Marina Bay Sands

The building design is inspired by a house of cards; two playing cards are leaned against each other to form a triangle and a flat of one’s hand is placed which exerts a little pressure, leading to bending the card inwards, not much, but just enough to produce some irregular and highly expressive curves.

This whole concept is developed in transforming into three 57-storey towers as hotels, 191-metre towers and 340-metre-long rooftop terrace.

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Marina Bay Sands, located on the Marina Bay waterfront, is a 40-acre mixed-use integrated resort. The complex is organized around principal axes that extend into the surrounding urban fabric. Both the north–south promenade and the grand arcade traverse the entire project and are crossed by two east–west spines (view corridors), which connect the planned Gardens by the Bay, the local metro station, Bayfront Avenue and the waterfront.

Marina Bay Sands combines more than 120,000 square metres (nearly 1.3 million square feet) of world-class convention and exhibition facilities; three 56-storey hotel towers containing more than 2,600 rooms in total; a 1-hectare (2.5-acre) sky park capping the towers, which offers 360-degree views of the city and sea and outdoor amenities for the hotel including swimming pools, restaurants and gardens; the iconic Sands Museum on the promontory; two state-of-the-art theatres with 4,000 seats; a casino; a wide array of shopping and dining outlets; and an outdoor event plaza along the promenade that can accommodate up to 10,000 people.

As part of the continuous necklace of activities surrounding Marina Bay, the complex forms a gateway to the city. Seen from ships anchored at sea, the two windows created by the towers and sky park frame the vistas towards downtown Singapore. Viewed from this vantage point, the project’s foreground – composed of the Sands Museum, the promenade and undulating roof structures – serves as a base from which the hotel towers rise, curving skyward. A series of layered gardens extends the tropical garden landscape from Gardens by the Bay towards the bayfront.

Rockwool Group was responsible for partition, curtain walls and HVAC systems. They were involved at the earliest stage of planning to deliver acoustic, fire-rated systems for ceilings, walls and roofing.

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Marina Bay Sands, Singapore’s newest, brightest icon, is one of Asia’s leading destinations for leisure, entertainment and business. Even though the spectacular design is inspired by a house of cards, each building is strong and safe. The secret to that strength lies beneath the luxurious façade.

Working from a brief that outlined ambitious goals for Singapore's tourism and economic development, Boston-based architecture firm Moshe Safdie Architects delivered much more than a luxurious playground; they created a monumental gateway, positioning the city as a centre for innovation, culture and entertainment. With the bar set so high, only the best would do when it came to specifying climate control, acoustic comfort and fire safety. And that's where the Rockwool Group, working closely with the contractors responsible for partition walls and curtain walls, and HVAC systems, comes into the picture. The most difficult task in the world The Marina Bay Sand's spectacular design brought some unique challenges to the project. In fact, the project's engineers, Arup, Parsons and Brinkerhoff, famous for solving the structural conundrum of the Sidney Opera House in the 1960s, described the integration of the site's diverse technologies as the "most difficult [task] to carry out in the whole world."

However, with the help of the project's principal building contractors, including JRP International, Pacific Interiors Supply, Benson Wall Systems and the Rockwool Group, the design teams arrived at solutions early on in the planning stages to create spaces that are durable, acoustically comfortable and safe from fire. "The pressure was on to make sure we met all the standards, specifications and the tight delivery schedule," says Richard Chia, Managing Director of JRP International Pte Ltd. "Fortunately, we had strong back up from Rockwool, who were with us from the start right through to the completion of the roof." Inspired by a house of cards Take two playing cards and lean them against each other so they form a triangle. Now place the flat of your hand on top and exert a little pressure. The cards bend inwards, not much, but just enough to produce some irregular - and highly expressive - curves.

Now, imagine the playing cards transforming into three 57-storey, 191-metre towers, with your hand acting as a 340-metre-long roof terrace. Buildings of this structural complexity call for meticulous detailing and a deep understanding of modern materials and advanced construction techniques. The solutions for parti-walls, curtain walls and ceilings encompass irregular geometries while integrating advanced HVAC services into every space. To achieve this, the Rockwool Group were among the contractors involved at the earliest stage of planning to deliver acoustic, fire-rated systems for ceilings, walls and roofing.

Premium water fitting from GROHE adds value to the sophisticated bathrooms; the GROHE Ondus® and GROHE Eurodisc faucet lines stand for elevated comfort and urbane design. The GROHE SilkMove® technology ensures a smooth operation of the lever and enables gentle, precise control of the water temperature, while the GROHE StarLight® technology gives a beautiful sheen to the surfaces and protects them against scratches.

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Global brand GROHE underscores the high standards of the hotel which will be the venue of the 2012 World Architecture Festival

Marina Bay Sands Singapore, Asia’s premier destination for business, leisure and entertainment, is an inspirational architectural masterpiece that opened to the world in April 2010. Since then, it has attracted global attention for its bold concept, which comprises three unique hotel towers capped by a long rooftop terrace. Built 200 meters above ground, the Sands SkyPark boasts one of the world’s largest public cantilevers and supports the world’s largest outdoor infinity pool. From October 3 to 5, 2012, Marina Bay Sands will host the World Architecture Festival (WAF), the world’s largest international architecture exhibition. GROHE, the main sponsor for the fifth time, will present its new products at this high-profile event.

