Introduction
There are many architectural designs that have been adopted when it comes to building construction. For the past decade, modern designs have been applied, not just to show the building’s modern architecture, but also to offer new facilities that can be used by people. In this writing we will discuss and analyze one of the most iconic buildings in Singapore, which is the Marina Bay Sands. The purpose of this paper is to show that this building project has multiple attributes that make it more than just a modern project, but it is also encompasses functionalities that are significant to its design.
Marina Bay Sands’ Attributes
The Marina Bay Sands (photo credit: shareholder.com)
The overall design of this building best belongs to architecture discipline. It is evident that it holds a unique architectural design that may not be seen on other building projects. In a far view, a person may look at it as if there is a giant ship placed on top of the three towers. Creating its design represents an extensive design planning that involves multiple architectural themes. Safdie says that the Marina Bay Sands is more than a building as it is a miniature copy of a city, which is rooted in the country’s climate, culture, and modern life (Safdie Architects 1). Every part of the building was built based on architectural designs, which architects around the world see it as one of the standards when it comes to architecture.
There are various building in Singapore that were built somehow similar to the Marina Bay Sands to which they have a green building design. One of the earlier green buildings in Singapore is the Republic Plaza. It is an office building that was built in 1995 (Building and Construction Authority para. 1). In addition, it was one of the buildings that represented a green building design. Similar with Marina Bay Sands, one of its functions is to provide better environmental effects. Thus, both buildings hold a unique architectural design that cannot be found in any other buildings.
The Marina Bay Sands offers various functional features for its visitors. Primarily, it is regarded as the largest hotel in the country, which makes it work especially for tourism’s economy. It also offers a sky park that will let people view the Marina Bay from its infinity pool. In that sense, the building’s functional attributes offer more than just a vacation as there are many activities that can be done in within the premises. Therefore, whether it is a dining, entertainment, or even corporate needs, the building’s structure was designed for them (kamsconference.org).
In terms of its design, we said that the Marina Bay Sands is unique, which makes it different from the other. However, there may be some other architectural projects that may be similar to it in terms of other aspect. One of the comparable buildings could be the Sands Cotai Central, which is located in Macao, China. In fact, the Sheldon Adelson, chairman of the Las Vegas Sands, says that these buildings are both compliant with sustainability aspects of green building standards (Sands 5).
The Marina Bay Sands has a vision why it was designed that way. Its design represents an extension of the country’s central business district as the industries found in the city can also be found in the building (The Business Times 7). The building’s location is also significant to its goal to build a garden city by the bay to which the building was built. However, the major reason as to why it was built that way is that the Sands Corporation wanted to create more value than just building a modern project.
This building has an environmental attribute. In fact, it is the country’s first receiver of the ISO 20121 Certification (Global Association of the Exhibition Industry 1). This means that this building project complies with a long-term commitment when it comes to sustainable planning and environmental protection. It was also able to set its footprint by becoming the very first company to receive such certification in Singapore.
The Marina Bay Sands has also been one of the venues where important business and global meetings are held. For example, the Global Development on sustainability conference was held in this building, making it an icon for important developmental conferences (Global Initiatives 7). Additionally, the Sands Corporation itself is one of the participants, which makes it as one of the contributors to increase the awareness about the importance of global sustainability. Thus, it was able to set a culture that it is more than just a building project due to its various environmental and economic initiatives.
Conclusion
The Marina Bay Sands offers different features of a modern building. The modern design, architectural features, and its environmental compliance are already given. However, more than these factors are the values that it provides to people and to the country’s business and tourism economy. Its multiple attributes show that architectural projects are not just made to provide better design to a specific object, but they also serve as benchmarks for creative, yet socially and environmentally responsible architecture.
Works Cited
Building and Construction Authority. "Singapore: Leading the Way for Green Buildings in the Tropic." bca.gov.sg. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2015.
Global Initiatives. "Responsible Business Forum on Sustainable Development." responsiblebusiness.com. Global Initiatives, Nov. 2013. Web. 27 Apr. 2015.
Safdie Architects. "Architecture and Design of Marina Bay Sands." msaifdie.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2015.
Tanasijevich, George. "Marina Bay Sands Starts Strong and Continues to Ramp." shareholder.com. Las Vegas Sands Corporation, n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2015.
The Business Times. "Realising the Marina Bay Vision." marina-bay.sg. N.p., Mar. 2008. Web. 27 Apr. 2015.
The Global Association of Exhibition Industry. "Marina Bay Sands is Singapore’s first ISO 20121 certified venue." ufi.org. N.p., 26 Feb. 2014. Web. 27 Apr. 2015.
