The Marina Bay Sands Hotel in Singapore could be the most unique building in the world. It has 3 very large towers consisting each of 57 floors and has many other attractions around it like a mall, many sculptures, and an indoor waterfall. The 3 towers combine for 2,561 hotel rooms! Although, what makes the building most unique is that there is a very long boat boat-like shape connecting the three towers at the top. To add to that, there is a really beautiful infinity pool and restaurant on it and much more! Lastly, the hotel consists of 2,561 hotel rooms.
The Marina Bay Sands hotel was opened on February 17th, 2011. The resort is designed by the Israeli-born architect Moshe Safdie. His unique design was inspired by a deck of cards and he actually used Lego to model the building during his planning stages! Safdie noted that the “two to one brick ratio [of legos] was perfect.” Indeed, the towers are each form from 354 stacked concrete “boxes” and is therefore characterized as a Brutalist structure.
Marina Bay Sands consist of three identical towers with a boat-like rooftop and a lobby that runs through all of the towers; the towers are linked with a cantilevered sky garden on the 57th floor. Within this 1.2 hectare sky garden, there is an infinity pool which is the world’s largest rooftop pool at 150 meters long. Inside the hotel, there is a four-story high casino which is actually the largest atrium casino in the world. In addition to the impressive three tower structure, numerous low-rise buildings in the surrounding are house a museum, shops and restaurants.
The design of the three towers, with the open space between them, integrates Singapore’s business district with its seafront. When describing his plan, Safdie said “three towers, framed [by a cantilevered garden] above…created two big windows to the sea, and they’re quite dramatic. You can see either way through the building to the other parts of the city.” Safdie found a way to build towers that simultaneously create public space and integrate nature.
The Marina Bay Sands is a relatively new hotel but is already one of the national symbols of Singapore due to its unique design, and serves a model for architects seeking to connect buildings to their urban environments and to nature.