Thanks to its many superlatives, the striking building is an eminently attractive addition to the Asian region. Renowned Boston-based architect Moshe Safdie and his team realized this iconic landmark, which is located in the heart of the central business district. With an external façade that never fails to amaze, the interior design of this world-class hotel likewise meets the most exacting standards of comfort and style. Premium water fittings from GROHE add value to its sophisticated bathrooms.

Exciting interior design

Upon entering the hotel, a wide, open foyer promises the ultimate in luxury. The elegant atmosphere continues in the rooms and suites, where the furnishings and fittings are characterised by an unprecedented standard of design and technology. The best example of this approach are the large bathrooms, in which the GROHE Ondus® and GROHE Eurodisc faucet lines stand for elevated comfort and urbane design. The narrow spout of GROHE Ondus® extends towards the user like a breaking wave. Nature provided the inspiration for the sensual minimalism and futuristic design of this sophisticated faucet line. The water theme continues in the streamlined contours of the dynamic GROHE Eurodisc faucets whose gently chamfered edges and forward inclination encourage interaction. The proven GROHE SilkMove® technology ensures smooth operation of the lever and enables gentle, precise control of the water temperature. Eurodisc is one of the popular GROHE Euroline fittings. While their design harmonises with any bathroom decor, the faucets as such are engineered to perform reliable in heavily frequented bathrooms and washrooms. GROHE StarLight® technology is used to give a beautiful sheen to the surfaces and protect them against scratches. As a result, the faucets will retain their splendid look for a long time to come.

Visionary thinking, high-tech features and exemplary design have created the perfect venue for the world’s international architectural community - Marina Bay Sands is an architect’s dream come true.

Technal supplied MX Visible Grid curtain walling in the hotel’s ground floor, on each of the three towers. Architectural aluminum glazing systems and 2000 of Technal’s GXi sliding balcony doors have been supplied and installed for the luxury hotel rooms. It provide a higher level of acoustic performance in line with the hotel’s opulent specification

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Architectural aluminium glazing systems from Technal have been supplied for one of the world’s most challenging construction projects.

Marina Bay Sands is a US$5.7bn waterfront development in Singapore – the most expensive stand-alone integrated resort ever built.

Designed by Boston-based Safdie Architects for the Las Vegas Sands Corporation, the scheme is a magnificent feat of engineering, which has created an impressive icon on the Singapore skyline.

Three 55-storey hotel towers are crowned with a 1.2 hectare SkyPark – a tropical oasis that floats 200m high on top of the soaring towers and cantilevering 65m beyond. The SkyPark accommodates a public observation deck with spectacular 360° panoramic views, lavishly landscaped gardens, roof-top restaurants and a 150m long infinity swimming pool – the world’s longest elevated pool.

Two thousand of Technal’s GXi sliding balcony doors have been installed for the luxury hotel rooms, totalling 25,000sqm of glazing. The system was specially adapted to accommodate glass that exceeded 31mm, to provide a higher level of acoustic performance in line with the hotel’s opulent specification. The glazing also helps to maximise natural light.

Technal also supplied its MX Visible Grid curtain walling which was used to areas of the hotel’s ground floor on each of the three towers.

Marina Bay Sands has created a completely new high density urban district for Singapore’s waterfront and a new gateway to this densely populated island. According to architect Moshe Safdie, “Marina Bay Sands is really more than a building project, it is a microcosm of a city rooted in Singapore’s culture, climate and contemporary life. Our challenge was to create a vital public place at the district-urban scale – in other words, to address the issue of mega-scale and invent an urban landscape that would work at the human scale.”

Facilities at Marina Bay Sands include a 120,000sqm convention and exhibition centre with one of the largest ballrooms in Asia; a series of layered gardens; a 74,000sqm multi-level retail arcade for designer shopping; gourmet dining; theatres with seating for up to 4,000 people, and an art and science museum. Central to the development is the world’s most expensive casino – located on four levels, this atrium-style space sits under a spectacular 7-tonne Swarovski chandelier.

The final phase of Marina Bay Sands is due to open at the end of 2010.

Technal’s GXi sliding window and door system, which is used at Marina Bay Sands, is a stylish, robust and high specification glazing solution. It features clean, narrow 41mm sight lines to maximise natural light, profiles can be flat-faced or curved, and there is a choice of window or door sizes to suit individual project requirements.

The system has been rigorously tested to 20,000 open/close cycles; fixings and mountings are concealed for an improved appearance, and it benefits from a 9mm flush polyamide thermal break for thermal efficiency. Other features include strong frames, durable hardware, structural accuracy, and a quality, unobtrusive track and roller system for reliability and a smooth sliding operation, even with the heaviest leaf sizes. Configurations range from a simple two-leaf system to a multi-panel sliding patio door or window on two tracks.