeswerewaterjet
cutfromflatsheetpanelsandshippedtothebuildingsiteincontainerspredesignedtobeliftedtothetop
levelsofthebuilding.

Figure6.TheBelly

Onceontopofthebuilding,thepanelswereinstalledviatemporaryaluminumframeunderslungmobile
gantrieswhichtraveledonapermanenttrackofsteelrails.Thegantrysystemtrackservesdoubledutyas
aBuildingMaintenanceUnit,thereforethetrackwasdesignedtobehiddenwithintherevealpatternofthe
faadepanels.
Engineering
Oneoftheprimarydesignissuestackledbythearchitectsandengineerswasbuildingmovement.The
uniquedesignofthreebuildingsconnectedbyaSkyParkcalledformanyengineeringinnovations.
Thedynamicpropertiesofatallbuildingstructureareparticularlyhardtopredictasmanyelements
contributetothebuildingmovement.Thewindengineerscarriedoutextensivewindtestingonthetowers
andSkyParktoprovidethedesignteamwiththedatanecessarytodevelopthedesignapproach.In
additiontodeterminingtheloadsforeachtowerinisolation,itwasnecessarytopredictthebehaviorand

movementofeachtowerrelativetotheothers.Thisallowedforstrategiestobedevelopedforthesteel
spannedSkyPark,aswellastodetermineappropriatemeasurestoguaranteethesafetyandcomfortof
thebuildingusers.
Thesiteandsurroundingbuildingsweremodeledatascaleof1:400andtestedinawindsimulator.Mean
andgustwindspeedratiosweremeasuredat28locationsontheSkyParkmodel.Themeasuredwind
speedratioswerethencombinedwithastatisticalmodelofthelocalwindclimatetodeterminethe
predictedpedestriancomfortinandaroundthedevelopment.
Thestudiesalsoshowedthateachtowercouldswayasmuchas250millimeters(9.8inches)fromcenter.
Todealwiththedifferentialbuildingsway,theengineersdevelopedaseriesofaluminumandstainless
steelplates,andmultidirectionalbearings,locatedatthebridgespansbetweentowers,whichactas
slidingcomponentsandallowforthenaturalandindividualmovementofeachtower.
Thecontinuous150meter(492foot)longinfinityedgepoolwasalsoachallenge,andunderwater
movementjointsweredesignedwithinterconnectingthreedistinct50meter(164foot)stainlesssteelpool
enclosuresintoaflexiblesingularwhole.Inordertotestthedesign,afullscalemockupofthedesign
solutionwasbuiltandtestedundermovementconditions(seeFigure9).Inadditiontobuildingsway,the
pooldesignalsoaccommodatesbuildingsettlement,andisbuiltuponadjustablesteeljacks,which
ensuretheinfinityedgewillmaintainitshorizontallevelovertime(seeFigure8).

Figure8.Thepoolsadjustablesteeljacks

Figure9.Thepoolsfullscalemockupformovementtest

Anothersignificantchallengefacingthedesignteamwasthe66.5meter(218foot)longSkyPark
cantileverthatoverhangsthenorthernmosttower.MuchtimeandanalyticaleffortwasinvestedbyArups
bridgeanddynamicspecialiststoensurethatthecomplexbehaviorofwindandhumanmovementonthe
structurewasunderstood.Thecantileverhasalargenumberoflowfrequencyverticalmodesthatare
susceptibletoresonantdynamicresponseduetosynchronizedcrowdactivities,suchasdancing.Through
theconstructionphases,twoimprovementsinstructuraldesignweremadeinrelationtothedynamic
performanceofthebuilding.First,thetaperofthemainsupportingboxgirderswasreducedtoimprovethe
responseofthecantileverunderhumanexcitation.Second,a4.5metricton(5ton)tunedmassdamper
wasintroducedandlocatedatthetipofthecantilever,hiddenwithinthebellyofthearchitecturalform,and
aimedtoaddanadditionalpercentageofdampingtothestructure.Thedamperwassuspendedfrom
transversegirdersandaccessedviacatwalksalreadypresentfortheinspectionandmaintenanceofthe
boxgirders.
Thedesignwasverifiedpriortobuildingopeningbycarryingoutlargescalevibrationsimulations,testing
keyexcitationmodes.
ConstructionChallenges
Oncetheprojectwasawarded,teamswereonthegroundimmediatelytobeginthefasttrackingofthe
construction.Thefirstandmostcriticaltaskwastosecurethebuildingfootprint.Theentirecomplexsitson
0.56millionsquaremeters(6millionsquarefeet)ofreclaimedlandsandinfillondeepsoftmarineclay
deposits.MarinaBayisaformersaltwaterestuarythatisnowafreshwaterreserve.Priortoexcavation,
thesiteneededtobereinforced.Inordertodothis,1.5meterthick(5feet)steelreinforcedconcrete
diaphragmwalls(cofferdamsofupto120metersor394feetindiameter)wereextended50meters(164
feet)intothegroundprovidinganenclosureforexcavation.
Thekeychallengeofbuildingthehoteltowerswastheconstructionofthepartofthetowersthatslopeat
anincline.Unsupported,theycouldbuckleundertheirownweight.Theslopingleginducesanenormous
externalforceontothestructure,whichneededtobeaddressedduringconstruction.
Thestructuralengineerconceivedofanapproachtobuildlargetemporarystrutsofstructuralsteeltoprop
uptheslopingtowersastheyrise(seeFigure10).Likeasuspensionbridge,hightensilesteeltendons
giveanaddedlayerofsupportinsidethewalls.Boththestrutsandthetensioncablesweredesignedas
temporarysupportsandplannedtoberemovedoncethegiantlinkedtrussesthatconnectthetowerson
the23rdfloorwereinstalled.Howeverduringtheconstructionprocessitwasdecidedthatthecables
wouldbecomepermanent.
ThemostpracticalmethodoferectingtheSkyParkwastoprefabricateeachofthe14mainsteelsegments
offsite,truckthemtothesite,liftthemintoplaceandassemblethemontopofthetower.Takingacuefrom

bridgebuilding,thedesignteamengagedSwiss/FrenchcompanyVSLtoassistwiththecomplicated
lifting.VSLemployedastrandjackingprocess(thelargestandlongestofitskind),utilizinghydraulicjacks
tolifttheboxgirderstothetopofthetowersandslidethemintoplace.Thetwolargestsectionstobelifted
werethe80meter(262foot)long,1.70metricton(1,400ton)pairofboxgirdersthatwouldformthe
cantilever.Ataliftingspeedof14meters(46feet)perhour,ittookover16hourstoliftthegirdersandslide
themintoplace(seeFigure11).

Figure10.DiagramaticphasingoferectingtheSkyPark

Conclusion
TheprinciplechallengefortheMarinaBaySandsprojectwasthecombinationofcomplexdesign
parametersmatchedwithaveryfastprojectschedule,frominitialsketchestosubstantialcompletionwithin
fouryears.Thismeantarrangingcloseandintensiverelationshipsbetweentheengineering,construction
managementanddesignteamsonsite,suchthatcoordinatedsolutionscouldbequicklynegotiatedas
theyarose.
Thesuccessoftheprojectliesinthefactthattheinventivenessofthedesign(theconceptionofthehotels
andtheSkyPark)wasmatchedbyanequallyinventiveandnovelapproachdevelopedbytheengineering
andconstructionteams.

Figure11.MarinaBaySands

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