Jewel Changi Airport

A key vision for Jewel Changi Airport (Jewel) is to be a world-class lifestyle destination that will be a game-changer for Changi Airport amid intensifying competition on the global airport landscape.

As a mixed-use airport terminal, Jewel will contain a wide range of lifestyle offerings that draw and excite visitors, including a world-class shopping and dining experience. The tourism mindshare that Jewel brings will significantly boost Changi Airport’s status as a leading international air hub, drawing international travellers and boosting Singapore’s appeal as a stopover point.

Jewel is centrally located at Changi Airport and connects all terminals seamlessly. The development boasts an impressive glass and steel façade with two main centrepiece attractions—the Forest Valley and the Rain Vortex.

The Forest Valley features a huge five-storey garden filled with thousands of trees, plants, ferns and shrubs. Visitors can immerse themselves in the beauty of nature within this idyllic valley of verdant landscaping and waterfalls, and can even take a hike up the valley in air-conditioned comfort. The 40-metre-high Rain Vortex is expected to be the world’s tallest indoor waterfall, and it will transform into a Light and Sound show with special lighting effects come nightfall.

As a lifestyle destination integrated with an airport, Jewel successfully combines aesthetical, technical and functional qualities through a keen sense of creativity and imagination of spaces. Its design fulfils the functions of a transit and transport hub with enhanced ground transport facilities and seamless connectivity to other transport nodes. The design provides a comfortable and attractive environment that is sustainable and environmentally friendly.

DESIGNING WITH BIM
Building Information Modelling (BIM) has been an indispensable tool in the conceptual, design development and construction stages of Jewel. The conceptual form for the glass dome was conceived from ground up using BIM from the onset. The entire design development process and detailed shop drawing review process were also BIM-based.

BIM was used in the maintenance strategy and to assess operational impact items, such as traffic planning and sightline impact of construction cranes to the Control Tower. For example, before the cranes were erected, BIM was used to ensure that they would not obscure the Control Tower’s visibility of the airport runways.

BIM Execution Plan (BEP) was outlined at the start of the project, setting out the roadmap for BIM usage. The contractor’s compliance with the BEP is reviewed at regular intervals by Gehry Technologies to ascertain and guide the progress along the roadmap.

BIM has been a vitally important tool for this project because the construction of Jewel takes place within the challenging context of a functioning airport. Moreover, Jewel is physically connected to Terminal 1, which will also be expanded as part of the overall development. Hence, while the final phase of Jewel’s construction involves the opening of the facilities within the complex, there will be myriad mid-stream phases that allow Terminal 1’s operations to expand and remain operational.

PROJECT DATA
Project Name: Jewel Changi Airport
Location: Singapore Changi Airport, Singapore
Status: Under construction
Expected Completion: Early 2019
Site Area: 3.5 hectares
Gross Floor Area: 134,000 square metres
Building Height: Five storeys above ground and five basement storeys
Client/Owner: Changi Airport Group and CapitaLand Mall Asia
Architecture Firms: RSP Architects Planners & Engineers (Pte) Ltd, in association with Safdie Architects
Principal Architect: RSP Architects Planners & Engineers (Pte) Ltd
Design Consultant: Safdie Architects
Interior Designer: Benoy
Mechanical & Electrical Engineer: Mott Macdonald Singapore Pte Ltd
Civil & Structural Engineer: RSP Architects Planners & Engineers (Pte) Ltd
Quantity Surveyor: Langdon & Seah Singapore Pte Ltd
Main Contractor: Woh Hup – Obayashi Joint Venture
Development Manager: Jewel Changi Airport Development (JCAD)
Images/Photos: JCAD