The Jewel Changi Airport, the latest development at Singapore’s Changi Airport, designed by Safdie Architects will open on 17 April. The Jewel is a layered connector between the two existing terminals, combining a marketplace and with a paradise garden. Designed for the airport and the public, the community centred concept re-examines the meaning and function of international transit.
The 134,000 sq m glass-enclosed toroidal building includes expansive indoor gardens filled with nature, alongside leisure facilities, shopping, a hotel and restaurants. Safdie Architects describe the Jewel as a new prototype for airport design: ‘Like an Ancient Greek agora, it aligns social and commercial values to create an animated public realm destination,’ says Jaron Lubin, principal at Safdie Architects.
The ‘Forest valley’ designed by Safdie Architects in collaboration with PWP Landscape Architects is a terraced structure at the heart of the design where indoor walking trails and seating are set amongst over 200 species of plants. The ‘Rain vortex’ is the world’s tallest indoor waterfall that showers down seven storeys from a central open oculus in the domed roof designed in collaboration with WET Design. Rainwater is collected by the structure and re-used in the building and to provide heating and cooling. Safdie Architects echo Singapore’s acclaim as ‘The City in the Garden’ through the design.
Defining a new prototype for the airport, the Jewel welcomes locals and travellers alike, and is linked to the city’s public transportation grid as well as the terminals. §
